DVD New Releases
DVD New Releases
Race-Kids’ Movie Review
“Out there, there ain’t no black and white,” Owens says. “There’s only fast and slow.” Set in the 1930’s in a time of segregation we see the amazing story of a true American athlete…Jesse Owens (Stephan James). Jesse attends Ohio State University where he enrolls to run track, however he is treated as a second class citizen except on the track. With the guidance of his OSU coach, Larry Snyder (Jason Sudeikis), Jesse sets three world records and tying another in less than an hour at the 1935 Big Ten Track meet. Then he proceeds to win four gold medals at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany. Overcoming racism at home and in Nazi Germany, Owens shows the world that he is truly the worlds fastest human!
Rating: 4 and 1/2 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: May 31, 2016
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 11+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent/Disturbing Content: Mild
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Teens Like It? Yes
Talking Points:
- Not only is this an exciting sports drama there is an educational element as well. In a time of segregation and the Hitler regime we also get a little history lesson which could spark some great parent/child conversations.
- Jesse and his girlfriend Ruth have a child out of wedlock, they eventually get married.
Sexual Content: Mild
- Jesse has a girlfriend, with whom he has a daughter. However, when Jesse meets a woman at a jazz club, she flirts with him and they end up dancing and kissing. It’s implied that they had a sexual encounter, though we don’t see anything.
Violent/Disturbing Content: Mild
- There are racially motivated threats of violence towards Jesse.
- When Jesse is upset with his coach he forcefully pushes him as they argue about whether Jesse should go to Germany.
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
- We hear “sh-t,” “a–,” “h—,” and “d–n.”
Drug and Alcohol Content: Moderate
- Throughout the film we see Jesse and other athletes drinking beer while they’re training.
- Jesse’s coach, Snyder, frequently drinks alcohol from a flask. We see him drinking whiskey in his office as he argues with Jesse.
Will Kid/Teens Like It? Yes
- I interviewed three high school track runners who loved the film. A teen boy said, “Now I’m really motivated for track season.”
Overall Race is a wonderful inspirational story. Parents need to be aware of the moderate profane language.
Deadpool-Teen Movie Review
Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynold) is a former Special Forces operative. He has an average life living day to day making ends meet.Then he meets Vanessa (Morena Baccarin), the love of his life. Finally he has something to live for! Unfortunately his life drastically changes soon after meeting Vanessa.Wade receives the awful news that he’s been diagnosed with cancer. After much thought, he disappears and signs up to do an experiment with a shady organization that will make him a new man… cancer-free. He goes through this horrendous procedure where an evil man named Ajax (Ed Skrein) tortures and transforms him. Wade Wilson becomes Deadpool, a disfigured man with superpowers. So now Wade and other mutant allies are on a mission to find the man who almost destroyed their lives.
Rating: 2 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: May 10, 2016
MPAA Rating: R
Best Age Group: 17+
Sexual Content: Excessive
Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Excessive
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Teens Like It? Yes
Talking Points:
This is a film about the super-hero Deadpool, one that will most likely appeal to kids. However, this is an R rated and very inappropriate film. Deadpool is distributed by 20th Century Fox, not Disney’s Marvel. See full details below.
Sexual Content: Excessive
- There are several sexual references regarding masturbation, oral sex and male/female body parts.
- We see Wade and Vanessa in a sexual encounter.
- Vanessa is an exotic dancer and prostitute. We see women at a strip club dancing. One of the girls is shown fully naked, we see her front side.
Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive
- Since Wade is a special-ops guy he has killed a lot of people. We see several graphic and bloody scenes throughout the film. Characters are shot and stabbed to death.
- In the clinic, we see Ajax torturing Wade; beating him while strapped to a gurney, submerging him in goo, floating in ice, and waterboarding him. He was also locked in a tank for a weekend, where he had a difficult time breathing.
Crude or Profane Language: Excessive
- Profane language was used throughout the film. The f-word, “sh-t,” “h–,” and “b–ch.”
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
- We see characters drinking alcohol and a bar and smoking a cigarette.
- There are references to cocaine.
Will Teens Like It? Yes
- I interviewed two eighteen year old boys who thought the film was hilarious. One guy said that he wants to see it again.
Overall Deadpool is an entertaining comedy though very inappropriate for kids.
Zoolander 2-Kids’ Movie Review
Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller) and Hansel (Owen Wilson) may not be the young hot models they once were, however they have been invited back to the fashion world to walk the runway in Rome. Though it’s not as glamorous as they hoped. The goofy male models eventually realize that there’s a conspiracy to kill the world’s most beautiful people, and it’s up to them to stop it!
Rating: 3 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: May 24, 2016
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 16+
Sexual Content: Excessive
Violent/Disturbing Content: Mild
Crude or Profane Language: Excessive
Drug and Alcohol Content: None
Will kids/ Teens Like It? Yes
Talking Points:
- There are no lessons or inspirational moments, it’s just a silly comedy.
- There’s an all-star cast, to name a few: Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Penelope Cruz, Will Ferrell, and Kristen Wiig.
Sexual Content: Excessive
- There’s a lot of sexual references regarding prostitutes, masturbation a threesome and orgys.
- We see a commercial where someone is milking a cow…which is portrayed as very sexual.
- There is a character named All, an androgynous model. He/she marries himself/herself in Rome, where he/she claims it’s legal.
- We see models wearing low-cut outfits.
- Derek and Hansel have erections, though covered, after seeing a woman’s cleavage.
- There is a disgusting kissing scene showing a lot of tongue.
- We see Hansel involved in an orgy with some odd characters including a goat and female wrestler. We see them in an orgy…shoulders up with suggestive movements.
- A character says that, “Meaningless sex always makes me feel better about myself.”
Violent/Disturbing Content: Mild
- A character is shot stabbed in the cheek.
- We see a terrible car accident, though no one is injured.
- We hear the f-word once. We also hear “sh-t,” “h–l,” “b–ch,” “a–,” and “d–n.”
Will kids/ Teens Like It? Yes
- Teens will most likely be entertained by the goofy humor, especially if they liked Zoolander.
Overall this is a silly film. Parents need to be aware of the excessive sexual content and profane language.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies-Teen Movie Review
“A woman is either highly trained or highly refined. One cannot be both in such times,” said Elizabeth Bennet (Lily James). Set in the 19th century England, the film centers around the four Bennet sisters, all who have been highly trained to kill zombies. In the quiet English village where they live, the dead are coming back to life to terrorize the land and it’s people. Elizabeth Bennet (Lily James) is the determined sister who desperately wants to destroy the zombies, however she is distracted by the arrogant Mr. Darcy (Sam Riley). Between the romances, the sword fights and the zombies, the Bennet sisters and their suitors come together to try and save their country.
Rating: 4 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: May 31, 2016
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 13+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will kids/ Teens Like It? Yes
Talking Points:
- This is a very unique film and interesting film. Though very violent, teens who have read Jane Austen’s book, Pride and Prejudice, and those who also like zombies movies/ TV shows, will be highly entertained by this film.
Sexual Content: Mild
- The women where revealing dresses, we see a lot of cleavage.
- We see several couples kiss.
- As the Bennet girls strap their knives in their boots, we see their lacy undergarments and bare legs.
Violent/Disturbing Content:
- We see numerous grotesque battle scenes with the undead zombies. Creatures are stabbed, slaughtered, thrown in ovens to be baked alive, and blown up.
- The zombies are scary looking creatures, their faces are bloody and deformed.
- Humans fight as well, we see several brutal scenes. Character’s are shown hitting and kicking one other. We see several sword fights.
- A man is shown choking a girl, she finally fights back and throws him into a pillar.
- We see bodies of soldiers with holes in their heads, as someone stole their brains.
- After too much alcohol consumption, Mrs. Bennet bites her daughter.
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
- We hear “b–tard,” and “h–l.”
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
- Characters are shown drinking at a ball. Mrs. Bennet drinks too much and gets drunk.
Will kids/ Teens Like It? Yes
- I interviewed some teenagers, ages 16 and up, who loved the film. They’re fans of the TV series, The Walking Dead, and loved the zombie aspect of 19th century movie.
Overall Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is an entertaining film for those who like zombie movies. Parents need to be aware of the excess violence. Depending on the child, I recommend this for kids ages 13 and up.
Dirty Grandpa-Teen Movie Review
Jason Kelly (Zac Efron), a high-strung attorney, is one week away from marrying his boss’s controlling daughter, Meredith (Julianne Hough). Finalizing the wedding plans and working hard to become a partner at his firm, Jason has a lot going on. However, his life dramatically changes when he finds himself driving his newly widowed grandfather Dick (Robert De Niro) from Atlanta, Ga to Daytona Beach, Fla. Even though Jason wanted to help his grandpa out and do the right thing, he didn’t know what was really involved…a wild spring break with his dirty Grandpa.
Rating: 2 out of 5 buckets
Release Date: May 17, 2016
MPAA Rating: R
Best Age Group: 18+
Sexual Content: Excessive
Violent/Disturbing Content: Mild
Crude or Profane Language: Excessive
Drug and Alcohol Content: Excessive
Will kids/ Teens Like It? Yes
Talking Points:
- The idea of a Grandfather and his Grandson driving from Atlanta to Florida together is sweet and endearing. Even though there are some cute bonding scenes; overall the film is raunchy and inappropriate.
Sexual Content: Excessive
- We see couples having sex, grandpa masturbating, sexual dancing, and nudity (male and female).
- There are numerous sexual jokes and references throughout the film. To name a few…jokes regarding oral sex, group sex, masturbation, male and female body parts, herpes, gays and dildos.
Violent/Disturbing Content: Mild
- Characters are punched, someone is Tazed and knocked unconscious, and someone is hit in the face with a beer can and gets a bloody nose.
Crude or Profane Language: Excessive
- Every other word is the f-word. We also hear “b–ch,” “h—,” “a–,” “ba-tard,” and crude sexual references to male and female private body parts.
Drug and Alcohol Content: Excessive
- Characters are shown drinking beer, wine and champagne throughout the film.
- Pam, a drug dealer, continually talks about all the drugs he sells. To name a few; heroin, meth, crack, marijuana, Ecstasy and mushrooms.
- We see people smoke marijuana at parties.
Will Teens Like It? Yes
Overall this is an extremely raunchy and inappropriate R rated film. Parents need to be aware of the excessive crude language and excessive sexual content.