Originally written for The Milpitas Post Directed by: Tony Scott Starring: Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, Marc Anthony, Radha Mitchell, Christopher Walken Rated: R for language and strong violence. Parental notes: This film is full of very strong, on-screen violence. The first half of the film is thoughtful and very well done but the second half includes dismemberment, torture, and plenty of gore. Older teens may like it if they can get past the poor storytelling.
Originally written for The Milpitas Post Directed by: Michael Lembeck Starring: Nia Vardalos, Toni Collette, David Duchovny, Stephen Spinella Rated: PG-13 for thematic elements, sexual humor and drug references. Parental Notes: Parents who aren’t worried about the subject matter (drag queens and mobsters) will find nothing to object to in this sweet, fluffy comedy.
Originally written for The Milpitas Post Directed by: Kevin Bray Starring: The Rock, Johnny Knoxville, Neal McDonough, John Beasley, Barbara Tarbuck, Kristen Wilson Rated: PG-13 for sequences of intense violence, sexual content, drug material and language Parental Notes: This is a hard PG-13, much closer to an R. Teens will probably like it but some sequences, including one torture scene, may be too intense for preteens.
Originally written for The Milpitas Post Directed by: Guillermo del Toro Starring: Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Karel Roden, Rupert Evans, John Hurt, Doug Jones Rated: PG-13 for sci-fi action violence and frightening images. Parental Notes: There’s plenty of violence here, but it’s comic-book style and mostly harmless for the teen and mature preteen set.
Directed by: Todd Phillips Starring: Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Juliette Lewis, Snoop Dog Rated: PG-13 for drug content, sexual situations, partial nudity, language and some violence. Parental Notes: most of the film is innocuous, and although teens may not get all the 70s references, they’ll probably find it amusing.
Directed by: Charles Dutton Starring: Meg Ryan, Omar Epps, Charles Dutton, Tony Shalhoub, Joe Cortese, Kerry Washington Rated: PG-13 for crude language, violence, brief sensuality and some drug material. Parental Notes: Although the boxing sequences in this picture may be a bit intense for some youngsters, this film should be fine for most preteens. It also provides a positive female role model, one who learns from her mistakes and isn’t too proud to say she’s sorry.
Directed by: Brian Robbins Starring: Erika Christensen, Chris Evans, Bryan Greenberg, Scarlett Johansson, Darius Miles, Leonardo Nam Rated: PG-13 (for language, sexual content, and some drug references) Parental Notes: Although some parents may worry about the central premise of the film – stealing the answers to the SAT – this is an innocuous teen flick. There is some sexual innuendo and a bit of foul language, but nothing overly objectionable for the teen or pre-teen set. Indeed, this might serve as a good springboard for discussion about standardized testing and its fairness.
Originally written for The Milpitas Post.Written and Directed by: Eric Bress and J. Mackye Gruber Starring: Ashton Kutcher, Amy Smart, Elden Henson, William Lee Scott, Eric Stoltz Rated: R for violence, sexual content, language and brief drug use. Parental Notes: This is an intense and often very disturbing film with images of child and animal abuse and some very distressing sequences. Mature teens may find the philosophy interesting, but it’s too intense for younger folks.
Directed by: Brian Robbins Starring: Erika Christensen, Chris Evans, Bryan Greenberg, Scarlett Johansson, Darius Miles, Leonardo Nam Rated: PG-13 (for language, sexual content, and some drug references) Parental Notes: Although some parents may worry about the central premise of the film – stealing the answers to the SAT – this is an innocuous teen flick. There is some sexual innuendo and a bit of foul language, but nothing overly objectionable for the teen or pre-teen set. Indeed, this might serve as a good springboard for discussion about standardized testing and its fairness.
Originally written for The Milpitas Post Directed by: John Hamburg Starring: Ben Stiller, Jennifer Aniston, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Debra Messing Rated: PG-13 for sexual content, language, crude humor and some drug references. Parental Notes: There’s plenty of toilet humor here, but not much else objectionable for the preteen or teen set.