Reviews by Genre

Movie Reviews by Genre

Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children-Kids’ Movie Review

Most teenage boys don’t believe in monsters, however Jake Portman does, and rightfully so. Jake’s grandfather would often tell him scary ghost stories, which seemed so real to Jake. Jake’s parents thought he was crazy and even made him see a psychiatrist. Though before Jake’s grandfather died he insisted that Jake go to a mysterious island off the coast of Wales and visit the grandfather’s childhood home. So Jake’s father takes him there. On the island Jake discovers Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children and learns about the residents’ unique powers. There he finds adventure and danger with his new and peculiar friends. Based on the novel Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children.

Rating: 2 and 1/2 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: December 13, 2016
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 15+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drug and Alcohol Content: Moderate
Will Teens Like It? No

Talking Points:

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is not the typical young adult fantasy movie. It’s a very disturbing and creepy film with horror like images.

Sexual Content: Mild

We see a couple kiss and flirt with one another.

Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive

There are scary monsters with sharp teeth and tentacles to grab and entangle those who get close to it.
The monsters are enamored with their victims’ eyeballs. We see dead characters with their eyeballs removed revealing dark sockets.
We see several characters dine on a plateful of eyeballs.
A character has the power to bring the dead back to life. He does so and then makes them fight to their death(again). This is a very disturbing scene.
We see an intense battle in an amusement park between the children and the monsters.

Crude or Profane Language: Mild

We hear “g–d–n,” “h–l,” and “d–ned.”

Drug and Alcohol Content: Moderate

Miss Peregrine smokes a pipe throughout the film.
We see characters’ drinking alcohol at a bar.

Will Most Teens Like It? No

Overall this is a very strange and disturbing film.

The Magnificent Seven-Teen Movie Review

There’s a bad man in the Old West town of Rose Creek and his name is Bartholomew Bogue. Bogue is an evil and greedy man who never hesitates to shoot someone if they’re in his way. When gold was discovered in Rose Creek, Bogue takes control of the small town and terrifies the locals. However, things change when a newly widowed resident, Emma Cullen, hires bounty hunter Sam Chisolm (Denzel Wahington) to take down Bogue. Chisolm realizes he can’t fight that vicious man alone so he recruits six other men. Now the magnificent seven find themselves in a frightful battle to save the town of Rose Creek. This is a re-make of the 1960’s classic, The Magnificent Seven.

Rating: 1 and 1/2 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: December 20, 2016
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 15+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drug and Alcohol Content: Excessive
Will Teens Like It? No

Talking Points:

The film has an all-star cast. To name a few; Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, and Vincent D’Onofrio.
There are a lot of gory and violent scenes throughout the film. See details below.

Sexual Content: Mild

Most of the woman in the film are prostitutes; wearing revealing outfits.
There is some flirting between characters.

Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive

Hundreds of characters die throughout the film.
Numerous character’s are shot, stabbed and sliced with knives. Others are blown up with explosives.
We see dead bodies covering the ground; bloodied and bruised.
A man’s ear is shot off.
We hear that a character’s mom was raped and his sister’s were killed.
A man cuts open a deer and pulls out it’s liver, we see two men take bites of the organ.
One character is nearly strangled to death; we see him suffer.

Crude or Profane Language: Moderate

We hear “a–,” “b–ch,” “h–,” and “d–n” throughout the film.

Drug and Alcohol Content: Excessive

Character’s drink alcohol throughout the film.
Character’s are shown smoking cigars and cigarettes.

Will Teens Like It? No

I interviewed a few teens that thought the film was slow in parts, and very depressing.

Overall, The Magnificent Seven is an action packed Western. Parents need to be aware of the violence throughout the film.

Bridget Jones’s Baby-Teen Movie Review

Bridget Jones (Renée Zellweger ) is 43 years old and single. She’s always wanted to meet Mr. Right and have a family though that hasn’t happened yet so she’s making the best of her life. She has a wonderful career as a producer for the successful television news magazine Sit-Up Britain, she owns a small flat in London, and she’s finally reached her ideal weight! However, all that changes when Bridget meets a handsome American named Jack (Patrick Dempsey). In a drunken stupor she ends up spending the night with him. Six days later she runs into her former love Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) and has a romantic evening with him as well. Three months later when Bridget can’t zip her jeans she discovers that she’s pregnant. Who’s the father…Jack, the handsome American man, or Mark Darcy, her once true love?

Rating: 3 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: December 13, 2016
MPAA Rating: R
Best Age Group: 17+
Sexual Content: Excessive
Violent/Disturbing Content: Mild
Crude or Profane Language: Excessive
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Teens Like It? Yes

Talking Points:

Sexual Content: Excessive

We see Bridget in bed with each of her men. We see her wearing only a bra (the camera not showing below her waist).
There are sexual references discussing threesomes, virility, fertility and female body parts.
A group of woman lift up their shirts and we see a message written on each of their bare breasts.
A group of men moon a television camera. We see their exposed butts.

Violent/Disturbing Content: Mild

During labor, Bridget slugs a character in the face.

Crude or Profane Language: Excessive

We hear the f-word numerous times throughout the film. We also hear “sh-t,” “a–,” “b–ch,” “d–n,” and “h–.

Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild

We see Bridget drinking alcohol before she’s pregnant.
We see a character doing a shot of whiskey.
Characters are shown smoking cigarettes.

Will Teens Like It? Yes

I interviewed three 16 year old girls who loved it. They are fans of Patrick Dempsey.
This is an R rated film which means that kids under 17 need to be accompanied by an adult.

Overall Bridget Jones’s Baby is a fun and entertaining film. Parents need to be aware of the excessive sexual content and profane language throughout the film.

Sully-Teen Movie Reivew

Is Sully a hero or a fraud? That’s what the media is questioning after US Airways Flight 1549 hits a flock of birds and destroys both engines. It was January 15, 2009 when Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger (Tom Hanks) hit the birds after takeoff at New York’s LaGuardia Airport. Sully had to make a quick decision whether he should head back to LaGuardia, find a closer airport, or make an emergency crash landing in New York’s Hudson River. He did what he thought was best which saved all the passengers and crew. Based on a true story of a famed pilot under an investigation after a fearful landing.

Rating: 4 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: December 20, 2016
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 13+
Sexual Content: None
Violent/Disturbing Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Teens Like It? Yes

Talking Points:

Sully is a wonderful film based on a true story that will spark some great parent/child conversations. Though Sully was a hero and idolized by all, he remained humble and said he was doing his job and gave credit to everyone involved in the accident.

Sexual Content: None

Violent/Disturbing Content: Moderate

We see Sully’s disturbing dreams of plane crashes.
Though everyone survives in the crash, the film can be frightening due to the mature subject matter of a plane crash.

Crude or Profane Language: Moderate

We hear the f-word once. We also hear “a–,” “b–ch,” “d–n,” and “h—.”

Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild

We see Sully drinking alcohol at a bar.

Will Teens Like It? Yes

Overall Sully is an interesting film based on a true story. Parents need to be aware of the mature subject matter and moderate profane language.

Ben-Hur-Teen Movie Review

Judah Ben-Hur (Jack Huston) is a wealthy Jewish prince who is falsely accused of treason by his adoptive brother Messala (Toby Kebbell). Growing up the two brothers were very close until Messala decides to leave and see the world. Three years later Messala comes back as an officer in the Roman army and mayhem ensues. Messala falsely accuses his brother, Ben-Hur, of treason and sends him to slavery on a galley at sea. Ben-Hur survives years of slavery and eventually gets a chance to compete and seek revenge against Messala in a violent chariot race. The race is exciting though Ben-Hur’s life is changed forever when he has a series of encounters with Jesus. Ben-Hur is a remake of the 1959 movie, Ben-Hur, staring Charlton Heston.

Rating: 4 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: December 13, 2016
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 13+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: None
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Teens Like It? Yes

Talking Points:

There is a lot of drama and violence throughout the film, however the film highlights the importance of love and forgiveness. This will spark some great parent/child conversations.

Sexual Content: Mild

We see characters kiss and they are shown in bed together.

Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive

The chariot race is brutal. We see characters trampled and falling off the carriage.
Carriages flip. We see characters bloodied and dragged away.
Horses drop, some get run over by chariots.
There’s a violent sea battle. We see characters bloody covered in oil and set on fire.
Characters are stabbed and beaten.
A woman gets punched in the face.
Jesus’ crucifixion is bloody.

Crude or Profane Language: None

Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild

Characters are shown drinking wine, a lot of wine. One man passed out from too much.

Will Teens Like It? Yes

Overall, Ben-Hur is a wonderful film. Depending on the child, this is appropriate for kids ages 13 and up. Parents need to be aware of the violence throughout the film.