Movie Review: Ghost Town

I like action flicks so for a non action movie to make it onto my list of must see movies it has to be VERY good.  This movie surprised me.  It is lol (laugh out loud) funny! It is a love story, and it has a message for all of us:  “Only a life lived for others is worth living.”-Albert Einstein

GO see this movie with your wife or husband or significant other!  Let us know what you think of it. 

BTW-Please let us know if you have good movie recommendations for tweeners (ages 10-12).

Appropriate movies for tweeners: 11-13 year old kids

As I have mentioned in the past, I continue to struggle to solve the tension between my 11 year old son’s desire to watch all PG 13 movies that his friends get to watch and my concerns about his exposure to unhealthy material.  I have yet to find a reliable list or review source to give me a clear thumbs up or down on movies appropriate for tweeners: 11 to 13 year olds.

The best 2 resources are: plugged in and rotten tomatoes but they still are not always accurate or clear in their recommendations.

Plugged In

Rotten Tomatoes

Kids-in-mind

Anyone have a reliable list or recommendations for good tweener movies?

Movie Review: The Dark Knight

pros:

  • Batman volunteers himself to be the scapegoat in the end
  • Batman never compromises his ethics
  • The people on the boats choose the ethical high ground

cons:

  • Joker’s monologues are very sinister and creepy
  • very dark and violent movie

If I had seen this movie first without my 11 year old, I would have not allowed him to see it.  Unfortunately we saw it together.  We did have some good discussions afterwards about the redeeming parts of the movie.  I have decided to screen all PG 13 movies that my 11 year old wants to see before going to see them with him rather than rely on the reviews of others.

What do you think? Do you have any recommendations for tweener movies?

I have subsequently found a very interesting in depth review of Dark Knight by Greg Boyd…see what you think….

Movie Review: Penelope

A movie with a great message: 1 Samuel 16:7 

Penelope’s mom and society at large look at her pig nose and find her wanting.  Her mom continues to tell her that she is not her nose, but by her actions, shows Penelope that her looks are very important.   The culmunating moment in the movie is when pig nosed Penelope realizes that she likes herself just the way she is despite her mom’s constant emphasis that her outward looks are not a part of her and can be ‘fixed’, and when her pig nose gets ‘fixed’ life will finally be good.

The inward/heart is what is important and we as parents must continue to show our unconditional love and the importance of the heart and not the outward appearance.

Probably a good movie for teens and tweeners.  Does have a scary witch in the beginning casting a curse and a women committing suicide because she feels unloved (brief scene that sets up reason why Penelope has a pig nose-due to a curse).