Reviews by Genre
Movie Reviews by Genre
Dear John Review
“Dear John” is based on a Nicholas Sparks’ novel. This is a love story about John (Channing Tatum), a young soldier, and his long distance romance with Savannah (Amanda Seyfried), a dedicated college girl. They met in the late 1990‘s on a South Carolina beach when John was on a two week leave, and Savannah was on spring break. After 2 wonderful weeks together, the smitten couple had to part ways, as Savannah went back to college, and John went back to combat. Knowing they’re going to be apart for twelve long months, they promise to write letters and keep in touch, with the plan to eventually get married. Then September 11, 2001 occurred, and that changed their plan. With John’s loyalty to his fellow soldiers and his country, he reenlists in the Army, hoping to continue his long distance romance with Savannah.
Rating: Four out of five buckets
Release Date: May 25, 2010
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 13+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Mild
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
Talking Points:
This movie portrayed the difficulties of a long distance love affair, especially one with a soldier at war. Over the course of seven years the couple stayed in touch through their letters, but rarely met in person.
Savannah is a loving, nurturing girl with wonderful qualities that teens may admire. She doesn’t drink or smoke. She has a special relationship with her life long friend’s autistic son, and dreams of someday working with children who have special needs. She also teaches John how to be patient, and care for his dad who struggles socially and emotionally.
John is also a wonderful character. He loved Savannah deeply and would do anything for her. Though, in the countries time of crisis, the call of duty came first, he couldn’t abandon his country or fellow soldiers.
Sexual Content: Mild
The PG13 rating is appropriate. John and Savannah have many passionate kisses, and the movie shows them undressing each other, as they eventually have sex. This is tastefully done, with the viewers only seeing them kissing passionately in bed.
Violent Content: Mild
- There are a few violent war scenes, and TV coverage of 9/11 is briefly shown.
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
- Some swear words used.
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
- Some characters drinking, though not much!
I would recommend this movie for teenage girls, it’s also a great date movie. Because of the subject matter, I don’t think tweens would enjoy it. My 13 year old daughter, and many of her friends saw it. They all loved it, but cried throughout the movie. When I asked the girls how many buckets I should give it, one girl replied, “seven”.
Dark Shadows Review
I bet Barnabas wished his ex’s lived in Texas.It’s the late 1700’s where we first meet Barnabas Collins, an extremely handsome and wealthy man. So when Barnabas breaks up with his girlfriend, Angelique, for another women, his life dramatically changes… for the worse. Angelique, who happens to be a witch, is so furious with Barnabas that she not only kills Barnabas’ parents and his new girlfriend, she even turns poor Barnabas into a vampire and puts him in a coffin; hoping he’ll suffer for eternity. Two hundred years later, Barnabas is set free, and returns to his ancestral home , where he’s desperately needed to protect the family from his evil ex-girlfriend. Based on a television series, Dark Shadows has it all; romance, comedy, sci-fi and horror, but not the right movie for kids.
Rating: 2 out of 5 buckets
Release Date: October 2, 2012
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 14+
Sexual Content: Excessive
Violent Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drug and Alcohol Content: Moderate
Will Kids Like It? Yes
Talking Points:
Barnabas’ father tells him that “family is the only real wealth.” It’s quite apparent that Barnabas truly cares for his family. He tries to restore the family fortune and good name.
Barnabas is a vampire, and by nature he is thirsty for human blood, therefore he kills many people throughout the film. However Barnabas is a good guy, he truly cares for a young disturbed boy, who sees visions of his deceased mother. Barnabas comforts him and becomes an important influence in his life.
Though I liked the movie, and found it to be strange, but entertaining, I strongly feel this is not for kids. Parents need to be aware of the excessive violence and sexual contents in the film. Depending on the child, I would say that this is appropriate for kids ages 14 and up.
Sexual Content: Excessive
- Barnabas and Angelique are shown having a sexual encounter. They roll around all over the place, clawing each other, and destroying everything around them.
- It’s implied that a couple is having oral sex, we see the women’s head moving towards the man’s waist.
- Angelique takes off her panties and puts them on Barnabas’ face.
- Two character’s engage in sex, while another character guards the door.
- Angelique and Barnabas discuss all the places they’ve made love.
- Angelique forces Barnabas to press his hand on her chest, while she reaches down to touch his privates.
Violent Content: Excessive
- Barnabas kills many innocent people.
- We see Barnabas hit one man’s head against a pipe, and he bites another man’s neck.
- We hear several victims scream.
- There’s a scene where statues come to life and attack people.
- We see a child taken into an insane asylum; she is treated with shock therapy and is shown screaming in pain. This was disturbing to me, and will most likely disturb kids.
- Barnabas grabs a man by his neck and lifts him up.
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
- The “sh-t,” “a–,” ‘b–ch,” “b–tard,” “h–l,” and “d–n,” are all used.
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Moderate
- Characters smoke marijuana, drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes.
Overall this film has many inappropriate parts that parents need to be aware of before sending their kids. If your pre-teen wants to see this film, and you’re okay with it, I recommend going with them, but be ready to cover their eyes.
The Dark Knight Rises Review
A hero turned into a fugitive, that’s how we last saw Bruce Wayne/Batman eight years ago in The Dark Knight. At the end of the previous film Batman had taken the blame of the death of D.A. Harvey Denton and the crimes the D.A. had committed. Batman ultimately wanted the people of Gotham to be inspired by their D.A’s example of hope and heroism; a true selfless act. Now in The Dark Knight Rises Bruce Wayne/Batman comes out of his self-imposed exile and has another dangerous mission to accomplish. With the arrival of a ruthless masked terrorist named Bane (Tom Hardy), Bruce Wayne must put on his mask and cape and save Gotham City from the evil villain. The Dark Knight Rises is a very dark, violent, action packed movie, however it does have some wonderful lessons woven throughout the film.
Rating: 4 out of 5 buckets
Release Date: December 4, 2012
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 13+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content:Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Kids Like It? Yes
Talking Points:
Amongst the violence and gore, the film has a message of hope and humility. Bruce Wayne/Batman wanted to save the people of Gotham; he sacrificed his life in hoping to do so. He didn’t want any recognition or glory; he hid under his mask and cape, while saving lives. Batman never gave up, he did what he had to do, and did the right thing. Batman’s good, humble deeds could spark some great parent/child conversations.
The main theme of the film is good vs. evil. The villain is a cruel evil man, while Batman is a good helpful person.
Batman came from a wealthy family, though he was grounded and realized what was truly important in life… not the material things.
This was a very suspenseful film, I was at the edge of my seat, not knowing what was going to happen.
There are flashbacks and references to Harvey Dent from the previous movie. For people that have not seen Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, they might be a little confused.
There is an all-star cast to name a few; Tom Hardy, Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Anne Hathaway.
This is NOT a movie for young children. Kids tend to admire the Batman character, and some even like to dress up as Batman; however this is not a movie for young kids. Depending on the child, I would say it’s appropriate for teenagers and up, however they may not understand the underlying messages.
Sexual Content: Mild
- We see two character’s passionately kiss; in the next scene they’re shown lying in bed. It’s implied they’ve had a sexual encounter.
Violent Content: Excessive
- There are gun shots fired throughout the whole film.
- Several character’s are punched and brutally beaten.
- Bane, the evil terrorist, ruthlessly killed hundreds of people. It was very disturbing when he grabbed another character by the throat and choked him to death.
- We see Bruce Wayne/Batman suffer as he was brutally beaten by Bane, this was another disturbing scene.
- We see injured characters, bloody with open wounds.
- Bane is an awful, cruel character, he wears a mask which covers his mouth, and has a creepy voice.
- Bane destroys a football stadium with thousands of people in it.
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
- One character says to another character, ” you dumb b–ch.
Drug and Alcohol Content: None
Overall this is a suspenseful, action packed movie. Parents need to be aware of the violent, dark and disturbing scenes. As I previously mentioned, depending on the child, I would say this is appropriate for kids ages 13 and up.
Courageous Review
Courageous is a story primarily focused on four men; all of whom are police officers. These men go to work each day facing many challenges and dangerous situations, however at the end of the day their “real” job begins; fatherhood. Each man’s story is different; whether it’s a father who struggles as a single parent, a father who had a child out of wedlock, a father who does not want to parent like his deadbeat dad, or a father like Adam (Alex Kendrick). Adam is a hard working police officer, happily married with two kids. His life dramatically changes one day when tragedy strikes his family. As Adam turns to God for strength and support, he figures out how to handle his heart breaking situation, and how to become a better father, one that God wants him to be. This is an amazing faith filled, inspirational story, one that will have you laughing and crying throughout the movie.
Rating: 4 out of 5 buckets
Release Date: September 30, 2011
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 10+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: None
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
Talking Points:
Even though this film is about fatherhood, it is filled with some wonderful messages for kids, which will spark some great parent/child conversations. When Adam’s family is faced with a crises, Adam turns to God, he later tells his son, “What I want for you is that you seek the Lord, that you trust Him, even if it means you’re standing alone.” This helps his son cope, as he also struggles with their situation.
Adam feels that he’s been a good enough father, but wants to be a great father. He wants to know what God expects of him as a father. So Adam takes the initiative, and writes a resolution expressing his commitment to become the best father he can be. His goal is to always love and protect his kids, and teach them to trust in God. He and his friends have a formal ceremony and commit to their resolution. This is a great for husbands to see.
Since the main characters are police officers, it’s mentioned that crimes are linked to kids without fathers. The film stresses the importance of fathers and the important influence they have on their children’s lives.
There’s another great storyline about Adam’s friend Javier. He was faced with a temptation at work, which would ultimately give him a big promotion. I don’t want to give too much away, but this storyline demonstrates another great lesson about doing the right thing.
With each man’s story and difficult circumstances, they all turn to God. Adam says, “I want to trust Him. I just don’t understand what He is doing.” His pastor replies back by saying, “He doesn’t promise us explanations, but He does promise to walk with us through pain.” Once again, another great conversation with your kids!
The movie does get a little too long; it’s 130 minutes. Though I loved the film, I feel it could have been shortened just a bit.
Sexual Content: Mild
- It’s mentioned that a character had a child out of wedlock, he said that he “hooked up,” with a cheerleader in college, and that he didn’t love her.
Violent Content: Moderate
- Since the film is about police officers, we see some disturbing scenes dealing with gangs and drug dealers. There are many fist fights, shootings, and a lengthy police chase.
- We also see a gang kicking a boy on the ground, we later find out that was an initiation rite.
Crude or Profane Language: None
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
- There are drug dealers in the film, we also see a plastic bag filled with drugs.
This film focuses on fatherhood, though no matter if you’re a mother or a father, our roles as parents are more important than anything else we do. Courageous has many wonderful thought provoking messages for the whole family. However with the mature subject matter, and some intense police scenes, this film may not be for your kids. Depending on the child, I would recommend this film for kids ages 10 and up.
Contagion Review
Contagion is centered around a deadly virus that travels rapidly from host to host, and infects millions of people all over the world. An international team of doctors, employed by the CDC, try to handle this awful outbreak, while we see many victims suffering and struggling to stay alive. This is an intense action packed thriller; you’ll want to wash your hands and not touch a thing after seeing this movie…Don’t forget your hand sanitizer!
Rating: Two out of five popcorn buckets.
Release Date: September 9, 2011
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 13+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
Talking Points:
The film is very interesting. It starts out on Day 2, as we see Beth (Gwyenth Paltrow), coughing while grabbing a handful of peanuts at an airport on her way home from Hong Kong. The movie focusing on people’s hands, and how easily germs are transmitted; whether it’s holding onto a bus railing, touching an elevator button, or even passing a credit card to a waitress. One character says, “We touch our hands to our face 2,000 to 3,000 time a day.” The film concludes with Day 1; a very clever ending.
There is an all-star cast, to name a few; Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Laurence Fishburne, Jude Law and Kate Winslet. With director Steven Soderbergh and the amazing actors, the film was extremely well done, and so believable. It made you wonder if an outbreak like this could really happen.
While there are many horror films and sci/fi movies that some kids like to see; most likely they will eventually realize that a zombie, or a scary monster will never enter into their lives. However this film could really be frightening and disturbing, especially for hypochondriacs. The subject matter could spark some good parent/child conversations.
Sexual Content: Mild
- In one scene Beth rearranged her flight so she could have a sexual encounter with an old boyfriend in Chicago.
Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive
- We see victims suffer repeatedly throughout the film. They foam at the mouth and have seizures before dying; it was awful to see, this may be disturbing to kids and even some adults.
- Things get out of hand while people are searching for food and medical attention. We see people looting stores, breaking windows, and setting buildings on fire.
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
- The f-word is used once. Characters also say; “s&@t,” a%s,” and “d*#n,” throughout the film.
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
- We see characters drinking alcohol at a bar.
Even though this was a well done, interesting movie, I found it to be disturbing and a little depressing. With the intense subject matter, I don’t recommend this for kids under the age of 13, however mature teens may find it to be interesting. Don’t be too freaked out by viruses, according to a recent University of Michigan study, they found that kids raised on a farm have fewer allergies than city kids because they’re exposed to more germs which strengthens their immune systems.