Reviews by Genre

Movie Reviews by Genre

Winchester-Kids’ Movie Review

Are haunted houses real? Winchester, set in 1906 San Jose, Ca, follows the life of rifle heiress Sarah Winchester (Helen Mirren). After Sarah inherits her husband’s profitable rifle company she’s determined to build a mansion. After all, many people have died by the Winchester guns, so this is her way of dealing with the ghosts of those who have passed. Things get complicated when the board of the Winchester Rifle Co. hires Dr. Eric Price (Jason Clarke) to evaluate Sarah’s psychological state. When Dr. Price interviews Sarah he discovers that’s she’s spunky and clever. Price eventually realizes that Sarah Winchester talks to spirits and that her seven story mansion, filled with hundreds of rooms, are actually built for the victims of the Winchester guns. Price learns that Sarah Winchester’s ghosts are real… and so is her haunted house. Winchester is based on true events.

Rating: 2 and 1/2 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: May 1, 2018
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 13+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drug and Alcohol Content: Moderate
Will Kids Like It? No

Talking Points:

Sexual Content: Mild

We see a male character with three women; he’s shown kissing each of them. It’s implied that they might be prostitutes.
A woman’s naked back is shown.

Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive

There’s some gun violence. One scene shows a flashback of a mass killing.
A child is possessed by a spirit and is shown shooting a woman. He also jumps off a house ledge.
A painting appears to bleed.
There are several ghosts in creepy scenes.

Crude or Profane Language: Mild

We hear “b–ch” said once.

Drug and Alcohol Content: Moderate

A main character has a drug and alcohol problem. He frequently ingests drops of laudanum from a glass dropper. He also drinks from a flask, and enjoys drinking whisky at home.

Will Kids Like It? No

I interviewed some teens who thought the film wasn’t that scary and even somewhat boring.

Overall this is a horror film based on true events. Parents need to be aware of the violence and drug and alcohol contents.

Maze Runner: The Death Cure-Kids’

Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) is back in this third and final movie of the Maze Runner series. Thomas and some of the escaped Gladers desperately want to save their friends, however it is not an easy task. They must break into the legendary Last City which is a WCKD controlled labyrinth. This could potentially turn out to be the deadliest maze of all. If they make it out alive they will get the answers they’ve wanted to hear since they arrived in the maze. Maze Runner: The Death Cure is the finale in the popular Maze Runner trilogy based on James Dahner’s best-selling dystopian novels.

Rating: 3 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: April 24, 2017
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 15+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Excessive
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Kids Like It? Yes

Talking Points:

Sexual Content: Mild

We see a couple of quick kisses.

Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive

There are numerous fatalities. We see characters die from shoot-0uts, explosions and buildings falling.
A character is fatally wounded in a knife fight.
Characters who are infested by a deadly virus are shown transforming into zombies.
Scary looking monsters are shown throughout the film.
A couple of men die in a suicide attack. They drive their vehicle into a massive explosion.
Characters hit each other and end up getting into massive fights.

Crude or Profane Language: Excessive

We hear the f-word once. We also hear “sh-t,” “d–n,” “b–ch “d–k,” “a–hole,” “b–tard,” and “holy s–t.”

Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild

We see a character drinking liquor.

Will Kids Like It? Yes

Fans of the series, who have read the books and seen the previous movies, liked this final movie of the trilogy.

Overall parents need to be aware of the excessive violence and profane language throughout the film. Depending on the child, this is appropriate for kids ages 15 and up.

The Commuter-Kids’ Movie Review

Life is good for Michael MacCauley (Liam Neeson). He has a good job as an insurance salesman, he’s happily married, and has a teenage son who’s headed to Syracuse University. Michael has a very regimented daily routine as he commutes on the train everyday in and out of New York. Michael’s life dramatically changes on one of his daily commutes. He learns that he’s going to get fired, just when he needs to pay a lot of money for his son’s college tuition. Feeling very sad and defeated, Michael’s train ride is not going very well, and it eventually gets even worse. A woman on the train offers him $100,000 if he’s willing to find a passenger who doesn’t belong on the train, and he must find this person before the train’s last stop. Michael soon realizes that his wife and son will be in danger if he doesn’t follow the rules. Now Michael has to figure this strange puzzle not only to save his family’s life but also the innocent victims on the train.

Rating: 3 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: April 17, 2017
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 13+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Excessive
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Kids Like It? Yes

Talking Points:

Sexual Content: Mild

We see Michael and his wife kiss in bed together, they are fully clothed.

Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive

There are several brutal fight scenes with martial arts, stabbing with knives, punching, hitting and shooting. We see many bloody wounds.
We see a man pushed in front of a bus.
There’s an intense train crash.

Crude or Profane Language: Excessive

We hear “f–k,” “s–t,” “h-ll,” “goddamn,” and bullsh-t.”.

Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild

There’s a scene where we see a man drinking several pints of beer in a bar.

Will Kids Like It? Yes

Overall this is an exciting action packed drama. Having said that it’s very similar to Liam Neeson’s previous films. Parents need to be aware of the language and excessive violence.

Paddington 2- Kids’ Movie Review

“Be kind and polite and the world will be right.” That’s a quote from Paddington’s Aunt Lucy. He loves his aunt and frequently quotes her. Paddington wants to find the perfect gift for his aunt’s 100th birthday. He eventually sees a pop-up book about London in his friend’s antique shop. However, the book is very expensive so Paddington does odd jobs until he can afford it. Unfortunately, a mysterious thief steals the book right before Paddington goes to buy it. Sadly, Paddington is wrongly accused of the robbery and is sentenced to prison. Now the adventure begins as the adorable, fun loving bear becomes a prisoner and charms all the inmates. Paddington 2 continues the story of Paddington bear who lives happily with his adopted family in London.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: April 24, 2017
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 5+
Sexual Content: None
Violent/Disturbing Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Kids Like It? Yes

Talking Points:

There are some great messages for young kids. Paddington’s Aunt Lucy says, “Look for the best in people and you’ll find it.” Paddington lives by his aunt’s rules, even in prison.
Paddington always wants to do the right thing. He typically thinks of others before himself.

Sexual Content: None

Violent/Disturbing Content: Moderate

During a robbery Paddington chases a thief through a store and down the streets.
Paddington is surrounded by many scary looking inmates when he’s in prison. Initially they are intimidating and mean to the poor bear, but they eventually befriend him.
A villain has a sword and fights with a main character.
Paddinton falls in a river and nearly drowns.
There’s a very sad scene when Paddinton’s adopted parents don’t visit him on visiting day in prison. We see Paddington in bed crying as he thinks they no longer love him.

Crude or Profane Language: Mild

Name calling such as “coward,” and “weirdo.”

Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild

Champagne is served on a train ride.

Will Kids Like It? Yes

Overall, this is a wonderful movie for the whole family.

Star Wars: Episode VIII: The Last Jedi – Kids’ Movie Review

As you may know, Star Wars: Episode VIII: The Last Jedi is set in a galaxy far far away. The film begins immediately after the events of the Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens. It continues the story of Rey (Daisy Ridley), and her discovery of Jedi Master Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), and the story of the war between General Leia Organa’s Resistance and the First Order. This is an entertaining film for the Star Wars fans!

Rating: 4 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: March 27, 2018
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 10+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Kids Like It? Yes

Talking Points:

The importance of friendship, teamwork and doing the right thing is portrayed throughout the film.

Sexual Content: Mild

A character briefly kisses another character.
Rey sees a man shirtless and she gets flustered.

Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive

There are numerous battles, explosions and a lot of sci-fi violence with thousands of deaths.
We see a character who is sliced in half, however there isn’t any blood.
Many weapons are used such as lightsabers, bombs and fighter planes.
The villains in the film may scare kids.

Crude or Profane Language: Mild

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

Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild

Character’s are shown drinking liquor at a casino.

Will Kids Like It? Yes

I interviewed three kids ages 11 (boy), 12 (girl), and 15 (girl). They loved the film and said they weren’t scared at all. They are big Star Wars fans!

Overall this is an entertaining film, especially for the Star Wars fans. Parents need to be aware of the excessive violence throughout the film.