DVD Reviews
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Review
Harry Potter has more adventures in his second year at Hogwarts. He is warned by a mysterious house elf not to return to Hogwarts because terrible things will happen to him. However he ignores the warnings, and returns to school with his friends Hermoine and Ron where he is the center of attention because of his 1st year heroics. He falls under suspicion, however, when messages written in blood warn that the Chamber of Secrets has been opened and students start getting petrified (literally) in the hallways of Hogwarts. Harry, Ron, and Hermoine work together to discover the Chamber and rescue a student who gets drawn into it. Once again, Harry is confronted by the spirit of the evil wizard Voldemort who is trying to return to the physical world.
This movie is also rated PG for mild violence. As in the first movie the visual images may be disturb some kids. Good for kids ages 7 and up.
Rating: Five out of five buckets
Release Date: April 11, 2003
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 7+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Mild
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol Content:Mild
Harry Potter and the Socerer’s Stone Review
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is the first movie in the Harry Potter series. We meet Harry as a misfit orphan in his Aunt and Uncle’s home. Through an amusing series of events he learns that he is a wizard and has been invited to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. There we meet many of the characters who play important roles in subsequent movies, namely his two best friends Ron and Hermione, the game keeper, Hagrid, and the headmaster, Dumbledore. In this movie, Harry learns how his parents were killed and begins his ongoing conflict with their killer, Lord Voldemort. Voldemort was also killed when Harry’s parents died and in this movie his spirit is attempting to return to the physical world through the use of the Sorcerer’s Stone.
The movie is rated PG, mild violence, good for kids ages 7 and up. It is an exciting escape into a clever and well constructed fantasy world. Although I would recommend parents to use their discretion, especially with children who would react negatively to frightening visual images.
Rating: Five out of five buckets
Release Date: May 28, 2002
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 7+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
Hannah Montana: The Movie Review
As most kids know from watching the TV show “Hannah Montana,” Miley Stewart (Miley Cyrus) leads a double life as an average teenager, and as the famous pop singer, Hannah Montana.
In the movie, Miley Stewart is becoming too attached to her pop star alter ego, and is letting her popularity of Hannah Montana take over her life. As Miley’s father, (Billy Ray Cyrus) is noticing her arrogant attitude, (and is not happy with it), he steps in to take her back home to Tennessee, and bring her back to reality. Despite her initial protest, she gradually finds fun and adventure in the small town, and realizes the importance of family and friends.
Rating: Four out of five buckets
Release Date: August 18, 2009
MPAA Rating: G
Best Age Group: 4+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Mild
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol Content: None
Talking Points:
The movie stresses strong family values. Though Miley’s upset with her dad when he wants her to take a break from her career, she ultimately respects her father’s decision, and apologizes.
There is a huge enthusiastic fan base for the TV show- this group will love the movie.
Two girls behind me ( ages 9 and 11) were thrilled with the movie. They were singing and giggly throughout the movie. When I interviewed them after the movie they were ecstatic, they said they were going to see the movie again.
The premise of the movie is similar to “Sweet Home Alabama”: where a big city girl goes back to her home town, and realizes how pleasant and comforting it really is.
Taylor Swift and Rascal Flats sing in the movie, which kids will enjoy.
Older girls and most boys may find it a little corny.
Sexual Content: Mild
- Hannah has a cute relationship with Travis ( a cowboy). He is drawn to Miley, not Hannah’s popularity. They flirt, kiss a little, but nothing inappropriate.
Violent Content: Mild
- Miley trips over fences, falls off chicken coops, and gets hit on the head several times, while trying to escape a nosy reporter. Not too violent, more silly.
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
- Characters say words such as; “geez,” “heck” and “dang.”
Drug and Alcohol Content: None
Overall it’s a fun, entertaining movie, which emphasis the importance of good down to earth values.
Great movie for girls ages 4 and above- I give it 4 buckets.
Hanna Review
This is a story centered around a teenage girl named Hanna. Hanna is not your average teenage girl, though she looks like it. Her father, an ex-CIA agent, trained her to be a killer. She prepared her whole life for one mission, and when the time finally came to fulfill her goal, she had to travel across Europe where she learned many interesting things about her existence, and had many questions about who she really is. This is an action, thriller that had a lot of violence, with a disturbing subject matter that would not appeal to kids.
Rating: One out of five buckets.
Release Date: September 6, 2011
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 18+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
Talking Points:
When Hanna traveled across country with a British family, the mother of the family, tells her that trips to the countryside, “bring us closer to God.” This was a peaceful and calm scene.
There was a special bond between Hanna and her father, he taught her everything he could before she was on her own! Father’s will like that part.
I did not like this film at all, with all the violence and dark scenes, it was depressing!
Sexual Content: Mild
- Two teenagers kiss.
- It’s implied that one girl is a lesbian.
- There’s discussion about the female sexual anatomy.
Violent Content: Excessive
- Many of characters are killers, characters use knives, guns and other weapons to kill people.
- She has many fistfights, we see blood all over Hanna’s face.
- Hanna and her father also have some brutal confrontations, which I didn’t like at all.
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
- One f-word is used, and the s-word is used several times.
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
- Characters drink wine.
Overall I would not recommend this film for kids or adults. I interviewed some adults after the film, all of whom thought is was boring and disturbing; not worth seeing at all.
The Hangover Part 2 Review
Yuck, and not that funny. In this sequel to The Hangover, we see the same group of guys; Phil, Stu, Doug and Alan, however this time Stu, the straight-laced dentist, is getting married, and all the wedding festivities are in Thailand. The gang’s last wedding events were all too fresh in Stu’s mind, so he refused a bachelor party. However, after being humiliated by his father-in-law to-be at the rehearsal dinner, Stu and the guys, along with Stu’s 16 year old soon-to-be brother-in-law, Teddy, head to the beach for a bonfire, and ONE cold beer. About twelve hours later, we see Stu, Phil and Alan waking up in a disgusting hotel in Bangkok, completely disoriented. They’re shocked when they see Stu, with a tattoo on his face, Alan’s shaved head, and a monkey in the bathroom. Moments later they realize one very important thing….Teddy, (Stu’s soon-to-be brother-in-law), is nowhere to be found. Sound familiar? This sequel to The Hangover may have a different bride and groom, and a different location, however the storyline is the same, though not as humorous, and believe it or not, even more disgusting.
Rating: One out of five buckets
Release Date: December 6, 2011
MPAA Rating: R
Best Age Group: Adults
Sexual Content: Excessive
Violent Content: Mild
Crude or Profane Language: Excessive
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Excessive
Talking Points
I’m not a prude. I liked The Wedding Crashers, Bridesmaids, and even first Hangover movie, but I did not like this movie at all. It was one disaster after another, with crass, gross humor.
This movie is so inappropriate and disgusting for not only teenagers, but adults as well. I read in a review that Zach Galifianakis, the actor who plays Alan, told comingsoon.net, “It is so bad in parts that I told my mom she is not allowed to see it. I forbid, forbade, forbid her from coming.” That says it all if the main actor won’t even let his mom see the movie.
Sexual Content: Excessive
• While retracing their steps from the previous night, hoping to find Teddy, it’s revealed, and later shown, that Stu had sex with a hermaphrodite prostitute.
• Between the various flashbacks shown throughout the movie, and the photos in the closing credits, we see the guys taking drugs, we see various sexual encounters with naked men and women, and we see Stu having sex with his hermaphrodite prostitute.
• There are also many crude sexual comments and crass references throughout the movie.
Violent Content: Mild
• A photo of Teddy cutting off his finger while drunk.
• During a car chase, the guys hit a hanging pig that bursts open, we see blood all over Stu.
Crude and Profane Language: Excessive
• The f-word and every other word is used throughout the whole movie.
I reviewed this movie for teens that want to see these popular R rated movies. They may not see it with their parents at the theater, but they just might want to see it when it comes out on video. I don’t recommend The Hangover Part II for teens or adults. It’s so disgusting I wanted to take a shower after the movie.