Originally written for The Milpitas Post. Directed by: Edgar Wright Starring: Simon Pegg, Kate Ashfield, Nick Frost, Lucy Davis, Dylan Moran, Bill Nighy Rated: R for zombie violence/gore and language. Parental Notes: There is a lot of gore in this, some of it quite disturbing. Provided your teen can handle blood and guts and has a wicked sense of humor, they’ll like it. Otherwise, they’d be best off checking out a zombie-free romantic comedy.
Originally written for The Milpitas Post Directed by: George Lucas Starring: Robert Duvall, Maggie McOmie, Donald Pleasance, Don Pedro Colley Rated: R for some sexuality/nudity Parental Notes: This dreamlike film is probably too odd for most preteens and it contains sexual material which while not terribly explicit may be considered inappropriate for youngsters.
Originally written for The Milpitas Post. Directed by: Renny Harlin Starring: Stellan Skarsgard, Izabella Scorupco, James D’Arcy Rated: R for strong violence and gore, disturbing images and rituals, and for language including some sexual dialogue. Parental Notes: This movie is rated R, but could be NC-17 for some pf the material shown. Numerous violent and disgusting images abound here, and this is not material for the faint of heart, let alone youngsters.
Originally written for The Milpitas Post Directed by: Michael Mann Starring: Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, Jada Pinkett Smith Rated: R for violence and language. Parental Notes: This film is rated
Originally written for The Milpitas Post. Directed by Michael Moore Rated: R for some violent and disturbing images, and for language.
Originally written for The Milpitas Post Directed by: Wolfgang Petersen Starring: Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Orlando Bloom, Brian Cox, Brendan Gleeson, Peter O’Toole Rated: R for graphic violence and some sexuality/nudity. Parental Notes: This is not a movie for little kids – in spite of the comparative lack of disgusting gore, there are still impalings, decapitations, and other sword-injuries galore. Teens with a taste for swordfights and epic battles will enjoy it, and may even be motivated to check out the source material.
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.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: Edward Zwick Starring: Ken Watanabe, Tom Cruise, Billy Connolly, Tony Goldwyn, Koyuki, Shin Koyamada, Scichinosuke Nakamura, Hiroyuki Sanada Rated: R for strong violence and battle sequences. Parental Notes: This is an intensely violent film at times, although not as gory as some slasher flicks. Both its intensity and its main themes make it unsuitable for youngsters, although teens with an interest in military or samurai films may enjoy it.
Directed by: Larry and Andy Wachowski Starring: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, Lawrence Fishbourne, Collin Chou, Nona Gaye, Nathaniel Lees Rated: R for sci-fi violence and brief sexual content Parental Notes: Like the other films in the trilogy, this includes a great deal of violence, both unrealistic and visceral. Youngsters will find it too intense, but those teens who enjoyed the other films in the trilogy will probably like it.