Web site TV for March 21 – March 27, 2010

TV film fare -- week of March 21

The following are capsule reviews of theatrical movies on network and cable television the week of March 21. Please note that televised versions may or may not be edited for language, nudity, violence and sexual situations.

Sunday, March 21, 6-8 p.m. EDT (TCM) "Born Yesterday" (1950). Witty social comedy from Garson Kanin's play about the moral transformation of a not-so-dumb blonde (Judy Holliday), who's the mistress of a corrupt government contractor (Broderick Crawford), after he pays a hard-up journalist (William Holden) to improve her mind. Director George Cukor gets much wry humor from the trio's shifting relationships as the reporter's introduction to political democracy, human rights and true romance finally pays off in the self-discovery of a liberated woman. Implied sexual relationship. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification of the theatrical version was A-III -- adults. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America.

Sunday, March 21, 7-10 p.m. EDT (AMC) "The Mummy" (1999). Spirited horror adventure set in 1920s Egypt where a treasure hunting Yank (Brendan Fraser) and an archaeological librarian (Rachel Weisz) inadvertently revive a 3,000-year-old mummy (Arnold Vosloo) whose evil powers of destruction seemingly know no bounds. Writer-director Stephen Sommers stuffs the lavishly shot action movie with spooky special effects and a comical tone that generally adds up to rousing, old-fashioned entertainment. Recurring stylized violence, and fleeting partial nudity. 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.

Tuesday, March 23, 8-9:30 p.m. EDT (TCM) "Rashomon" (1950). Medieval Japanese story in which a bandit (Toshiro Mifune) is charged with murdering a samurai and raping his wife but the three (the samurai speaks through a medium) give contradictory accounts, to which is added a yet different version of events as witnessed by a woodcutter (Takashi Shimura). Director Akira Kurosawa makes brilliant use of the actors and the sunlit forest setting in flashbacks restaging the four versions of the crime, but the result is less about the relativity of truth than about the human capacity for evil and deceit, a theme which ends on a hopeful note as the woodcutter rescues an abandoned baby. Stylized violence and sexual situations. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification of the theatrical version was A-III -- adults. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America.

Saturday, March 27, 8:30-10:30 p.m. EDT (HBO) "Gran Torino" (2008). Improbable and gritty if ultimately humane redemption tale of a crusty Korean War vet (Clint Eastwood in peak form) who resents the encroachment of the Laotian Hmongs who have moved into his Detroit neighborhood, but becomes their reluctant hero and unlikely friend after he saves the young teen (Bee Vang) next door from being pressured to join a marauding Hmong gang. Eastwood directs with his customary frontier worldview, with the cultural tolerance theme and a positive priest character (Christopher Carley) strong pluses, though the nonstop racial epithets and expletives are, even in this context, excessive. Pervasive rough language, profanity and racial slurs, violence with bloodshed, and a morally tangled ending. 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 27, 10-11:50 p.m. EDT (Cinemax) "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" (2009). Lavish and flashy action-packed prequel to the popular "X-Men" series exploring the origins of conflicted superhero Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), including his defining childhood, turbulent relationship with his brother, Victor Creed (Liev Schreiber), role in a team of fellow mutants (Ryan Reynolds, Will.i.Am, Kevin Durand, Dominic Monaghan) led by the duplicitous Col. Stryker (Danny Huston), and tragic romance with schoolteacher Kayla (Lynn Collins). Director Gavin Hood tries not to lose sight of the human elements with Wolverine generally demonstrating moral conscience, though the kinetic action and violence necessarily predominate. Intense action violence, killings, explosions, patricide, fleeting rear nudity, premarital habitation, some crude expletives, crass expressions and brief profanity, limiting its appropriateness to mature teens 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-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

TV program notes -- week of March 21

Here are some television program notes for the week of March 21 with their TV Parental Guidelines ratings if available. They have not been reviewed and therefore are not necessarily recommended by the Office for Film & Broadcasting.

Sunday, March 21, 1:30-2:30 p.m. EDT (EWTN) "Haydn's 'The Seven Last Words Of Christ.'" The Ottawa Chamber Music Society performs the great composer Joseph Haydn's attempt to express this pivotal moment of man's salvation instrumentally.

Sunday, March 21, 8-10 p.m. EDT (Discovery) "Life." Premiere of a new 11-part series exploring the adaptability and diversity of life on earth, and revealing the sometimes bizarre behaviors that living creatures have devised to thrive. This week's back-to-back episodes cover "Challenges of Life" and "Reptiles and Amphibians." The series continues with back-to-back episodes 8-10 p.m. EDT Sundays through April 18, and concludes with a making-of special 10-11 p.m. EDT, Sunday, April 18.

Tuesday, March 23, 10-11 p.m. EDT (PBS) "Lost Souls (Animas Perdidas)." Set against the backdrop of increased attention to the U.S.-Mexican border, filmmaker Monika Navarro's documentary explores national identity, the lives of immigrants, and what happens after deportees are sent to a homeland they no longer consider home. Part of the series "Independent Lens" (TV-PG -- parental guidance suggested).

Wednesday, March 24, 8-9 p.m. EDT (PBS) "Dance in America: NY Export: Opus Jazz." A new production of choreographer Jerome Robbins' 1958 "ballet in sneakers" -- performed to music of the same title by Robert Prince -- that was filmed on location in the five boroughs of New York City. A "Great Performances" presentation (TV-G -- general audience).

Wednesday, March 24, 9 p.m.-midnight EDT (PBS) "Les Contes d'Hoffmann." Joseph Calleja stars in the title role of this "Great Performances at the Met" presentation, with Anna Netrebko as Antonia and Alan Held as the demonic four villains in Jacques Offenbach's fictionalized take on the life and loves of writer E.T.A. Hoffmann, who was part of the German Romantic movement. Metropolitan Opera music director James Levine conducts (TV-PG -- parental guidance suggested).

Saturday, March 27, 8-9:30 p.m. EDT (EWTN) "La Notte Del Profeta." The life story of St. Padre Pio, the priest who received the stigmata early in his priesthood and bore the wounds for 50 years. A reporter travels to the Italian city of San Giovanni Rotondo, where he lived and ministered for decades, and interviews those who were closest to him.

TV REVIEW 

Jerusalem: Center of the World

As a city sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims alike, Jerusalem has been the destination for millions of pilgrims over the centuries, as well as the location of more than 100 battles. The storied, four-millennia-long history of this spiritual capital is recounted in the enlightening documentary "Jerusalem: Center of the World."
 
Directed by Emmy Award-winner Andrew Goldberg and hosted by Ray Suarez of "The NewsHour With Jim Lehrer," the film will be rerun PBS stations Sunday, March 21, 9-11 p.m. EDT (check local listing).

Backed up by arresting visuals, interviews with archaeologists and scholars and beautifully shot footage of the still-vibrant city, Suarez traces its evolution from a Canaanite village to the political and religious citadel of ancient Israel, and outlines its importance as the setting for Jesus' death and resurrection, as well as its significance within Islam.
 
He describes the metropolis' connections to biblical figures, such as Abraham, who may have traveled there as he prepared to fulfill God's command to sacrifice his son Isaac; Moses, who was allowed to see the Promised Land but not set foot in it; and Kings David and Solomon. David wrested control of the area from the Canaanites and brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, while it was left to Solomon to build the First Temple to house the Ark.

The location of the First Temple and the Second Temple, the latter built by King Herod the Great shortly before the time of Jesus, is now occupied by the Dome of the Rock, one of the oldest surviving Islamic places of worship.

Suarez visits historically informative sites such as the pool of Siloam and King Hezekiah's water tunnels, an engineering miracle carved out of solid rock 2,500 years ago. He also journeys to shrines built on places associated with Jesus' life and ministry, such as the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, West Bank, the reconstructed Upper Room, traditionally believed to be the location of the Last Supper, and the Chapel of the Ascension.
 
At once educational and enjoyable, this armchair pilgrimage makes timely Lenten-season viewing.