Proving that Disney isn't the only name in the celluloid fairy tale business, this movie features a touching story, excellent performances, and a wonderful closing song. Fans of the recent remakes from the House of Mouse should check this out. I waited a while to see this, but it was worth it.
Content Concerns:
Sex: Kissing; mild sexual comments, including some about a man's appearance; a man licks a woman because he thinks he is a dog. 3/5
Nudity: Off-the-shoulder dresses; slight cleavage; shirtless guy; a woman briefly seen in a bikini-like outfit. 3/5
Language: Name-calling and one or two misuses of God's name. 4/5
Violence: A few brawls, including a sword fight; no blood or gore, though. 3/5
Drugs: A poisoned apple. 4/5
Frightening/Intense Scenes: The queen tries to kill her stepdaughter; a scary monster; scary puppet-like creatures. 3/5
Other: Usage of magic throughout; a bit of crude humor. 3/5
Score: 4/5
OH, MY GOODNESS! This movie really inspired me, and taught me a very big lesson: If you look for perfection in everyone, you're going to be disappointed! The performances--both acting and singing--were great, and Ricky Ullman did a very good job playing a much different role than Phil Diffy. While I won't give away the ending, I will say that it almost made me cry...and movies don't usually do that to me, much less DCOMs! Disney Channel fans, go watch this...NOW!
Content Concerns:
Sex: Two brief kisses; mildly suggestive dance moves. 4/5
Nudity: Young women are often seen in midriff-baring outfits. 3/5
Language: One or two misuses of God's name. 4/5
Violence: A near-car accident; a girl falls off a stage and nearly dies. 4/5
Drugs: None. 5/5
Frightening/Intense Scenes: This movie is rife with emotional intensity, especially the ending. 1/5
Score: 5/5
Why do the Veggies need another Easter episode? They did An Easter Carol, and it was perfectly fine; why do it again? Everything about this episode is up to the usual standard: the animation is great, the voice work is good, and it brings home a very good moral point. However, it all seems unnecessary. Only VeggieTales fanatics should bother with this.
Content Concerns: A couple of brief bits of bathroom humor and a reference to baptism by sprinkling were a bit surprising for this series.
Score: 3/5
Despite growing up on kid-friendly '90's flicks ranging from Beauty and the Beast to Beethoven, this was my first time seeing any of the Free Willy movies. What did I think? It was cute and touching, particularly the ending. Willy was a likable "killer whale," and it makes a great point about the danger of keeping feral animals in captivity. In short, if you like cutesy animal flicks, this is worth checking out.
Content Concerns:
Sex: Brief, slight kissing. 4/5
Nudity: A boy is seen shirtless briefly; a woman in a bare-midriff outfit; a postcard with women in bikinis seen from the back is shown twice. 3/5
Language: Other than one or two misuses of God's name, language is no worse than "shut up," "crap," or "screw". 4/5
Violence: Kids are chased by police; a kid throws a baseball through a window in anger; bad guys try to kill an innocent animal. 3/5
Drugs: None. 5/5
Frightening/Intense Scenes: This movie is rife with emotional intensity; Willy cries a lot, and is a very emotional animal. There is also strife between the human characters as well. 2/5
Other: A Native American prayer is said; talk of evolution. 4/5
Score: 4/5
While I was never too into playing with actual Lego blocks, I have enjoyed the associated media for quite a while. Back in the day, I had a blast playing their version of the Star Wars prequels on my Nintendo GameCube. More recently, I laughed and smiled throughout The Yoda Chronicles. This one is a bit more serious than that show--it isn't a parody--but is extremely well-done. The voice work, the soundtrack--particularly incorporating the original Batman and Superman themes--and especially the animation are all fabulous. Even if you don't normally do Legos, superhero fans in general should check this one out.
Content Concerns:
Sex: None. 5/5
Nudity: A Lego woman in a low-cut outfit, made less sultry by the animation style. 4/5
Language: Name-calling. 4/5
Violence: Superhero action violence throughout; the heroes, villains, and others get hit, kicked, punched, smashed, blasted, etc., countless times. I think an appropriate rating for this would be "TV-Y7-FV". 3/5
Drugs: Joker uses gas to get people to do what he wants. 4/5
Frightening/Intense Scenes: Scenes of peril; scary villains; a scary-looking robot; an overall dark mood. 2/5
Score: 5/5
Bella Thorne and Zendaya (Shake It Up) are easily one of Disney Channel's best duos; they made this movie for me. The other stories were cute, too; even though we've seen the Prince and the Pauper switch countless times, this film's version of it was rather fun, and the first story with the dog was enjoyable as well. Disney Channel fans who haven't seen this yet should; it's a little bit different than usual DCOM fare, but it was still great.
Content Concerns:
Sex: Totally innocent romance; crushes. 4/5
Nudity: Girls and women in off-the-shoulder dresses that sometimes show a lot of leg; occasional slight cleavage. 4/5
Language: Name-calling. 4/5
Violence: Comedic pratfalls. 4/5
Drugs: None. 5/5
Frightening/Intense Scenes: Emotional intensity at times. 4/5
Other: Bodily function humor. 4/5
Score: 4/5
While I enjoyed the old-school art style and the cute story, the soundtrack and some of the voice work--especially Jon's--left something to be desired. I'd say stick with Garfield and Friends.
Content Concerns:
Sex: None. 5/5
Nudity: None. 5/5
Language: Name-calling. 4/5
Violence: Comedic pratfalls. 4/5
Drugs: A reference to smoking. 4/5
Frightening/Intense Scenes: A pet almost gets euthanized; some emotional intensity. 3/5
Other: Garfield is a bit of a glutton. 4/5
Score: 3/5
Seeing the Veggies in hand-drawn form is different, but this episode was definitely fun, if a bit silly at times. The short at the end wasn't that great, but the main episode was good. VeggieTales fans should find plenty to like about this.
Content Concerns: The main concerns are slapstick violence and a mildly creepy villain.
Score: 3.5/5
This one was interesting. The main character starts off as a mean girl, but becomes a Christian and renounces her sinful ways after a week at Camp Harlow. Too many movies (Facing the Giants, Grace Unplugged) feature a protagonist who finds God, and all of a sudden he/she has the perfect life. Not so with Alex; her father is mad at her for becoming a Christian, and her friends leave her. However, she does end up with a significant other, which kind of undoes that. While it's definitely not the best Christian movie I've seen, trust me when I say I've seen a lot worse: C Me Dance, Hollow, etc.
Content Concerns: I won't do my usual listing; the only thing I'll mention is that the young women in this movie, including the Christians, have a penchant for wearing short shorts. While modesty seems to be encouraged at the camp--Alex is prohibited from wearing a bikini--it still may be inappropriate eye candy for some male viewers.
Score: 3.5/5
The Hunger Games is a dystopian young adult book series that became a blockbuster film series. Usually, I don't bother much with popular movies unless they fall into the sci-fi/fantasy or superhero genres, but, I made an exception for these movies some years ago, and I'm glad I did. It's easy to see why this series has captivated moviegoers worldwide, especially given the state of our country and our planet. Modern screen legend Jennifer Lawrence excelled as heroine Katniss, and everyone else did very well; Haymitch has always reminded me of former dc Talk member Kevin Max, for some reason. There wasn't any profanity, and one brief kiss was about as sexual as it got, both of which are shocking for a "PG-13" film. I honestly wish I had the sequel on hand; I can't wait to see what happens next. By now, I would think all fans of the franchise have already seen this; if you're unfamiliar with these movies, you definitely should check them out...but, they're not for the faint of heart!
Content Concerns:
Sex: One brief kiss; a girl invites a guy to snuggle with her in bed, only for her to wake up and find that it's a dream. 4/5
Nudity: None. 5/5
Language: Nothing worse than "shut up" or "horse manure," which is shocking for a "PG-13". 4/5
Violence: People are shot dead; scenes of massively destructed towns; a bombing or two; a guy attacks a young woman, and she ends up with a neck injury as a result. 2/5
Drugs: Alcohol and prohibition are mentioned; nobody actually drinks, though. 4/5
Frightening/Intense Scenes: The whole tone of the movie is dark; the scenes showing destructed towns; the aforementioned attack; frankly, there's little here that isn't intense. 1/5
Score: 4.5/5
It was okay, but Garfield and Friends is much more enjoyable. Tubby Tabby fans can do much better.
Content Concerns:
Sex: Catcalls; a near-kiss. 4/5
Nudity: Jon is seen shirtless and in his boxers; guys are seen in trunks; women are seen in low-cut dresses and bikinis; however, the cartoony style makes it less sultry. 3/5
Language: Name-calling. 4/5
Violence: Comedic pratfalls. 4/5
Drugs: None. 5/5
Frightening/Intense Scenes: None. 5/5
Score: 2.5/5
This movie was FABULOUS! China Anne McClain (A.N.T. Farm) and Kelli Berglund (Lab Rats) were the perfect she-geeks, and the rest of the cast also did quite well. The plot kept me wondering, and the ending was very sweet. This DCOM makes me proud to be a Disney Channel fan.
Content Concerns:
Sex: Flirting; one near-kiss. 4/5
Nudity: Shirtless guy; girls in short shorts and off-the-shoulder dresses. 4/5
Language: Name-calling, at worst. 4/5
Violence: A brief human/robot fisticuff; a robot self-destructs; some rough-and-tumble sports action. 3/5
Drugs: None. 5/5
Frightening/Intense Scenes: Some emotional intensity. 4/5
Score: 5/5
One of the reasons dystopian movie franchises such as Hunger Games or Divergent are frightening are because they paint a picture of an all-too-possible future for our country and our planet. This movie is even scarier--possibly even the scariest I've ever seen--because it shows a world where Christians are tortured and executed for their faith. Of course, that's been happening for a while; you read about it in the Bible, you hear about it in other countries, and even the Columbine shooters notoriously killed at least two young women for being Christians. Still, this is even grimmer than that. This isn't a Rapture movie; that would actually be less scary because the Christians wouldn't be around to see the horrors of persecution for their faith. With the way the world is going--seriously, just look at the news!--we could be living this movie in a matter of years. The question is: Would YOU be willing to die for your faith?
Content Concerns: I won't do my usual listing, but, I will say that the violence can be bloody at times, and there are at least two profanities.
Score: 4/5
Charles Dickens' classic Yuletide plot may have been done dozens of times, but this is one of the best adaptations of "A Christmas Carol" I've ever seen. Not only was it entertaining and uplifting, but it encouraged me to make some changes so that I don't end up alone one day like Carol nearly did. Great stuff!
Content Concerns:
Sex: One kiss; "shacking up" is implied. 3/5
Nudity: Occasional slight cleavage. 4/5
Language: One or two h-words; two or three misuses of God's name. 3/5
Violence: Comedic pratfalls. 4/5
Drugs: Alcohol is consumed quite frequently. 3/5
Frightening/Intense Scenes: Emotional intensity throughout; Carol starts out as a very mean lady; Carol jumps from a building to escape from her visions, but simply ends up on her couch at home. 2/5
Score: 4/5
While not quite as good as Saul: Journey to Damascus, this movie does a great job of telling the story of the greatest missionary who ever lived. While the production values aren't the best, the film's heart shines through, and having a large cast and realistic sets were a nice bonus. Fans of Bible movies will probably enjoy this.
Content Concerns: I won't do my usual listing, but, I will say that some of the violence is bloody, and the exorcism scene is a bit freaky.
Score: 3.5/5
I'm a longtime fan of the late Madeleine L'Engle, but I much prefer her Time Quintet to any of her other books. Still, since this is one of only two celluloid adaptations of her works ever made, I gave this one a shot. It was fun to see a young Mischa Barton (The O.C.) and Scarlett Pomers (Reba, Star Trek: Voyager), and the fantasy-tinged plot was decent. Unfortunately, Barton turned out to be an annoying leading lady, and I still found this one hard to finish. Fans of the book may feel differently.
Content Concerns:
Sex: Innocent romance; one kiss. 4/5
Nudity: The female lead has a penchant for off-the-shoulder, bare-midriff, or low-cut outfits; shirtless guys are also seen. 3/5
Language: An occasional misuse of God's name. 4/5
Violence: Animals and people in dangerous situations; a guy nearly drowns. 3/5
Drugs: None. 5/5
Frightening/Intense Scenes: The aforementioned dangerous situations; the grandfather dies at the end. 2/5
Score: 2.5/5
Okay, so, a little personal history: Some years ago, I randomly came across the Alex Rider series while browsing the stacks at the library. I listened to the first book on audio, loved it, and reviewed it on Amazon. Some time later, that infamous shopping website recommended the Maximum Ride series to me because of my review. So, I soon checked it out...and loved it! In fact, the third book was so good, it got my adrenaline pumping while reading it on a family vacation! There had been talk of a movie franchise based on the books for a while, and I kept hoping to see a trailer or poster for it at the movies. I'd kind of given up hope until a month or two ago, when the big announcement that a film version had been released on iTunes came up on my Facebook news feed. I soon bought it, and finally got around to watching it yesterday and today.
What did I think? It was good...but, given the nature of the franchise, it could have been better. The acting was great, and the action sequences were wonderful...but, the ending was weird, and I'm not even sure what the final scene was supposed to mean. If there is a celluloid sequel, I hope that clears up whatever was implied there. If you're a fan of Max and crew like I am, you might enjoy this...but, people unfamiliar with the franchise may find some parts of the movie confusing.
Content Concerns:
Sex: One near kiss. 4/5
Nudity: Shirtless guy; Max wears both bare-midriff outfits and tops with slits in the sides that show off her bra throughout. 2/5
Language: One or two misuses of God's name; three or four uses of the d-word; one use of the h-word. 3/5
Violence: Sci-fi action violence abounds; multiple fisticuffs, explosions, etc., that result in the death of at least one character. Though intense, the violence is not bloody or gory, save for one bloody scene where a character is shot. 2/5
Drugs: None. 5/5
Frightening/Intense Scenes: An overall dark mood; scary humanoid monsters with fangs; a child is kidnapped; a man threatens a woman; emotional intensity; there's little in this film that isn't intense. 1/5
Score: 3.5/5
A fun way to spend thirty minutes, though you probably won't remember it after too long. The soundtrack was kind of dumb, but it was cute for what it was, especially for Garfield fans like me.
Content Concerns:
Sex: Garfield makes catcalls at female felines. 4/5
Nudity: None. 5/5
Language: Name-calling. 4/5
Violence: Some mild slapstick; a brief, non-bloody melee. 4/5
Drugs: Liz administers a shot to a dog. 4/5
Frightening/Intense Scenes: The brief melee; a bit of emotional intensity; the street cats are mildly scary; a jump scene. 2/5
Other: Occasional crude humor. 4/5
Score: 3/5
Maybe I'm just a sucker for movies, but I actually enjoyed this one. It's very different from the book, but that's actually a good thing; despite its constant presence on the bestseller lists, the original Left Behind books were rather shoddily written. This movie actually kept me interested through the end, which isn't what I was expecting from such a critically panned flick. Granted, most of Pure Flix's films are better than this, but I still liked it.
Content Concerns: I won't do my usual listing, but I will say that there were some surprising misuses of God's name, as well as one s-word. Emotional intensity and violence are seen throughout. Of course Rapture theology is present.
Score: 3/5
Disney Channel Original Movies are a wonder to behold. Usually more dramatic than the network's shows, they often take serious issues and handle them in an honest yet kid-friendly way. The story of a teenage boy and girl switching bodies may sound like a sleazy comedy, but this telefilm is both morally grounded and very touching. When done correctly, movies can be parables of sorts, and that's just what this one is. The cast did very well, and the production values are great. In short, if you're a Mouse network fan, and haven't seen this...you should.
Content Concerns:
Sex: While there is some mention of the awkwardness of opposite gender teenagers switching bodies, it is handled with "PG" decorum. 3/5
Nudity: Guy in towel; girl in swimsuit; girls in short-skirted dance outfits. 3/5
Language: Mostly name-calling, though there was one use of the acronym "OMG". 4/5
Violence: Rough-and-tumble hockey action; a scene of bullying. 3/5
Drugs: None. 5/5
Frightening/Intense Scenes: Along with the bullying scene, this movie is rife with emotional intensity. 1/5
Other: New Age philosophy is referenced; two characters belch. 3/5
Score: 4/5
One of many re-imaginings of the "tale as old as time," this one replaces the aspects of fairy tale magic with faith-based content. Instead of being a cut-rate Christian film like the dreck that was C Me Dance, however, this one features outstanding production values: great sets, wonderful performances, a good soundtrack...everything you'd hope for from a movie like this. The main theme--that no one is beyond redemption--is as timely as ever. Fans of Christian cinema should definitely check this one out; you're in for a treat.
Content Concerns: I won't do my usual listing, but, I will say that the emotional intensity throughout may be too much for some people, especially one character's flagrant displays of anger at the start.
Score: 4.5/5
While this is different than usual VeggieTales fare, I mostly enjoyed this one. The animation was very well-done, and the story imparts a moral that kids and even many adults need to hear. However, the "short" at the end about the fly went on too long, and kind of messed up the experience for me. Still, for what it was, it was good.
Content Concerns:
Sex: None. 5/5
Nudity: None. 5/5
Language: None. 5/5
Violence: Slapstick and cartoony action violence throughout. 3/5
Drugs: None. 5/5
Frightening/Intense Scenes: The villain, and the people getting angry with one another. 3/5
Score: 3.5/5
WOW! This is one of the best Christian movies I've seen in a while! A convoluted plot that kept me wondering what was going to happen next; wonderful performances from all of the actors, especially the female lead; elaborate sets; an ending that made me smile...seriously, this movie was fabulous! The only thing preventing me from giving this the highest possible score is that the ending could have been trimmed a bit; other than that, I really enjoyed it! I hope they make more movies based on the novels of Beverly Lewis in the future!
Content Concerns: I won't do my usual listing, but, I will say that this film is rife with emotional intensity.
Score: 4.5/5
This second Thor movie--and one of the countless Marvel flicks in recent years--is very gripping and features amazing performances, especially from Natalie Portman, whose role is much different than in the Star Wars prequels, and Kat Dennings. Fans of comic book films expect action, adventure, and heroism, and they get plenty of that here. Thor himself is as likable and gentlemanly as ever, and the various villains are utterly despicable, which is kind of the point. The ending knocked my socks off. As superhero fantasies go, this is probably among the best I've seen, not to mention the cleanest; while there's plenty of violence, it isn't graphic, kissing and one stray remark is about as sexual as it gets, and profanity is kept to a minimum...for a "PG-13," anyway. If you enjoyed the first Thor flick and the other films featuring the Avengers, this is for you. Just be sure you stay tuned after the credits.
Content Concerns:
Sex: Kissing, sometimes passionate; a stray remark about infidelity. 3/5
Nudity: A man is seen naked twice in a news broadcast; his private anatomy is pixelated, however. 3/5
Language: Two or three uses each of the d-word and h-word; one usage of the s-word combined with "holy," and another near usage of the same expression. 3/5
Violence: As you'd expect, this movie is rife with battle scenes and action sequences. Several characters are killed or nearly killed by being impaled, squashed, etc. Buildings are destroyed. All of this is done without blood or gore, though. 2/5
Drugs: Alcohol is drank and referenced. 4/5
Frightening/Intense Scenes: Along with the violence, some of the otherworldly creatures are rather scary, and there is some emotional intensity after two different characters' deaths. 1/5
Other: While not exactly negative, characters speaking in an alien language with English subtitles may cause problems for those with reading disabilities. 4/5
Score: 4/5
I've never actually watched UpTV, but I was of the belief that they are a Christian network. While there was nothing offensive in this movie, there was nothing explicitly Christian either. Other than vague references to God and heaven, about the only reference to the Way was a Christian fish on the back of the main character's car. It was still cute and rather family-friendly, but it wasn't quite what I was expecting. The best part was the ending when--spoiler alert!--the geeky guy gets the pretty girl.
Content Concerns: Other than the expected emotional intensity, the only negative aspect was the wardrobe of some of the women, particularly Headley and her mother, who often wore low-cut tops and tiny shorts. It's a shame that such a sweet family movie couldn't have also had a dedication to modesty.
Score: 3/5
Cute for what it was. It was a bit repetitive, but I still enjoyed it. The animation, as usual, was fabulous.
Like many kids of my generation, I grew up watching Disney productions on television and VHS tape...but I was always more partial to the live-action flicks. My favorites were George of the Jungle, Flubber, and My Favorite Martian, not Aladdin, The Lion King, or Beauty and the Beast. Lately, the House of Mouse has decided to go back to its roots by recreating their beloved animated classics in live action form, and, I have to say, this one was done very well. The special effects were excellent, the performances outstanding--especially by Helena Bonham Carter, whose role here was much different than in the Harry Potter flicks--and the story kept me interested, even though we all know how it ends. Better yet, an ethnically diverse cast and a stronger heroine made this an improvement on the original. All in all, great stuff.
Content Concerns: I won't do my usual listing; all I'll say is that, as you might expect, the makers kept things pretty clean here. No sex; no profanity, save for one misuse of the Lord's name; violence is limited to comedic pratfalls; all in all, usual Disney fare. The one exception is the wardrobe: Cinderella and other women wear low-cut outfits throughout. That's the only negative aspect of the film, really; it's a shame it had to be included.
Score: 4/5
While I appreciate the message this movie has, it's hard to get past the poor production values. The acting is terrible, the filming is shoddy, and there's so much narration from the title character, I felt like I was listening to an audiobook. Whatever happened to "show, don't tell"? Even the closed captions were full of mistakes. Fans of Christian cinema can do much better than this; it's not quite the mess that C Me Dance was, but it's pretty close.
Like the Bible itself, this epic drama stands the test of time. For more, read my review:
http://rwlreviews.blogspot.com/2015/08/movie-review-david-and-bathsheba.html
Not quite what I was expecting. For more, see the review:
http://rwlreviews.blogspot.com/2015/08/movie-review-garage-sale-mystery.html
