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TV film fare: week of Jan. 4 - Jan. 10

The following are capsule reviews of theatrical movies on network and cable television the week of Jan. 4. Please note that televised versions may or may not be edited for language, nudity, violence and sexual situations.

Sunday, Jan. 4, 7-9 p.m. EST (Showtime) “Away From Her” (2007). Poignant story about a husband (Gordon Pinsent) coping with his wife’s (Julie Christie) gradual decline from Alzheimer’s disease, and his separation from her when she enters an assisted-living facility where she forms an emotional attachment to another patient (Michael Murphy). The luminous Christie in one of her finest performances makes an unavoidably downbeat film watchable, and writer-director Sarah Polley provides an uncompromising view of a situation that will no doubt resonate deeply with many, though the husband’s brief affair with the wife (Olympia Dukakis) of the other patient is morally problematic, even under these tragic circumstances. Some rough expletives, a character’s past infidelity and an adulterous affair. 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.

Monday, Jan. 5, 8-9:45 p.m. EST (Showtime) “Bonneville” (2008). Touching story of a widow (Jessica Lange) who treks by car from Idaho to California with her two girlfriends (Kathy Bates and Joan Allen) to turn over her late husband’s ashes to her grown stepdaughter (Christine Baranski), who demands them in return for not evicting her stepmother from her home. First-time feature director Christopher Rowley — with a sensitive script by Daniel D. Davis, who based the story on his grandmother and her friends — sustains a gentle and easygoing tone throughout this mature “chick flick” road movie, the friendship of the women is beautifully dramatized, and there’s an affectingly spiritual, if not specifically Catholic, quality in the healthy approach to dealing with death. A few instances of crass language, light violence and brief innuendo. 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.

Thursday, Jan. 8, 2-4 p.m. EST (Lifetime) “Agnes of God” (1985). A psychiatrist (Jane Fonda) sent to a cloistered convent to evaluate the mental stability of a novice (Meg Tilly) accused of strangling her newborn baby provokes the determined opposition of the nun’s superior (Anne Bancroft). With the psychiatrist looking for a rational explanation and the mother superior hoping for a supernatural one, director Norman Jewison’s movie straddles the fence in a dramatically fraudulent conclusion. Although this pretentious and shallow movie is not meant to be anti-religious, some may be offended by its use of a religious setting. 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.

Friday, Jan. 9, 8-10 p.m. EST (Fox) “Bruce Almighty” (2003). Be-careful-what-you-wish-for comedy about a frustrated TV news correspondent (Jim Carrey) whose life is changed when God (Morgan Freeman) entrusts him with divine power after the reporter angrily accuses the Almighty of being asleep at the wheel. Despite its lighthearted irreverence, director Tom Shadyac uses humor to explore such issues as free will, and offers a positive image of personal faith rare in Hollywood flicks. An instance of rough language, minimal profanities, some crass humor and an implied sexual encounter. 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 are strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

Saturday, Jan. 10, 10-11:30 p.m. EST (Cinemax) “Over Her Dead Body” (2008). Bland romantic comedy about a psychic (Lake Bell) who falls in love with her reluctant client (Paul Rudd), grieving for his fiancee who died on their wedding day a year earlier, and how the ghost of the intended bride (Eva Longoria Parker) jealously tries to sabotage the budding romance. Writer and first-time director Jeff Lowell’s formulaic script is amiably pleasant at best, but never as funny or touching as it aspires to be, though, refreshingly, graphic sexual material typical of this genre is minimal, and there’s even a reasonably positive priest character. Some instances of profanity and crass language, passing sexual and gay references, a nongraphic nonmarital sexual encounter, some crude humor and brief partial female nudity. 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.

TV program notes — week of Jan. 4

Here are some television program notes for the week of Jan. 4 with their TV Parental Guidelines ratings if available. They have not all been reviewed and therefore are not necessarily recommended by the Office for Film & Broadcasting.

Sunday, Jan. 4, 8-9 p.m. EST (History) “Pride.” This episode of the miniseries “Seven Deadly Sins” explores the failing the Italian poet Dante called the “chief of all sins” — the sin of Satan himself — and compares its condemnation by the Bible and the philosopher Socrates with the very different outlook of the Romans and Vikings, who made pride their greatest virtue.

Sunday, Jan. 4, 9-11 p.m. EST (History) “Nostradamus: 2012.” This special examines the multiple predictions from different times and cultures — including that of 16th-century reputed seer Michel Nostradamus — that the year 2012 will mark a major shift in world history.

Sundays, Jan. 4 and 11, 9-11 p.m. EST each night (PBS) “Tess of the D’Urbervilles.” A new “Masterpiece Classic” adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s heartbreaking novel about a woman violated by one man and forsaken by another. Gemma Arterton (”Quantum of Solace”) stars. Laura Linney hosts (TV-PG — parental guidance suggested).

Monday, Jan. 5, 9-11 p.m. EST (History) “Seven Signs of the Apocalypse.” A documentary look at ancient apocalyptic prophecies across a variety of cultures, including the Mayan calendar, the Chinese I Ching and the Bible, examining their origins and looking for connections in our modern world.

Mondays, Jan. 5, 12 and 19, 9-11 p.m. EST each night (PBS) “The Story of India.” Historian Michael Wood journeys through the six-part history of the Indian subcontinent in this first history of India on Western television, chronicling the richness and diversity of its peoples, cultures and landscapes; outlines the originality and continuing relevance of its ideas; and relates some of the most momentous and moving events in world history (TV-PG — parental guidance suggested).

Wednesday, Jan. 7, 8-10:30 p.m. EST (PBS) “Cyrano de Bergerac.” Kevin Kline embodies Edmond Rostand’s proboscis-challenged, 17th-century warrior-poet Cyrano de Bergerac in a fine filming of Broadway’s sold-out, limited-engagement run, which also starred Jennifer Garner and Daniel Sunjata. Directed by David Leveaux. A presentation of “Great Performances” (TV-PG — parental guidance suggested).

Wednesday, Jan. 7, 9-11 p.m. EST (CBS) “The 35th Annual People’s Choice Awards.” Queen Latifah hosts the live broadcast from Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium honoring fan favorites from television, movies and music. Performers will include vocalist Carrie Underwood.

Wednesday, Jan. 7, 9-11 p.m. EST (History) “First Apocalypse.” A special exploring various theories about the extinction of the dinosaurs.

Thursday, Jan. 8, 8-9 p.m. EST (Animal Planet) “African Bambi.” The story of one young impala’s journey to adulthood amid constant danger (TV-PG — parental guidance suggested).

TV REVIEW

The Story of India

Though India is home to one of humanity’s oldest civilizations — and to the second largest population on the planet — its vibrant history nonetheless remains relatively little known in the West.

A thoroughly enjoyable cure for such ignorance, the sweeping six-part documentary “The Story of India,” premieres with two back-to-back episodes each night, on Mondays, Jan. 5, 12 and 19, 9-11 p.m. EST on PBS stations (check local listings).

Written and narrated by British historian Michael Wood and directed by Jeremy Jeffs, this ambitious chronicle begins more than 50,000 years ago when southern India became the destination of a mass migration from Africa. Visiting the area now called Kerala, Wood — whose enthusiasm for his subject is infectious — witnesses the recitation of Brahmin mantras so old that scholars believe they predate all human language.

Traversing the entire subcontinent, Wood visits the ruins of the early cities of the Indus Valley, the northern region from which the country takes its name. Built around the same time as the Pyramids, these pioneering settlements may have boasted hundreds of thousands of inhabitants before climate change rapidly emptied them.

With the aid of archaeologists and scholars, Wood traces the origins of the mysterious invaders from the north who called themselves Aryans and from whose Sanskrit language Greek, Latin and most modern European tongues — including English — are descended. His pursuit takes him as far afield as the former Soviet republic of Turkmenistan in Central Asia.

Along the way, Jeffs’ lucid lensing captures the worn beauty of ancient temples, the chaos of the teeming streets and the contrasting emptiness of the Turkmen Desert.

By the end of the first information-stuffed hour screened, it’s still only 1,000 B.C. But the affable Wood, whose encounters with the locals are often leavened with humor, manages to make this epic journey go by like a pleasant stroll.

In subsequent episodes, Wood explores the impact of Buddhism and Islam, the conquest of Alexander the Great, India’s extensive trade with the Roman Empire and the nation’s golden age from 300 to 1000.

He also examines the period of British rule and India’s struggle for independence under the religiously guided campaign of nonviolence initiated by Mahatma Gandhi, as well as the 60 years of sovereignty that have seen India emerge as a powerful contender in the world economy.

- USCCB

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