Reviews by Genre
Movie Reviews by Genre
Moneyball Review
Moneyball is centered around the 2002 Oakland A’s baseball team, who were lead by general manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) to a surprisingly excellent season, even though they had the lowest paid players in the major leagues. Instead of scouting and using more of a traditional method of obtaining a team, Beane used statistics and mathematical analysis into player evaluations, which was not well accepted amongst fans, coaching staff and media. However, with determination and perseverance, Beane, and his young adviser Peter Brand, make it all happen! Whether your a baseball fan or not, this is a wonderful inspirational movie, good for the whole family!
Rating: 5 out of 5 buckets
Release Date: September 23, 2011
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 8+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Mild
Crude or Profane Language: Excessive
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Moderate
See a clip of my review here, plus Abduction!
Talking Points:
This movie, as in most sport’s films, are not all about sports, it’s about the lessons instilled and the inspirational storyline. This is about Billy’s relationship with his daughter, his young adviser, and his team.
This is a story about perseverance, initially things weren’t going Beane’s way, and it looked grim for the Oakland A’s; even coaches and scouts thought Beane was crazy, but he stuck with his adviser’s strategy, and before you know it they began their huge winning streak. This could spark some great parent/child conversations about perseverance, and not giving up!
This is an appropriate film for kids, however parents need to know that there is quite a bit of swearing. Depending on the child, I think younger kids (7 and younger) may get bored due to the subject matter.
Sexual Content: Mild
- We hear a comment about a players sexual anatomy.
- In one scene two players are shown with their pants unbuttoned, however, you don’t see anything.
Violent Content: Mild
- When Billy loses, he gets very irate and irrational. He throws objects such as a chairs and radios; he even flips a desk over.
Crude or Profane Language: Excessive
- The f-word is said a couple times while other swear words are used throughout the film such as: “a–,” “h—,”d–,” and “b–ch.”
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Moderate
- We see Billy drinking at home.
- Several characters are shown spitting out chewing tobacco.
I’m not a huge baseball fan, my kids don’t even play baseball, we’re a lacrosse family…but my husband, kids and I thoroughly enjoyed this inspirational film, and I especially enjoyed Brad Pitt!
Men in Black III Review
Agents J (Will Smith) and K (Tommy Lee Jones) are back; still wearing black! However in this third installment of the Men in Black series, Agent J travels back in time to the 1960‘s. His goal is to stop Boris the Animal, an evil, scary- looking alien, from killing the young, naive Agent K (Josh Brolin), and to save the future of the world. Men in Black 3 is a fun, entertaining movie with a 1960’s flare.
Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 buckets
Release Date: November 30, 2012
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 11+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Kids Like It? Yes
Agents J (Will Smith) and K (Tommy Lee Jones) are back; still wearing black! However in this third installment of the Men in Black series, Agent J travels back in time to the 1960‘s. His goal is to stop Boris the Animal, an evil, scary- looking alien, from killing the young, naive Agent K (Josh Brolin), and to save the future of the world. Men in Black 3 is a fun, entertaining movie with a 1960’s flare.
Talking Points:
Agent J (Will Smith) and Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) are great characters. They’re devoted to each other as partners and friends.
There are some subtle messages woven through the film. One character says, “The bitterest truth is always better than the sweetest lies. Another says, “The most destructive force in the universe is regret.”
I read that this is one of the few movie series that’s directed by the same person; Barry Sonnenfeld. Having them go back in time added a unique twist to the series.
Since they went back in time, it was interesting to see the moon launch in the 60’s. Kids may like that.
Having not seen the first two movies in the series, I was a little confused by the storyline.
Sexual Content: Mild
- A woman wears a low-cut form fitting dress.
Violent Content: Excessive
- Boris the Animal may scare young kids, with his horrific face and awful teeth . He has a creepy spider which evolves from the palm of his hand. We see him torment many people as he continuously throws spikes into their bodies and heads.
- Agents J and K are involved in violence as well, with many gun shots and ray guns blasting throughout the film.
- We see a creatures head flattened from being hit so hard with a frying pan.
- We see Agent K kill a villain.
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
- “Sh-t,” “d-mn,” “h–l,” and “a–,” are said several times each. “B–tard,” is also said once.
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
- Character’s drink mixed drinks and champagne.
Overall Men in Black 3 is a fun, entertaining movie, however parents need to be aware of the moderate profanity and excessive violence throughout the film. Depending on the child, I recommend this film for kids ages 11 and up.
THE MUPPETS Review
Walter, the biggest Muppet fan ever, and his friend’s Gary (Jason Segel) and Mary (Amy Adams) from Smalltown, USA; travel to Los Angeles for a vacation, with great hopes to see the Muppet Theater. However, their dreams are shattered when they arrive; they discover that an evil oil man, Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) plans to drill for the oil that was found beneath the Muppet Theater. When Kermit founds out about this awful ploy, he panics and recruits Walter, Gary and Mary to help gather the Muppet gang for a telethon; hoping to raise the $10 million needed to save the theater. THE MUPPET’S is a hilarious entertaining movie for the whole family!!
Rating: 5 out of 5 buckets
Release Date: March 20, 2012
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: Any age
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Mild
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
See a clip of my review here, plus a review of Hugo!
Talking Points:
I grew up with the Muppets, as I’m sure many of you have too. Basically the film is about getting the gang back together; Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Animal and all the rest of the Muppet characters. Each character has moved on and have their own careers, which was fun and entertaining to see. Especially Miss Piggy, who works at a top fashion magazine in Paris with Emily Blunt, from The Devil Wears Prada, as her assistant.
I loved the cultural references and the great 70’s and 80’s music; the movie opens with the original version of Paul Simon’s 1972 hit “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard,”a song I’ve always loved, another favorite song was Starship’s 1985,“We Built This City.” The original classic Muppet songs were sang as well.
The movie was filled with an all-star cast, besides our favorite Muppet characters, to name a few; Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper, Jack Black and Rashida Jones. There were Cameo’s of Zach Galifianakis, Selena Gomez, Whoopi Goldberg, Neil Patrick Harris, Sarah Silverman, and Rico Rodriguez, who play Manny from Modern Family.
Gary (Jason Segel) and Mary ( Amy Adams) play 2 very naive, innocent characters, ones you imagine seeing dancing on Disney’s Main Street. It brought on a great Disney feeling, of innocence and fun.
Sexual Content: Mild
- Women wear bikinis
- Character’s kiss
Violent Content: Mild
- Jack Black’s character is in an anger management class, he starts a brawl by punching other characters.
- A TV show called “Punch Teacher,” was shown in the movie, where we see a student punching a teacher.
- The evil oil man gets angry and throws a sword through a television set.
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
- They say, “fart,” while a character wears fart shoes. The kids in the theater found that very funny.
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
- Characters are shown drinking alcohol.
- Hobo Joe was at the telethon, you don’t see him drinking, but it’s implied that he’s drunk.
Overall, THE MUPPET’s was a very funny and entertaining movie. Even if you weren’t a Muppet fan growing up, it’s not too late; take your kids to the theater, and maybe they’ll become a fan too. This is an appropriate movie for any age, even adults!
Man on a Ledge Review
I was on the edge of my seat as Nick Cassidy was on the edge of a ledge, 25 stories high. Nick Cassidy (Sam Worthington), an ex cop, was on the ledge of a New York City high rise only to prove a point…he was innocent. Nick was framed for the theft of a rare diamond and was sent to prison; where he eventually escaped. He then wanted to attract the world’s attention and claim his innocence by threatening to jump. With the help of NYPD hostage negotiator (Elizabeth Banks) and his loyal brother, Nick anxiously awaited, on the ledge of the 25th floor, to see if his intricate plan would work; to reveal the identity of the real criminal. Man On A Ledge was an exciting, suspenseful movie, one the family would enjoy!
Rating: 4 1/2 buckets
Release Date: May 29, 2012
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 10+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Modeate
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
See a clip of my review here, along with “One for the Money.”
Talking Points:
I did not want to see this movie, but I ended up loving it. Not only were there likable characters, but it was an intense, fun movie as well… and did I mention eye candy? Sam Worthington, who played the man on the ledge, is now one of my new favorite actors!
People in the theater loved the movie. I interviewed kids and parents who all said they loved it.
There were some intense moments as he was on the ledge, I was scared he was going to fall. If you’re scared of heights, this may not be the movie for you.
Sexual Content: Mild
- We saw a character in her bra and undies, as her boyfriend was zipping up her outfit.
- There were sexual references, one character made a comment about the best sex she ever had.
- Couples kiss.
- Women wore low cut revealing shirts; showing cleavage.
Violent Content: Moderate
- There were several brawls and punches amongst the characters. We saw some injured characters with blood and cuts on their face, after a fist fight.
- Many gunshots were fired, and character’s held at gunpoint.
- It was frightening at times watching this man 25 stories above the ground.
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
- The movie was so intense that I may have missed a couple words, but I do remember the f-word was used once, and the h-word, and s-word were used a few times.
- One character said, “stick your d-word in the door…”
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
- Characters were shown drinking alcohol at a bar, and in a hotel room.
Overall this was a fantastic, exciting movie. Considering that this was a PG13, action movie, there was some violence, and some intense moments, but not too much. Depending on your child, I would recommend this for kids (especially boys), ages 10 and up.
Lincoln-Family Movie Review
Sixteenth president of the United States from 1861 to 1865, leader of the Union during the Civil War, dedicated husband/father, and a wonderful man referred to as “honest Abe.” Lincoln chronicles President Abraham Lincoln’s final months in office. We see his fierce determination to end the civil war and abolish slavery. We see his personnel struggles and the difficulties he had to face while pursuing his heartfelt goals as president. Lincoln is a dramatic war film, one that mature teenagers and adults will enjoy.
Rating: 4 out of 5 buckets
Release Date: November 16, 2012
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 15+
Sexual Content: None
Violent Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Kids Like It? Yes (mature teens)
Talking Points:
This is an educational film, one that mature teenagers will find very interesting. For example, in the beginning of the film we see Lincoln visiting troops; we heard soldiers reciting Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. This film will spark great parent/child conversations. However, since the film is 150 minutes, and mostly dialogue, I feel that younger kids will get confused and bored.
Sexual Content: None
Violent Content: Moderate
- We see character’s stabbed with bayonets and beaten.
- Lincoln visits a battlefield filled with corpses.
- We see orderlies emptying carts of human limbs into a huge pit.
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
We heard the f-word one time. Also “sh–,” “b–ch,” and “d–n” were said.
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
- Character’s were shown drinking beer and wine.
- We see character’s smoking cigars.
Will Kids Like It? Yes (mature teens)
Overall this is a wonderful, educational film. It’s appropriate, however due to the mature subject matter I recommend this film for kids ages 15 and up.