ShareThisTuesday, November 21, 2006
A guide to movies from a family perspective:
"Casino Royale"
_ Rated: PG-13.
_ Suitable for: Teens and up.
_ What you should know: No. 21 in the James Bond series presents a serious version of the popular spy. Based on Ian Fleming's first Bond book of 1953, and not to be confused with the 1967 spy spoof of the same name, this film is less about mayhem and more about realistic violence. It's also Daniel Craig's first outing as Bond, and he's less typical and more interesting than the Bonds who have come before him.
_ Language: About a dozen four-letter words and the use of "Christ" to express exasperation.
_ Sexual situations and nudity: Couples kiss or are shown tangled in bed sheets but less sex and discussion of it than we've come to expect in the series.
_ Violence/scary situations: One explicit torture scene along with lots of chases, fights, fatal shootings, fiery explosions, gunfire, strangulations, car accidents and a drowning.
_ Drug and alcohol use: Bond orders his martini "shaken, not stirred," and whiskey, champagne and other alcoholic drinks are consumed.
"Happy Feet"
_ Rated: PG.
_ Suitable for: Age 8 and up.
_ What you should know: A wonderfully animated story about a baby penguin who can't sing morphs into a film musical with contemporary rap and R&B covers of classic songs, mass choreography and a tacked-on environmental message. At 108 minutes, it might be too long to hold a little one's attention.
_ Language: Part of the PG rating is for crude, adolescent humor.
_ Sexual situations and nudity: None, unless you're bothered by unclothed animated birds.
_ Violence/scary situations: Another part of the PG rating is for moments of peril, including a spectacular and violent sea-lion attack.
_ Alcohol and drug use: None.
"Stranger Than Fiction"
_ Rated: PG-13.
_ Suitable for: Mature tweens and up.
_ What you should know: This is a quirky, smart comedy starring Will Ferrell as an IRS agent who hears a voice in his head narrating his life. That brings him in contact with a literature professor, a suicidal novelist and a baker who brings some sweetness into his life.
_ Language: One f-word and a half-dozen milder curses.
_ Sexual situations and nudity: A man fantasizes about a woman. Men are shown naked, from behind, in a communal shower at a pool. Passionate kisses lead to an off-camera coupling.
_ Violence/scary situations: Lots of vividly imagined deaths and one disturbing accident.
_ Drug and alcohol use: Nothing notable.
"A Good Year"
_ Rated: PG-13.
_ Suitable for: Mature tweens and older moviegoers.
_ What you should know: Russell Crowe is a London investment expert who inherits a small French chateau and vineyard from his late uncle. Settling into the sunny countryside, he begins to reevaluate his way of life and remember how much his uncle and the Provence retreat meant to him.
_ Language: One use of the f-word and roughly a dozen milder curses or words.
_ Sexual situations and nudity: There's a reference to an illegitimate daughter, a naked sunburned back is soothed with ice, and a couple kiss and start to undress. The camera cuts away, but it's obvious they spent the night together.
_ Violence/scary situations: On the very mild side, including a road mishap, diving board accident and scorpions that spook but don't harm.
_ Drug and alcohol use: Wine, cognac and other alcohol are consumed, sometimes to excess.
"Flushed Away"
_ Rated: PG.
_ Suitable for: Preschoolers and older children who can sit through an 86-minute movie.
_ What you should know: This computer-animated movie is about a pampered pet mouse who ends up flushed away to the teeming world below London's streets. There, he meets a feisty rodent named Rita and gets involved with a villainous Toad and others. With the voices of Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet and lots of other A-list talent.
_ Language: Some harsh words but nothing that comes close to skirting the PG boundary.
_ Sexual situations and nudity: None.
_ Violence/scary situations: Lots, but it's all cartoonish, including high-speed chases, shots of critters frozen from liquid nitrogen and references to lab experiments with animals gone awry, which likely will go over youngsters' heads.
