DVD Reviews
The Avengers Review
Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) Captain America (Chris Evans) The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and Thor (Chris Hemsworth) all on the big screen…it’s a site to see! In this wonderful action packed film, Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson),the director of S.H.I.E.L.D,(an international agency), gathers the amazing super-heroes together to form The Avengers. These men are desperately needed to save the Earth from Thor’s evil half brother, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) who is out to destroy the world. The Avengers is an exciting, fun movie with a lot of action and adventure geared towards kids ages 12 and up.
Rating: 3 buckets out of 5
Release Date: May 4, 2012
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 12+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
Talking Points:
As many coaches have emphasized throughout the years to their players…”it’s all about the team”, and that’s what The Avengers learn as well. Initially The Avengers argued amongst themselves as they tried to figure out how to approach Loki and his extraterrestrial army. They eventually realized they had to find a way to cooperate and unite. They used their own specific talents and gifts and worked together to obtain their goal. Great lesson for kids.
The storyline gets confusing, though with the fun characters and action, kids will be entertained.
Sexual Content: Mild
- Women are dressed in low cut outfits.
- Two characters kiss.
Violent Content:Excessive
- Character’s get punched, kicked, thrown, stabbed and shot with ray guns, arrows and bullets.
- There are many fight scenes, battles and explosions.
- When we first meet Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) she’s being interrogated and tortured by a Russian general. A man slaps her across the face. She retaliates by knocking out most of the interrogators.
- Loki is a cruel and evil character. He gets satisfaction from killing and torturing people; we learn that he kills 80 people in two days. He may scare some kids.
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
- “H–l,” and “d–n,” are said about five times, then “a–,” “b–ch,” and “b–tard,” are also said.
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
- Characters are shown drinking champagne and whiskey.
Though there is a lot of violence throughout the film, which parents need to be aware of; there is also a strong message of working together for a noble cause, which kids need to be aware of. Depending on your child, I recommend this film for kids ages 12 and up.
A Thousand Words Review
Jack McCall(Eddie Murphy) can get anything he wants by using his words. He’s a smooth-talking literary agent who can close any deal…..by talking! However, when he meets Dr. Sinja, a New Age guru, Jack’s life dramatically changes. A magical tree suddenly appears in his backyard, and strangely enough, Jack is spiritually connected to this tree. So when Jack speaks, the leaves fall from the tree; and when the leaves are gone and the tree dies, Jack will die too. Jack soon discovers that he only has a thousand words left to speak, in order to stay alive. “A Thousand Words,” is a comedy about a guy who finds the true meaning of life.
Rating: 2 1/2 buckets out of 5
Release Date: June 26, 2102
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 14+
Sexual Content: Moderate
Violent Content: Mild
Crude or Profane Language: Excessive
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Moderate
See a clip of my review here, along with John Carter!
Talking Points:
There were some great messages in this film. Jack learned to appreciate what’s important in life. He eventually came to realize that life is not about an important job title, or how much money one makes; life is about forgiveness, love and the importance of family. A character in the film said, “Life’s not worth living without family.” The New Age guru told Jack that he needed to find peace, and the truth about himself. This could spark some great parent/child conversations.
I’m an Eddie Murphy fan.I think his movies are typically funny and entertaining. However,while this film starts out funny, things change half way through the movie to a more serious tone. Even though I liked the messages, I wish they would have kept the comedic element, while instilling the life lessons throughout the film.
Sexual Content: Moderate
- There were many sexual references and comments throughout the film.
- In one scene, Jack’s wife plans a romantic evening in a hotel room. She was wearing a seductive outfit, while trying to seduce her husband. She repeatedly said, ” Talk dirty to me”, “What do you want me to do to you?” She took off his clothes as well, though not his boxers.
Violent Content: Mild
- In one scene, Jack drank too much and smashed a bottle against a tree. He also got into a fight with his male assistant that night.
Crude or Profane Language: Excessive
- Character’s swore throughout the film. Words such as, “a–,” d–n,” and “sh-t,” were used a lot. Jack also said the the f-word a couple times.
Drug and Alcohol Content: Moderate
- We saw Jack drinking Vodka out of the bottle; he was very drunk.
- Character’s were shown drinking cocktails.
Overall this is a movie that some people may be entertained by. It has some wonderful life lessons, and also some humorous parts. However, with the sexual content, and mature subject matter, this movie may not interest kids. Depending on the child, I would say this film is appropriate for kids ages 14 and up.
The A-Team Review
This is the story about a spirited team of former Special Forces soldiers who were set up for a crime they did not commit. They use their special talents to try and clear their names and find the true culprit.
Rating: Three out of five buckets
Release Date: December 14, 2010
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 12+
Sexual Content: Moderate
Violent Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Excessive
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Moderate
Talking Points:
This movie is based on a TV series, which I have never seen. Though I read, “Like the TV show, the movie focuses on friendship and camaraderie among soldiers who would risk their lives for one another.” The A-Team’s friendship is what I liked best about the movie, they were best friends, and believed in each other. The characters were very likable, so was Bradley Cooper….good eye candy.
Sexual Content: Moderate
Face (Bradley Cooper), passionately kisses several women; his ex-girlfriend, some strangers, and even married women, which didn’t seem to bother him.
Violent Content: Excessive
Many people are shot at, held at gunpoint and brutally beaten. This will bother younger kids.
Profanity: Excessive
There was a lot of profanity throughout the whole movie.
This is a PG13 action packed, adventure movie. I saw this movie with my husband, and my two sons, ages 12 and 10. I didn’t particularly like this movie. At one point I closed my eyes, and I thought this is a one bucket movie, but then I gradually started to like it. After the movie my husband said he loved it, he thought it was a great movie for teenage boys and their dads. My twelve year old son liked it a lot, and my 10 year old son thought it was okay, he got a little confused. After hearing their comments, I decided to give it three out of five buckets.
I recommend this movie for teenage boys and their dads, I recommend the mom’s stay home!
Oblivion-Teen Movie Review
Earth was destroyed by an alien race, and Jack Harper (Tom Cruise) is the caretaker. However things get complicated when an unexpected traveler arrives, which causes Jack not only to question his mission, but also himself. Oblivion is a sci/fi futuristic film, one that mature teenagers will most likely enjoy.
Rating: 4 out of 5 buckets
Release Date: April 19, 2013
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 14+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Kids Like It? Yes
Talking Points:
The cast of the film were wonderful and captivating! With Tom Cruise as Jack Harper and Olga Kurylenko (whom I wasn’t familiar with) as Jack’s wife; both interesting characters. Morgan Freeman also starred in the movie, another intriguing character.
For the most part, the film was appropriate, however there was a lot of violence, however, the battles were mostly with Tom Cruise and mechanical drones.
Teenagers will most likely enjoy the film, though it was a little slow and confusing in parts; which may not appeal to tweens and younger kids.
Sexual Content: Mild
- We saw a naked woman, from the back side only.
- It’s implied that Jack and two different women were sexually involved.
Violent Content: Moderate
- There were gun shots and explosions throughout the film, however it mostly involved Jack and drones.
- A character was shot in the stomach, and her shirt was covered with blood.
- We saw a gun pointed at a character’s head.
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
- The f-word was said once. We also heard, “sh-t,” “b–ch,” and “h—,” throughout the film.
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
- We saw a character smoking a cigar.
Will Kids Like It? Yes
- Teenagers that like futuristic sci/fi movies will most likely enjoy this film. I interviewed five high school students from a Charter Academy. They said the film was, “awesome.”
Overall this is an appropriate film for teenagers; 14 and up. Parents need to be aware of the violent content and some profane language.
Princess and the Frog Review
“Princess and the Frog” is set in the city of New Orleans in the 1920’s. The movie is about a young hard working girl, Tiana, who wants to fulfill her and her late father’s life long dream of someday opening their own restaurant. However, when she encounter’s the lazy, but charming, Prince Naveen, they magically turn into frogs. Tiana and the Prince have many adventures and meet a lot of fun characters, as they seek help to become human once again.
Rating: Three out of five buckets
Release Date: March 16, 2010
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: Any age
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Mild
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
Talking Points:
The movie has a lot of laughs and great messages. The film emphasizes the value of love over material wealth, and Tiana continually stresses throughout the movie that you get what you want from hard work and perseverance. She say’s, “Wish and dream with your heart, set your mind to it, you can do anything.”
The music was phenomenal. Very catchy jazz and gospel tunes. All the original music on this film was done by Randy Newman, who has done most of Pixar films for Disney.
I think most adults will enjoy the movie. It was fun to see the 1920’s New Orleans setting, Mississippi steamboats, and wonderful bayou’s.
Tiana, is the first African American Disney Princess. The movie lightly touches on social and racial divisions of the time.
The characters are very entertaining. There’s Charlotte, Tiana’s best friend, who’s a very spoiled wealthy girl, only wanting to marry a Prince. Then there’s a trumpet playing alligator and a lovesick Cajun lightening bug. They add a lot of humor and wonderful music to the movie.
The animation was colorful and well-done.
I have 2 negative comments; it’s a little long, 1 hour and 35 minutes, though the music should keep the kids attention.
Sexual Content: Mild
- Innocent flirting and smooching.
Violent Content: Mild
- There are images of evil spirits and fire-breathing masks, that may scare younger kids.
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
- “Heck” and “dang” are used.
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
- Characters drink wine and champagne.
I brought my 10 year old son, who thought it was okay, and my two nieces. My 16 year old niece thought it was a sweet Disney movie, okay to watch, while my 6 year old niece said, “It was good.” My sister-law also liked it, and really enjoyed the music, and the New Orleans setting, as most adults will.
Overall it’s a fun, entertaining movie for all ages. I’m giving it 4 buckets!!!!!