Drama
Drama movie reviews
The Karate Kid-Family Movie Review
If you want your child to hang up their coat, with a good attitude, then see this movie! Karate Kid is a remake of the 1984 original film. This is the story about a twelve-year-old boy Dre Parker (Jaden Smith), and his mother, who moves from Detroit to China, and once they’re in China, Dre is bullied by his classmates. A maintenance man and former martial arts champ, prepares Dre to take on the bullies.
Rating: Four out of five buckets
Release Date: October 5, 2010
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 10+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Moderate
Talking Points:
My favorite part of the movie is the wonderful relationship that Dre and his mentor Mr. Han have. When Mr. Han agreed to instruct Dre in martial arts, Dre not only learned karate, but he also attained a newfound confidence, which helped with his daily struggles.
I also loved the “coat” part of the movie, as I mentioned in the synopsis, probably because my kids don’t always hang up their coats. Initially, Mr. Han gives Dre a training exercise of hanging up his coat, the motion is to help with karate, but he also taught Dre to respect and listen to his mother. Adults and kids will appreciate that scene.
Some great messages that Dre learned from Mr. Han, which are stressed throughout the movie are:
“Life will knock us down, but we can choose whether or not to get back up.”
“Kung fu is not about fighting, it’s about making peace with your enemies.”
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Excessive
I absolutely loved this movie! However, I felt that the PG rating was not appropriate. I think older boys would like this movie, but will be deterred by the PG rating, and younger kids will want to see it because of the PG rating. However, I would not recommend this movie for kids younger than ten years old. There are many violent scenes; to name a few:
- When we first met the gang of bullies, they punched and kicked Dre many times, before they flipped him to the ground.
- The next time we saw them, they beat Dre to a pulp, which was very disturbing, especially for younger kids to view.
- There were also many disturbing scenes during the big karate tournament.
Profane or crude language: Mild
Drug and Alcohol Content: Moderate
- There was drinking, and Mr. Han had some alcoholic issues.
My friend and I brought our two ten year old sons to this movie, which was great, we all loved it. It was an action packed, entertaining movie, with solid moral messages. I recommend this for kids ages ten and up. I give it four out of five buckets.
Joyful Noise Review
Set in a small-town in Georgia, Joyful Noise centers around a gospel singing church choir, whose goal is to win the national choral competition. Even with amazing choir leaders such as Vi Rose (Queen Latifah) and G. G. Sparrow (Dolly Parton), the choir still had many complications and struggles to overcome, while trying to win the national championship.
Rating: 2 1/2 out of 5 buckets
Release Date: May 1, 2012
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 12 and up
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Mild
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
Talking Points:
There were many relationship issues; the two matriarchs of the choir, (Vi Rose and G. G.) didn’t particularly get along, they competed with each other, especially when Vi Rose was chosen to be the new choir director. Things got even more heated when G.G.’s headstrong teenage grandson, Randy (Jeremy Jordan), unexpectedly showed up; he not only joined the choir, he fell madly in love with Vi Rose’s daughter Olivia (Keke Palmer), and once again conflict occurred.
The film could spark some great parent/ child conversations especially with teenage daughters and mothers. We saw several confrontations with Vi Rose and her 16 year old daughter.
The film had some nice messages of forgiveness, and had a religious element to it; with gospel songs and many conversations about God and love throughout the film. This could also spark some great conversations as well.
One part of the storyline I especially liked was with G. G.’s grandson, Randy, and Vi Rose’s son Walter. Walter has Asperger’s Syndrome, and felt uncomfortable around people. Randy befriended him, and taught him how to handle some difficult situations.
The audience seemed to have love the movie! They were laughing throughout most of the film. One lady walked out saying, “That was a great movie!”
Randy, (Jeremy Jordan), wasn’t the best actor, but I could see how he would appeal to pre-teen and teenage girls. He was cute, fun and energetic.
The film didn’t seem to flow smoothly, it was a little choppy in parts, also a little too long at 118 minutes.
Sexual Content: Mild
- There were passionate kisses.
- There were some sexual references and comments. For example; one man died while in a sexual encounter, this was a constant joke throughout the film.
Violent Content: Mild
- Two teenage boys got into a fist fight, we saw blood and a bruised face.
- The two women, Vi Rose and G. G. got into a food fight, which turned into a mild brawl.
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
- There were about 9 swear words ranging from the b-word, s-word to the a-word. This was a sore subject for Vi as she didn’t like swearing.
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
- There was a scene at a night club, where we saw several people drinking alcohol.
Joyful Noise, a musical dramedy, was similar to Glee and other musical films. While I didn’t particularly love this film, I felt it was appropriate for pre-teens and teens, though they may find it a little slow and long in parts. Having said that there were some fun musical arrangements, nice messages, and appealing teenage characters that may entertain kids. This is an appropriate movie for kids ages 12 and up.
John Carter Review
A fun, interesting, imaginative adventure….that’s what John Carter is. John Carter (Taylor Kitsch), was a former military captain in the Civil War, who had not yet recovered from the horrific events from the war. Extremely tired and weary, Carter was mysteriously transported to an exotic planet called Barsoom (Mars). In this new world, Carter found himself reluctantly getting involved in a conflict amongst the inhabitants of the planet. With the world on the brink of collapse, Carter had to decide if he was ready to fight again; however this time he was in a new world, with a new cause. Based on Edgar Rice Burroughs classic novels, this is a Disney film for boys who like to see a lot of good fighting and adventure.
Rating: 4 out of 5 buckets
Release Date: June 5, 2102
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 12+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
See a clip of my review here, along with A Thousand Words!
Talking Points:
With director Andrew Stanton, known for Finding Nemo and Wall-E, the 3-D affects were very well done and very believable.
There were some nice messages in the film about believing in a cause, and fighting for what’s right. There were other messages of good vs. evil, friendship, love and loyalty, which were all portrayed throughout the film. John Carter, was a noble, heroic character.This could spark some great parent/child conversation.
Taylor Kitsch, the actor who played John Carter, is also known for the part of Tim Riggins in the Friday Night Light’s TV drama. He did a wonderful job, as did the Lynn Collins, the lead actress who played Princess Dejah, (Carter’s love interest in the film). Having said that, I felt that the character development was poorly established, especially with the villain. He wasn’t very memorable, as with most villains in action movies.
While there was a lot of great action and adventure, the film took some time to get into it, though you needed the background information, before all the adventure.
I interviewed parents, and kids (boys ages 10 to 12) in the theater, who all loved the movie. They thought it was exciting and adventurous. The mother of a 10 year old said the violence was not disturbing for her child. My 12 and 14 year-old son’s liked it as well.
Sexual Content: Mild
- Character’s kiss.
- Women wear low-cut and revealing outfits.
Violent Content: Excessive
- Character’s were in battles with sword fights, gun fights, fist fights; you name they used it!
- The villain in the film had a ray gun, which disintegrated people. He constantly used this weapon.
- Carter beheaded another character.
- In an arena setting, there was a battle with John Carter against two large white apes. It was disgusting when Carter emerged from the apes carcass; covered with blue blood.
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
- “H–l, and “d–n” are said a few times.
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
- Characters are shown drinking alcohol in one scene.
Overall, this was a well done film with amazing special affects, and a great storyline. However, parents need to be aware of the excessive violence throughout the film. Depending on your child, I recommend this for kids ages 12 and up.
Iron Man 2- Teen Movie Review
Robert Downey Jr. returns as Tony Stark, in the sequel to Iron Man. The movie starts six months after the end of the first movie. Now the world is aware that billionaire inventor Tony Stark is Iron Man. In this film Stark is up against his Russian arch nemesis, Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke), and his corporate rival Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell), but with the help of Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and his friend “Rhodey” (Don Cheadle), they take on these villains that want to seek revenge against Stark, and that’s when the action begins, and there’s a lot of it!
Rating: Four out of five buckets
Release Date: September 28, 2010
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 12+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
Talking Points:
Great actors; Robert Downey Jr., Don Cheadle, Gwyneth Paltrow, Scarlett Johansson, Mickey Rourke, Samuel L. Jackson and more.
Even though this was an action packed movie, there was a comedic element to it that I Ioved. Robert Downey Jr. made wisecrack comments throughout the movie, which made his character even more likable.
Tony is very arrogant and full of himself, but we saw a sensitive side to him that was touching. Tony thought that his father never loved him, but when he saw an old film of his dad, Tony learned that he was truly loved. His father, who was an inventor, said to Tony in the film, “My greatest creation, is you.”
There are a lot of sub-plots from Tony’s health issues, father issues, and dealing with his enemies; that may confuse some kids, though it all comes together in the end. One reviewer wrote, “We never feel emotionally connected to Stark’s suffering because there’s too much going on.”
Sexual Content: Mild
- There is some mild sexual humor. There aren’t any sexual scenes, though Tony is a playboy, and made some off-color comments to women.
Violent Content: Excessive
- There are many violent and disturbing scenes. To name a few:
- Ivan Vanko, Stark’s rival, made his own Iron Man suit, though he has electric whips attached to his suit, in which he attacked Tony, and almost defeated him.
- In prison, Ivan kills a prison mate and a guard, and he blows up his cell.
- Tony thinks he’s dying because a device in his Iron Man suit has begun to poison his body. So Tony throws himself a birthday party, and proceeds to get very drunk, and out of control.
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
I haven’t seen “Iron Man” but I read that “Iron Man 2” lacks the element of surprise that the 2008’s “Iron Man” had. Having said that I did interview people who saw “Iron Man 2”, some comments were: “awesome”, “brilliant”, “just as good as the first movie”. The audience seemed to have loved it, Iron Man is still a superhero in their minds.
I give it 4 buckets out of 5. However, parents need to know that there is a lot of violence in the movie. If they are comfortable with that, and know that their kids are okay with it, then I think it’s appropriate for kids ages 12 and up. My 12 year old son loved it, so did his friends.
I am Number Four-Teen Movie Review
I Am Number Four is based on a young adult novel. This is a story about a teenage boy named Four (Alex Pettyfer). He looks like your average teenage boy, though he’s not. Four is an alien from planet Lorien, who has some supernatural powers. His homeland was destroyed by their enemy, and now they want to destroy the rest of the Loriens; Numbers One through Nine. Well, number One, Two and Three have all been killed, now they’re looking for number Four. After hopping from town to town, trying to escape this evil group, Four and his guardian Henri (Timothy Olyphant) settle in Paradise, Ohio, where Four gets very comfortable. He enrolls in the school as “John Smith” makes friends with Sam, a science nerd, and meets his first true love, Sarah (Dianna Agron from Glee). The only problem is, his evil enemies are still after him, and he has to decide how to survive without leaving his new home.
Rating: Four out of five buckets
Release Date: May 24, 2011
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 11+
Sexual Content: Mild
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Talking Points:
I didn’t think I’d like this Sci-Fi/Fantasy drama, though I was pleasantly surprised. There was a nice love story and some humorous parts, amongst all the action and adventure.
This is a movie that many young teens may want to see because of the familiar actors; such as teenage heartthrob, Alex Pettyfer and Dianna Agron, who plays Quinn from Glee.
It was nice to see that Four (or John) loved his girlfriend’s traditional, charming family. He liked the idea of a family. They had family dinners, played games; something John never had as an alien.
Sexual Content: Mild for a PG13 movie.
- We see girls in bikinis.
- Passionate kissing, but that’s about it.
Violent Content: Excessive
- The opening scene shows the evil aliens, who are very scary looking. They are covered in tattoos, with bald heads and human looking faces. We see them stabbing people, shooting them and beating them up. Their pets are evil, scary creatures that fight as well. This may scare kids. Two teenage girls in front of me were scared and jittery throughout the movie.
Profanity: Moderate, but fine for a PG13 movie.
Overall this is a movie that will entertain teens that love Sci/Fi action movies. I read that, “I Am Number Four knows that it’s target audience-young teens-is far more interested in aliens, explosions and shirtless hunks than any sort of profound lessons on the nature of maturity. Think of it as Twilight meets Independence Day.” That sums it up, a movie for teens, with no redeeming lessons, but an escape from reality.
When I interviewed teenage girls after the movie they said they liked the movie because of Alex Pettyfer, and that’s why they saw it. Boys liked the action scenes!
This movie Appropriate for preteens and teens that like sci-fi/fantasy, action/adventure movies.