The Roommate Review
This is the story about Sara (Minka Kelly), a young ambitious college freshman, with hopes to be a major fashion designer. Things start out well for Sara in her first year of college; she’s likes her classes, she’s got a nice, cute boyfriend, and a roommate she likes to hang out with. When Sara gradually comes to realize that her roommate is very possessive and creepy, it’s too late. Now Sara and her friends try to survive the evil threats from Rebecca.
Rating: One out of five buckets
Release Date: May 17, 2011
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group:
Sexual Content: Excessive
Violent Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language:
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Moderate
Talking Points:
This is a psychotic, disturbing movie, and a situation that could really happen, which makes it even more disturbing.
I interviewed four 16 year old girls at the end of the movie. They thought it was disturbing, but they liked it. They said it was one of the better horror films.
Leighton Meester(from Gossip Girls) who plays Rebecca, the creepy roommate, does an excellent job. I had nightmares about her! Her portrayal of a creepy, possessive teenage girl is amazing. I was impressed, especially after just seeing her in Country Strong, playing a sweet country singer.
Sexual Content: Excessive
Besides the creepy element of this movie, there are a lot of sexual scenes, that parents may feel uncomfortable with. To name a few:
- Sara and her boyfriend take off their clothes, it’s implied they’ve slept together.
- Rebecca (creepy roommate), poses as Sara, and has phone sex with Sara’s ex-boyfriend. This scene is interwoven with Sara and her boyfriend’s first sexual encounter.
Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive
The disturbing element of the movie is what really bothered me. There are many intense, uncomfortable scenes.
- Rebecca attacks a girl in the shower.
- Rebecca stabs Sara’s ex boyfriend to death.
- The part that disturbed me the most was when Rebecca wanted to trick Sara into thinking she had been raped and beaten. So Rebecca punches herself in the face, and cuts her stomach with a knife.
- Rebecca pierces her own ears with Sara’s earrings.
- She kills their cat by putting him in the dryer.
Before seeing this movie I asked some girls, ages 12 to 14 years old, if they wanted to see this movie. They wanted to see it because of the familiar actors such as Leighten Meester from Gossip Girls and Minka Kelly from 500 Days of Summer. This is not a movie for young teens, for that matter it’s not a movie for anyone. Overall this was a very disturbing movie, one that kids should not see. I couldn’t wait for the torture to end.
The Pirates! Band of Misfits Review
Pirate Captain (voice of Hugh Grant) and his misfit crew, are on a mission…to win the ultimate pirate title: “Pirate of the Year.” More determined than ever to defeat his rivals, the Captain realizes he might not have what it takes to win the coveted award. However, things change when a young scientist, Charles Darwin, informs the Captain that his beloved parrot is really a dodo bird, and the last remaining one at that. Darwin convinces the Captain to take the bird to London and show the Queen, where he will receive reward money for the bird; which should be enough to win “Pirate of the Year.” Little did the Captain know that Darwin and the Queen have their own agenda, one that does not bode well for this hapless, carefree Captain. The Pirates!Band of Misfits is an appropriate movie for kids ages 8 and up.
Rating: 1 buckets out of 5
Release Date: April 27, 2012
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 8+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Moderate
Talking Points:
I was not a big fan of this movie, however there was one redeeming quality which was highlighted at the end of the film; the value of friendship and forgiveness. Captain Pirate thought he wanted fame and fortune, though he came to realize that’s not what makes you happy.
The animation and 3D effects were very well done.
I read that the director was asked if this was a kids’ movie; he responded by saying, “we make films just for people.” I felt the film wasn’t geared toward a target audience. There weren’t any cute, fun-loving characters for youngsters, while I think kids ages 10 and up will find it strange and boring.
Sexual Content: Mild
- One character wears low cut shirts and form-fitting outfits.
- One of the pirates is a women, disguised as a man. She has a crush on Pirate Captain.
Violent Content: Moderate
- There was a lot of slapstick, silly violence throughout the film.
- The Queen was cruel and evil.
- Charles Darwin gets tarred and feathered.
- We see a giant whale spitting out a pirate.
- There’s a sword fight scene between the Queen, and several other characters.
- Pirate Captain is almost beheaded by the Queen. This scene may scare young kids.
Crude and Profane Language: Mild
- We hear phrases such as, “hell’s barnacles,” and “banana butt.”
Drug and Alcohol Content: Moderate
- Character’s are shown drinking beer and wine in many scenes.
- We see Pirate Captain drunk after a night at a pub.
As I previously stated this was not a cute, fun animated film for kids. Parents need to be aware of some moderate violence. The film is appropriate for kids ages 8 and up.
The Odd Life of Timothy Green Review
Life brings many surprises, especially for the Greens. Cindy and Jim Green (Jennifer Garner and Joel Edgerton) are a happily married couple eager to start a family. However their dreams are shattered when the doctor tells them that conceiving a child will be impossible. While grieving their awful news, they fill a small wooden box with notes describing characteristics of what they hoped their child would be like. They dig a hole in their vegetable garden and plant their special wooden box. The next morning a 10-year old boy named Timothy appears at their house calling them “mom,” and “dad;” a true surprise, one they’ve always dreamed of. The Odd Life of Timothy Green is a Disney story about the trials and joys of parenting. This is a heartwarming film for the whole family.
Rating: 4 and 1/2 buckets
Release Date: December 4, 2012
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 6+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Mild
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Kids Like It? Maybe
Talking Points:
Parents will enjoy this film, and will be able to relate to Timothy’s parents. They wanted to protect him, comfort him and wanted the best for their son! Timothy’s mom (Jennifer Garner) says, “It’s not that we wanted him to be perfect, we wanted it to be perfect. His childhood.”
Timothy is an odd character, though an adorable, loving boy. In the movie they say, “it’s okay to be different.” A good parent/child conversation.
Though Timothy’s parents loved him more than anything, they made mistakes, and struggled with different parenting issues; as we all do at times. When asked what they would do differently, they said they’d make new mistakes, maybe even more of them.
Kids may get bored as the film has a mature subject matter about parenting. Having said that Timothy is cute fun loving boy, which kids will enjoy. There are some funny parts geared towards kids.
Sexual Content: Mild
- Timothy and Joni (a girl he has a crush on) almost kiss. They have a cute relationship.
- Timothy’s parents decide to give him, “The Talk,” however they get distracted by a family emergency.
- Since Timothy came from a garden, younger kids may have questions about where they came from.
Violent Content: Mild
- Timothy gets bullied by his classmates.
- Kids smear food and ice cream on Timothy’s face.
Crude or Profane Language: None
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
- Character’s drink wine.
Will Kids Like It? Maybe
- I interviewed kids ages 6 to 8 who liked the movie. Having said that I feel that this is more of a grown-up film, one especially for parents!
Overall this is a wonderful, endearing story. Because of the mature subject matter, I’m not sure all kids will enjoy the film. However the content is appropriate for kids ages 6 and up.
Moneyball Review
Moneyball is centered around the 2002 Oakland A’s baseball team, who were lead by general manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) to a surprisingly excellent season, even though they had the lowest paid players in the major leagues. Instead of scouting and using more of a traditional method of obtaining a team, Beane used statistics and mathematical analysis into player evaluations, which was not well accepted amongst fans, coaching staff and media. However, with determination and perseverance, Beane, and his young adviser Peter Brand, make it all happen! Whether your a baseball fan or not, this is a wonderful inspirational movie, good for the whole family!
Rating: 5 out of 5 buckets
Release Date: September 23, 2011
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 8+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Mild
Crude or Profane Language: Excessive
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Moderate
See a clip of my review here, plus Abduction!
Talking Points:
This movie, as in most sport’s films, are not all about sports, it’s about the lessons instilled and the inspirational storyline. This is about Billy’s relationship with his daughter, his young adviser, and his team.
This is a story about perseverance, initially things weren’t going Beane’s way, and it looked grim for the Oakland A’s; even coaches and scouts thought Beane was crazy, but he stuck with his adviser’s strategy, and before you know it they began their huge winning streak. This could spark some great parent/child conversations about perseverance, and not giving up!
This is an appropriate film for kids, however parents need to know that there is quite a bit of swearing. Depending on the child, I think younger kids (7 and younger) may get bored due to the subject matter.
Sexual Content: Mild
- We hear a comment about a players sexual anatomy.
- In one scene two players are shown with their pants unbuttoned, however, you don’t see anything.
Violent Content: Mild
- When Billy loses, he gets very irate and irrational. He throws objects such as a chairs and radios; he even flips a desk over.
Crude or Profane Language: Excessive
- The f-word is said a couple times while other swear words are used throughout the film such as: “a–,” “h—,”d–,” and “b–ch.”
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Moderate
- We see Billy drinking at home.
- Several characters are shown spitting out chewing tobacco.
I’m not a huge baseball fan, my kids don’t even play baseball, we’re a lacrosse family…but my husband, kids and I thoroughly enjoyed this inspirational film, and I especially enjoyed Brad Pitt!
Men in Black III Review
Agents J (Will Smith) and K (Tommy Lee Jones) are back; still wearing black! However in this third installment of the Men in Black series, Agent J travels back in time to the 1960‘s. His goal is to stop Boris the Animal, an evil, scary- looking alien, from killing the young, naive Agent K (Josh Brolin), and to save the future of the world. Men in Black 3 is a fun, entertaining movie with a 1960’s flare.
Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 buckets
Release Date: November 30, 2012
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 11+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Kids Like It? Yes
Agents J (Will Smith) and K (Tommy Lee Jones) are back; still wearing black! However in this third installment of the Men in Black series, Agent J travels back in time to the 1960‘s. His goal is to stop Boris the Animal, an evil, scary- looking alien, from killing the young, naive Agent K (Josh Brolin), and to save the future of the world. Men in Black 3 is a fun, entertaining movie with a 1960’s flare.
Talking Points:
Agent J (Will Smith) and Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) are great characters. They’re devoted to each other as partners and friends.
There are some subtle messages woven through the film. One character says, “The bitterest truth is always better than the sweetest lies. Another says, “The most destructive force in the universe is regret.”
I read that this is one of the few movie series that’s directed by the same person; Barry Sonnenfeld. Having them go back in time added a unique twist to the series.
Since they went back in time, it was interesting to see the moon launch in the 60’s. Kids may like that.
Having not seen the first two movies in the series, I was a little confused by the storyline.
Sexual Content: Mild
- A woman wears a low-cut form fitting dress.
Violent Content: Excessive
- Boris the Animal may scare young kids, with his horrific face and awful teeth . He has a creepy spider which evolves from the palm of his hand. We see him torment many people as he continuously throws spikes into their bodies and heads.
- Agents J and K are involved in violence as well, with many gun shots and ray guns blasting throughout the film.
- We see a creatures head flattened from being hit so hard with a frying pan.
- We see Agent K kill a villain.
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
- “Sh-t,” “d-mn,” “h–l,” and “a–,” are said several times each. “B–tard,” is also said once.
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
- Character’s drink mixed drinks and champagne.
Overall Men in Black 3 is a fun, entertaining movie, however parents need to be aware of the moderate profanity and excessive violence throughout the film. Depending on the child, I recommend this film for kids ages 11 and up.