USCCB Movie Reviews The above link will connect you to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishop's movie and video reviews. They contain a brief overview of many movies with the USCCB's classification and the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) rating. They may have a comment on any inappropriate language or violence in the film. You may also want to check out the Catholic News Service capsule movie reviews.

Media/Arts Briefs

'Amusing the Muse'

TV Programs of Note

Following are some theatrical movies and television programs of note. This information is being provided to assist people in making viewing choices.

Monday-Friday, 2:30 p.m., Inspiration Channel (cable) -- Catholic Mass.

Monday-Sunday, 7 a.m., 11:10 a.m., 6 p.m., 11 p.m., EWTN (cable) -- Daily Mass. No 6 p.m. showing on Sunday.

Sunday, May 25, 7 a.m., WISC (CBS) -- Mass. Celebrated by Msgr. Thomas Campion, sponsored by Apostolate to the Handicapped.

Sunday, May 25, 7 p.m., WHA (PBS) -- National Memorial Day Concert. Broadcast live from the West lawn of the Capitol in Washington and hosted by Ossie Davis, this is an annual concert given by the National Symphony Orchestra, joined by guest performers Charles Durning, Ruby Dee, and Joe Mantegna, in honoring America's military heroes. Repeats 9:30 p.m.

Sunday, May 25, 8 p.m., HBO (cable) -- My House in Umbria. Four strangers recover together after a life-changing violent incident in this lyrical tale. Romance novelist and English expatriate Emily Delahunty (Dame Maggie Smith) joins a railroad car with seven people headed for Milan, Italy, immediately sizing up her fellow passengers. There's a lovey-dovey young couple, a retired British general with his grown daughter, and an American mom and dad with their young daughter. In one terrible instant their numbers are cut in half as a terrorist bomb kills the girlfriend, the English daughter, and the American parents. A commanding performance by Smith anchors this wispy tale of loss, healing, and generosity of spirit.

Sunday, May 25, 8:30 p.m., WYOU (cable) -- Christopher Close-up: "Legacy, Hymns, and Faith." Singer Amy Grant shares insights on dealing with divorce in light of her Christian faith. She also discusses the lifelong passion for music which has fueled her career.

Sunday, May 25, 8:30 p.m., WHA (PBS) -- Wisconsin World War II Stories. State veterans relate their stories from World War II, from Pearl Harbor to preparations for D-Day. The stories impart a sense of how chaotic and downright scary war is. Taken together, they leave a deep impression of what it meant for these Wisconsin natives to come of age under fire.

Monday, May 26, 11 a.m., EWTN (cable) -- Military Mass from the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. To commemorate America's observance of Memorial Day on Monday, May 26, EWTN will broadcast the Archdiocese of the Military Services' Ninth Annual Memorial Day Mass from the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. The Most Reverend Edwin F. O'Brien, military archbishop, will be the principal celebrant and homilist. Repeats at midnight.

Monday, May 26, 7 p.m., WKOW (ABC) -- The Horse Whisperer (1998). When a 14-year-old girl (Scarlett Johansson) is seriously injured in a gruesome accident which traumatizes her beloved horse, her career-driven mother (Kristin Scott Thomas) enlists the help of a Montana horse healer (Robert Redford) with whom the mother falls in love during the long healing process. Also directed by Redford, the sensitively observed drama makes a moral point while exploring painful adult and parent-child relationships in a rural setting which has a calming effect on the troubled characters. A gory vehicular accident, mild sexual innuendo, and a few instances of profanity. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops classification of the theatrical version was A-II - adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association of America rating was PG-13 - parents are strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

Tuesday, May 27, 6:15 a.m., Cinemax (cable) -- The Collector of Bedford Street. Like many of his fellow Bedford Street residents, Larry Selman worries about rent increases, enjoys walking his dog and yearns to find someone special with whom he can share his life. Yet, unlike his neighbors, Selman is developmentally disabled. Directed by Alice Elliot, the Academy Award-nominated short film candidly chronicles the daily ebb and flow of Selman's life - his joys and struggles, hopes, fears, and dreams in facing an uncertain future. At its core, this little gem is less an examination than an affirmation of life - that ultimately it is worth living.