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Dear Jack: Your 1st Introduction to a VHS Tape- Disney’s Benji the Hunted (from 1987)

5 years, 5 months.

Dear Jack: Your1st Introduction to a VHS Tape- Disney’s Benji the Hunted (from 1987)

Dear Jack,

This past weekend, I taught you how to use the VHS side of our DVD player. You now understand the concept of watching a movie on a tape; something I’m not sure most of your friends can say they’ve done before. So they might look at you funny if you mention it to them at school.

On Friday, a coworker brought in a huge Rubbermaid tub full of VHS movies to give away. I instantly grabbed Benji the Hunted, which I was very familiar with; as it was part of my school’s library when I was a kid, meaning I saw it many times as a child in the late 1980s and early 1990s- especially when a teacher came in to work sick but wasn’t willing to admit it and therefore lose a sick day or vacation day.

Dear Jack: Your1st Introduction to a VHS Tape- Disney’s Benji the Hunted (from 1987)

I suppose there’s a decent amount of irony involved in the fact that our family has been driving a fancy 2016 Lexus IS 200t this week. I dropped the VHS tape in your baby sister Holly’s car seat and safely delivered the tape home to you for us to enjoy over the weekend.

Dear Jack: Your1st Introduction to a VHS Tape- Disney’s Benji the Hunted (from 1987)

In this 1987 Disney movie, Benji the dog must help save some mountain lion cubs from predatory animals of the Oregon forest and eventually be rescued by his owner who is searching for him in a helicopter. There’s hardly any dialogue in this movie; mainly just animals chasing each other around in the woods.

It was right up your alley. You love animals.

And you were impressed by the fact they were real animals, unlike what you’re used to seeing on all those talking animal movies you see on Netflix.

Once the movie was over, I explained the concept of having to rewind the movie. You were slightly fascinated by the fact that the movie just turned black and stopped once it was over.

You are a cultured boy. In the same weekend you got to see the new Captain America movie in the theater, you also saw a 29 year-old movie on an old VHS tape.

I suppose it’s been a weekend of entertainment… and education.

Love,

Daddy

Dear Jack: Your1st Introduction to a VHS Tape- Disney’s Benji the Hunted (from 1987)

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Parental Guide Summary of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Parental Guide Summary of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

This review today is written for parents who are wondering if Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice might be too inappropriate for their children to see.

Despite what most critics are apparently saying, I personally actually enjoyed the movie.

And to serve my Internet followers, I decided to take good notes during the entire movie, to help inform parents of any potentially offensive material.

Here’s the video version I made, if you prefer:

Of course, to keep this family friendly for this review, I’ll censor out some vowels so we all have a clear conscience about it.

Language:

So let’s get started with profanity. For a gritty PG-13 rated movie, I actually feel the language was a bit light:

2 vain uses of G*d d*mn

2 vain uses of G*d

1 vain use of Chr*st

1 vain use of J*sus

1 vain (not literal) use of hell

1 vain use of d*mn

2 uses of son of a b*tch

1 literal use of b*lls, referring to the human anatomy

1 literal use of sex trafficker

As you can see, this movie only has a few token “cuss words”. Instead, it’s the vain uses of God’s name, as well as terms revolving around eternal damnation, that would be deemed offensive by many religious parents.

Violence:

As expected, this movie is over 2 hours of constant action and violence. The death count is easily in the dozens; not to mention the thousands that lose their lives during a building collapse.

However, very little blood is shown. This is not a gory movie, which keeps it from being R-rated.

Sensuality/nudity:

While there is no explicit nudity or overtly sensual scenes, situations are definitely implied at few times.

-A naked male corpse is shown, with the pelvic area censored by the person observing the body.

-A group of rescued yet still captive human trafficking victims are shown behind bars, while Batman brands the trafficker himself after Batman chains him to the wall.

-Bruce Wayne is shown waking up with an unknown woman in bed, as to imply a casual sexual relationship, though the woman’s face isn’t even shown.

-There is also a scene in which Clark Kent casually walks in on Louis Lane in the bathtub. The bathwater censors her, but by the end of the scene Superman joins her while fully clothed, as the
camera pans away to imply more is about to happen.

-Wonder Woman’s attire might possibly be deemed as too revealing by conservative parents.

Religious Blasphemy:

A reoccurring theme of the movie is the question, “Is Superman good all the time?” However, God’s name is often substituted for Superman’s name when this topic comes up.

Similarly, Lex Luther at one point says, “God is as good as dead.” (Of course, he is referring to Superman; comparing him to God.)

Overall:

Ultimately, this is a dark, PG-13 rated movie. However, it’s not gory or explicit. The language easily could have been much worse.

Based on this information I’ve provided for you today, I’ll let  you decide as the parent, what age is appropriate for a child to be to see this movie.

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Max (Best Friend, Hero, Marine): Family Friendly Movie Review

Max: Family Friendly Movie Review

This weekend my son and I watched Max on DVD. My synopsis of the plot line is this: A bike riding, Texan teenage boy takes care of his deceased brother’s military dog, and then he depends on the canine to help him to sniff out illegal arms dealers who are tied to Mexican drug cartel.

I like to keep my movie reviews simple. I basically just ask two questions:

1)      Did my nearly 5 year-old son enjoy it?

2)      Was it “family friendly” enough to be appropriate for him to watch with me?

To answer my first question, yes, my son definitely enjoyed it.

There were constant bike chases through the woods and a crime fighting dog. To my son, that’s awesome.

The whole movie is a fast-paced, adventure thriller. In other words, there’s no wise cracking CGI dog to have to tolerate for 90 minutes. It’s a real dog.

I’ll segue into my second question now: Was it family friendly enough for my nearly 5 year-old son?

Yes; for my son specifically, who is accustomed to the swashbuckling violence of Power Rangers, and to the use of guns which never actually kill anyone or even draw blood on the show.

I would equate Max’s content with a tamer version of E.T., in that Max contains hardly any harsh words; definitely less than E.T does which is also rated PG.

Max is not a kids’ movie, but it’s one that I enjoyed watching with my son. After all, I’ll be taking him to see the new Star Wars movie in a couple of months; as I also took him to see Ant-Man this summer.

He’s old enough to appreciate more mature movies at his age; which I appreciate.

Max: Family Friendly Movie Review

Official press release:

MAX

ARRIVES ONTO BLU-RAY COMBO PACK, DVD and DIGITAL HD FROM

METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER PICTURES AND

WARNER BROS. HOME ENTERTAINMENT

Blu-ray Combo Pack debuts on October 27

Own it early on Digital HD on October 13

Burbank, CA, August 11, 2015 – Discover a friendship that is one of a kind when Warner Bros. Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures’ (MGM) family-action adventure “Max” arrives onto Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD on October 27. “Max,” an incredible journey about the unbreakable bond between one kid and his heroic best friend, stars Josh Wiggins (“Hellion”) as Justin Wincott, with Lauren Graham (TV’s “Parenthood”) as his mom, Pamela, and Oscar® nominee Thomas Haden Church (“Sideways”) as his dad, Ray. The film will be available early on Digital HD on October 13.

BLU-RAY AND DVD ELEMENTS

“Max” Blu-ray Combo Pack contains the following special features:

  • Working with Max: Meet the dogs that play “Max” and see inside tricks of the trade!

·         Hero Dogs: A Journey – Get a behind-the-scenes look at amazing military trained K9s.

“Max” Standard Definition DVD contains the following special features:

  • Working with Max: Meet the dogs that play “Max” and see inside tricks of the trade!

DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION ELEMENTS

On October 13, “Max” will be available for streaming and download to watch anywhere in high definition and standard definition on their favorite devices from select digital retailers including Amazon, CinemaNow, Flixster, iTunes, PlayStation, Vudu, Xbox and others. “Max” will also be available digitally on Video On Demand services from cable and satellite providers, and on select gaming consoles.

BASICS

 

PRODUCT                                                                            SRP

Blu-ray Combo Pack                                                               $35.99

DVD Amaray (WS)                                                                $28.98

Standard Street Date: October 27, 2015

Digital HD Street Date: October 13, 2015

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The Journey Home DVD Review

These days, I leave it up to my nearly 5 year-old son which DVDs to review here on Family Friendly Daddy Blog. Last week when I showed him a picture of the DVD cover for The Journey Home and asked him, “Jack, should we review this movie about a boy who helps a baby polar bear?

The Journey Home DVD Review

With zero hesitation, he responded with an excited yes, as if to insinuate, “Well, why wouldn’t we, Daddy?”

After all, my son is obsessed with learning about animals. Some of his favorite shows on Netflix are Dinosaur Train and Octonauts; both of which provide him with an array of trivia for him to quiz me about after he watches each episode.

Simply put, my son was fascinated by and fixated on The Journey Home the entire time.

It was pretty amazing even for me to see a little polar bear interact with the main character, a teenage boy, with such personality. The bear was like a little puppy.

I particularly enjoyed all the helicopter shots of the arctic.

After we finished the movie, my son asked me, “Daddy, do we get to keep it?” I suppose that implies he’s planning on watching The Journey Home again in the new future.

Now that my son is getting older, we’re able to start watching more family movies, as opposed to just kids’ movies.

Therefore, I do want to point out this movie is rated PG; not G. As the rating label on the box implies, there are a couple four letter words; as well as some disturbing images, like a dead polar bear after it was killed by hunters, as well as the frozen remains of a man who apparently died in the snow and ice.

As for my nearly 5 year-old son, he was too excited about the baby polar bear to notice the elements that make the movie PG rated.

Now, for some exciting news…

Just as our family gets to keep this movie like my son asked about, so did one lucky reader of Family Friendly Daddy Blog as well…

Congrats to Matt Wright, who was the first person to go the Facebook wall of Family Friendly Daddy Blog and ask this question:

Did I just win The Journey Home?

Thanks for reading!

RLJ ENTERTAINMENT PRESENTS

THE JOURNEY HOME

Available on DVD and Digital Video Sept. 22, 2015

THE JOURNEY HOME DVD


Genre:                        Family/Drama/Adventure
Rating:                        PG

Language:                  English
Format:                       Color
Year:                           2014
SRP:                           $27.97
Length:                       98 minutes
UPC:                           0014381002898
Cat#:                           POL00289DVD
Aspect Ratio:              2.35:1
Audio Format:             Dolby Digital 5.1
 
 

The Journey Home DVD Review

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Is PG-13 Rated Ant-Man Suitable for Younger Children?

Is PG-13 Rated Ant-Man Suitable for Younger Children?

Something I’ve pointed out over the years in my family friendly movie reviews is that most movies these days are rated PG-13. That happens by default, since PG rated movies scare away adults (thinking the movie will be too cheesy), while R rated movies prevent many teenagers from being able to buy a movie ticket.

So since most movies are rated PG-13, I think it’s important to recognize which of those movies land closer to PG and which are closer to R. Because if this were about 30 years ago, Ant-Man wouldn’t have been rated PG-13. It would have been rated PG.

Let me begin by saying this movie is awesome! My son Jack and I loved it. My favorite Marvel movie up until this point was Captain America: The Winter Soldier. But there’s a good chance Ant-Man may be #1 in my book now.

It’s quick-witted, different, and yet warm.

Ant-Man is rated PG-13 due to action and fighting scenes; which are ultimately the equivalent to Power Rangers violence. The most intense violence actually comes in the form of fierce punches to the face.

It’s almost a theme in the movie: Face punching.

The only time my nearly 5 year-old son (4 years, 8 months to be exact) jumped in brief freight was during a few of the face punches, but it was mainly because the sound effects.

Other violence includes the main villain using a shrink-ray gun that shrinks a man as well as a sheep into a pink glob of mucus; therefore killing them both.

I think that in my son’s perspective, watching Ant-Man was like seeing the action violence of Power Rangers with the creepiness of Goosebumps on Netflix, with The Lego Movie type of humor.

There was no sexual content in Ant-Man or even innuendoes.

However, the assumed most “offensive” language in Ant-Man is one use of a word used for cat; but is used to refer to female genitalia. It is used briefly as an insult slang from one man to another, not in an explicit sexual content.

The other strong cuss word is one use of the phrase “S.O.B.”; only they don’t abbreviate it like I just did.

Other than that, there are definitely what I call PG-rated cuss words throughout. There were no uses of the f-word or “g.d.”; which are the ones most American parents seem to find the most offensive.

The reason the language didn’t bother me was that my son is too young to recognize those words as “bad words” yet.  He doesn’t hear them in our house or at his school, so it didn’t worry me for him to passively hear them in Ant-Man.

He thinks stupid and “oh my gosh” are bad words; neither of which I remember being in this movie.

I don’t think my son would have been able to handle the intensity of Jurassic World or the new Ninja Turtles movie. But Ant-Man was PG enough for him.

So would I recommend Ant-Man to younger children? I say yes, if your child is accustomed to Power Rangers, Goosebumps, and The Lego Movie.

If not, Ant-Man may be too intense, and too serious, for them to appreciate.

Please feel free to let me know your thoughts on my analysis on the “family friendly” factor of Ant-Man, as well as allowing me to answer any further questions  you may about this loveable movie.

Also, here’s my video review of Ant-Man: