Scott Pilgrim vs. the World Review
This is a story about a twenty-two year old guy named Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera). He’s a guitarist in a garage band, who finally meets the love of his life, Ramona Flowers. After many dates with Ramona, Scott gradually realizes that she has a lot of baggage; seven former boyfriends, all who want to destroy Scott for dating Ramona. In this creative, comedy adventure, we see how Scott handles Ramona’s seven evil exes.
Rating: One out of five buckets
Release Date: November 9, 2010
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 17+
Sexual Content: Moderate
Violent Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Moderate
Talking Points:
This is a very creative movie. The movie has some romance, and it’s an action/adventure, sci-fi/fantasy, comedy. This movie continually went in and out of either game mode, comic book mode or rock-video mode, which most of the audience loved. However, the audience consisted of mostly older teens and adults in their twenty’s, and only a few kids.
I read that, “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World feels like the first movie aimed squarely at the gamer generation; those who have grown up with video games as a fact of life and, in some cases, a reason for living.” I don’t think kids will enjoy this type of movie, they won’t appreciate some of the humor, and creativity.
Scott was a very likable, persistent character, who never backed down when fighting for Ramona.
Sexual Content: Moderate
- There were a few scenes where I was uncomfortable with my twelve and ten year old boys.
- On Scott and Ramona’s first date, Ramona gets into bed with Scott, only wearing her bra and undies; she passionately kisses him, but then she says, “I changed my mind, I don’t want to have sex with you.”
- Scott’s roommate is gay, and he is with many different guys throughout the movie, and it’s implied that they’ve he’s slept with each one of them. Sometimes, Scott would even sleep in the same bed with them.
- One of Ramona’s exes was a girl, Ramona said she was “ bi-curious.”
Profanity: Moderate
- Many beeped f-words, along with many other swear words, but okay for a PG13 movie.
Violent Content: Moderate
- There were seven exes, and with each ex, there was a battle which consisted of either punches, kung fu, or sword fights. Some were very violent.
Even though this was a very creative movie, and it seemed that the audience loved it, I did not like it! It was battle after battle, which got very boring. More importantly, I feel that most kids won’t enjoy this type of movie. My ten and twelve year old boys thought it was awful and a waste of time. I give it one bucket.
Rock of Ages Review
“Don’t Stop Believin,” a popular 80’s song by Journey, is one of the constant themes in this film. Sherrie (Julianne Hough), a small-town girl from Oklahoma, moves to L.A with hopes of becoming a famous singer. When she steps off the Greyhound bus to L.A.’s Sunset Strip, Sherrie is welcomed by a some abusive prostitutes and a thug who steals her suitcase. However, things quickly brighten up when she meets Drew (Diego Boneta), an employee at the infamous Bourbon Room; who also has high hopes of becoming a rock star. We not only see the young couple fall madly in love, we also see their struggles and successes, as they try to make it in Hollywood! Rock of Ages is based on a stage musical set in the 1980’s. With the excessive sexual content and drug and alcohol issues, I do not recommend this film for film for kids!
Rating: 1 1/2 out of 5 buckets.
Release Date: October 9, 2012
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 18+
Sexual Content: Excessive
Violent Content: Mild
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Excessive
Will Kids Like It? No
Talking Points:
Although the movie is sleazy, full of inappropriate sexual scenes; the film tries to highlight the fact that being in a relationship with someone you love, will ultimately make you happier than sleeping around with anyone you meet; as Tom Cruise’s character did. However, the viewers are drenched with the sexual scenes and excessive alcohol use.
As previously mentioned, there are some nice messages to “follow your dreams,” and not give up on your goals and aspirations.
The film has a great cast, to name a few; Tom Cruise, who does an amazing job of playing Stecee Jaxx, a fictional rock star, also Alec Baldwin, Russell Brand, Paul Giamatti, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Julianne Hough.
Adults may be entertained by the 80’s tunes, and fun musical scenes. Though the storyline with the young lovers is very cheesy and corny; with poor acting.
Sexual Content: Excessive
- Men are shown grabbing women’s privates at the bar.
- Sherrie temporarily works as a stripper. We see several scenes with the stripper’s erotically pole dancing.
- Stacee Jaxx (Tom Cruise) is shown in two very exotic sexual encounters; in my opinion these were R-rated scenes.
- We see women wearing only their bra and panties; in several suggestive scenes.
- The famous rock star often greets women by grabbing their breasts, and commenting on how firm they are.
- There are several close up scenes with couples passionately kissing.
- There are several suggestive comments and references to oral sex.
Violent Content: Mild
- A character is thrown off the stage.
- One characters slaps another character.
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
- The f-word is said once. “Sh-t,” “h—,” “a–,” and “b–ch,” are said several times each.
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Excessive
- The famous rock star (played by Tom Cruise) is shown repeatedly drinking whiskey out of the bottle. He is often drunk and incoherent.
Will Kids Like It? No
The movie may try to instill a good message, and have a worthy theme, however the messages are skewed by the very inappropriate sexual content. Rock of Ages is NOT a film for kids! Take your youngsters to Madagascar 3, and your teens to The Avengers, they’ll get a lot more out of it
Robin Hood Review
Robin Hood, is the legendary story about a robber in the Middle Ages in England, who stole from the rich and gave to the poor. In this movie we see how Robin Hood came to be that legendary hero. He was an expert archer, who served King Richard’s army. When King Richard died, Robin traveled to Nottingham, to return a slain knight’s sword to his father, that’s where he met his true love, and helped the new King repel the invading French.
<a href=”https://boxofficemom.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/bom_popcornbucket011.jpg”><img title=”BOM_PopCornBucket01″ src=”https://boxofficemom.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/bom_popcornbucket011.jpg” alt=”” width=”53″ height=”70″ /></a><a href=”https://boxofficemom.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/bom_popcornbucket011.jpg”><img title=”BOM_PopCornBucket01″ src=”https://boxofficemom.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/bom_popcornbucket011.jpg” alt=”” width=”53″ height=”70″ /></a>
<strong>Rating:</strong> Two out of five buckets
<strong>Release Date:</strong> September 21, 2010
<strong>MPA</strong><strong></strong><strong>A Rating:</strong> PG13
<strong>Best Age Group</strong>: 13+
<strong><strong>Sexual Content:</strong> </strong>Moderate<strong>
<strong>Violent Content:</strong> </strong>Excessive<strong>
<strong>Crude or Profane Language</strong>: </strong>Mild<strong>
<strong>Drugs and Alcohol Content</strong>: </strong>Mild
<span style=”color: #0000ff;”><a title=”Robin Hood” href=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qK1tVLVaqFs”><span style=”color: #0000ff;”>See the trailer here!</span></a></span>
<strong><span style=”color: #ff0000;”>Talking Points:</span></strong>
We continually saw an inscription, which said, “Rise and rise again, until lambs become lions.” Robin said, this meant to never give up, which he continually stressed throughout the movie.
There was a lot going on in this movie, which made it very confusing. A teenage girl that I interviewed said there was not enough character development, while she and her friends liked the movie, they also found it very confusing.
<strong>Sexual Content:</strong> Moderate
<ul>
<li>We saw Prince John in bed with his lover, John’s mother barged into the bedroom, chatted with her, while in bed, then proceeded to get out of bed naked. This was a strange and uncomfortable scene.</li>
</ul>
<strong>Violent Content: </strong>Excessive<strong>
</strong>
This was a very violent movie with sword fights and battles, and these battles consumed the whole movie. Some violent and disturbing scenes were:
<ul>
<li>One man was injured by an arrow on the side of his face and we see the disgusting scar throughout the movie.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>King Richard is killed by an arrow, skewered right his neck .</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>People in the village are locked in a burning building, while woman are screaming and babies are crying.</li>
</ul>
<strong>Profanity:</strong> Mild
<strong>Drug and Alcohol Content:</strong> Mild
I know I haven’t said too many positive things about the movie, and I did get a little bored with all the battle scenes, but for the most part it held my attention. I recommend the movie for teenagers that enjoy action movies with a lot of battle scenes.
<span style=”color: #0000ff;”><a title=”Robin Hood” href=”https://boxofficemom.com/?page_id=847″><span style=”color: #0000ff;”>Back to DVD Reviews!</span></a></span>
Rio Review
Linda (voice of Leslie Mann) and Blu (voice of Jessie Eisenberg), brush their teeth together, they gargle together, they eat breakfast together, and they go to the bookstore (which Linda runs) together; and they do this almost everyday. No, this is not a married couple, this is a grown women and her exotic pet bird, Blu. Linda found Blu when she was young girl living in Minnesota; now as a grown women, she still owns Blu, and it’s her best friend. One day things dramatically change for Linda and Blu when Tulio, a man from Rio de Janeiro, enters into their lives. He informs Blu that he’s the last male of his species, but told him not to worry, because there is a female of his kind, named Jewel (voice of Anne Hathaway) living in Rio. So in order to continue this rare species, Linda, Blu and their new acquaintance, Tulio, head to South America, where they meet many interesting people and have many unusual, tropical adventures.
Rating: Four out of five buckets
Release Date: August 2, 2011
MPAA Rating: G
Best Age Group: Any age
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
Talking Points:
One thing I didn’t mention in the synopsis is that Blu cannot fly. This was never a problem for a pet bird living in Minnesota. However, it is a problem for a bird living in the jungles of Brazil. Without giving too much of the movie away, I just want to mention that it was inspiring to see how Blu handled his handicap, and overcame his fears; something parents could chat with their kids about.
Blu meets many interesting friends, three of whom are the voices of George Lopez, Jamie Foxx, and The Black Eyed Peas’ Will.i.am. As you can imagine these characters add a lot of humor, music and entertainment to the film.
The animation is absolutely amazing; with the vibrant colors of the birds, and the beautiful scenery of Brazil, kids will be enthralled by the sites!
Though the theater was packed with little kids and their parents, it was very quiet. Kids laughed at the humorous parts of the movie; other than that they were attentive to the suspenseful film.
Sexual/Inappropriate Content: Mild
- Blu’s friends try to set the mood for the mating couple, this may also spark some great parent/child conversations.
- There is some adult humor, however it will most likely go over the kids’ heads.
- Women wear skimpy costumes during a carnival show.
Violent Content: Moderate
- As in many movies, there’s a theme of good vs. evil. There are some “mean birds” and villainous characters in the movie that may scare kids.
- One character is a big bully. He terrorizes other animals, he threatens to eat a group of scared birds, and he also threatens a monkey clan.
- After Blu meets his mate, they are kidnapped by villains. When they eventually escape, they are handcuffed together, this may frighten young kids.
Crude/Profane Language: Mild
- Words such as “butt,” “idiot,” and “shut up” are used in the movie.
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
- Some characters were drinking wine at dinner.
Overall Rio (Rated G) is an entertaining movie for the whole family. Rio demonstrates the importance of friendship, courage and forgiveness. The outstanding animation and fun characters will entertain the whole family.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes Review
James Franco plays Will, an ambitious scientist, who takes care of his beloved father who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. Will’s goal is to find a cure for this awful disease, no matter what it takes! After several years of studies and trials on a chimpanzee, and seeing much improvement, Will is ready to get approval to start human trials. However, it’s not that easy. Will gradually develops a special bond with a chimpanzee named Caesar, and he eventually realizes that this could be a dangerous relationship, knowing that a man vs. ape war is on the rise. This sci/fi action packed drama is a prequel to Charlton Heston’s 1968 movie Planet of the Apes.
Rating: Three out of five buckets
Release Date: August 5, 2011
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 10+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
Talking Points:
I really liked the characters in this film. Will (James Franco) was such a kind- hearted person who was truly passionate about finding a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. Some other great characters: Will’s beautiful, supportive girlfriend, Caroline (Freida Pinto) and Will’s father (John Lithgow).
I loved the relationship that Caesar (the chimpanzee) had with Will, and Will’s father. When Will’s father was being threatened by a neighbor, Caesar was there to protect and comfort him.
In another scene, the chimp asked (in sign language) Will if he was a pet, Will responded, “No, I’m your father.” It was a touching scene.
This film was portrayed in trailers as a scary, war movie. Don’t get me wrong, there were a lot of battle scenes, but there was also an emotional element to the film which I don’t think people will see from the trailer.
The special effects were amazing. Caesar looked like a real chimpanzee, which added a lot to the storyline; making it more realistic.
Sexual Content: Mild
- Two characters kiss.
Violent Content: Moderate
- There are several fights when Caesar (the chimp) was protecting Will and his father.
- When Caesar was in a shelter with other chimps, the attendant was brutal and cruel to the apes. He hit Caesar with an electric rod, and slammed him against a wall in his cage, while spraying him with a high pressure water hose.
- When the apes convene and escape from their cages, complete mayhem begins. The apes smash through windows, turn cars and buses over, and hit humans while hissing and snarling in a frightening way.
- The humans were also cruel while trying to kill the apes.
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
- The d-word, h-word and a-word are used.
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
- Alzheimer Drugs are injected in the apes and humans.
- Characters drink beer.
Overall, this is an action packed movie with an emotional element to it. This is not my type of movie, but I can understand why some people would like it. I interviewed boys ages 11 to 15 after the movie; they loved it. Their grandpa thought it was appropriate for kids, and he thoroughly enjoyed it too. Kids that are sensitive to scary movies may be frightened with some of the violent battle scenes with the humans and apes.