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

Recently released films reviewed on basis of moral suitability

By: The Catholic Post - January 19, 2012 - Movie Review

Photo Caption: Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo star in a scene from the movie “The Artist.”

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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“Haywire” (Relativity)

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.

Fairly suspenseful but frequently brutal espionage thriller about a lethal operative (played by mixed martial arts fighter Gina Carano) who becomes a fugitive after being betrayed during an assignment. Trying his hand at yet another cinematic genre, director Steven Soderbergh deploys a novice lead actress and a clutch of seasoned supporting players (including Ewan McGregor, Michael Douglas, and Antonio Banderas) with his usual stylistic aplomb, although the result is neither substantive nor original. Moreover, the protagonist’s merciless reaction to her situation is morally culpable, even after allowing for the life-and-death nature of international spying and covert military operations.
Much fierce hand-to-hand violence and gunplay, brief gore, an implied nonmarital encounter, at least one use of profanity and of rough language, some crude terms, an obscene gesture.

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“Red Tails” (Fox)

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.

Flag-waving hokum about the all-black 332nd Fighting Group of the Army Air Forces during World War II. What director Anthony Hemingway obviously intended as an enthusiastic fact-based homage to greatest generation patriotism instead comes off as shallow and cliched storytelling about a famed group of Tuskegee Airmen (including Terrence Howard, Tristan Wildes, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Marcus T. Paulk). Extensive aerial combat violence, an instance of implied premarital sex, fleeting crude and crass language.

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“The Artist” (Weinstein)

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 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.

Recently released films reviewed on basis of moral suitability

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