Drama

Drama movie reviews

The Good Dinosaur-Kids’ Movie Review

What if dinosaurs were not wiped out 65 millions years ago? Luckily for young dinosaur Arlo, his parents and two siblings… they were not. Life is good for the dinosaur family, except for the dreadful day when a rainstorm washes Arlo down the river. He ends up battered and bruised and miles away from home. Frightened and alone, Arlo comes across a Neanderthal boy and names him Spot. Now the two misfits embark on many adventures as they try to find Arlo’s beloved family. The Good Dinosaur is a Pixar animated film, and an adventure for all.

Rating: 4 and 1/2 buckets out of 5
Release Date: February 23, 2016
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 5+
Sexual Content: None
Violent/Disturbing Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: None
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Kids Like It? Yes

Talking Points:

The Good Dinosaur is a perfect film for young kids. It’s not only funny with likable characters, there are some wonderful lessons. The film highlights the importance of facing your fears; the joys of good friends and family.

Sexual Content: None

Violent/Disturbing Content: Moderate

There are frightening dinosaurs that eat small creatures, they chase Arlo and his friend Spot.
There’s an emotional scene where Arlo and his father are together near a river, and his father is submerge by violent floodwaters.

Crude or Profane Language: None

Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild

Arlo and Spot eat rotten fruit from the ground which causes strange things to happen to them.

Will kids like it? Yes

Young kids in the theater were laughing at the funny parts and very attentive in the dramatic parts. I interviewed a few four and five year-olds that loved the movie. They liked Arlo and thought the film was very funny.

Overall this is a funny and appropriate film for kids of all ages. Parents need to be aware of some moderate violence throughout the movie.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2-Teen Movie Review

Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) is known as the Mockingjay…she’s the face of the revolution and a symbol of hope. After living under the horrific conditions of the totalitarian ruled country of Panem, Katniss and her closest friends; Peeta (Josh Hutcherson), Gale (Liam Hemsworth) and Finnick team up to accomplish the courageous mission they’ve always hoped to do…assassinate their cruel and evil dictator, President Snow (Donald Sutherland). They face many challenging obstacles as they attempt to free millions of innocent victims from the corrupt government of Panem. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay-Part 2 is the fourth film in a trilogy book series by Suzanne Collins.

Rating: 4 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: March 22, 2016
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 13+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: None
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Teens Like It? Yes

Talking Points:

Katniss is determined to kill President Snow, she and her friends sacrifice their lives to improve the lives of millions of people.
Among all the violence in the war-torn area of Panem, there is a sweet love story between Katniss and Peeta. Peeta was tortured and corrupted by the government, which turned him against Katniss. She cares for him and teaches him what’s real.

Sexual Content: Mild

We see character’s kissing.

Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive

Katniss and her group are in several life threatening situations. In one scene they are underground and a pool of oil comes pouring out at them.
Katniss’ team is attacked and eaten alive by frightening zombie type creatures.
We see numerous characters being shot, stabbed and blown up.
There are several scenes that are hard to watch. One in particular when President Snow corals a massive group of people outside the Capitol. He kills them by setting off bombs. Initially we hear screaming children, then we see dead bodies everywhere, woman and children…which was very disturbing.
We see bloody wounds and bruises on Katniss’ neck and stomach.

Crude or Profane Language: None

Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild

We see character’s drinking champagne at a party.
Katniss is given a morphine drip. Another character takes the tube out of Katniss’ arm and sticks it in her own…admitting she’s been looking for drugs.

Will Teens Like It? Yes

Overall The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 is a very dark and violent film. Parents need to be aware of the excessive violence throughout the film. Depending on the child, this is appropriate for kids ages 13 and up.

My All-American-Kids’ Movie Review

Freddie Steinmark (Finn Wittrock) is a football player. He started as a young boy scoring several touchdowns a game. Freddie’s life long dream is to play college football for Notre Dame then go pro and play for the Chicago Bears. The problem is that Freddie is too small, weighing only 145 pounds as a teenager. Though he’s an amazing high school football player, he receives regular rejections to play college football due to his small size. However, his life dramatically changes the day legendary University of Texas football coach Darrell Royal (Aaron Eckhart) offers Freddie a scholarship to play for the Texas Longhorns. Freddie, along with his high school teammate Bobby Mitchell, head to Texas to play football. As the Longhorns finish their 1969 season as National Champions, Freddie faces a challenge of his own-his biggest one ever. Based on a true story, My All-American is a wonderful inspirational drama about a true football hero… on and off the field.

Rating: 4 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: February 23, 2016
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 10+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent/Disturbing Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Kids Like It? Yes

Talking Points:

Freddie is a humble, hard-working athlete. He’s a great role model for kids; he attends Mass everyday, works hard in school and works hard on the football field. Nothing came easy for him, but it was his work ethic and determination that helped him succeed. Great parent/child conversations.
Fans of Hoosiers and Rudy will most likely love My All-American as it is written and directed by the same filmaker-Angelo Pizzo.

Sexual Content: Mild

We see Freddie and his girlfriend kiss several times.

Violent/Disturbing Content: Moderate

We see hard hits during the football practices and games.
{Spoiler Alert} The subject of death is noted in the film which may frighten young kids. There’s a Brian’s Song element to it.

Crude or Profane Language: Moderate

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

Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild

We see characters drinking wine.
It’s mentioned that a priest serves beer to the football players once a week.

Will Kids Like It? Yes

Overall My All-American is an amazing heartfelt sports drama. Depending on the child I recommend this for kids ages 10 and up. Parents need to be aware of the mature subject matter of death.

Love the Coopers-Teen Movie Reviews

The Cooper family may seem happy as they sing their favorite Christmas carols during their annual Christmas Eve dinner…though they’re not. Charlotte Cooper (Diane Keaton) wants one perfect Christmas before she and her husband get divorced. However, when the four generations of Coopers come together to celebrate, several unlikely events occur and their true lives are ultimately revealed. Through their ups and downs, the family discovers the true meaning of the Christmas spirit.

Rating: 3 and 1/2 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: February 9, 2016
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 13+
Sexual Content: Moderate
Violent/Disturbing Content: Mild
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Teens Like It? No

Talking Points:

The Cooper family have their problems; they lie to one another and pretend to have “Facebook” perfect lives. However, they ultimately learn that’s it’s better to tell the truth, and that with family you can be yourself.
Though this has a wonderful message about importance of family, the film may not appeal to kids or teens due to the mature subject matter of complicated adult relationships.

Sexual Content: Moderate

We see various couples passionately kiss and making out.
There’s talk of being gay, female body parts and jokes relating to orgasms.

Violent/Disturbing Content: Mild

It’s implied that a character attempted suicide.
One character punches another character.

Crude or Profane Language: Mild

We hear “sh-t,” “h—,” and “d–n.”

Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild

We see characters drinking wine, martinis and shots.

Will Teens Like It? No

Due to the mature subject matter this may not appeal to kids.

Overall Love the Coopers is geared towards adults and may appeal to older teenagers.

Spectre-Teen Movie Review

Bond. James Bond…he’s back and better than ever. In this film Bond (Daniel Craig) ends up in Mexico City and Rome. After entering a secret meeting, he discovers the existence of an evil organization called Spectre. As Bond learns about the group, he also finds a connection between himself and their cruel leader (Christoph Waltz). Spectre is an action packed adventurous film with 007’s cars, guns, and gadgets. It’s all about Bond. James Bond.

Rating: 3 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: February 9, 2016
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 15+
Sexual Content: Moderate
Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Teens Like It? Yes

Talking Points:

Though Spectre is very violent, and disturbing in parts, Bond seems very different. He falls in love, and treats woman with a more respect. There are times in the film when he could kill, though he chooses not to.

Sexual Content: Moderate

James Bond sleeps with a newly widowed woman. We see them passionately kiss, then bond unzips her dress. Later we see her on the bed in a negligee.
James sleeps with another woman as well, a love interest. We see them passionately kiss as Bond rips off her clothes (we don’t see anything). Later she’s shown wearing a sexy nightgown.

Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive

The villain drills holes into James’ head, James screams in agony. This was a very disturbing scene.
We see a lot of characters shot and killed. There are several explosions as cars, planes and buildings blow up.
There are numerous brutal fights, with very graphic images. In one scene a man gouges out another mans eyes with his thumbs… killing him. There’s a violent fight on a train with characters thrown around, beaten and shot.

Crude or Profane Language: Moderate

We hear “a–,” “b–tard,” and “h—.”

Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild

Bond orders his usual drink…vodka martini.
We see characters drinking beer, wine and champagne. One character is shown tipsy and tells Bond that she can see two of him.

Will Teens Teens It? Yes

Overall Spectre is an action packed movie, one that teenagers will enjoy. Parents need to be aware of the excessive and disturbing violence throughout the film. Depending on the child I recommend this for kids ages 15 and up.