NEW YORK (CNS) -- The following are capsule reviews of theatrical movies on network and cable television the week of Oct. 7. Please note that televised versions may or may not be edited for language, nudity, violence, and sexual situations.

Sunday, Oct. 7, 9-11:30 a.m. EDT (Showtime) "Backdraft" (1991). Deep-rooted conflicts boil over when a rookie Chicago firefighter (William Baldwin) is placed under the command of his estranged brother (Kurt Russell) during the investigation of a string of arson-related murders. With the terrifying nature of fire emerging as the real star of the movie, director Ron Howard ambitiously tackles a relationship story, a murder mystery and a special-effects action movie with modest success. Some grisly shots of charred bodies, very brief nudity, fleeting sexual innuendo, occasional fisticuffs and intermittent rough language. The Catholic News Service 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.

Monday, Oct. 8, 6-8 p.m. EDT (TCM) "One Foot in Heaven" (1941). Heartwarming tale of a Methodist minister (Fredric March) and his devoted, self-sacrificing wife (Martha Scott) from their first parsonage in 1904 Iowa, through a military chaplaincy in World War I, to serving a divisive congregation in 1920s Denver. Directed by Irving Rapper with the Rev. Norman Vincent Peale as technical adviser, the picture succeeds in blending the spiritual with the temporal in good-humored fashion, including the minister's unexpected reaction to seeing his first movie, a silent Western with William S. Hart. The Catholic News Service classification of the theatrical version was A-I -- general patronage. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America.

Tuesday, Oct. 9, 5:30-8 p.m. EDT (AMC) "Speed" (1994). Determined to save a busload of terrified passengers, a Los Angeles SWAT team cop (Keanu Reeves) leaps onboard a city bus that has been rigged by a psychotic explosives expert (Dennis Hopper) to blow up if it goes less than 50 mph. Despite the ludicrous escapist plot that ultimately goes over the top in turns of impossible heroics, director Jan de Bont's nonstop action movie concentrates more on the steel-willed cop's efforts to prevent mass murder than on the mayhem committed by the crazed maniac. Intermittent violence, intense explosions and frequent rough language. The Catholic News Service 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.

Saturday, Oct. 13, 8-10:25 p.m. EDT (HBO) "Maze Runner: The Death Cure" (2018). In this adaptation of the third and final novel in James Dashner's sci-fi trilogy, the story of a band of teens and their fearless leader (Dylan O'Brien) fighting evil in a post-apocalyptic world comes to a noisy and violent conclusion. The gang seeks to liberate their peers from tortuous experiments conducted by a wicked doctor (Patricia Clarkson) and her colleague (Kaya Scodelario) as they try to cure a deadly virus that has decimated the population. Returning director Wes Ball operates at a breakneck pace, turning this film into a white-knuckle roller-coaster ride with more vehicle crashes than you can shake a stick at. Despite worthy expressions of friendship, loyalty and self-sacrifice and some intriguing Christian symbolism, the trilogy has clearly outworn its welcome. Relentless but bloodless violence and gunplay, scenes of torture, occasional crude and profane language, one offensive gesture. The Catholic News Service 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.

Saturday, Oct. 13, 10 p.m.-12:30 a.m. EDT (TCM) "King Lear" (1971). Director Peter Brook's adaptation of Shakespeare's tragedy is a brilliant, stunning production, almost overwhelmingly powerful, owing to the combined strengths of the bold direction and the brilliance of a cast boasting Paul Scofield as Lear, Irene Worth as Goneril, and Alan Webb as Gloucester. It stands as one of the screen's most striking homages to the Bard of Avon. The Catholic News Service 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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Mulderig is on the staff of Catholic News Service.