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Television
WHAT'S PLAYING ON TELEVISION
THIS WEEK?
Information is provided by the Catholic News Service
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Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday |
Premieres on PBS
stations throughout the Spring
(check local listings)
"The Life
and Legacy of Patrick Flores,"
various dates, PBS By John
Mulderig Catholic News Service
NEW YORK (CNS) -- In 1956,
Patrick Flores, a former migrant
worker and nightclub
entertainer, was ordained a
priest for the then-Diocese of
Galveston, Texas, which is now
the Archdiocese of
Galveston-Houston. Fourteen
years later, he became the first
Mexican-American bishop in U.S.
history when he was named an
auxiliary bishop of San Antonio.
"A Migrant's Masterpiece: The
Life and Legacy of Patrick
Flores" -- a warmly appreciative
biography of the man who went on
to serve as archbishop of San
Antonio from 1979 until his
retirement in 2004 -- premieres
on PBS stations throughout the
spring (check local listings).
Director Hector Galan's
inspiring hourlong documentary,
filmed in the months before
Archbishop Flores' retirement,
features sometimes emotional
interviews with co-workers,
siblings and local journalists
as well as with the archbishop
himself. It also includes
archival photographs and footage
of farm laborers, civil rights
and union protesters, and
pilgrims to the shrine of Our
Lady of Guadalupe, to whom the
archbishop's mother had a
special devotion. A victim of
discrimination both inside and
outside the church -- Texas' Jim
Crow laws also segregated
Latinos -- young Flores was told
by many that he would never
become a priest. As a dropout,
he had to finish high school
before he could enter the
seminary. Once ordained, Father
Flores, whose love of Mexican
music gained him the nickname
"The Mariachi Priest," did his
best to strengthen the bonds
between the church and the
Hispanic community, especially
by promoting the Cursillo
movement, a "little course" in
Christianity that educates and
inspires Catholics about their
faith. The priest's
groundbreaking 1970 appointment
as an auxiliary bishop coincided
with a tumultuous era that saw
the rise of the National Council
of La Raza and other
organizations promoting Latino
civil rights and the United Farm
Workers of America's expansion
into Texas, despite sometimes
violent opposition. Then-Bishop
Flores, a close friend of its
founder, Cesar Chavez,
consistently supported the UFW,
whose goals in those years
included a $1.25-an-hour minimum
wage. During the early 1970s,
Bishop Flores was instrumental
in the establishment of San
Antonio's Mexican American
Cultural Center and in the
organization of the nationwide
Hispanic Scholarship Fund. In
1978 he was named bishop of El
Paso, Texas, and in 1979 he was
appointed archbishop of San
Antonio. Among the highlights of
his tenure as archbishop were a
1985 trip to Cuba, during which
he urged Fidel Castro to allow
greater religious freedom on the
island, and Pope John Paul II's
September 1987 visit to San
Antonio. In 2000, Archbishop
Flores and his secretary were
taken hostage by a mentally
deranged immigrant. The standoff
at the diocesan chancery, which
drew large crowds of concerned
San Antonians, lasted more than
nine hours before the man
surrendered. Archbishop Flores
speaks eloquently of the
enduring value of priestly
ministry. His long years of work
on behalf of the poor and
disenfranchised, together with
the affection in which he is
held, vividly reinforce this
message. |
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Monday |
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Monday, May 5,
9-11 p.m. EDT
and Tuesday, May 6,
9-10:30 p.m. EDT (PBS)
"George H.W.
Bush." The latest in the "American
Experience" series of presidential
portraits, this two-part biography
examines the life and career of the
often-overlooked 41st president,
from his service in World War II and
his early career in Texas to his
days in the Oval Office, first as
vice president to President Ronald
Reagan, then as the leader who
presided over the first Gulf War.
Drawing upon Bush's personal diaries
and interviews with his closest
advisers and most prominent critics,
the film also explores Bush's role
as the patriarch of a political
family whose influence is unequaled
in modern American life (TV-PG/L,V
-- parental guidance suggested;
infrequent coarse language, moderate
violence).
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Tuesday |
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Tuesday, May 6,
8-11:30 p.m. EDT (AMC)
"The Great
Escape" (1963). Thrilling rendition
of a fact-based story about an
elaborate escape of Allied prisoners
from a German POW camp during World
War II. Steve McQueen is the most
ambitious of a crew that includes
James Garner, Charles Bronson, James
Coburn and Richard Attenborough as
they plot a mass escape which
becomes an intriguing, highly
entertaining suspense gripper. With
John Sturges directing, it all
builds to a stunning, sobering
climax that both tugs at the heart
and keeps it racing. 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.
Tuesday, May 6,
8:15-10 p.m. EDT (Showtime)
"Two
Weeks" (2007). Heartfelt yet
unflinchingly frank story of a dying
mother (the transcendent Sally
Field) and the four adult children
who have come to be with her in her
last days including her eldest son,
a filmmaker (Ben Chaplin), who hopes
to tape her for posterity.
First-time feature director Steve
Stockman accomplishes the
near-impossible in mixing
naturalistic tragedy with genuine
laughter that rises from the human
condition, generating tears from
each. Some rough and crude language
and a graphic depiction of the
ravages of cancer. The USCCB Office
for Film & Broadcasting
classification of the theatrical
version was A-III -- adults. The
Motion Picture Association of
America rating was R -- restricted.
Under 17 requires accompanying
parent or adult guardian.
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Wednesday |
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Wednesday, May 7,
8-10:15 p.m. EDT (TCM)
"From Here to
Eternity" (1953). Somber picture of
life on an Army base in 1941 Hawaii
centers on a company whose bugler
(Montgomery Clift) is punished for
refusing as a matter of conscience
to join the unit's boxing team, with
only a hapless private (Frank
Sinatra) supporting his obstinacy.
Directed by Fred Zinnemann from the
James Jones novel, the story also
involves an affair between the
company's top sergeant (Burt
Lancaster) and his commander's
unhappy wife (Deborah Kerr) as well
as the bugler's romance with a club
hostess (Donna Reed), all of which
gains tragic dimension from the
Japanese sneak attack on Pearl
Harbor at the movie's end. Sexual
situations and stylized violence,
including a fatal beating and a
knife fight. The USCCB Office for
Film & Broadcasting classification
of the theatrical version was A-III
-- adults. Not rated by the Motion
Picture Association of America.
Wednesday, May 7,
9-10 p.m. EDT (PBS)
"Marvin Gaye:
What's Going On." The story of
Marvin Gaye -- the Motown star who
challenged and changed the face of
black music. With performance
footage and insight from Mary
Wilson, Smokey Robinson, Gladys
Knight, Mos Def and others (TV-PG/L
-- parental guidance suggested;
infrequent coarse language).
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Thursday |
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Thursday, May 8,
8-10:30 p.m. EDT (PBS) "Camelot."
The New York Philharmonic performs a
semi-staged version of the Lerner
and Loewe musical about the
idealized kingdom of Camelot and the
love triangle of King Arthur
(Gabriel Byrne), Queen Guenevere
(Marin Mazzie) and Sir Lancelot
(Nathan Gunn). A "Live from Lincoln
Center" presentation (TV-G --
general audience).
Thursday, May 8,
8-11 p.m. EDT (TCM)
"Grand Prix"
(1967). Large-scale production takes
viewers around the 10 courses of
Europe's Grand Prix auto-racing
circuit that conveys in almost
documentary fashion the experience
of racing. Director John Frankenheimer interweaves the story
of four drivers (Yves Montand, James
Garner, Brian Bedford and Antonio
Sabata) but is less successful with
their off-track romances. The USCCB
Office for Film & Broadcasting
classification of the theatrical
version was A-III -- adults. Not
rated by the Motion Picture
Association of America. |
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Friday |
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Saturday |
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Saturday, May 10,
5:30-8 p.m. EDT (A&E)
"Alien:
Resurrection" (1997). Grim sci-fi
sequel finds Ripley (Sigourney
Weaver) revived on board a spaceship
and teamed with a mysterious
stranger (Winona Ryder) to rid the
vehicle of rampaging aliens.
Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet's mildly
suspenseful thriller uses the stale
aliens-on-the-loose premise mainly
for grotesque combinations of
incubating monsters grafted onto
deformed human body parts. Recurring
gory violence, some profanity and
frequent rough language. The USCCB
Office for Film & Broadcasting
classification of the theatrical
version was A-III -- adults. The
Motion Picture Association of
America rating was R -- restricted.
Under 17 requires accompanying
parent or adult guardian.
Saturday, May 10,
8-9:30 p.m. EDT (HBO) "Fantastic
Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer"
(2007). The wedding of Mister
Fantastic (Ioan Gruffudd) and
Invisible Woman (Jessica Alba) is
interrupted by a cosmic force set to
destroy the planet, and the pair
must join with the Human Torch
(Chris Evans) and the Thing (Michael
Chiklis) to avert disaster, trying
to dissuade the evil force's
emissary, a silver man (voice of
Laurence Fishburne) on a flying surf
board, from his dastardly mission,
while contending with an overbearing
army general (Andre Braugher) and
duplicitous Dr. Doom (Julian
McMahon). Apart from the elements
listed below, director Tim Story's
superior sequel -- with its
personable leads, above-average
special effects, and
not-taking-itself-too-seriously tone
-- makes for an engaging B-level
adventure with a commendable message
about making the right choices in
life. Some mild innuendo and crass
expressions, moderate action
violence and implied nudity. 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
-- parental guidance suggested. Some
material may not be suitable for
children.
Saturday, May 10,
9-11 p.m. PDT (West Coast only)
(ABC) "Snow Dogs"
(2002). Sluggish
comedy about a successful Miami
dentist (Cuba Gooding Jr.) who
discovers he is adopted after he
inherits from his biological mother
a team of sled dogs in a remote
hamlet of Alaska. Although a few
positive points are made about
adoption and family love, the
fleeting explanation that the main
character was conceived from a
one-night stand may prompt questions
from the young audience, and the
slapstick comedy is only mildly
amusing. Some crude humor and
expressions. 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 -- parental
guidance suggested. Some material
may not be suitable for children.
Saturday, May 10,
10 p.m.-12:30 a.m. EDT (Cinemax)
"Transformers" (2007). Engineered to
appeal to a wide cross section of
the public, this lumbering, mindless
summertime entertainment -- based on
the Hasbro action toys from the
1980s -- follows a teenager (Shia
LaBeouf) embroiled in a battle
between two factions of
shape-shifting alien robots, with
the fate of mankind and the universe
hanging in the balance. Director
Michael Bay has evidently benefited
from working with executive producer
Steven Spielberg, because humanistic
themes offset Bay's propensity to
fetishize weaponry and explosions,
but not the movie's large amount of
gratuitous material inappropriate
for children and teens. Numerous
sexual references, some crude
language, a vulgar gesture,
disrespectful racial jokes, drug
references and some moderately
violent action sequences. 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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Sunday |
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Sunday, May 11,
8-10:45 p.m. EDT (AMC)
"Mr.
Holland's Opus" (1996). Satisfying
drama in which an aspiring composer
reluctantly takes a job as a high
school music teacher (Richard
Dreyfuss) to support a wife and deaf
son and spends his life inspiring
generations of adolescents with his
dedication and love of music. Helped
by Dreyfuss' fine performance,
director Stephen Herek's sentimental
tale of a good man stresses
old-fashioned virtues, as well as
the importance of good teachers and
the arts in developing young minds.
Mild sexual innuendo and fleeting
profanity. 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 -- parental guidance
suggested. Some material may not be
suitable for children.
Sunday, May 11,
7-8 p.m. EDT (NBC)
"Teleflora
Presents: America's Favorite Mom."
Thousands of moms have been
nominated online at
www.americasfavoritemom.com
representing amazing, dedicated and
caring moms from all walks of life.
Five finalists will be vying for the
title of "America's Favorite Mom"
and hosts Donny and Marie Osmond
will perform together for the first
time in eight years (TV-PG --
parental guidance suggested).
Sunday, May 11,
8-9 p.m. EDT (Animal Planet)
"Ocean
Voyagers." An intimate look at an
ancient species and one of the
largest animals ever to live on
planet earth, humpback whales, which
have been traveling throughout the
world's oceans for millions of
years.
Sunday, May 11,
8-9 p.m. EDT (PBS)
"Prince of the
Alps." High in the Austrian Alps, a
female red deer, a leader in her
herd, gives birth to a calf. Her
status makes her male offspring a
prince among the other calves. But
hunters, skiers, hikers and pet
dogs, as well as a harsh and icy
winter, threaten their survival on
this "Nature" presentation
(TV-PG --
parental guidance suggested).
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