Playing On TV Today
5/17/12
We invite you to scroll down this page for spotlights on films you may enjoy with the use of the TVGuardian. Further down the page find review links, what’s new on DVD, and fun film facts. Come back each day for newest updates.
Disclaimer
The opinions of our film reviewer (Phil Boatwright) don’t always reflect those of TVGUARDIAN. Viewpoint aside, each film critique contains the synopsis of the story and the content (the reason for the rating). Given this information, you can decide if the new releases are suitable for your family’s viewing.
THURSDAY
All times Eastern
Mostly we feature films made better with use of the TVGuardian box. But we also occasionally spotlight classic films made during a time long ago and far away when profanity and obscenity were left out of films.
BET
John Q
1:00pm Action drama – PG-13 - Denzel Washington
http://previewonline.org/rev.php3?2018
Intended Audience: Older teens and up - Use TVG
HBO
Larry Crowne
4:00pm – Romantic comedy – PG-13 - Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts
http://moviereporter.com/reviews/display.php?id=2001
Intended Audience: Older teens and up - Use TVG
FMC
X-Men: The Last Stand
5:00pm & 9:30pm – Sci/Fi Action – PG-13 - Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry
http://previewonline.org/rev.php3?2985
Intended Audience: Teens and Adults (please read the review, first) - Use TVG
SHO
The King’s Speech
9:00pm – Bio – Colin Firth – R
http://moviereporter.com/reviews/display.php?id=1927
Intended Audience: Mature - Use TVG
DISH PAY-PER-VIEW
Green Lantern - http://www.previewonline.org/rev.php3?3686
Mr. Popper’s Penguins - http://www.previewonline.org/rev.php3?3684
Footloose - http://www.previewonline.org/rev.php3?3717
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1(PG-13) http://moviereporter.com/reviews/display.php?id=2014 - Use TVG
Hugo (PG) http://moviereporter.com/reviews/display.php?id=2048
The Way (PG-13) http://moviereporter.com/reviews/display.php?id=2029 - Use TVG
Johnny English Reborn (PG) http://moviereporter.com/reviews/display.php?id=2032
Rise of the Planet of the Apes – http://moviereporter.com/reviews/display.php?id=2014 - Use TVG
Moneyball – http://moviereporter.com/reviews/display.php?id=2024 - Use TVG
The Ides of March – http://moviereporter.com/reviews/display.php?id=2027 - Use TVG
The Iron Lady- http://moviereporter.com/reviews/display.php?id=2064 - Use TVG
Tower Heist http://moviereporter.com/reviews/display.php?id=2037 - Use TVG
Warrior - http://moviereporter.com/reviews/display.php?id=2019 - Use TVG
Joyful Noise – http://moviereporter.com/reviews/display.php?id=2066 - Use TVG
The Vow - http://moviereporter.com/reviews/display.php?id=2078 - Use TVG
Man on a Ledge - http://moviereporter.com/reviews/display.php?id=2073 - Use TVG
Movie Reviews
Unsure about a film’s content, either playing on television or at the movies? Go to the following links for reviews. Both of these sites feature the content (the reason for the rating) of the movies reviewed. (Sorry, we haven’t seen every movie – but we’ve seen lots!)
More Great Films You May Not Have Seen
El Cid - Charlton Heston as the legendary hero who drove the Moors from Spain. Great spectacle (without being too gruesome), with a literate script and lovely score. A newly remastered edition features commentaries and featurettes.
The Passion of the Christ - Perhaps the reason for the success of this production is that the film examines what Jesus as man undertook on our behalf. Make no mistake; director Mel Gibson’s Jesus is the Son of God, the Savior of the world. But Gibson’s purpose here is to detail the final 12 hours of Christ’s life, when mankind was allowed to destroy his human life in order that we might have an eternal one. R - Jim Caviezel. http://moviereporter.com/reviews/display.php?id=879
The Manchurian Candidate - Noteworthy performances by Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, and Angela Lansbury. Political thriller about a brainwashed man set to assassinate the incumbent President. DVD also contains an interview with Sinatra and the film's director, John Frankenheimer, plus the audio commentary by the director. Again, this is the original movie, not the remake.
Meek’s Cutoff - The year is 1845, the earliest days of the Oregon Trail, and a wagon train of three families has hired mountain man Stephen Meek to guide them over the Cascade Mountains. Claiming to know a short cut, Meek leads the group on an unmarked path across the high plain desert, only to become lost in the dry rock and sage. Over the coming days, the emigrants face the scourges of hunger, thirst and their own lack of faith in one another's instincts for survival. When a Native American wanderer crosses their path, the emigrants are torn between their trust in a guide who has proven himself unreliable and a man who has always been seen as a natural- born enemy. PG - Michelle Williams, Bruce Greenwood, Will Patton. http://moviereporter.com/reviews/display.php?id=2050
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen - A visionary sheikh has a big dream -- to bring salmon fishing to the desert. Willing to spare no expense, he instructs his representative to turn his dream into reality, an extraordinary feat that will require the involvement of Britain's leading fisheries expert, who happens to think the project both absurd and unachievable. That is, until the Prime Minister's overzealous press secretary latches on for its potential as a “good will” story. Now, this unlikely team will put it all on the line and embark on an upstream journey of faith and fish to prove the impossible, possible. PG-13 - Ewan McGregor, Emily Blunt. - Use TVG http://moviereporter.com/reviews/display.php?id=2084
Midnight in Paris - Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Kathy Bates, and Marion Cotillard star in this Comedy/romance/fantasy from Woody Allen. http://moviereporter.com/reviews/display.php?id=1995
Avalon - Armin Mueller Stahl, Elizabeth Perkins, Aidan Quinn.. Superb filmmaking about Polish immigrants who settle in Baltimore in 1914. I bring this to your attention because of its strong statement about the importance of the family. It’s a beautifully photographed, emotionally charged film. Wonderful score by Randy Newman. - Use TVG
Yours, Mine and Ours - Lucille Ball, Henry Fonda. Based on a true story of a widow with eight kids who marries a widower with ten. Lucy is very funny in this film for the whole family.
12 ANGRY MEN - An all-star cast includes Henry Fonda and Lee J. Cobb. One juror trying to convince the other 11 of the possible innocence of a youth on trial for murder. Positive statement of our judicial system and strong performances make this a must-see.