Reviews by Genre

Movie Reviews by Genre

The Martian-Teen Movie Review

Mark Watney (Matt Damon) says he loves what he does, and he’s good at it. However, being stranded alone on planet Mars was not something he loved. Mark and a crew of fellow astronauts went to Mars, and after a fierce storm the crew left Mark behind on the hostile planet, as he was presumed dead. With only a limited amount of supplies, Mark had to find the strength and will to survive on the planet and get back home to Earth. The Martian, based on a bestselling novel, is a wonderful inspirational drama and appropriate for teenagers.

Rating: 4 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: January 12, 2016
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 13+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent/Disturbing Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Teens Like It? Yes

Talking Points:

The Martian is a very entertaining and inspirational film. Even though the story line is similar to Interstellar and Gravity, it’s not as heavy or sad. There are actually some humorous parts woven throughout the film.

Sexual Content: Mild

Mark walks around naked, we see his back side only.

Violent/Disturbing Content: Moderate

A rod punctures Mark’s abdomen and he proceeds to pull it out. We see him holding the bleeding wound as he staples it shut.
We see a close-up of Mark’s upper body which is covered with sores and wounds.

Crude or Profane Language: Moderate

We hear the f-word twice and it’s shown in print several times. We also hear..”a–,” “h—,” and “sh-t.”

Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild

Mark injects himself with a numbing agent numerous times.
Mark crushes up a Vicodin pill and dips a potato in it.

Will Teens Like It? Yes

I interviewed a few teenage boys who loved the film. They thought it was funny in parts and very suspenseful.

Overall The Martian is an entertaining and inspirational drama. Depending on the child, I recommend this for kids ages 13 and up. Parents need to be aware of the moderate profane language.

Hotel Transylvania 2-Kids’ Movie Review

Dracula (voice of Adam Sandler) finally decided that humans should be invited to stay at Hotel Transylavia, and his business is booming. However, he is worried because his half-human grandson, Dennis, doesn’t have any vampire traits…not even fangs. So when Dracula babysits Dennis for a weekend, he gathers his monster friends and they put the boy through a “monster-in-training” boot camp. Now the action begins as Dennis tries to become a vampire while Dracula gets some unexpected visitors. Hotel Transylvania 2 is an entertaining film for the whole family.

Rating: 4 and 1/2 out of 5
Release Date: January 12, 2016
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 5 +
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent/Disturbing Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: None
Drug and Alcohol Content: None
Will Teens Like It? Yes

Sexual Content: Mild

A joke is made about “grandma’s boobies.”

Violent/Disturbing Content: Moderate

Dracula sings a lullaby to his grandson….”Suffer, Suffer Scream in Pain.”
Dracula throws his son off a high platform, assuming he can fly. Dracula saves his son before he lands to the ground.
Frankenstein pulls his head off to take a selfie.
Frankenstein falls into a bonfire and sets a whole camp on fire.
There are creepy looking monsters that may scare young kids.

Crude or Profane Language: None

Drug and Alcohol Content: None

Will Kids Like It? Yes

I interviewed kids ages 4 to 8 who all loved the movie. They weren’t frightened by some of the violence or scary monsters.

Over Hotel Transylvania 2 is an entertaining animated film appropriate for kids ages 5 and up.

The Intern-Teen Movie Review

The first day at a new can job can be challenging, especially for a 70 year-0ld man who’s been retired. Ben Whittaker (Robert De Niro) is a widower who worked for 40 years manufacturing phone books. He was always known as a dedicated and hard worker. However, after Ben’s retirement he felt he needed more in life; he wasn’t content with his leisurely lifestyle. Eventually, Ben got the opportunity to be a “senior intern” at an online fashion site, and his life dramatically changes. He becomes the younger co-workers role model, and develops a special bond with Jules (Anne Hatahway), the boss and founder of the company. The Intern is a funny and heartwarming, adult oriented, film.

Rating: 3 out of 5 popcorn buckets
Release Date: January 19, 2016
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 16+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent/Disturbing Content: None
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drug and Alcohol Content: Moderate
Will Teens Like It? No

Sexual Content: Mild

It’s noted that Ben is unexpectedly aroused by a co-worker.
The film implies that Ben and a co-worker sleep together, though we don’t see anything.
A character has an extramarital affair, we see the couple kiss.

Violent/Disturbing Content: None

Crude or Profane Language: Moderate

The f-word is said once. We also hear “b—ch” and “a—” a few times each.

Drug and Alcohol Content: Moderate

We see characters drinking beer, wine and vodka. Also characters are shown doing shots at a bar.
Jules eventually gets drunk and vomits into a trash can.

Will Teens Like It? No

The Intern is a great movie for adults. Due to the subject matter of a “senior intern,” kids may get bored.

Overall this is a very appropriate film, however, as I previously mentioned kids/teens may get bored.

Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials-Kids’ movie review

In this second movie of The Maze Runner trilogy Thomas and his fellow teenage Gladers are finally rescued from the maze trials. However, now they have a whole new set of challenges. The teenagers get involved with a powerful organization called WCKD, and the teens end up in the Scorch- a desolate wasteland filled with dangerous obstacles and virus infected zombies. Now Thomas and company are on a mission to escape the Scorch and find the group who can help them fight against WCKD. Based on a young adult novel, Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials is an action packed sci-fi movie.

Rating: 3 out of 5 buckets
Release Date: December 15, 2015
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 13+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Teens Like It? Yes

Talking Points:

Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) is a great leading character. He’s a good friend and a great role model. The teens look up to him and appreciate his leadership skills.
The film is dark as it is set in a dystopian society. See violent content below.

Sexual Content: Mild

There’s a nightclub scene where woman are dancing seductively. Music is playing while we see two of the teens under the influence of an unknown liquid; which they were forced to drink.
We see a couple passionately kiss.

Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive

The Cranks, deformed zombie-like creatures, kill and destroy humans.
When victims are infected with a rampant disease called Flare, we see their bloody wounds and their blackened skin covered with the disease.
There are several fights and battles throughout the film. Thomas and the other teens fight the zombie-like creatures, and the zombies fight one another. Teens are beaten, shot, and killed.
We see a man tied up and severely beaten.
Unconscious teens are shown hanging upside down in a laboratory with tubes pumping fluid out of their bodies.

Crude or Profane Language: Moderate

We hear “sh-t,” “a–,” “b–ch,” “d–n,” “h—,” and “b–tard” throughout the film.

Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild

Teens are forced to drink a liquid that leaves them physically and mentally impaired.
Drugs are administered to people to stop the progression of the rampant disease.

Will Teens Like It? Yes

I interviewed several pre-teens who really liked the movie. They had read the book and loved the book to movie transition.

Overall this is a very dark and violent film. Parents need to be aware of the excess violence throughout the film.

Straight Outta Compton-Teen Movie Review

The streets of Compton, Californa were a dangerous place in the mid 1980’s. Straight Outta Compton is the story of five young men (Dr. Dre, Eazy-E and Ice Cube, DJ Yella and MC Ren) who form a musical rap group, N.W.A. Their music communicates their experiences growing up with police brutality on the streets of Compton. The film highlights the lives of Dr. Dre, Eazy-E and Ice Cube, their relationship with music manager Jerry Heller, and their successes and failures of handling fame and fortune. The film’s title is the name of their 1988 debut studio album Straight Outta Compton.

Rating: 1 out of 5 buckets
Release Date: January 19, 2016
MPAA Rating: R
Best Age Group: 18+
Sexual Content: Excessive
Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Excessive
Drug and Alcohol Content: Excessive
Will Teens Like It? Yes

Talking Points:

Straight Outta Compton demonstrates the injustices and brutal treatment African American’s endured in Compton, California in the mid 1980’s.
The film portrays all police officers as corrupt, racist and violent.
The N.W.A.’s lyrics is their way of communicating racial injustice and it is their way to retaliate. One of their most popular songs is called, “F— the police.”

Sexual Content: Excessive

We see topless women in hotel room parties and swim parties.
A couple have sex on a hotel bed in front of everyone during a party. We see explicit movements; they’re under the covers.
One of the band members tells his brother to bring his “rubbers” if he joins them on tour.
There are crude sexual references and comments made throughout the movie.

Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive

There are several brutal fist fights; characters are beaten and shot to death throughout the film.
Police are shown treating innocent black people as criminals. The victims are thrown to the ground, threatened, harassed, frisked and handcuffed…while completely innocent.
We see footage of the Rodney King assault by Los Angeles police.
We see a riot in Detroit as the band is arrested.
In a fit of rage, a character uses a baseball bat and breaks everything in a music executive’s office.

Crude or Profane Language: Excessive

Seemingly every other word is a swear word…every swear word imaginable.

Drug and Alcohol Content: Excessive

We see a crack house with people preparing drugs to sell.
We see characters drinking alcohol, smoking marijuana, cigarettes and cigars.

Will Teens Like It? Yes

Teens are talking about the film. They are familiar with the music and storyline.

Overall this is an interesting film, however it is very inappropriate. Parents need to be aware of the excessive sexual, violent and drug contents, and the crude and profane language.