The Catholic Post Recently released films reviewed on the basis of moral suitability

Recently released films reviewed on the basis of moral suitability

By: The Catholic Post - January 5, 2012 - Movie Review

Photo Caption: Dolly Parton and Kris Kristofferson star in a scene from the movie “Joyful Noise.”

The following movie reviews are supplied by Catholic News Service in conjunction with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Office of Film and Broadcasting.

For full reviews of these films, as well as earlier releases, visit the CNS movie site here.

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“The Artist” (Weinstein)

The Catholic News Service 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.

A modern-made silent film proves to be a breath of fresh air without uttering a word. A dashing star of the silent screen (Jean Dujardin) plays every role with panache: the handsome lover, the swashbuckling hero, the athletic comedian with a sidekick Jack Russell terrier. But Hollywood is changing, and the arrival of the “talkies” presages his decline. Meanwhile, an adoring fan (Berenice Bejo) gets her big break in show business and becomes destined for stardom. Their paths intersect in a film that is at turns zany and hilarious, sad and affecting, uplifting and inspiring. One obscene hand gesture, two scenes of attempted suicide.

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“Contraband” (Universal)

The Catholic News Service classification is O — morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R — restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

Expletive-laden, dispiriting crime thriller about an ex-smuggler (Mark Wahlberg) forced to ply his illicit trade once more in order to protect his family from a drug dealer. Set in New Orleans, and in the shipping lanes between the Crescent City and Panama, this Hollywood retread of a 2008 Nordic movie immediately bogs down in vulgar language, while director Baltasar Kormakur, who starred in and produced the original, fails to provide any depth or to exploit the relatively novel crime scenario. Adding insult to injury, Aaron Guzikowski’s script shows its putative hero profiting from his escapade and thus transmits a false message about the consequences of felonious behavior and a supposed immunity from ethical corruption.
Skewed values, much lethal but only moderately graphic violence, one instance of drug use, some profanity, pervasive rough, crude and crass language.

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“The Devil Inside” (Paramount)

The Catholic News Service classification is O — morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R — restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

Director and co-writer William Brent Bell’s eye-poppingly bad, grotesque exorcism outing combines inept storytelling with a lazy, sullen antagonism toward the Catholic Church. Keen to know what provoked her mother (Suzan Crowley) to murder two priests and a nun during an exorcism 20 years earlier, a plucky documentary maker (Fernanda Andrade) jets off to Rome in search of answers, accompanied by her faithful cameraman (Ionut Grama). They eventually join forces with two renegade clergymen (Simon Quarterman and Evan Helmuth) who conduct unsanctioned exorcisms for the ostensible benefit of those the “institutional” church refuses to help.
Anti-Catholic animus, a fallacious presentation of church teaching and practice, implied acceptance of abortion, rare but intensely gory violence, a few uses of profanity and frequent rough and occasional crude language.

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“Joyful Noise” (Warner Bros.)

Vibrant, faith-driven blend of comedy, drama and music focused on the sometimes raucous but ultimately friendly rivalry between two leading members (Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton) of a small-town Georgia church choir. As the chorus competes for regional and national recognition, the free-spirited, mildly prodigal grandson (Jeremy Jordan) of Parton’s character falls for the strictly reared daughter (Keke Palmer) of Latifah’s. Though it gives a pass to an incidental out-of-wedlock fling, and showcases some humor and vocabulary that make it unsuitable for youngsters, writer-director Todd Graff’s otherwise uplifting celebration of traditional values emphasizes trust in God and illustrates the positive effects of compassionate and forgiving behavior. A premarital situation, occasional sexual references and jokes, about a half-dozen crude expressions, some crass language.

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“Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” (Focus)

The Catholic News Service classification is L — limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R — restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

The hunt is on for a double agent within Britain’s intelligence service in this faithful adaptation of John le Carre’s best-selling 1974 novel, set at the height of the Cold War between East and West. A loyal lieutenant (Gary Oldman) of the agency’s chief (John Hurt) is sacked when a covert mission to find the mole goes awry. Secretly rehired and commissioned to ferret out the traitor, he identifies four principal suspects (Toby Jones, Colin Firth, Ciaran Hinds, David Dencik).
Swedish director Tomas Alfredson sets a deliberately slow pace, especially for an espionage thriller. But amid all the stimulating conversations and lengthy ruminations, his film also includes elements severely circumscribing its appropriate audience.
Bloody violence including gunplay and torture, a scene of nonmarital sexual activity, brief rear nudity, a homosexual reference, some profane and rough language.

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The Darkest Hour” (Summit)

Director Chris Gorak’s weak alien-invasion entry has five American visitors to Moscow (Emile Hirsch, Olivia Thirlby, Max Minghella, Rachael Taylor and Joel Kinnaman) running away from space intruders who manifest themselves as balls of lethal microwave radiation, and start zapping folks — right, left and center. Action violence and fleeting profane, crude and crass language.

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The Adventures of Tintin” (Paramount/Columbia)

The Catholic News Service classification is A-I — general patronage. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG — parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.

Visually sumptuous animated adaptation of Belgian cartoonist Herge’s famed comic books in which the curiously coiffed young reporter of the title (voiced by Jamie Bell) finds himself drawn into a centuries-old mystery via the purchase of a model ship. His efforts to solve the puzzle are aided by a good-hearted but excessively tippling sea captain (voice of Andy Serkis) and opposed by a deliciously wicked Russian villain (voiced by Daniel Craig).
Director Steven Spielberg’s globetrotting quest spans vibrantly portrayed environments from Tintin’s native Belgium to the deserts of North Africa. Themes congruent with Judeo-Christian values, including the vital role of companionship in overcoming one’s individual weaknesses and the need for fortitude in the face of difficulty, are advanced through sympathetic main characters, a screenplay faithful to its classic source material and envelope-pushing 3-D technology.
The generally family-friendly result will not only afford vigilant moms and dads a chance to relax, but the opportunity to be entertained as well. Occasional stylized violence.

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“Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked” (Fox)

The Catholic News Service classification is A-I — general patronage. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is G — general audiences. All ages admitted.

This weak, slapstick-laden — but not unwholesome — third entry in the Chipmunks series has the titular rodent rap stars (voiced by Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler and Jesse McCartney) and their distaff counterparts the Chipettes (voices of Amy Poehler, Anna Faris and Christina Applegate) misbehaving on a cruise ship and winding up on a remote Caribbean island, where they help another castaway (Jenny Slate) and learn some lessons in maturity and responsibility.
As he blends animation and live action, director Mike Mitchell piles on the pratfalls — along with references to other similarly themed media offerings, from the TV show “Lost” to Tom Hanks’ 2000 big-screen drama “Cast Away.”

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“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” (Columbia)

The Catholic News Service classification is O — morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R — restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

This piercingly violent and sordid crime thriller, based on the first book in Swedish writer Stieg Larsson’s “Millennium Trilogy,” follows a journalist (Daniel Craig) and a talented computer hacker (Rooney Mara) as they investigate a wealthy clan’s role in the murder of a female member of the family 40 years prior.
Director David Fincher’s unflinching adaptation is faithful to the often disturbing source material, which includes scenes of heinous physical abuse. Although skillfully — if exhaustingly — executed, his film portrays a world seemingly devoid of moral coordinates. The transgressions endured by the title character, and the choices she makes in response, both undermine her quest for justice and render the proceedings inappropriate for all.
Excessively graphic violence, including rape, torture and maiming; images of women sadistically murdered; antireligious undertones; strong sexual content, including explicit lesbian and nonmarital encounters and frequent nudity; and much crude and crass language.

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“Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol” (Paramount)

This dizzying roller-coaster ride of an espionage thriller propels viewers from the depths of urban sewers to the top of the world’s tallest building, and throws in outer space for good measure. The leader (Tom Cruise) of a team of agents for the elite Impossible Missions Force is framed for a terrorist bombing of the Kremlin. Driven underground, and pursued by the Russian police, his associates (most prominently Paula Patton and Simon Pegg) join him in the struggle to stop the actual bomber (Michael Nyqvist) before he can unleash global nuclear war, an effort in which they’re eventually joined by another operative (Jeremy Renner), whose motives are not entirely clear.
In his live-action debut, established animation director Brad Bird oversees spectacular cinematography (especially in Imax), with the camera swooping and soaring with each death-defying stunt. Intense action violence, including gunplay, some rough language.

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“War Horse” (Disney)

Epic screen version of Michael Morpurgo’s 1982 novel, previously made into a successful stage play, about an English farmer’s son (newcomer Jeremy Irvine) who trains and cares for a thoroughbred horse that his father (Peter Mullan) misguidedly buys just to thwart the local squire (David Thewlis).
Despite the animal’s successful adaptation to farm work, and the lad’s emotional bond with him, at the start of World War I, the tiller sells him to an army officer (Tom Hiddleston) bound for the Western Front, thus initiating a series of adventures and trials that are, by turns, touching and harrowing.
While the intensity of the drama, the level of violence and some of the vocabulary used make director Steven Spielberg’s vast canvas unsuitable viewing for kids, mature audience members will encounter a stirring affirmation of human solidarity amid the tragedy of the trenches — a realization of shared values brought about, ironically, by the heroism and endurance of the nonhuman protagonist.
Considerable combat and other violence, including an execution; about a half-dozen uses of crass language; and a few vague sexual references.

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“We Bought a Zoo” (Fox)

The Catholic News Service classification is A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG — parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.

In this amiably tame, warmly emotional feature, based on the true-life experiences of British memoirist Benjamin Mee, a widower (Matt Damon) and his two children (Maggie Elizabeth Jones and Colin Ford) attempt to start over by purchasing an exurban menagerie filled with endangered animals and staffed by a clutch of oddball humans.
Under the baton of director Cameron Crowe, the story’s Capraesque charms are enhanced by numerous rock-‘n’-roll ballads and some star wattage. Both father and teenage son are given romantic prospects, played by Scarlett Johansson and Elle Fanning, respectively. Viewers will note that the catharsis achieved studiously bypasses the theological, that there’s an implied timetable for the grieving process, and that no one questions the idea that it’s always moral to hasten the death of a suffering creature. Yet the movie is still commendable, not least because the value of hard work is emphasized.
At least one instance of profanity, several uses of crude and crass language, some lightly suggestive banter and a few morbid images.

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“Young Adult” (Paramount)

Pretentiously droll and condescending examination of small-town relationships in which Charlize Theron plays a moderately successful ghostwriter of young-adult fiction. Divorced and unhappy with the direction of her life in Minneapolis, she returns to her rural Minnesota home in hopes of rekindling a romance with her high school boyfriend (Patrick Wilson), despite the fact that he is now a husband and father — and in the teeth of sensible advice from another former classmate (Patton Oswalt).

Director Jason Reitman and screenwriter Diablo Cody draw the caricatures in thick crayon, as the intelligent and caring — if bitter — people around her never seem to notice that Theron’s character is constantly either depressed, drunk or hung over. Two scenes of implied nonmarital sexual activity, fleeting profanity, pervasive rough and brief crass language, sexual banter.

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The Descendants” (Fox Searchlight)

Spiritually bereft dark comedy in which, with his wife (Patricia Hastie) left brain-dead by an accident, a grieving Hawaii lawyer (George Clooney) and previously neglectful father is forced to deal with the impact of her loss on their two daughters (Shailene Woodley and Amara Miller) as well as with a family crisis involving the planned sale of a pristine beachfront property held in trust for generations.
Director and co-writer Alexander Payne’s astringent adaptation of Kaui Hart Hemmings’ novel is neither hostile to religion nor to people of faith. But belief of any sort is conspicuously absent as characters grapple with fundamental questions and emotions.
Mature themes, including end-of-life issues and adultery; frequent rough and crude language; and fleeting profanity.

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“My Week With Marilyn” (Weinstein)

The Catholic News Service classification is A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R — restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

This behind-the-scenes look at the making of 1956’s “The Prince and the Showgirl” — one of Marilyn Monroe’s least successful films — offers a fascinating study of her tortured soul and of a clash of cultures in 1950s Britain.
The young assistant (Eddie Redmayne) to the movie’s distinguished director and leading man, Laurence Olivier (Kenneth Branagh), is smitten by Monroe (Michelle Williams) and eager to protect her from the sniping establishment, who resent her beauty and lack of classical training. Monroe, on the other hand, is desperate to be taken seriously as an actress but hampered by her dependence on pills and alcohol. When the set becomes a battleground of titans, Monroe retreats to the country with her newfound friend in tow.
Directed by newcomer Simon Curtis, this screen version of Colin Clark’s 1995 memoir is, for the most part, surprisingly chaste and free of exploitative intent. Fleeting rear female nudity, brief adulterous kissing, a few profane expressions, some rough language.

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“Arthur Christmas” (Columbia)

The Catholic News Service 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.

This mostly delightful 3-D animated comedy equips Santa Claus (voice of Jim Broadbent) with a stealth ship, GPS navigation and battalions of ninja-like elves to fulfill the mission of delivering 2 billion gifts each Christmas Eve. Santa’s ambitious elder son (voice of Hugh Laurie) runs the sophisticated global distribution network. Decidedly more low-tech is his younger brother (voice of James McAvoy) — the titular character — whose task is to answer, by hand, all the letters Santa receives from children.
When disaster strikes in the form of an undelivered present, Santa’s aged father (voice of Bill Nighy) joins forces with the junior sibling to come to the rescue, and the duo rockets off on one last mission.
Although it has absolutely nothing to do with the true meaning of the Nativity, first-time director Sarah Smith’s film does offer a good commentary on the commercialization of the holiday and the importance of family, loyalty and being faithful to one’s promise. Some rude humor and cartoonish thrills.

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“Hugo” (Paramount)

The Catholic News Service classification is A-II — adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG — parental guidance suggested.

This family-oriented 3-D fable, set in 1930s Paris, follows the adventures of a 12-year-old orphan (Asa Butterfield) who lives in one of the capital’s great train stations. To avoid being shipped off to an orphanage by the merciless officer responsible for the terminal’s security (Sacha Baron Cohen), the mechanically gifted lad clandestinely carries on the work of the drunken uncle (Ray Winstone) in whose custody he was left, but who has since disappeared, by keeping all the clocks on the premises ticking. In his spare time, he struggles to repair a mysterious automaton he and his beloved father had been tinkering with before the latter’s death.
His search for the necessary spare parts brings him into contact with the embittered owner (Ben Kingsley) of a toy shop and with the merchant’s adopted daughter (Chloe Grace Moretz), a vivacious girl he swiftly befriends.
Adapted from Brian Selznick’s best-seller “The Invention of Hugo Cabret,” director Martin Scorsese’s paean to the City of Lights, the human imagination and — via plot developments concerning the shopkeeper’s mysterious past — the pioneers of early cinema casts a charming spell. Only fleeting passages of dialogue touching on adult matters and some mild misbehavior hinder recommendation for all. A few mature references, occasional peril, some implicitly endorsed petty lawbreaking.

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“The Muppets” (Disney)

Jim Henson’s singing, dancing, wise-cracking puppets return to the big screen in an old-fashioned and genuinely funny film, which will appeal to nostalgic baby boomers even as it introduces a new generation to the decidedly low-tech felt figures for whom charm is a strong suit.
The story centers on a good-hearted small town guy (Jason Segel) and his brother (voice of Peter Linz) who, as it happens, is a Muppet. While on a trip to Los Angeles, the siblings — accompanied by the human brother’s girlfriend (Amy Adams) — stumble upon the designs of a wicked oil baron (Chris Cooper), who wants to tear down the derelict studios where “The Muppet Show” was once taped and drill for oil. Unless, that is, $10 million can be raised in just two days.
The gang locates Kermit the Frog (voice of Steve Whitmire) and persuades him to round up his former colleagues for a telethon. Under the direction of newcomer James Bobin, several catchy songs and exuberant dance numbers add to the fun for the entire family.

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“The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 1” (Summit)

This fourth addition to the blockbuster gothic franchise opens with the nuptials of the ongoing tale’s iconic but ill-assorted central pair — courteous bloodsucker Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) and mortal teen Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) — chronicles their problematic honeymoon in Brazil and follows the unexpected pregnancy that results from the trip. With Bella’s life endangered by having a baby vein-drainer in utero, the Cullen clan (led by Peter Facinelli and Elizabeth Reaser) debate what to do, while perennial third wheel Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) finds himself torn between his hopeless love for Bella and the laws of the vampire-hating werewolf pack to which he belongs.
Director Bill Condon’s adaptation of the first part of novelist Stephenie Meyer’s bestseller “Breaking Dawn” includes a sexual interlude, and some grisly ones, that make it unsuitable for youngsters, though mature viewers will recognize a strongly pro-life message being conveyed via the heroine’s unusual plight. Possibly acceptable for some mature adolescents. A scene of semi-graphic marital lovemaking, some gory images, abortion theme, several mild sexual references and jokes, a couple of crass expressions.

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“Happy Feet Two” (Warner Bros.)

Penguins are once again tap dancing at the bottom of the world in director and co-writer George Miller’s mostly family-friendly, 3-D animated sequel to his 2006 original.
The hero of that film (voice of Elijah Wood) has married his true love (voice of Alecia Moore aka Pink) and they have a cute-as-a-button son (voice of Ava Acres). But junior is “choreophobic,” as his dad once was, embarrassed by his two left fins and a distinct lack of rhythm.
Feeling misunderstood and unloved, the lad runs away, following a maverick adult penguin (voice of Robin Williams) to the latter’s homeland. There, he learns lessons in tolerance and perseverance from the colony’s leader (voice of Hank Azaria), which come in handy when father and son must join forces to save their native flock from disaster.
What the collaborative script lacks in originality is more than made up for by some stunning vistas, a few catchy tunes and an effective use of 3-D technology. A few intense action scenes, some mild innuendo and minimal potty humor.

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“J. Edgar” (Warner Bros.)

Clint Eastwood’s polished but taxing biographical drama recounts major events in the long public career of famed FBI director J. Edgar Hoover (Leonardo DiCaprio) and attempts to reconstruct his enigmatic personal life.
As scripted by Dustin Lance Black, the film informatively chronicles Hoover’s rise from obscure bureaucrat to power-besotted keeper of the nation’s secrets. Yet its exploration of the three main relationships in Hoover’s life, with his domineering mother (Judi Dench), his girlfriend-turned-secretary (Naomi Watts) and his number two at the bureau (Armie Hammer) — a man who was certainly Hoover’s daily companion over several decades and might have been his lover — feels sensationalized at times and will prove uncomfortable viewing even for mature audience members.
Brief intense but bloodless violence, a scene of semi-graphic adultery, homosexual and transvestite themes, a same-sex kiss, at least one use of profanity, a couple of rough terms.

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“Jack and Jill” (Columbia)

The Catholic News Service classification is A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG — parental guidance suggested.

Half-witted comedy in which Adam Sandler plays both a successful Los Angeles advertising executive and his well-meaning but irksome, Bronx-based twin sister.
When Sis comes to town for her annual Thanksgiving visit, the ad man can hardly wait for her to leave again — until, that is, she artlessly wins the heart of Al Pacino (playing himself), whom he’s been trying to convince to appear in a Dunkin’ Donuts commercial.
Director Dennis Dugan’s grab-bag of potty humor, harsh slapstick and pop-culture gags is too crude for kids and too puerile for their elders. Much violent slapstick and gross scatological humor, brief implied nudity, some sexual jokes and adult references, at least one crass term.

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Tower Heist” (Universal)

The Catholic News Service classification is L — limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 — parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

Crude action-comedy in which, abetted by a petty thief (Eddie Murphy), the manager of a luxury Manhattan apartment building (Ben Stiller) and several of his colleagues plan a revenge caper against the Wall Street financier (Alan Alda) who looted their employee pension fund.
Rather than mine the topical premise in a genuinely crowd-pleasing fashion, director Brett Ratner and company underestimate their audience by relying on crass stereotypical humor and a steady stream of expletives. Amusing moments courtesy of a talented ensemble — also including Casey Affleck and Matthew Broderick — are thus squandered.
Some profanity, frequent crude and crass language, much sexual banter and innuendo, a suicide attempt, a scene glamorizing alcohol abuse.

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“A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas” (Warner Bros.)

The Catholic News Service classification is O — morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R — restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

Consistently vulgar, intermittently loathsome comedy sequel in which reformed pothead Harold (John Cho) and unrepentant stoner Kumar (Kal Penn) go in quest of a replacement for the former’s family Christmas tree which the duo accidentally burned down.
In its largely vain pursuit of laughs, director Todd Strauss-Schulson’s insult to the season stoops not only to sexual excess but to anti-Catholic animus and even blasphemy by portraying pornographic images of lesbian nuns, pedophile priests chasing choirboys and a playboy version of Jesus accompanied by topless angels.
Sacrilegious humor, graphic nonmarital and aberrant sexual activity, full nudity, a benign view of drug use, about a half-dozen instances of profanity, pervasive rough and crude language.

Recently released films reviewed on the basis of moral suitability

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