TV film fare -- week of Dec. 9

NEW YORK (CNS) -- The following are capsule reviews of theatrical movies on network and cable television the week of Dec. 9. Please note that televised versions may or may not be edited for language, nudity, violence and sexual situations.

Sunday, Dec. 9, 8-9:30 p.m. EST (TCM) "A Christmas Carol" (1938). Sturdy version of the Dickens classic in which miserly Ebenezer Scrooge (Reginald Owen) fires clerk Bob Cratchitt (Gene Lockhart) on Christmas Eve, then undergoes a change of heart after being visited later that night by his dead partner, Marley (Leo G. Carroll), and three ghosts. Directed by Edwin L. Marin, the adaptation is faithful to the spirit of the original, though it lightens the tone with some comic relief and makes the 1843 London setting more quaint than grim. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-I -- general patronage. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America.

Monday, Dec. 10, 6:15-8:30 p.m. EST (Showtime) "The World's Fastest Indian" (2006). Feel-good film about real-life New Zealand race car driver Burt Munro, an elderly man with a 1920s Indian Twin Scout motorbike, who against all odds packed up and went to the United States to break the land speed record at Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats. Roger Donaldson has directed Anthony Hopkins to give one of his best screen performances, so natural it hardly looks like he's acting, and the inspiring themes of perseverance, defying the odds and Burt's nonjudgmental embrace of humanity balance the sometimes lumbering pace of a longish length (more than two hours) and his character's atheistic worldview. Scattered profanity, permissive view of premarital sex, a transvestite character, brief solicitation by a prostitute, drug use and some innuendo. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

Tuesday, Dec. 11, 8-11:30 p.m. EST (AMC) "Troy" (2004). Epic-scale rendering of the Trojan War, loosely based on Homer's "The Iliad," which chronicles the siege and eventual sack of Troy by an invading Greek army, beginning with Paris (Orlando Bloom) spiriting away Helen (Diana Kruger) from her husband, King Menelaus of Sparta (Brendan Gleeson), and culminating in the Greeks using the infamous wooden horse to seal the fate of the doomed city. While crowded with clashing armies, director Wolfgang Petersen's demythologized retelling of the ancient tale is, at its core, an intimate story of two soldiers, the near-invincible Achilles (Brad Pitt) and his valiant Trojan counterpart, Hector (Eric Bana), which, though set amid sweeping sword-and-sandal spectacle, remains grounded in human drama. Much intense battlefield violence and several implied sexual encounters with partial nudity. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R -- restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

Saturday, Dec. 15, 8-10:15 p.m. EST (HBO) "Dreamgirls" (2006). Entertaining screen version of 1981 Broadway hit charting the rise of a Motown-like 1960s girl group (Beyonce Knowles, Anika Noni Rose and Sharon Leal), and the heavyset lead singer (Jennifer Hudson) they push out of the group when she doesn't match their new svelte image, as well as an R&B singer (Eddie Murphy), and the ruthless manager (Jamie Foxx) who guides all their careers. Director Bill Condon has skillfully refashioned the show for the screen turning most of the sung recitatives into spoken dialogue, and there are especially good performances from Murphy and newcomer Hudson. Despite some flagged material, the overarching themes of loyalty, doing the "right thing," dedication to family and friends, and overcoming adversity are key. Romantic complications including adultery, a child born out of wedlock, crude language, some innuendo, mild profanity, drug use and some onstage vulgarity. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

Saturday, Dec. 15, 10-11:45 p.m. EST (Cinemax) "Eragon" (2006). Reasonably diverting, if predictable, fantasy adventure for youngsters about a farm boy (Ed Speleers) who, after the death of his uncle, learns it's his destiny to become a dragon rider battling an evil king (John Malkovich) and his henchman (Robert Carlyle) in a mythical kingdom, all the while assisted by a retired dragon rider (Jeremy Irons). The script, based on a novel by Christopher Paolini, trots out every cliche known to this genre, but the special effects, especially involving the hero's majestic dragon (voice of Rachel Weisz) are well done. Director Stefan Fangmeier's film is well paced, and the violence, though noisy and chaotic, avoids overt gore, while there are no sex or language concerns. Action violence and magical hocus-pocus. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-II -- adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG -- parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.

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