Drama

Drama movie reviews

A Wrinkle In Time – Kids’ Movie Review

A Wrinkle in Time follows the life of a 13 year old girl named Meg Murry (Storm Reid). Meg is a very insecure and anxious middle schooler who is struggling since the disappearance of her father. Meg’s father is a renowned physicist, Dr. Alex Murry (Chris Pine), who disappeared four years earlier. No one knows what happened to him, but Meg is determined to find out. One day Meg’s brilliant younger brother, Charles Wallace (Deric McCabe), introduces Meg to three supernatural beings: Mrs. Whatsit (Reese Witherspoon), Mrs. Who (Mindy Kaling), and Mrs. Which (Oprah Winfrey). The kids eventually learn from their supernatural friends that in order to save their father they must travel across time and space to rescue him from an evil entity called “The It.” So now Meg, Charles Wallace, and Meg’s friend are guided on a dangerous journey across time to find their beloved father. Based on the 1962 fantasy novel; A Wrinkle In Time.

Rating: 4 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: June 5, 2018
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 10+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: None
Drug and Alcohol Content: None
Will Kids Like It? Yes

Talking Points:

There are wonderful messages throughout the film that will spark some great parent/child conversations. To name a few; accepting who you are, accepting others who are different from you, and the importance of love. The film also highlights themes of courage, perseverance and bravery.

Sexual Content: Mild

We see a married couple kiss.
Mild flirting between two teenagers.

Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive

A girl throws a basketball into a classmate’s face after being provoked by some mean comments.
Kids encounter several dangerous situations. They’re tossed around and whisked away in a tornado.
A boy is possessed by evil and hurts his sister.
A boy falls from a very high point and lands on a bed of wildflowers.
Character’s are pulled down a dark hallway by an unseen force.
There is a dark and creepy tone throughout the film.
It’s briefly noted that a girl suffers from an eating disorder; we see her “eating rules” on a bedroom wall.
A dad is shown yelling at his son, calling him an “idiot,” for a poor report card.

Crude or Profane Language: None

Drug and Alcohol Content: None

Will Kids Like It? Yes

I interviewed a two siblings 6 and 8 years old. The 6- year-old was scared and the 8 year old liked it but was scared at the end. I also interviewed two 10- year-olds that loved the film.

Overall this is an entertaining and thrilling drama. Having said that, parents need to be aware of the excessive violence and disturbing scenes throughout the film. Depending on the child, I recommend this for kids ages 10 and up!

The Commuter-Kids’ Movie Review

Life is good for Michael MacCauley (Liam Neeson). He has a good job as an insurance salesman, he’s happily married, and has a teenage son who’s headed to Syracuse University. Michael has a very regimented daily routine as he commutes on the train everyday in and out of New York. Michael’s life dramatically changes on one of his daily commutes. He learns that he’s going to get fired, just when he needs to pay a lot of money for his son’s college tuition. Feeling very sad and defeated, Michael’s train ride is not going very well, and it eventually gets even worse. A woman on the train offers him $100,000 if he’s willing to find a passenger who doesn’t belong on the train, and he must find this person before the train’s last stop. Michael soon realizes that his wife and son will be in danger if he doesn’t follow the rules. Now Michael has to figure this strange puzzle not only to save his family’s life but also the innocent victims on the train.

Rating: 3 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: April 17, 2017
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 13+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Excessive
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Kids Like It? Yes

Talking Points:

Sexual Content: Mild

We see Michael and his wife kiss in bed together, they are fully clothed.

Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive

There are several brutal fight scenes with martial arts, stabbing with knives, punching, hitting and shooting. We see many bloody wounds.
We see a man pushed in front of a bus.
There’s an intense train crash.

Crude or Profane Language: Excessive

We hear “f–k,” “s–t,” “h-ll,” “goddamn,” and bullsh-t.”.

Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild

There’s a scene where we see a man drinking several pints of beer in a bar.

Will Kids Like It? Yes

Overall this is an exciting action packed drama. Having said that it’s very similar to Liam Neeson’s previous films. Parents need to be aware of the language and excessive violence.

Star Wars: Episode VIII: The Last Jedi – Kids’ Movie Review

As you may know, Star Wars: Episode VIII: The Last Jedi is set in a galaxy far far away. The film begins immediately after the events of the Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens. It continues the story of Rey (Daisy Ridley), and her discovery of Jedi Master Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), and the story of the war between General Leia Organa’s Resistance and the First Order. This is an entertaining film for the Star Wars fans!

Rating: 4 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: March 27, 2018
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 10+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Kids Like It? Yes

Talking Points:

The importance of friendship, teamwork and doing the right thing is portrayed throughout the film.

Sexual Content: Mild

A character briefly kisses another character.
Rey sees a man shirtless and she gets flustered.

Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive

There are numerous battles, explosions and a lot of sci-fi violence with thousands of deaths.
We see a character who is sliced in half, however there isn’t any blood.
Many weapons are used such as lightsabers, bombs and fighter planes.
The villains in the film may scare kids.

Crude or Profane Language: Mild

We hear “d–n,” “h—,” “a–,” and “b–tard.

Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild

Character’s are shown drinking liquor at a casino.

Will Kids Like It? Yes

I interviewed three kids ages 11 (boy), 12 (girl), and 15 (girl). They loved the film and said they weren’t scared at all. They are big Star Wars fans!

Overall this is an entertaining film, especially for the Star Wars fans. Parents need to be aware of the excessive violence throughout the film.

Coco-Kids’ Movie Review

Miguel (voice of Anthony Gonzalez), a young Mexican boy, loves music. He desperately wants to follow his dream of becoming a musician like his idol Ernesto de la Cruz. However, Miguel’s family despises music and even bans it from their house. Miguel is supposed to follow in the family business crafting fine shoes. When Miguel takes his music interest a little too far he suffers a serious consequence and is transported to the colorful and vibrant, Land of the Dead. There, Miguel teams up with an interesting skeleton and embarks on an exciting journey. Coco is a wonderful Disney/Pixar film that explores the traditions of the Day of the Dead.

Rating: 4 and 1/2 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: February 27, 2018
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 5+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent/Disturbing Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Kids Like It? Yes

Talking Points:

Sexual Content: Mild

We see a man painting a nude female skeleton.
We see a man kissing a woman.

Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive

A character is crushed by a giant bell.
In the Land of the Dead the skeletons body parts come apart; such as heads, jawbones, eyeball, etc.
We see a popular character who dissolves to dust and fades away. This is a disturbing scene that may upset kids.
A large flying animal growls and may scare kids.
There is some slapstick violence with a lot of chase scenes.
Someone is tossed in a deep well; another character falls from a great height.

Crude or Profane Language: Mild

We hear “stupid,” “dumb,” and “jerks.”

Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild

We see characters celebrating with alcoholic drinks.

Will Kids Like It? Yes

I interviewed a 10 year old girl who loved the movie. She enjoyed the characters and the music. I also interviewed her 4 year old brother who said he loved it. They didn’t get scared, and the film held their attention.

Overall this is an entertaining film for the whole family. Depending on the child, I recommend this for kids ages 5 and up.

Justice League-Kids Movie Reivew

The world is mourning a beloved superhero’s death…Superman! While Batman is in Gotham City (Ben Affleck) he tries to keep things in line but it’s hard without friend. Crime is up and the people of Gotham are feeling down. Things get even worse as Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) informs Batman that Steppenwolf (Ciarán Hinds), an evil supervillian, has returned and wants to destroy the world. So Batman and Wonder Woman recruit a group of allies to form a team known as Justice League. Now this superhero team tries to save the world from the evil villain. Justice League is based on DC Comics’ superhero adventures.

Rating: 3 and 1/2 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: March 13, 2018
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 11+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Kids Like It? Yes

Talking Points:

Sexual Content: Mild

We see couples kissing.

Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive

There is a lot of super-hero violence such as explosions and destruction.
There are a lot of battles. Character’s are shown fighting with swords, guns, hammers and fist fights.
A giant monster destroys buildings, throws superheroes around, and kills people.
A resurrected Superman is extremely angry and fights with Batman.

Crude or Profane Language: Moderate

We hear “sh-t,” ‘a–,” b–ch,” “d–n,” and “h—.”

Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild

We see a character drinking whiskey.

Will Kids Like It? Yes

Overall this is an entertaining film, especially for superhero fans. Having said that, parents need to be aware of the excessive violence throughout the film.