TV film fare -- week of May 18

NEW YORK (CNS) -- The following are capsule reviews of theatrical movies on network and cable television the week of May 18. Please note that televised versions may or may not be edited for language, nudity, violence and sexual situations.

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Monday, May 19, 8-10 p.m. EDT (TCM) "Hobson's Choice" (1954). Amusing British tale set in 1890s' Manchester where a smug shoe-store owner (Charles Laughton) gets his comeuppance when his eldest daughter (Brenda de Banzie) marries an uneducated but skilled shoemaker (John Mills) and they open a rival shoe shop. Directed by David Lean, the story of a wise daughter outsmarting her foolish dad has plenty of ironic humor, a zestful musical score and a grandly comic performance from Laughton. Period sexism and romantic complications. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification of the theatrical version was A-II -- adults and adolescents. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America.

Wednesday, May 21, 8-10:15 p.m. EDT (TCM) "Ocean's Eleven" (1960). Slack crime caper in which a group of World War II paratroop veterans (Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, Richard Conte, et al.) join in simultaneously robbing five Las Vegas casinos, then lose the loot in a ghoulish twist ending. Producer-director Lewis Milestone drags out the proceedings with less than witty dialogue by the principals and a misuse of cameos (notably by George Raft, Red Skelton and Angie Dickinson). Rationalization of robbery. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification of the theatrical version was A-III -- adults. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America.

Friday, May 23, 8-10 p.m. EDT (Fox) "Cheaper by the Dozen" (2003). Fitfully amusing comedy about a family with 12 children veering out of control when Mom (Bonnie Hunt) must go on a national book tour, leaving Dad (Steve Martin) to hold down the very rebellious fort while the demands of his university football coaching job allow scant time for his unhappy youngsters. The family-first message follows director Shawn Levy's predictable parade of pranks, pratfalls and parenting problems, including dismay over their 22-year-old daughter moving in with her boyfriend. A discreetly implied affair, occasional toilet humor and brief slapstick violence. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification of the theatrical version was A-II -- adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association of America rating was PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

Saturday, May 24, 8-10 p.m. EDT (HBO) "300" (2007). Noisy, testosterone-charged telling of the legendary battle between ancient Sparta's meager 300 soldiers led by King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) against the vast Persian army headed by the fearsome Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro), while Sparta's queen (Lena Headey) futilely attempts to sway a corrupt politician (Dominic West) to bolster her husband's troops. With Frank Miller's graphic novel as a springboard, director and co-writer Zack Snyder takes a highly stylized approach -- most of the film is shot in sepia tones, with the impossibly buffed soldiers facing off against digitized weapons, creatures and seemingly thousands of Persians -- soon grows tiresome, though the pervasive battlefield violence is somewhat tempered by the often artful cinematography. Much slow-motion fighting with bloodshed, impalings and decapitations, an adulterous episode with an implied rough sexual encounter, brief upper-female and rear nudity, innuendo, some exotic dancing with a lesbian kiss during a brief orgy sequence, and skimpy male attire throughout. 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, May 24, 9-11 p.m. EDT (Showtime) "Black Snake Moan" (2007). Extremely lurid, but ultimately redemptive, melodrama set in rural Tennessee about an aging blues singer (Samuel L. Jackson) who nurses a badly beaten nymphomaniac (Christina Ricci) back to health, and gets her to overcome her drug and sexual addictions, conquering his own inner demons in the process. Writer-director Craig Brewer pulls out the stops with an intentionally florid style, while the impressive performances of the leads -- as well as those of John Cothran as a benevolent preacher, S. Epatha Merkerson as an empathetic friend and Justin Timberlake as an emotionally damaged soldier who loves the young woman -- overcome the more outrageous plot elements. The high quotient of sex, violence and foul language -- which walks the finest of lines between morally objectionable and dramatically valid -- will seriously limit the film's appeal to audiences, Catholic and otherwise. Pervasive rough and crude language and profanity, racial epithets, strong sexuality including a couple of graphic encounters without nudity, premarital situations, upper-female nudity elsewhere, violence and drug use. 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, May 24, 10 p.m.-midnight EDT (Cinemax) "Disturbia" (2007). Reasonably suspenseful thriller in the tradition of Hitchcock's "Rear Window" about a teen (Shia LaBeouf) -- under house arrest after an emotional outburst stemming from his dad's death -- who begins to spy on the neighbors, eventually suspecting one (David Morse) of being a serial killer. Director D.J. Caruso ("Taking Lives") handles his serial-killer theme with relative restraint, with the emphasis squarely on suspense. Some violence including two murders, an image of a corpse and some discreet shots of other dead bodies, a disturbing car accident, some crude and crass language and profanity, skimpy costuming, underage drinking, suggestive dancing, brief suggestions of infidelity and underage viewing of pornography. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification of the theatrical version was A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating was PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

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