Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return-Kids Movie Review

“There’s No Place Like Home, There’s No Place Like Home…,” the very familiar quote from The Wizard of Oz’s Dorothy as she was trying to leave Oz and get back home to Kansas. In Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return, a continuation of the beloved fairy tale, Dorothy goes back to Oz to rescue the Scarecrow (Dan Aykroyd), the Lion (Jim Belushi) and the Tin Man (Martin Short) from the Jester. The Jester is the evil brother of the Wicked Witch of the West, who wants to take over Oz. As Dorothy tries to save her old friends she meets new ones along the way; an owl, a marshmallow magistrate, a china doll princess and a tugboat. Together the gang must not only save Dorothy’s friends, but restore happiness back to the wonderful Land of Oz.

Rating: 4 and 1/2 buckets out of 5
Release Date: May 9 2014
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 5+
Sexual Content: None
Violent Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: None
Drugs and Alcohol: None
Will it Appeal to kids? Yes

Talking Points:

With the colorful scenery, fun music and an entertaining storyline, young kids will most likely enjoy this sequel to The Wizard of Oz.

Sexual Content: None

Violent Content: Moderate

China doll people are cracked and smashed from an earthquake that the Jester created with his special weapon.
The Jester creates a tornado in an attempt to kill Dorothy. He says, “In a twister you fell from the sky and in a twister you shall die.”
We see flying monkeys who threaten people with their sharp claws.
The Jester torments the Lion, Tin Man and Scarecrow by magically trapping them in their worst nightmares; a circus cage, a tank of water and a green-flamed fire. He threatens Toto too.

Crude or Profane Language: None

Drugs and Alcohol: None

Will it Appeal to kids? Yes

I interviewed two kids…
- An eleven year old girl said, “It’s a fun version of The Wizard of Oz.“
- A five year old boy said, “It was soooo good.”

Overall this is a fun entertaining film for young kids, adults and older kids may get bored.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2- Kids’ Movie Review

The graduation march “Pomp and Circumstance ” was playing as Valedictorian Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) and her boyfriend Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Andrew Garfield) receive their high school diplomas. Now they have to face the real world. Being the good and moral guy he is, Peter tells Gwen that he can’t see her anymore. Though he’s madly in love with her, he had promised her dying father that he would stay away from Gwen, due to his dangerous double life as Spider-Man. Now Peter must try to move on and face his role of saving lives as a superhero. Continue reading →

Captain America: The Winter Soldier-Kids Movie Reviews

He’s not a big guy, he’s deemed unfit for the military, but he’s a dedicated American…he’s Captain America. Steve Rogers a.k.a. Captain America (Chris Evans) teams up with Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) to take down a Soviet agent known as the Winter Soldier. Captain America: The Winter Soldier takes place right after the end of The Avengers, it’s a fun, though violent, entertaining film about a great American superhero.

Rating: 4 out of 5
Release Date: September 9, 2014
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 12+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol: Mild
Will it Appeal to kids? Yes

Talking Points:

Captain America is a good guy and always wants to do the right thing. He even tries to save the bad guys! He’s a good role model for kids.

There’s an all-star cast, to name a few; Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Robert Redford, Anthony Mackie and Cobie Smulders.

Sexual Content: Mild

A couple passionately kiss.

Violent Content: Excessive

There are a lot of fights throughout the movie which include brutal and violent punches, kicks and stabbings.
Captain America takes a lot of abuse as he’s shocked with a Taser, stabbed, shot and brutally beaten.
There are several explosions.
Characters are shown with open wounds and broken limbs.
There are car, truck and plane crashes.
An innocent cleaning lady is shot and killed.
A man is pushed off a high building.

Crude or Profane Language: Mild

We hear “sh-t,” “a–,” “b–ch,” and “h—,” a few times each.

Drugs and Alcohol: Mild

We see characters drinking champagne.

Will it Appeal to kids? Yes

Overall this is an exciting movie, parents need to be aware of the excessive violence throughout the film. Depending on the child, I recommend this for kids ages 12 and up.

Transcendence-Teen Movie Review

Technology is a wonderful thing, but can it go too far? In Transcendence, Dr. Will Caster (Johnny Depp) is a famous, though controversial, researcher in the field of Artificial Intelligence. Things get difficult for this bright scientist when an anti-technology organization fights to prevent him from going too far.

Rating: 3 out of 5
Release Date: July 22, 2014
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 15+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol: Mild
Will it Appeal to kids? No

Talking Points:

Transcendence is an interesting and captivating film. Having said that, it gets confusing and may not appeal to kids or teens.

The film could spark some great conversations regarding the advancement of technology.

Sexual Content: Mild

In a dream we see a couple passionately kissing in bed.

Violent Content: Excessive

A bomb explodes in a lab and kills numerous people.
Characters are punched, kicked and brutally beaten.
We see injured characters with open wounds covered with blood.
A needle is injected into a blind man’s eye.

Crude or Profane Language: Mild

“Sh-t,” and “h–l,” are used.

Drugs and Alcohol: Mild

We see characters drinking beer and wine.

Will it Appeal to kids? No

Overall this is an interesting film, though may not appeal to kids/teens. Parents need to be aware of the excessive violence and dark theme.

Divergent-Teen Movie Review

“The Dauntless never give up,”and that’s why Beatrice Prior (Shailene Woodley) chooses to be in the Dauntless faction. Set in futuristic Chicago, people are divided into factions based on human virtues. Abnegation (the selfless), Amity (the kind), Candor (the honest), Dauntelss (the brave) and Erudite (the intelligent). The storyline centers around the life of 16-year old Beatrice Prior. Continue reading →