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nwicatholic.com >>
Entertainment>>
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 |
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Monday |
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Monday,
March 8, 8-11 p.m.
EST (AMC)
"The Pelican Brief"
(1993). With her life in grave
danger after figuring out who
was behind the assassination of
two Supreme Court justices, a
New Orleans law student (Julia
Roberts) turns to an
investigative reporter (Denzel
Washington) to get her
incriminating brief in print.
Abetted by exceptional
performances from a fine
supporting cast, director Alan
J. Pakula's spiky thriller
maintains suspense despite a
convoluted plot. Some
restrained violence and an
instance of 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 PG-13 -- parents strongly
cautioned. Some material may be
inappropriate for children under
13.
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Tuesday |
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Tuesday, March 9,
8-10:30 p.m. EST (TCM)
"Ikiru" (1952).
Universal tale from Japan in
which a petty municipal
bureaucrat (Takashi Shimura)
learns he has stomach cancer but
can find no solace either from
family or empty diversions until
he determines to give some
meaning to his life by cutting
through the red tape of city
agencies to build a children's
playground in a poor
neighborhood, as told in
flashbacks at the man's wake.
Directed by Akira Kurosawa, the
production turns the story of a
dying man into a convincing
affirmation of life as he
recovers the lost sense of his
own human worth by helping
others, in a movie filled with
compelling performances and
honest emotions, including its
touching theme song, "Life Is So
Short." Subtitles. Focus on
terminal illness and some sexual
references. The USCCB Office for
Film & Broadcasting
classification of the theatrical
version was A-III -- adults. Not
rated by the Motion Picture
Association of America.
Tuesday, March 9,
10-11:30 p.m. EST (PBS)
"Young@Heart" (2008).
Often funny and ultimately
moving documentary about a
Northampton, Mass., senior
citizens' chorus whose
repertoire includes rock, R&B
and punk selections as they
rehearse over a two-month period
for a hometown concert and cope
with the death of one member and
the ill health of others.
Director-narrator Stephen
Walker's film quickly engages
viewers by introducing a winning
array of real-life characters
and charting their struggles to
master the music and carry on
with the show. Frank sexual
discussion, innuendo, occasional
crass language; possibly
acceptable for older teens. The
USCCB Office for Film &
Broadcasting classification of
the theatrical version was A-III
-- adults. The Motion Picture
Association of America rating
was PG -- parental guidance
suggested. Some material may not
be suitable for children.
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Wednesday |
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Wednesday, March 10,
8-9:30 p.m. EST (check local
listings)
"When Irish Eyes Are Smiling:
An Irish Parade of Stars (My
Music)." This
nostalgic journey back to the
1950s and '60s presents
long-unseen footage of
celebrated performers singing
classic Irish songs. Hosted by
Patty Duke and written by
Malachy McCourt, the program
features performances by the
late Frank Patterson, considered
by many around the world as the
ultimate Irish tenor (TV-G --
general audience).
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Thursday |
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Thursday, March 11,
9-10 p.m. EST (History)
"Italian Dinner." In
this episode of the series "Food
Tech," host Bobby Bognar travels
from coast to coast exploring
the creation of pasta, the
production of wine and fine
vinegar, the difference between
gelato and ice cream, and the
origins of other ingredients in
a traditional Italian feast.
Thursday, March 11,
8-10:30 p.m. EST (AMC)
"Jeremiah Johnson"
(1972). Robert Redford stars in
the story of a 19th-century
mountain man from his arrival in
the Rockies through his years as
a self-sufficient trapper, then
as family man and, finally, a
Crow Indian fighter of legendary
proportions. Director Sydney
Pollack's story offers the
awesome natural spectacle of the
mountain locales, the swift
frontier action, intense
cultural conflict and colorful
characters rendered without the
burdens of sentimentality and
contrivance. Stylized
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 -- parental guidance
suggested. Some material may not
be suitable for children.
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Friday |
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No
Listing Available |
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Saturday |
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Saturday, March 13,
8-9:45 p.m. EST (HBO)
"Monsters vs. Aliens"
(2009). Affable animated
comedy-adventure in which a trio
of kindly monsters (voices of
Seth Rogen, Hugh Laurie and Will
Arnett) led by a once-ordinary
woman (voice of Reese
Witherspoon) who became a giant
after being struck by a meteor,
are released from government
captivity in the custody of a
gung-ho general (voice of Keifer
Sutherland) and commissioned by
the president (voice of Stephen
Colbert) to combat an evil alien
(voice of Rainn Wilson) whose
schemes threaten humanity.
Co-directors Rob Letterman and
Conrad Vernon create a lavish
3-D homage to 1950s-era sci-fi
B-movies that also celebrates
friendship, teamwork and the
heroic potential of everyday
people. Moderate action
violence and a bit of vaguely
sexual and slightly crude humor.
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, March 13,
8-10 p.m. EST (ABC)
"Over
the Hedge" (2006).
Computer-animated comedy about a
rascally raccoon (voiced by
Bruce Willis) who offers to
"help" a group of woodland
creatures (humorously voiced by
Steve Carell, Wanda Sykes, Garry
Shandling, William Shatner and
Eugene Levy, among others)
stockpile food for the coming
winter by raiding the suburban
housing development that has
sprung up on their forest
doorstep, but not telling them
that he intends to use the
purloined provisions to save his
own fur. Based on a comic strip,
directors Tim Johnson and Karey
Kirkpatrick's good-naturedly
entertaining and visually cheery
fable relies on nutty sight gags
over story, but imparts a
commendable message about family
and acting unselfishly, while
offering some funny commentary
on our consumer society. Some
mildly crude humor, a few rude
expressions and innuendo, and
recurring comic action violence.
The USCCB Office for Film &
Broadcasting classification of
the theatrical version was A-I
-- general patronage. The Motion
Picture Association of America
rating was PG -- parental
guidance suggested. Some
material may not be suitable for
children.
Saturday, March 13,
10-11:35 p.m. EST (Cinemax)
"Taken"
(2009). Formulaic and
contrived but effectively tense
thriller about an ex-government
operative (Liam Neeson) hunting
for his missing teenage daughter
(Maggie Grace) who has been
kidnapped by Albanian sex
traffickers in Paris. Director
Pierre Morel keeps things moving
with a flashy visual style, and
Neeson plays his role with a
genuine intensity that almost,
but not quite, makes you
overlook the improbable setup
and ludicrous plot developments.
Intense but nongraphic action
violence including torture,
multiple killings, vigilante
justice, some crude language and
expressions, and a single
profanity. 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 PG-13 -- parents
strongly cautioned. Some
material may be inappropriate
for children under 13.
Saturday, March 13,
8:30-10 p.m. EST (check local
listings) (PBS)
"Benise:
The Spanish Guitar."
Dubbed "The Latin Riverdance,"
this show, spearheaded by
flamenco guitarist Benise,
combines soaring music with an
epic tale that transports the
audience to exotic places with
video, new songs and an
ever-changing set (TV-G --
general audience).
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Sunday |
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Sunday,
March 14, 7-8:30 p.m.
EDT (check local listings) (PBS)
"Celtic
Thunder: It's Entertainment."
Celtic Thunder, a
group of five Celtic male
vocalists, presents a musical
review that spans six decades
(TV-G -- general audience).
Sunday,
March 14, 9:30-10
p.m. EDT (Fox)
"Sons
of Tucson." Premiere
of a new comedy series about
three brothers, Gary (Frank
Dolce), Brandon (Matthew Levy)
and Robby (Benjamin Stockham)
Gunderson, who are left on their
own when their divorced father
is imprisoned for bank fraud and
who turn to slacker sporting
goods salesman Ron Snuffkin
(Tyler Labine) to pose as their
patriarch and keep them out of
the clutches of foster care. In
this episode, Ron -- deep in
debt to a loan shark and living
in his car -- makes a deal to
help the boys enroll in school
in exchange for a payout, and
convinces them to let him move
into the home they share, an
investment property their father
shielded from forfeiture. The
script includes a few vulgarisms
and passing references to a
bizarre wig fetish, and Ron's
relaxed ethics are hardly
exemplary, but he is shown to be
fundamentally decent, and what
begins as a purely mercenary
arrangement shows every sign of
eventually becoming a genuine,
if unorthodox, emotional bond.
The humor -- much of it
involving physical routines by
Labine -- is mostly inoffensive,
making this probably acceptable
for teen viewers and up.
Sunday,
March 14, 9:30-10:30
p.m. EDT (check local listings)
(PBS)
"Roy Orbison: In Dreams."
This program chronicles the life
and times -- and music -- of
first-generation Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame inductee Roy
Orbison (1936-88), recounting
the saga of one of pop's most
enigmatic, and often
under-appreciated, pioneers
(TV-G -- general audience).
Sunday, March 14, 1-3:30
p.m. EDT (A&E)
"A
Bronx Tale" (1993).
Growing up in the 1960s, an
Italian-American youth (Lillo
Brancato) is torn between the
decent values of his bus-driver
father (Robert De Niro) and the
easy-money life of the
neighborhood crime boss (Chazz
Palminteri) who treats him like
his own son. Also directed by De
Niro, the well-realized drama
makes a convincing moral
statement in its picture of a
youth who comes to recognize the
emptiness of dirty money and the
deadly violence it spawns.
Some violence, racial slurs,
sexual references and much 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.
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