Wondering
what to expect when you take the family to the movies? Movie Choices
for Kids takes the guesswork out of going to the movies with your
kids. These movie reviews by Jean Joachim offer parents a preview of what to expect, before
you take your children on a movie date.
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DELGO (Running time: 90 minutes) 122208
Rated PG Animated with the voices of Freddy Prinze, Jr., Val Kilmer, Chris Kattan, Michael Clark Duncan, Ann Bancroft
Delgo takes place in a fantasy world that is torn between two groups: the Lockni who control the land and the Nohrin who control the skies. After a huge war propagated by the King’s sister, Senessa, there is an uneasy truce between the two groups after the King banished his sister. Both of Delgo’s parents were killed by the Nohrin during the big war. Delgo is a carefree teenage who secretly harbors deep resentment toward the Nohrin, until he meets the Nohrin Princess.
Together, Delgo and the Princess unite their warring groups against the evil Senessa. United they defeat her armies and move forward in peace. I’m not sure that’s such a great message, but uniting against a common enemy can make friends out of foes.
There is young love, a secret plot to overthrow the King by his banished sister, double-dealing military leaders, pacifistic philosophies from some of the Lockni and lots of action. There are wonderfully imaginative and colorful creatures. There is violence but no blood. Delgo as a child witnesses the death of his parents, though that is not shown in detail. There is no sex and no bad language. Delgo while not original in plot or characterization, it is a treat for the eyes and should be a fun film for kids 9 and up on a snowy weekend.
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DOUBT (Running time: 104 minutes) 122208
Rated PG-13 Starring Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams
What a powerful film this is! It is done quietly, but Doubt mixes themes of doubts about God, with doubts about whether a priest is molesting a boy in the parish. The portrait of the stern nun who is caring underneath is masterfully played by Ms. Streep. Is the nun persecuting the Priest, who represents the forces of change to her old world attitude or is she really after justice? All players are outstanding. This is a very adult themed movie. Though there is no sex, no violence and no bad language, there is implied molestation. It should be okay for kids 11 or 12 and up who are mature enough to understand the nuances portrayed here. This is a riveting movie that raises as many questions as it answers.
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FROST/NIXON (Running time: 110 minutes) 122208
Rated R Starring Frank Langella, Michael Sheen
I have no idea why this movie is rated “R”. There are a few bad words, but that is all. This movie recreating history should not be denied to children who are interested in history, even if they are under 17 years of age. I found it fascinating. Frank Langella’s portrait of Nixon is so convincing I sometimes thought he was Nixon.
This picture, based on the real interviews between David Frost and Richard Nixon, will put some of the Watergate shenanigans into perspective. It will give you a deeper understanding of Mr. Nixon’s motivation and personality. Plus you have Mr. Frost’s struggles to be taken seriously and raise the funds needed to complete the interviews.
Mr. Langella should be nominated for an Academy Award for his fantastic performance. I highly recommend this film to anyone 12 and over who wants to live history.
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NOTHING LIKE THE HOLIDAYS (Running time: 99 minutes) 121508
Rated PG-13 Starring Freddy Rodriguez, John Leguizamo, Alfred Molina, Debra Messing, Elizabeth Pe?a
Nothing Like the Holidays is a warm, family drama, spiced with humor that takes place during Christmas time. The Rodriguez family lives outside of Chicago in a small suburban town. Dad (Molina) runs a local bodega. All the children have arrived home for their traditional Puerto Rican Christmas not expecting the surprises that await them.
Especially poignant is the return of Jesse (Rodriguez), the youngest, from the war in Iraq. Jesse feels guilty over the loss of a compatriot during the war. Roxanna has returned from Hollywood where she has been trying to break into TV or movies, as yet unsuccessfully and the big brother, Mauricio (Leguizamo), a successful lawyer or accountant (this is not made clear in the movie) arrives with his wife (Messing). They are bickering over starting a family.
But the biggest bomb is delivered by their mother (Pe?a). The children pull together and reevaluate their lives. Nothing Like the Holidays is a thoughtful movie that moves briskly. The love in the family, despite bickering and sibling rivalry, keeps them all going. There is no violence, some bad language and no sex. This is a lovely movie that should be fine for kids age 12 and up and parents and grandparents, too.
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THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (Running time: 110 minutes) 121508
Rated PG-13 Starring Jennifer Connelly, Keanu Reeves, Kathy Bates, Jaden Smith
Keanu Reeves finally found a role equal with his talent – he plans the unemotional alien who speaks in short sentences with no expression in his voice or face.
This remake of a 1950’s version with the same title has changed the sins of the Earthlings from too much violence to destruction of the environment. It makes some good points: on the eve of destruction, species can and do change to stay alive.
The story is about an alien ship that lands here to tell our leaders that we’d better get our act together and stop destroying the planet. Of course we’re too military to listen to reason without firing on this ship of perceived enemies. Our might is nothing compared to the aliens and we can’t stop them or kill them which frustrates the heck out of our leaders.
One lone scientist (Connelly) frees the alien and tries to talk him out of destruction. The movie is fast-paced as the military hunt down the alien and the scientists try to find a more reasonable solution.
The Day The Earth Stood Still is a thought-provoking movie. You can’t hate the aliens because they are right, we are destroying our planet. Yet, the movie points out the good things about the Human Race and how we may deserve a chance to change and be spared. You might get into some interesting discussions with your children about these issues.
The Day The Earth Stood Still has violence, no bad language and no sex. It should be fine for children 11 and up who are not prone to nightmares or will not be scared by a giant, indestructible robot, or little metal flies that eat everything in their path. This is a good movie to see with your children. Don’t forget the grandparents!
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AUSTRALIA (Running time: 2 hours & 45 minutes) 120808
Rated PG-13 Starring Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman
Australia is like a western epic of years ago. It’s grand, sweeping, dramatic and beautiful. Set in pre-WWII Australia, “Mrs. Boss” (Kidman), an English aristocrat, arrives to run the cattle ranch she has inherited. She meets up with Drover (Jackman) a cattle driver. They join forces to beat out the corrupt competition and drive their cattle to market.
Mrs. Boss, who was going to sell the ranch and return to England, falls in love with the land, Drover and a young Aborigine orphan boy. The constant battle against the bad guys keeps the movie at a fast pace. Then, Darwin, the town, is bombed by the Japanese shortly after they bomb Pearl Harbor. With the town in ruins, the military comes to evacuate the remaining folks.
There is much good and evil, racial prejudice, class prejudice and dirty tricks going on – Aboriginal children are taken from their parents and put into work camps where they are taught how to be servants. This enforced servitude is a central theme in the movie.
Australia sets the flavor of the time. With period costumes, cars, furniture and all you really feel like you’re there. There are many good messages in this movie, about equality and honesty. There is violence and murder but no blood. There is one brief sex scene without nudity and some bad language.
This rip-roaring Western-flavored film is quite long, but the time flies as you get sucked in and care about the characters. Australia is a fine film for a cold, winter Saturday or Sunday afternoon at the movies with your child of 11 or older. Younger children may not be able to sit still for this almost 3-hour movie.
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THE BLACK BALLOON (Running time: 1 hour 37 minutes) 120808
Rated PG-13 Starring Rhys Wakefield, Toni Collette, Luke Ford, Erik Thomson, Gemma Ward
How would you feel if you were about to turn 16, you moved to a new town where you knew no one, you had a pregnant mom and an autistic older brother who also had ADD? This is Thomas’ story and that is his predicament.
Being the new kid is hard enough, but when you have to hide the fact that you have a “weird” brother that people will taunt and not understand, it is so much more difficult. Underneath, Thomas loves Charlie, his autistic brother, but he feels neglected and resentful of him. His parents, two wonderful characters who accept their fate with equanimity, even if they do spend 90 per cent of their time on Charlie, are models of love and acceptance.
But Charlie is an embarrassment to Thomas, especially when he slowly forms a friendship with a girl at school. Charlie does many unexpected and outrageous things. This made me feel a little bit how difficult it must be to live with someone who is so unpredictable. This is a lovely movie about love, acceptance and coping with what life hands you. The Black Balloon (strange name!) should be really good for teens of 13 or 14 and over who can understand the issues. It is especially appropriate for children with handicapped siblings and their parents and grandparents, as it is written from the point of view of the teen.
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FOUR CHRISTMASES (Running time: 82 minutes) 120108
Rated PG-13 Starring Reese Witherspoon, Vince Vaughn, Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, Jon Voight
Despite all the hype about how great Christmas is, some people dread going home because being with their families is a negative experience. That’s what Four Christmases is about. So Kate (Witherspoon) and Brad (Vaughn) lie to their families and head to beautiful beaches to spend a happy Christmas alone together. But bad weather spoils their plans and their families insist they come by, if just for a couple of hours.
With both sets of parents being divorced, Kate and Brad have four separate families to visit. Just as you’re wondering, “How bad can these families be,” you see that they are really awful. I was uncomfortable watching the treatment Kate and Brad received. It isn’t long before you understand why they flee during the holidays.
Because of their “family phobia”, Kate and Brad decided not to get married and not to have children. When Kate changes her mind, she and Brad go their separate ways. The most poignant moment in the movie for me was when Brad went to his dad’s house after the breakup. His father (Duvall), a mean, nasty, selfish old man, applauds Brad’s decision. The next thing we see is Brad returning to Kate, deciding that he didn’t want to be like his dad.
Much of the humor in Four Christmases made me uncomfortable because it was always at someone’s expense. There is some violence when the brothers “wrestle” with Brad, sexual references but no bad language. The theme is adult. Four Christmases is not a rip-roaring comedy and is not really appropriate for children under 12 or 13. Older children can empathize with being embarrassed by their parents and siblings.
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TRANSPORTER 3 (Running time: 100 minutes) 120108
Rated PG-13 Starring Jason Statham, Natalya Rudakova, François Berléand
Frank Martin (Statham) should go into another business. It seems all the transporting he does is at gunpoint for people who want to kill him. Doesn’t sound like a good business, but it sure makes for an action-packed, exciting movie.
The movie starts off with a terrific car chase a great martial arts fight and Frank turning down a bad guy. Then the job, transporting a young Russian woman who is a hostage, ends up falling into his lap. The twist is that Frank and the girl are cuffed with a powerful explosive that will detonate if either one gets more than 75 feet from the car.
As usual, Transporter 3 is packed with incredible stunts and fabulously choreographed martial arts battles where Frank is outnumbered at least five or six to one. The plot is the same with all these movies: bad people are trying to control Frank and Frank is always busting his way out. Still, the action will have you riveted. I don’t want to spoil it by telling too much. It’s not that Frank prevails, but how he does it that has style.
There is tons of violence here. Some implied sex and little or no bad language. For Frank Martin fans, it’s a “don’t miss.” I enjoyed it. Transporter 3 is best for boys who are old enough to understand the violence, say maybe 30 or 40 years old? Well, at least 13 or 14.
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MADAGASCAR – ESCAPE 2 AFRICA (Running time 89 minutes) 112408
Rated PG Animated with the voices of: Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett Smith, Sasha Baron Cohen, and David Schwimmer
The first Madagascar was a delight, funny, clever, warm with great music. This second version isn’t quite as good as it has a complicated plot, but the humor, warmth and good music are still there. The movie begins with Alex the baby lion being taken by hunters, freed by his father but lost in a river. He drifts all the way to New York where he thrives and becomes the Alex we knew in the first movie. This separation of parent and child may be upsetting to some children.
Madagascar 2 is fast-paced with subplots galore. I love Julian the King critter and the hilarious penguins. The four New York City zoo animals decide to return to New York and take off in their old airplane, launched with a giant rubber band.
After a safe crash landing, they end up in Africa near the animal reserve where Alex’s parents live. They are reunited. The animals discover others of the same species and all is well. There are subplots about a jealous lion and a group of lost tourists. While it all may be a little confusing to younger children, they will enjoy the bright colors, funny antics and toe-tapping music. There were many young children in the theater and even the scene with a big shark in it didn’t seem to scare them.
There is a little violence, no sex or bad language. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa should be fine for children 7 and up and parents as well.
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ROLE MODELS (Running time: 95 minutes) 112408
Rated R Starring Paul Rudd, Seann William Scott, Elizabeth Banks
While I don’t usually review “R” rated movies, I’m sure that plenty of boys under 17 will be begging to see this movie. So I think it is a good idea to review it.
Raunchy, stupid and phony aptly describe Role Models. The movie takes bad language to a new high, or should I say low? Every other word is the “f” word. Even the kids in the movie swear.
Role Models is about two losers, an optimist and a pessimist who get into trouble and have to do community service to avoid jail. They are paired in a “big brother” type situation with two difficult kids. One is a 10 year old foul-mouthed brat and the other lives in a fantasy world of knights and battles.
Our two “heroes” don’t want to be there and can’t relate to the kids. They mess things up and are on the way back to jail when they try to make amends. Of course the kids take them back and the men see the errors of their ways and are nice to the kids. How believable is that?
The last time I saw a character as selfish, morally bankrupt and stupid as these two was when I saw Drillbit Taylor, another waste-of-time movie. There is some violence, several sexual situations and constant bad language. The movie treats women as total sex objects. There is bathroom humor and drug humor. Role Model is a role model for bad taste with no redeeming qualities. It’s not fit for children of any age or adults either. Do yourself a favor, stay home.
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MAX PAYNE (Running time 99 minutes)102608
Rated PG Starring Mark Wahlberg, Beau Bridges, Chris “Ludicris” Bridges
Taken from a video game, Max Payne is about a police officer bent on avenging the death of his wife and baby. It’s been several years, but Max has not forgotten. Every night he scours the city for new leads. He is bitter, uncommunicative and mercilessly violent.
The city and the movie are very dark almost sepia toned – reminiscent of Sin City - with little color or sunshine. It’s always snowing and the movie takes place mostly at night. It was so cold on the screen that I began to feel cold and zipped up my jacket. This setting added a frigid aspect to the heartless, casual violence.
Evil characters are around every corner, lying in wait for Max. Nothing deters him and nothing stops him until he gets the truth. The plot takes several turns but I ended up guessing who the big bad guy was before it was revealed. There is so much violence I don’t know why it’s PG-13 and not “R”. There are scary Valkyries in shadow flying around during death scenes. There is some bad language but no sex. The one scene where a young woman tries to seduce Max is sordid and depressing, not sexy. She doesn’t succeed.
Perhaps this type of story and violence plays better in video games. I came out of the theater feeling empty, like I had wasted my time. Max Payne should be okay for boys 13 or 14 and older. I doubt girls will like this movie or most adults, either.
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HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3: SENIOR YEAR(Running time: 100 minutes)102608
Rated G Starring Zac Efron, Ashley Tisdale, Vanessa Hudgins, Corbin Bleu, Monique Coleman
I don’t know when I’ve been to a more delightful movie that was cheerful, bursting with lively music and dancing and colorful beyond belief. Oh, yes, Mamma Mia comes to mind.
Finally! A “G” rated movie that isn’t boring! High School Musical 3: Senior Year is the story of these high schoolers and their college choices, romances trials and tribulations while putting on an original high school musical before they graduate.
The innocent love of Troy and Gabriela is set to the beat of original songs with cool dancing thrown in. The joyful, energetic spirit of this movie and irresistible beat of the music made me smile and dance in my seat. While the issues are definitely high school, there were much younger children in the audience enjoying the movie. While kids as young as seven might not understand the issues, they will love the music and dancing. Rarely do we find a movie you can take younger kids to that won’t make you fall asleep. It’s like taking your children to a Broadway musical for the price of a movie ticket.
With no violence, no bad language and no sex, High School Musical 3: Senior Year, is refreshing, cheerful and breezy -- the perfect Saturday afternoon flick for families with kids seven and up and grandparents, too.
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CITY OF EMBER (Running time 95 minutes)101908
Rated PG Starring Bill Murray, Saoirse Ronan, Harry Treadaway, Tim Robbins
This dark adventure movie adapted from a book is a bit slow and hard to follow at times but the pace picks up toward the end. Two children living in an underground city seek to break out because the generator that keeps the city alive is running out of steam.
The dark and intricate sets are as fascinating as they are depressing. Imagine living in a city that only has artificial light! There is one scary creature that appears from time to time. There is little other violence, no sex and no bad language. City of Ember is a good movie to see with a smart 10 year old who is not prone to nightmares.
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THE EXPRESS (Running time: 129 minutes)101908
Rated PG Starring Rob Brown, Dennis Quaid, Omar Benson Miller, Charles S. Dutton
I’m always a sucker for an inspirational sports story based on a real life hero like Ernie Davis (Brown), the first African American to win the Heisman Trophy in football. Though there are few surprises here, the story is wonderful, the acting is fine and the football scenes are exciting. The ending is sad, but learning about this outstanding man and his family is worth it. There is some violence and fighting, an almost sex scene and a little bad language. It should be fine for all football fans 10 and up.
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