The Dark Knight Rises

The Dark Knight Rises

Content:

Violence: 8 This movie is a movie about a superhero. There are several intense scenes between the core character of the Dark Knight and the Villains of the movie. All involving fighting with fists, guns and other weaponry. 

Sex and Nudity: 3. There is a scene in this movie in which Bruce spends the night with one of the not so major characters. There is no real sex scene but you do see the after effects of the scene. You see Bruce in a bed with the other character, he is shirtless and he is holding her. There is a brief line of dialog and the scene cuts out

Frightening Scenes: 6 Much like every previous movie of Batman the movie is set in the dark city of Gotham. This movie much like the Dark Knight and Batman begins portrays Gotham city as much more of a criminalized city than an uplifting city. There are frightening scenes especially with the major villain in this movie. I would not recommend this movie for anyone under 13

Alcohol/Drug Content: 3. There is a scene in a bar, much like the last 3 movies, and scenes in which it is implied that Bruce Wayne is having a glass of Alcohol, other than that there isn't any blatant drug use. 

Blood and Gore: 3 I don't really remember there being any blatant blood in this movie but there are scenes in which people are being mowed down by gun fire and it is possible that there is blood splatter in the aftermath of those scenes as well as scenes between Bane and Batman. 

Review:

The epic batman series by Christopher Nolan comes to a close with the Dark Knight Rises, and much like the previous two films this one does not disappoint. The film opens as Gotham has slowly entered a time of peace. The Dark Knight has not been heard from in eight long years as the majority of the criminal underworld has been put behind bars thanks to the Harvey Dent act.

However, despite the peace that has occurred thanks to the law named after the so called White Knight of Gotham, Commissioner Gordan has reservations that he should tell Gotham that Harvey Dent was no hero. As many of you remember, Dent went from Gotham's District Attorney to Two Face in Nolan's second film.

As expected from any Batman movie, things slowly degrade into chaos as Bane comes on the scene and starts to shake things up. It becomes time for The Dark Knight to come back out of hiding and face the masked mercenary, but not without the help of Selena Kyle, or Catwoman and a young police detective whom Gordan names personally to his task force. 

This film has twists and turns to the very end, with an unexpected twist that will have comic book and game lovers kicking themselves for not figuring it out sooner. 

Critique

While the movie was reminiscent of the earlier films much of the movie almost became comical and unbearable. Fans of previous films scoffed at Christian Bale's voice of Batman whenever he was in a suit. Well they have something new to scoff at. Bane's voice in this film as well as Batman's and Catwoman's are all laughable. 

The voice of Bane nearly takes any fear that you should feel toward the character out of the equation, and Anne Hathaway seemed completely out of her element. The young actress who had done films such as the Princess Diary's was now expected to take on the role of a seductive Jewel Thief and honestly fell short on the seductive side of things. When Hathaway attempted to sound seductive it was borderline comical to listen to. 

To further the frustration of the voices, Bane was not well explained in this movie. Comic book, game, and cartoon lovers know that Bane is the result of taking what becomes known as Bane's syrum. This steroid not only gives Bane superhuman strength but also speed, agility and size. In the comics often Bane wore a pack that fed the syrum straight into his veins making him look borderline intimidating. In Nolan's rendition however there is no mention of Bane's syrum, only the elements of his mask seem to hold Bane's power. 

It would also seem that DC decided to incorporate elements of Marvel's Spiderman three as it seems that the majority of the movie Batman is not only complaining about how bad his life has gotten since the passing of Rachel in the previous film but he also is on the losing side of nearly every fight with Bane. 

Overall the movie was not the best of the Nolan series. However, it does end in a way that is so epic that I would have to spoil the entire movie just to tell you what it is. I'm not willing to do that and so in all honesty I recommend this movie 100%. Yes there are many elements to the film that leave much to be desired especially if you are a Batman comic book fan, however, there are huge plot twists in this film that leave you stunned in your seat. Nolan does a very good job of wrapping up the series and even leaves hints within the movie that he may not really be done yet. 

Once again because this film is a superhero movie it is really hard to gauge whether or not this movie is appropriate for your children if you have them. I would not recommend this film for children under the age of 13 because of the violent and frightening nature of this series. However, if you feel differently you do not have to take my word for it. As always I recommend you see this film for yourselves and decide for yourselves whether or not your children should see this film.

The Amazing Spiderman

Content:

Language: 3 There is some language in this film but not over the top for a PG-113 film

Sexuality/Sensuality: 3 There is a little bit of skin in this film, as well as a kissing scene, however, nothing in terms of nudity. 

Violence: 6 This is a movie about a superhero. The main thing to watch out for in this movie is the violence

Frightening Scenes/Images: 4 There are several scenes in which The Lizard can be seen as frightening, especially for younger teens/children

Drug and Alcohol Content: 1 None that was noticeable in the film. 

Blood and Gore: 6 There is some blood in this film and some Body mutation as well as Body mutilation

Review:


The amazing Spiderman is... well amazing to be honest. This fourth installment of the Spiderman series takes us onto a new track that those who grew up in the 90's will be more familiar with than the original series of the Incredible Spiderman. So what are the differences and similarities? Well for one thing the actor of this series fits the role of Peter Parker much better than Toby McGuire ever did. He looks smart, acts smart and is able to make more than one facial expression. The movie is filled with witty and slap stick humor that gives needed relief between moments of fast paced action.


*SPOILERS*
If you don't know already in this installment of Spiderman, Peter Parker's origins story is rewritten. Mary Jane the original female lead character from the first three films is not in this film which leads to the protagonist (Peter Parker) falling in love with another core character from the Spiderman franchise, Gwen Stacy. While it is a bit of a slow starter especially for those who were fans of the original series because of the origin story being so similar, the movie is done much better overall. Also the part that I'm sure you were waiting for in this edition the web-slinger faces off against one of his more famous foes: The Lizard or sometimes referred to as The Crocodile or Doc Croc in the comic books. For all those fans of the comics you know already that The Lizard is an experiment in cross genetics that goes horribly wrong for Doctor Curt Conner. The experiment was an attempt to regrow his missing arm but instead alters his body and mind. (For fans of the original series Doctor Conner is the same scientist who helps Peter analyze the goo from Venom).
*End Spoilers*


Overall the content of this film is pretty straight forward for another comic book superhero movie. Action, Violence and Language are pretty mediocre. There is no worry of F-Bombs (though you do think that they are coming in a few places but they are either cut off or unused). Unlike the original series there is a small amount of blood in this film. There is some skin in the film as well as the web slinger takes off his uniform top and he accidentally rips off a bystander's shirt when he first gets his powers.


This is another film I definitely recommend. However, parents I don't suggest this for children under the age of 13. But like before this entirely depends on your values so I suggest screening the film beforehand and determining if you believe this movie is appropriate for your kids.

Paul Blart Mall Cop

Rated PG for: Violence, Crude and Suggestive Humor and Language

Back of Box: With a heart that won't quit, a stomach that won't stop gurgling and a self-worn oath to protect his turf, he's Paul Blart: Mall Cop.
Mild-mannered Paul Blart (Kevin James, "The King of Queens") has always had huge dreams of becoming a State Trooper. Until then, he patrols the local mall as a security guard. With his closely cropped moustache, personal transporter and a gung-ho attitude, only Blart seems to take his job seriously. All that changes when a team of thugs raids the mall and takes hostages. Untrained, Unarmed and a super-size target, Blart has to become a real cop to save the day

Review: 

Language: 3 There are a few instances in which language is used in this film

Violence: 4 there are several scenes with threatened or used violence. However, the violence is not excessive

Sex/Sensuality: 2 There is an instance in which a character asks something and it alludes to something sexual. The character realizes his mistake and corrects himself

Blood and Gore: 1 There is no blood or gore

Drug/Alcohol: 2 In one scene several characters go to a bar. By mistake, the main character gets drunk and scenes ensue that display his behavior because of his altered state

Frightening Scenes: 1 there is one scene that may be slightly frightening for younger children. However, there is nothing overly scary about this movie

Segway riding, Candy Toting “Security Officer” Paul Blart knows to always pull up to an assailant at the West Orange Pavillion Mall with his left hip forward and his right hand on his hip to give the illusion that he may have a gun… but we all know he doesn’t. While the gun Blart is attempting to conceal is, an illusion the comedy of this film is not.  This film is a great film for the entire family. While it does have some content that parents may want to watch out for, the humor throughout the movie is aimed at a younger audience, but one that the entire family can enjoy.  There are scenes in the movie that only adults will really understand, including when Paul stumbles over his words and asks “Do you do men” when talking to the female lead who plays a hair stylist. The slapstick humor of this movie is typical of King of Queens star Kevin James. While the movie is well thought out with some twists and turns that are unexpected, the ending overall is disappointing. I won’t give away any spoilers for those of you who haven’t seen it, but let’s just say that Blart gives up on a dream he has in order to continue at the mall.

Overall, the content is not horrible, and parents will have to use their own discretion on the film, the film is rated PG, which means that there is some Parental guidance recommended. If the children in the household are over the age of eight or this film should be appropriate depending on the values of the parent. I would recommend if any children were under the age of eight that, the parents screen the film before allowing your children to view it. There is a minimal amount of language in the film, which kids sometimes notice and copy.