TV film fare -- week of March 23

NEW YORK (CNS) -- The following are capsule reviews of theatrical movies on network and cable television the week of March 23. Please note that televised versions may or may not be edited for language, nudity, violence and sexual situations.

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Wednesday, March 26, 3:15-5 p.m. EDT (Cinemax) "The End of the Affair" (1999). London-based, World War II-era romantic triangle involves an unfaithful wife (Julianne Moore), her dullard husband (Stephen Rea) and the adoring lover (Ralph Fiennes) she leaves without explanation as part of her vow to God when his life is spared after he suffers a potentially fatal injury in a bombing. Adapted from the 1951 Graham Greene novel, and written and directed by Neil Jordan, the very adult drama is a thoughtful character study about sexual jealousy, spirituality, forgiveness and redemption. Several extramarital encounters with extended nudity. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification of the theatrical version was L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. The Motion Picture Association of America rating was R -- restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

Friday, March 28, 8-9:30 p.m. EDT (TCM) "It Came From Beneath the Sea" (1955). Fair sci-fi thriller in which a nuclear sub commander (Kenneth Tobey) has a mid-Pacific run-in with a gigantic radioactive octopus, then teams with a marine biologist (Faith Domergue) to keep the monster from destroying San Francisco. Director Robert Gordon handles the formula story rather blandly, except for some feminist asides and Ray Harryhusen's effective special effects as the animated monster savages the Golden Gate Bridge and menaces the Frisco waterfront. Some stylized violence, menace and mild romance. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification of the theatrical version was A-I -- general patronage. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America.

Saturday, March 29, 8-9:35 p.m. EDT (HBO) "I Think I Love My Wife" (2007). Director and co-writer Chris Rock plays a suburban husband tempted to stray in a comedy based on the 1972 French classic "Chloe in the Afternoon." This dubious remake offers little entertainment value and a torrent of four-letter words drowning out a few good jokes, and fails to offer any original insights into marital fidelity, boding ill for Rock's career behind the camera. Pervasive rough and sexually explicit language and an instance of profanity, sexual situations and humor, one image of pornography containing rear female nudity, and brief violence. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification of the theatrical version was L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. The Motion Picture Association of America rating was R -- restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

Saturday, March 29, 10-11:35 p.m. EDT (Cinemax) "Deck the Halls" (2006). Yuletide comedy about an obsessively organized eye doctor (Matthew Broderick) whose regimental holiday zeal alienates his wife (Kristin Davis) and two kids (Alia Shawkat and Dylan Blue), and who meets his match when his new neighbor (Danny DeVito) challenges his reputation as the town's "king of Christmas" by decorating his own house with enough lights to be visible from outer space, prompting escalating attempts by the two men to outdo each other at the risk of losing what matters most to them, their families. The laughs are mostly low-wattage, as director John Whitesell decks his plot with clumsy slapstick and a few off-color gags, but he ultimately offers an earnest endorsement of home, family and friendship. A secular view of Christmas dominates, but the sentimental close at least acknowledges the true meaning of the holiday. Some mildly crude language and humor, including a few suggestive images and a lightly irreverent sight gag, innuendo and an instance of profanity, limiting the film's suitability to older adolescents and up. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification of the theatrical version was A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating was PG -- parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.

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Copyright (c) 2007 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops