Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 12 - The Georgia Bulletin, July 19, 1990
'The Jungle Book' Offers
Family Fare Possibilities
NEW YORK (CNS) -- Freely adapted from
Rudyard Kipling’s stories, “The Jungle
Book” (Disney) is a re-release of Disney’s
1967 animated feature detailing the adventures
of Mowgli, who had been found as a baby and
raised by a pack of wolves in the jungles of
India.
When the boy turns 10, the wolf elders
decide that Mowgli must return to a village
with people since a fierce man-eating tiger has
come back to the jungle and it is no longer
safe for their little "mancub."
Sadly, Mowgli sets out on his journey with
Bagheera, his loyal panther guardian. En route
they are beset by beasts who range from
ferocious to fun-loving, including a hungry
python and a herd of blimpish elephants.
Mowgli is subsequently kidnapped by a
jealous ape king, befriended by vultures and
teams up with a carefree bear named Baloo
before he makes his big decision about wheth
er to stay with his beloved animals or join the
human community.
Director Wolfgang Reitherman’s animated
feature owes much to excellent vocal charac
terizations: Phil Harris as the lovable Baloo,
George Sanders as the suavely menacing tiger,
Sebastian Cabot as the steadfast panther,
Sterling Holloway as the highly mischievous
python, and Louis Prima as the swinging king
of the apes.
The story leisurely meanders along, sprin
kled every so often with sprightly tunes from
an assortment of appealing animals. The jazzy
scene with the cartwheeling apes is the most
memorable while the four vultures’ vocals
sound suspiciously like a take-off of the 1960s
most famous Liverpudlian rock quartet.
The animation often has a flat look to it
which, by comparison, makes the occasional
shots of moonlight glimmering on water or
gently swaying jungle flora and fauna stand
out.
Genial humor abounds with many a pratfall
to delight the younger set and some imagina
tive use of animal anatomy, such as the
python’s clever coils and sudden staircase
shape.
Though geared to young children, the movie
has the potential to amuse the entire house
hold.
The U.S. Catholic Conference classification
is A-I — general patronage. The Motion Pic
ture Association of America rating is G —
general audiences.
"THE ADVENTURES OF
FORD FAIRLANE"
Blue stand-up comic Andrew Dice Clay
plays the title’s repulsively macho detective in
search of a dimwitted blonde who holds the
key to the murder of a heavy-metal rock star.
Supposedly a comic thriller, director Renny
Harlin’s film has little comedy and nothing
thrilling, and in fact is just a vehicle for Clay
to showcase his sewer mouth, sexist attitudes
and penchant for nasty, gratuitous violence.
Constant rough language, excessive violence
and numerous demeaning sexual situations.
The U.S. Catholic Conference classification is
O — morally offensive. The Motion Picture
Association of America rating is R - restrict
ed.
“GHOSTS”
The ghost of a murdered young banker
(Patrick Swayze) uses a phony spiritualist
(Whoopi Goldberg) to warn his lover (Demi
Moore) that she too is in deadly peril until he
discovers why he was killed and punishes
those responsible. Director Jerry Zucker’s
offbeat but uneven blend of fantasy, horror
and comedy is an engagingly sentimental
thriller plump with quirky characters and edgy
performances. Some grisly violence, accept
ance of premarital sex and occasional profani
ty. The U.S. Catholic Conference classification
is A-ffl — adults. The Motion Picture Associa
tion of America rating is PG-13 - parents are
strongly cautioned that some material may be
inappropriate for children under 13.
“DIE HARD 2”
This time, detective John McClane (Bruce
Willis) takes on an elite band of terrorists who
have taken control of Washington’s Dulles
airport while the plane his wife (Bonnie
Bodelia) is on is rapidly running out of fuel in
the raging blizzard overhead. As directed by
Renny Harlin, this sequel matches the intense
excitement, explosive special effects and
welcome comic relief of the original film
while surpassing its level of violence with
constant, calculated and cold-blooded slaugh
ters. Excessively graphic brutality and vio
lence, much rough language and brief male
nudity. The U.S. Catholic Conference classifi
cation is O — morally offensive. The Motion
Picture Association of America rating is R —
restricted.
JETSONS - Elroy, Astro, Judy, George and Jane Jetson (clockwise from lower
left) move to a new home in outer space in “Jetsons: The Movie” after George
gets a job promotion. The movie’s creators “have faithfully preserved the upbeat
personalities of the gadget-crazy Jetsons,” says the U.S. Catholic Conference. It
classifies the film A-l - general patronage. The Motion Picture Association of
America rating is G - general audiences. (CNS photo from Universal)
USCC Opposes Rule Changes
Giving Business Cable Airwaves
BY SISTER MARY
ANN WALSH
WASHINGTON (CNS) -
The U.S. Catholic Conference
has objected to proposed
changes in cable TV rules
that would permit commercial
businesses to take over air
waves reserved for instruc
tional television.
The USCC in a June 14
letter to legislators opposed
the proposals, which were
offered by the Federal Com
munications Commission and
several special-interest groups
FILM RATINGS
NEW YORK (CNS) -- Here is a list of recent films the U.S. Catholic
Conference Office far Film and Broadcasting has rated on the basis of moral
stability.
The first symbol after each title is the USCC classification. The second
symbol is the rating of the Motion Picture Association of America.
USCC classifications: A-I - general patronage; A-II - adults and adoles
cents; A-m - adults; A-IV - adults, with reservations (this indicates films that,
while not morally offensive in themselves, are not for casual viewing because
A D
Days of Thunder, A-III (PG-13)
Die Hard 2, O (R)
Dick Tracy, A-II (PG)
Driving Miss Daisy, A-II (PG)
F
Hie Birds, A-III (PG-13)
Frankenhooker, O (No Rating)
G
Ghost, A-m (PG13)
Ghost Dad, A-II (PG)
Gremlins 2: The New Batch, A-ffl
(PG-13)
H
The Handmaid's Tale, O (R)
Hard to Kill, O (R)
House Party, A-IV (R)
they require some analysis and explanation in order to avoid false impressions
and interpretations); O — morally offensive.
MPAA ratings: G — general audiences, all ages admitted; PG — parental
guidance suggested, some material may not be suitable for children; PG-13 —
parents strongly cautioned that some material may be inappropriate for children
under 13; R - restricted, under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult
guardian; X — no one under 17 admitted (age limit may vary in certain areas).
The Adventures of Ford Fairlane,
0(R)
The Adventures of Milo and Otis,
A-I (G) - Recommended.
Another 48 HRS., O (R)
B
Back to the Future, Part HI, A-H
(PG)
Betsy’s Wedding, A-ffl (R)
Bird on a Wire, A-ffl (PG-13)
Bom on the Fourth of July, A-IV
(R)
C
Cadillac Man. O (R)
The Cook, The Thief, His Wife
and Her Lover, 0 (No rating)
The Hunt for Red October, A-H
(PG)
I
The Imported Bridegroom, A-I
(No Rating)
Jetsons: The Movie A-I (G)
Joe Versus the Volcano, A-H
(PG)
The Jungle Book, A-I (G)
Longtime Companion, A-IV (R)
M
Miami Blues, A-IV (R)
Pretty Woman, A-HI (R)
R
RoboCop 2, O (R)
S
Spaced Invaders, A-H (PG)
T
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,
A-H (PG)
Tom Apart, A-ffl (R)
Total Recall, O (R)
W
Wild Orchid, O (R)
Without You I’m Nothing, O (R)
lobbying Congress.
Written by Miriam A.
Whiting, director of the
USCC Office for Communi
cations Policy, the letter said
that as "various commercial
and other interest groups"
urged modification of the
Cable Act of 1984, Congress
should "keep as your guiding
principle the rights of all of
the public, rich and poor, to
fair access to information."
A "primary concern" to the
church, she said, were efforts
to amend rules governing
who has access to the spec
trum for Instructional Televi
sion Fixed Service, known as
ITFS, which is intended to
benefit educational institu
tions.
The letter also said the
licensees for the fixed service
should continue to be able to
benefit financially and educa
tionally from leasing then-
excess time to cable TV
distributors.
The letter also called for
efforts to keep cable televi
sion competitive, inexpensive
and responsive to consumers.
Mrs. Whiting’s letter to
legislators followed up re
marks by the USCC on the
same issue that were sent
June 8 to the FCC. In those
remarks, the USCC urged the
FCC not to permit cable
distributors to purchase fre
quencies currently earmarked
for instructional television.
"Some portion of this valu
able national airwaves
resource should be exclusive
ly reserved for the fundamen
tal common good of educa
tion," the USCC said in its
earlier remarks, submitted by
Mark E. Chopko, USCC
general counsel, and Kather
ine G. Grincewich, assistant
general counsel.
'The commission’s pro
posal to offer reserved spec
trum to commercial bidders
smacks of arbitrary preference
to those users over education
al users at a time when edu
cation is a top national priori
ty," the USCC said.
Giving instructional TV li
censes to non-instructional
groups could curtail the op
portunity for schools to ex
pand in this area, the USCC
said.
It cited a survey conducted
by the USCC which found
that 12 dioceses, representing
1,745 Catholic schools in
seven states, now operate
instructional TV facilities.
The survey also found that 17
other dioceses, representing
more than 1,300 Catholic
schools, "have a serious in
tention of applying for an
ITFS license within the next
few years," the USCC said.
The USCC said it support
ed similar views on the pro
posed change that were sub
mitted to the FCC by the
Archdiocese of Los Angeles’
Education and Welfare Cor
poration, the dioceses of
Orange and San Bernardino,
Calif., and the Catholic Tele
vision Network, an associa
tion of U.S. dioceses working
in educational television.