Reviews by Genre
Movie Reviews by Genre
The Amazing Spider-Man 2- Kids’ Movie Review
The graduation march “Pomp and Circumstance ” was playing as Valedictorian Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) and her boyfriend Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Andrew Garfield) receive their high school diplomas. Now they have to face the real world. Being the good and moral guy he is, Peter tells Gwen that he can’t see her anymore. Though he’s madly in love with her, he had promised her dying father that he would stay away from Gwen, due to his dangerous double life as Spider-Man. Now Peter must try to move on and face his role of saving lives as a superhero. Continue reading
Captain America: The Winter Soldier-Kids Movie Reviews
He’s not a big guy, he’s deemed unfit for the military, but he’s a dedicated American…he’s Captain America. Steve Rogers a.k.a. Captain America (Chris Evans) teams up with Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) to take down a Soviet agent known as the Winter Soldier. Captain America: The Winter Soldier takes place right after the end of The Avengers, it’s a fun, though violent, entertaining film about a great American superhero.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Release Date: September 9, 2014
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 12+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol: Mild
Will it Appeal to kids? Yes
Talking Points:
Captain America is a good guy and always wants to do the right thing. He even tries to save the bad guys! He’s a good role model for kids.
There’s an all-star cast, to name a few; Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Robert Redford, Anthony Mackie and Cobie Smulders.
Sexual Content: Mild
- A couple passionately kiss.
Violent Content: Excessive
- There are a lot of fights throughout the movie which include brutal and violent punches, kicks and stabbings.
- Captain America takes a lot of abuse as he’s shocked with a Taser, stabbed, shot and brutally beaten.
- There are several explosions.
- Characters are shown with open wounds and broken limbs.
- There are car, truck and plane crashes.
- An innocent cleaning lady is shot and killed.
- A man is pushed off a high building.
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
- We hear “sh-t,” “a–,” “b–ch,” and “h—,” a few times each.
Drugs and Alcohol: Mild
- We see characters drinking champagne.
Will it Appeal to kids? Yes
Overall this is an exciting movie, parents need to be aware of the excessive violence throughout the film. Depending on the child, I recommend this for kids ages 12 and up.
Transcendence-Teen Movie Review
Technology is a wonderful thing, but can it go too far? In Transcendence, Dr. Will Caster (Johnny Depp) is a famous, though controversial, researcher in the field of Artificial Intelligence. Things get difficult for this bright scientist when an anti-technology organization fights to prevent him from going too far.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Release Date: July 22, 2014
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 15+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol: Mild
Will it Appeal to kids? No
Talking Points:
Transcendence is an interesting and captivating film. Having said that, it gets confusing and may not appeal to kids or teens.
The film could spark some great conversations regarding the advancement of technology.
Sexual Content: Mild
- In a dream we see a couple passionately kissing in bed.
Violent Content: Excessive
A bomb explodes in a lab and kills numerous people.- Characters are punched, kicked and brutally beaten.
- We see injured characters with open wounds covered with blood.
- A needle is injected into a blind man’s eye.
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
- “Sh-t,” and “h–l,” are used.
Drugs and Alcohol: Mild
- We see characters drinking beer and wine.
Will it Appeal to kids? No
Overall this is an interesting film, though may not appeal to kids/teens. Parents need to be aware of the excessive violence and dark theme.
Rio 2-Kids Movie Reviews
“Happy wife, happy life,” a well known phrase and a motto that Blu (voice of Jesse Eisenberg) tries to live by. In this sequel to the 2011 film Rio, the beloved birds Blu, Jewel and their three kids leave the city of Rio de Janeiro and journey to the Amazon rainforest. On there way they come across many adventures as they run into Blu and Jewel’s former nemesis, Nigel the cockatoo; who wants to seek revenge on the Macaws. Things get even more complicated upon their arrival when they see Jewel’s father. Now Blu not only has to deal with vengeful Nigel, but even worse he must try to fit in with his father-in-law…which isn’t easy. Rio 2 is a fun adventurous animated movie for kids of all ages.
Rating: 4 and 1/2 out of 5
Release Date: July 15, 2014
MPAA Rating: G
Best Age Group: Any
Sexual Content: None
Violent Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol: Mild
Will it Appeal to kids? Yes
Talking Points:
The film stresses the importance of family and friendships.
The colorful scenery, fun songs and entertaining characters will appeal to young kids. Having said that teens and adults may get bored.
Sexual Content: None
Violent Content: Mild
- We see huge tractors trying to run over two characters; fortunately they escape.
- Dynamite is attached to a number of trees. Blu cuts the explosives and flies them away before they detonate.
- Nigel, Blu’s nemesis, threatens to use poisonous excretions to seek revenge.
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
- Potty words such as “poop,” and “pooping,” were used; which the youngsters found very humorous.
Drugs and Alcohol: Mild
- Characters drink champagne.
Will it Appeal to kids? Yes
Overall this is a fun and entertaining film for kids of all ages.
Draft Day-Teen Movie Review
Should you go with your gut, or what your boss tells you to do? That’s what Sonny Weaver (Kevin Costner), the Cleveland Browns general manager, faces as the NFL draft day quickly approaches. The owner wants a “big splash” someone to excite the fans, he wants the number one pick. However Sonny wants to do the right thing; he wants a guy with character and passion, he wants the right guy for the team. So on the day of the draft, Sonny must decide what to do to save not only his job, but also the Cleveland Browns. Draft Day is an exciting film as we see the ups and downs and daily stress of the NFL Draft!
Rating: 4 out of 5 buckets
Release Date: September 2, 2014
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 12+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Mild
Crude or Profane Language: Excessive
Drugs and Alcohol: Mild
Will it Appeal to kids/teens? Yes
Talking Points:
We don’t see a lot of action football scenes, however football fans will enjoy the excitement and thrill of the behind the scenes stress of the NFL draft day. Having said that, it is a little slow in parts, some kids may get bored.
Though Draft Day is fiction, I read that the NFL worked with the movie producers to make the film as accurate as possible.
Sexual Content: Mild
- Sonny’s girlfriend, Ali (Jennifer Garner), who’s also the team’s financial executive, is pregnant with his child. We don’t see them in a sexual encounter, only kissing.
- There are sexual references. Some of the coaches discuss the sex life of a possible draft pick, wondering how many girls he “bangs” per day.
Violent Content: Mild
- Sonny smashes a laptop into a wall.
- A player was upset with Sonny and proceeded to destroy his office.
Crude or Profane Language: Excessive
- The f-word was said once. We also heard “d–n,” “a–,” “h—,” and “b–ch,” numerous times throughout the film.
- An angry player suggests that an intern have “intercourse with his mother.”
Drugs and Alcohol: Mild
- We see characters drinking beer and hard liquor.
Will it Appeal to kids/teens? Yes
- The film will most likely appeal to pre-teens and teens.
Overall Draft Day is an entertaining and exciting sports drama. Parents need to be aware of the excessive language and some sexual references in the film. Depending on the child, this film is appropriate for kids ages 12 and up.