Jackie
The Wolverine-Teen Movie Review
To be forever young, not worrying about grey hair and wrinkles…sounds great! Well, not that great for Logan (Hugh Jackman), aka Wolverine, an immortal guy who doesn’t age. Everyone that Logan had loved eventually died, he became so frustrated that he resorted to living in a cave with no purpose in life. However, things changed the day he was summoned to Japan by an old acquaintance. In Japan, Logan got involved with a powerful family, and was forced to make some changes in life; a change that would effect him forever. The Wolverine is an action packed film, based on the comic book character, Wolverine, from the X-Men series.
Rating: 3 and 1/2 out of 5 buckets
Release Date: December 2, 2013
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 13+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will it Appeal to Kids? Yes
Talking Points:
Amongst all the violence there were some wonderful messages. {Spoiler alert} When Logan became a mortal, he learned to appreciate companionship and received care from others; something he typically never accepted.
Initially Logan was a loner, with his immortally he watched everyone he loved die, however through his relationship with Mariko, he found meaning and purpose to his life.
Logan was a caring, thoughtful guy. He sacrificed his life for his love, Mariko, and fought to save innocent victims as well.
Parents need to be aware of the excessive violence, see details below.
Sexual Content: Mild
- We saw a male character, who was only wearing boxers, flirting and caressing two women.
- Logan and Mariko went to a “love hotel.” Nothing happened in that scene, however later it was implied that they had a sexual encounter.
- We saw flashbacks of Logan kissing an old girlfriend.
Violent Content: Excessive
- Logan was shot and stabbed several times, we saw open wounds and blood on his shirt.
- Logan cut his chest open to remove a parasite from his heart.
- A woman named Viper had snake like powers and was very evil and creepy. She sliced several character’s with her sharp nails, tortured others by exhaling poison, and even killed people by kissing them.
- There was a fight on a moving train. We saw character’s fall out of the train.
- Blades eject from Wolverine’s knuckles, he used them when fighting.
Crude or Profane Language:
- We heard the f-word once. Other words such as; “b–ch,” “d–n,’ and “h–,” were used.
Drugs and Alcohol Content:
- Characters were shown drinking in bars.
Will it Appeal to Kids? Yes
Overall The Wolverine is an action packed film, one that teenagers may like. Parents need to be aware of the excessive violence throughout the film. Depending on the kid, I feel this is appropriate for kids ages 13 and up.
R.I.P.D-Teen Movie Review
Nick Walker (Ryan Reynolds) was a detective in Boston and unfortunetely was killed in the line of duty. Even though he had passed on, his working days of being a police officer weren’t over. Before he knew it, Nick was at the headquarters of the Rest in Peace Department, otherwise know as the R.I P.D. Continue reading
Turbo-Kids Movie Review
Snails aren’t typically known for their speed, but that never stopped a misfit snail named Turbo. Turbo’s (voice of Ryan Reynold) life long dream was to race at the Indy 500, though an unrealistic goal. However, with hard work, perseverance, and an unexpected freak accident, Turbo’s dream was becoming a reality and a chance to race in one of the most prestigious motorsports in the world…The Indy 500. Turbo is a wonderful animated, suspenseful film for kids of all ages.
Rating: 5 out of 5 buckets.
Release Date: November 12, 2013
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 5+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Mild
Crude or Profane Language: None
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will it Appeal to Kids? Yes
Talking Points:
Follow your dreams, never give up, and persevere; these positive messages are woven throughout the film…great parent/ child conversation!
Sexual Content: Mild
- A female racing snail flirts with Chet. She also makes reference to her “booty, ” (her shell).
Violent Content: Mild
- Crows snatch the snails and take them away. It’s implied that the snails will be eaten.
- An upset elderly woman attacks a man by hitting and kicking him.
- There is a big car crash at the Indy 500.
- During a race, a race car driver tries to hit Theo.
Crude or Profane Language: None
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
- We see character’s drinking out of brown bottles labeled, “lager.”
Will it Appeal to Kids? Yes
Overall Turbo is a wonderful film for kids. With the wonderful messages, action and suspense; most youngsters will enjoy this film.
Grown Ups 2
Lenny (Adam Sandler), Eric (Kevin James) and Kurt (Chris Rock) are back, and now all living in their hometown. However things get complicated when they come across old bullies, drugged bus drivers, drunk cops and preppie college lacrosse players. Though what’s most important to the gang, is they’re all together; the old buddies with their families, it doesn’t get much better than that!
Rating: 2 and 1/2 out of 5 buckets.
Release Date: November 5, 2013
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 11+
Sexual Content: Moderate
Violent Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Moderate
Will it Appeal to Kids? Yes
Talking Points:
Amongst all the raunchy scenes, the group of men are all loving husbands and fathers. They truly care for their familieswell being.
Lenny’s son was continually bullied, so when Lenny ran into his childhood bully, he eventually confronted him and wanted an apology. Lenny eventually taught his son the importance of standing up for himself.
The film is filled with disgusting, raunchy silly humor; to name a few; we see chocolate ice cream that appears to be excrement, a police officer urinates in a pool (the water turns blue), a guy falls asleep in a bus and kids put Cheetos up his nose (one which he removes and eats), and character’s vomit. One character loved the fact that he can burp, sneeze and pass gas, all in a row. There are also several diaper-related jokes.
Sexual Content: Moderate
- We see several woman in skimpy bikinis and other revealing outfits.
- A janitor pretends to be an aerobic instructor, only to see the woman’s breast jiggle.
- There’s a car wash scene where we see male and female cheerleaders washing cars, very seductively. The men rub their privates up against the cars, and they lick the soap off the vehicle.
- The four male, “grown ups,” are forced to jump off a cliff, naked. We see this from a distance.
- There are sexual comments and references made throughout the film. Comments include male and female body parts, masturbation, erections and gay sex.
- A married woman jokingly asks if she can put her tongue down another man’s throat.
Violent Content: Moderate
- There was a huge slap stick, goofy fight amongst the frat boys and townspeople. Character’s were kicked, punched, stomped on and even hit by a beer keg.
- Nick, the drugged up bus driver, was continually abused. He was hung upside down in a bus, then fell and slid all around.
- One character rolled down a street in a giant tire; he hit several things while rolling, and was continually being hit.
- A character’s teenage son was mean and creepy. He wanted to hurt his dad, and other kids.
- A man pepper sprays himself.
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
- We hear “sh-t,” “d‑‑n,” “h‑‑‑,” “b‑‑ch” and “d‑‑k.” A father refers to his son as “fugly.”
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Moderate
- College students are shown drinking a lot, and some very drunk.
- Two high schoolers are given beer, they pretend to drink the beers to fit in; however they pour the alcohol out.
- We see adults drinking at a party.
Will it Appeal to Kids? Yes
Overall Grown Ups 2 is a raunchy movie, which isn’t even that funny. Parents need to be aware of the sexual references and jokes throughout the film. Depending on the kid, this film may appeal it kids ages 11 and up.
The Lone Ranger-Teen Movie Review
The Lone Ranger riding his horse Silver with the William Tell Overture playing in the background…sound familiar? The Lone Ranger is based on the popular Western from the 1930’s radio show, which eventually became a popular TV program in the 40’a and 50’s. In the movie, Tonto (Johnny Depp), an American Indian spirit warrior, tells the untold tales of how John Reid (Armie Hammer) becomes a man of justice, a legend, and a hero… a man known as the Lone Ranger.
Rating: 4 out of 5 buckets
Release Date: December 17, 2013
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 12+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will it Appeal to Teenagers? Yes
Talking Points:
The Lone Ranger is an iconic figure known as a righteous man of character. Since the popular TV show in the 40’s and 50’s, he’s stood for justice and doing the right thing.
The last battle in the film was exciting and moving; with the Lone Ranger riding his horse while the William Tell Overture was playing in the background. Fans will love that scene.
Since this film is produced by Walt Disney Picture, and remembering the popular western on TV, people may assume that this is a kids movie. However, parents need to be aware of the excessive and disturbing violence. Having said that, there are also some funny, slapstick violent scenes woven throughout the film.
Sexual Content: Mild
- Tonto is a regular at a house of ill-repute.
- We see women wearing low cut dresses.
Violent Content: Excessive
- We see hundreds of gruesome deaths; characters are killed by gun shots, stabbed and blown up by explosions.
- We see a man coughing up blood, then an evil character stabs him to death.
- A large log falls on two guys heads, killing them both.
- We see scorpions crawl on two character’s faces; their bodies are buried in the sand, and only their heads are exposed.
- Character’s brawl, we see their scars and bloody wounds.
- Characters are thrown off trains.
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
- We hear “d-mn,” and “h–.”
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
- We see character’s drinking in a bar, some very drunk.
- One character continually drank whiskey out of the bottle.
Will it Appeal to Teenagers? Yes
Overall The Lone Ranger is a wonderful action packed film with a great storyline and great characters. However, parents need to be aware of the excessive and disturbing violence throughout the film. Depending on the kid, I recommend this for kids ages 12 and up.