Drama
Drama movie reviews
Captain Phillips-Teen Movie Review
On April 8, 2009 the Maersk Alabama cargo ship, en route for Kenya, was hijacked by four Somali pirates. The pirates were armed with assault riffles, the Americans were unarmed (though they had water cannons to fight off the pirates). The pirates were lead by Captain Muse (Barkhad Abdi) and the Alabama ship was commanded by Captain Richard Phillips (Tom Hanks). Continue reading
Runner Runner-Teen Movie Review
Princeton University student Richie Furst (Justin Timberlake) lost his tuition money through a corrupt online poker site. When Richie discovered that the owner, Ivan Block (Ben Affleck) hosts the site from Costa Rica, he traveled there hoping to get his money back. Richie not only succeeded in getting his money, he became enthralled with Ivan’s powerful world of material things and beautiful women, and even became Ivan’s righthand man. Initially life in Costo Rica was great for this young college student, however things changed when an FBI agent kidnaped Richie to bring down Ivan Block…the gambling mogul.
Rating: 2 out of 5 buckets
Release Date: January 7, 2014
MPAA Rating: R
Best Age Group: 17 +
Sexual Content: Moderate
Violent Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Excessive
Drugs and Alcohol: Excessive
Will It Appeal to Teens? Yes
Talking Points:
Runner Runner is an interesting and captivating story. It will spark a great parent/child conversation regarding the negative effects of online gambling.
Sexual Content: Moderate
- We see a brief clip of a married man having sex with several women.
- We see women in skimpy outfits, with men touching and fondling them.
- There is a brief scene of a couple having a sexual encounter.
- There were several sexual references as well.
Violent Content: Moderate
- Richie is punched and beaten by cops, thugs and FBI agents.
- Two men were covered with chicken broth, then thrown into a lake filled with crocodiles. One was eaten, the other was shown bruised and bloodied.
Crude or Profane Language: Excesesive
- The f-word was said continuously throughout the film, we also heard, “a–,” “b-tard,” “p—y” and “h–.”
Drugs and Alcohol: Excessive
- We see college kids drinking beer.
- We see character’s drinking a lot of alcohol throughout the film.
Will It Appeal to Teens? Yes
Overall this an interesting movie, one that may appeal to teenagers. Having said that, it’s an R rated film, which means kids under the age of 16 need to be accompanied by an adult. Parents need to be aware of the inappropriate contents listed above.
Gravity-Teen Movie Review
Matt Kowalsky (George Clooney) is an experienced astronaut, a man who is about to command his final expedition. Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) is a woman on her first space shuttle mission, a brilliant medical engineer, though a little uneasy and scared in space. When disaster strikes, and most of the shuttle is destroyed, Matt and Ryan are the only two survivors. Now they must help one another, and take on a new mission…surviving in space alone!
Rating: 4 out of 5 buckets
Release Date:February 25, 2014
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 12+
Sexual Content: None
Violent Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drugs and Alcohol: Mild
Will It Appeal to Teens? Yes
Talking Points:
Faced with dangerous and hostile circumstances, we see how the two survivors handle the horrific situation, and do what they need to do to help one another. Sacrifice and the will to never give up, are the main themes demonstrated throughout the film.
One of the characters risks their life in order for the other person to survive.
The film is intense and frightening in parts, which may scare young kids.
Sexual Content: None
Violent Content: Moderate
- Matt and Ryan are forcefully thrown around in space.
- It was very uncomfortable and scary watching Matt and Ryan try to survive, knowing full well their life was on the line.
- We saw the deceased crew mates; one with a smashed face, two others floating in space.
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
- The f-word was said once, we als0 heard, “a–,” “b–ch,” “d–n” and “h—.”
Drugs and Alcohol: Mild
- Matt takes a sip of vodka.
Will It Appeal to Teens? Yes
Overall this is an amazing film! Though very appropriate, parents need to be aware of the intense storyline that may frighten some kids.
Rush-Teen Movie Review
Michigan vs. Ohio State, the Yankees vs. the Red Sox and race car drivers James Hunt vs. Niki Lauda. Three different sports with the same goal…to beat their competitor. Set in the 1970‘s Rush is the story about Formula One rivals; Britain’s James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth), a fun loving handsome guy who likes to drink and have fun with the ladies, and Austria’s Niki Lauda, an arrogant perfectionist who doesn’t care what people think about him. In this sports drama we see not only the excitement and rush of the auto races, but the lives of the drivers who will do anything to win the Formula One title.
Rating: 2 out of 5 buckets
Release Date: January 28, 2014
MPAA Rating: R
Best Age Group: 17+
Sexual Content: Excessive
Violent Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drugs and Alcohol: Excessive
Will It Appeal to Teens? Yes
Talking Points:
James Hunt and Niki Lauda are fierce competitors. The competition and drive to be the world champions motivated them to improve and become better racers. Having said that, through all the competition, they truly cared and respected one another. This could spark a great parent/child conversation.
Parents need to be aware of the excessive sexual content in the film. I read that director Ron Howard wanted to capture the popular culture of the time period.
Sexual Content: Excessive
- We see Hunt in many sexual encounters with several different women. Images include topless women, bare backs, explicit sex scenes in the shower, a hospital and in an airplane.
Violent Content: Moderate
- Hunt punched a reporter in the face several times.
- We saw an accident in one of the races, where the driver was trapped in a burning car, he was severely injured.
- When Lauda was in the hospital, the doctors stuck a vacuum down his throat to clean out his lungs, that was a disgusting scene.
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
- The f-word was said numerous times. We also heard “h–,” “b–tard,”and “a–.”
Drugs and Alcohol: Excessive
- Hunt continuously drank alcohol throughout the film, even sometimes before a race.
- We saw Hunt smoking cigarettes and marijuana.
Will It Appeal to Teens? Yes
Overall Rush is an entertaining and interesting sports drama. As I previously mentioned, parents need to be aware of the excessive sexual content, profane language and drug and alcohol contents portrayed throughout the film.
Battle Of The Year-Kids Movie Review
”The Team, The Team, The Team,” that’s a well known phrase from The University of Michigan’s former football coach, Bo Schembechler, and it’s also the primary focus and belief of Coach Blake (Josh Holloway). Battle of the Year is a sports drama, not about the traditional sports such as football, basketball or hockey; this is about b-boying, also known as breakdancing. Though b-boying originated in the USA in 1970, teams from South Korea, France, Germany and Russia have dominated the sport. In this fictional story, we see how Coach Blake assembles a team of the best dancers in America, and takes them to compete in France, where they can hopefully win the battle and bring home the trophy.
Rating: 4 out of 5 buckets
Release Date: December 10, 2013
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 10+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Mild
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drugs and Alcohol: Moderate
Will It Appeal to Teens? Yes
Talking Points:
There are wonderful messages about working together and being a team player. The coach focused on the team’s success, not any individual’s success.
As in most sports movies, the coach had some great inspirational quotes, to name a few; “change how you think, change your life,” “act like champions, be champions.” and “success is a choice.”
The movie was a little corny in parts, however the dancing was amazing, which most kids and adults will enjoy.
Sexual Content: Mild
- When the boys first meet their female choreographer, they make suggestive comments. One guy mentions getting a massage from her, another guy wants her to rub his thighs.
Violent Content: Mild
- Two of the guys on the team get into a fight with one another.
- The guys on the team get into a fight at a bar in France when a local punches one of their teammates.
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
- The f-word was used once,. We also heard “d–n,” “a–” “sh-t,” and “b–ch,” throughout the film.
Drugs and Alcohol: Moderate
- The coach had a drinking problem; sneaking his whiskey whenever possible.
- We see the team members drinking at bars.
Will It Appeal to Teens? Yes
Overall Battle Of The Year is an entertaining film that most pre-teens and teens will enjoy. Parents need to be aware of the moderate profane language throughout the film.