Gosford Park (2001) - M1.6/E3

Do you remember the days of walking up and down the seemingly endless aisles of DVD/VHS cases at your neighborhood Blockbuster or Hollywood Video?  Was there ever a movie cover that intrigued you, but never enough for you to pick it up off the shelf to find out what it was about?  Maybe this is just a weird occurrence, but I remember my eyes always lingering a little longer on the cover of Gosford Park.  Granted, the movie is only 11 years old, but the red, black, and white colors, and storyline of a murder/mystery dinner party sounded fun (if only because of my fond memories of the movie Clue).

The real reason for not picking it up, probably had to do with the movie's rating; but I've realized that as much as I immerse myself in what type of content is in what type of movie, my intuition is pretty good when it comes to knowing how much questionable content is in a given movie and where the MPAA doesn't really help.  I was right on this one; I was more offended with the content of the PG-13-rated Transformers 2 than I was with the content of this movie.

Netflix now has Gosford Park available to watch instantly, which made it a lot easier to just throw on.  I'll admit that I was tired when I watched this, so take that into consideration when you read what follows.

I waited and waited for something to happen.  When it finally did, three-quarters (maybe two-thirds) of the way through, it was underwhelming.  The reveal at the end of the story was interesting only in the slightest (enough for me to not rate this a 1 for Entertainment).  I wouldn't call this show a murder/mystery, but more like a murder/drama.  There's nothing mysterious about it.  A lot of the plot summaries I read also credited it with bein witty or funny, but that also was not the case.

What tipped my remote to push play was a statement in one of Uncle Orson's latest reviews regarding a reflection on previous Oscar nominees,

"That year the astonishingly good Gosford Park was nominated -- Robert Altman at his best, with brilliant performances from top to bottom of the cast."

I realize I haven't said a whole lot about the movie, but there really isn't much to be said.  There were a lot of characters introduced, while only a handful mattered.  The overall cinematography and flow of the story was well done, but the execution and carry through of the plot was horrible.*  Maybe if I were to watch it again when I knew what I was watching and when I was in the mood to watch it, I might enjoy it and give it a better rating; but I don't see that happening any time soon.  There are too many better movies to spend my (and your) time watching.

The only coarse language comes from an American (a bit ironic), and there's some non-graphic bed/table relations that give the movie it's rating.

*Please bear with my lack of good movie critiquing terminology.  I've got materials to better educate me, but have not had time to delve into them yet (nor will I in the near future).  However, also understand that I feel quite confident in my ability to critique a movie's moral value, which is the main point of this site.

Taken (2009) - M5.0/E8

This movie was awesome. Everything I expected it to be and more (which expectations I try to keep to a minimum). I had to keep telling myself to breathe and relax and enjoy the movie. This is one of the best action movies I’ve seen in a while.

The beginning of the movie does a great job at getting us to feel sympathy for and understand the love that Bryan Mills has for his daughter, Kim. This sympathy largely stems from the super-annoying ex-wife who has her head in the clouds and apparently cares little for their daughter and has the utmost disdain for her ex-husband, in particular with regards to his over-protectiveness. While Bryan’s over-protectiveness is attributed to his previous career as a CIA black ops agent, I would hope any competent, loving father (and mother) would be equally protective and concerned. (I liked seeing Uncle Rico in this as a buddy of Bryan’s.)

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) - M6.6/E7

My wife very rarely cares what movies we end up watching, I’m generally the one that picks them out. She surprised me by bringing this one home from the library. I was semi-intrigued about it when I saw it released, but never had any strong urge to see it. While not an amazing movie, the almost 3 hour feature was enjoyable. It really is nothing more than a story about the life of a man. He doesn’t affect the history of the world in any remarkable way, but the fact that he lives his life backwards from an old man until he dies as a baby is a pretty cool experience to be a part of.

Not living a normal life, it’s hard to pin any moral message on anything literal presented in the movie. There is adultery and prostitution, co-habitation, and family desertion - and while not condoned in real life, they add an interesting element to the story.  The reason these elements don't necessarily create a negative moral message is that the story isn't saying this is how happy people live their lives.  Benjamin was never really happy; he was so confused with his situation in life (as were those around him) that he never really fit in anywhere.  His happiest moment was when he met up in the middle with Daisy and was able to experience a  portion of a normal life.

While initially despised by his father as a monster, his father doesn’t completely give up on him and eventually we see their relationship grow stronger (appropriately backwards) and father and son are brought close together. As an old man, though really a child, he works with a bunch of sailors and acquires their habits and vices. As a companion (not married, but living together) he was faithful and loves Daisy. Though when he found out he was to be a father, he couldn’t bear the thought of becoming a child physically as his daughter grew older and needed a real father. Benjamin moved on and was able to do things in his old age that were impossible to do in his arthritic youth. What was really moving was to see him as a boy in his old age, senile and in need of assistance, only to be found by his childhood friend and lover who cared for him until he passed on.

While not a must-see, if you come across this movie and aren't looking for something fast-paced, this is worth watching at least once.

This Film Is Not Yet Rated (2006) and Other Thoughts on the MPAA

The MPAA and its ratings are helpful if at a glance you’re trying to decide what to see. In other words, you don’t follow movie releases very closely and you’re just looking for a good show to watch. Shows that are for kids will be G or PG, with an occasional good adult movie being PG. Your typical action, or comedy, or romantic-comedy without too much graphic content will be PG-13, and shows with more mature or raunchier content will be R or above, with an occasional gem there too. The MPAA is good for those who don’t take movie watching all that seriously.

For those who do care about movies, it borders on a waste of existence. I get more information on the content of a movie from websites I frequent (rottentomatoes.com, commonsensemedia.org, imdb.com, kids-in-mind.com) than the vague and usually unimportant rating the MPAA slaps on a movie. While cinephiles and directors usually gripe about all the wrongs committed by the MPAA in giving too hard of a rating (R or NC-17), Hollywood still churns out more R-rated movies than any other. If more people are willing to pay for your lower rated films, which generally are less graphic in content, why not give the people what they want instead of forcing what they (Hollywood) think we want on us?

Matchstick Men (2003)

Entertainment Rating: 3 of 5

This was a fun con movie. A little slow for the first 80% of the film, but the speed picks up at the end. A great role for Nicholas Cage.

Moral Rating: 3 of 5

The content was a little iffy with one strip club scene (no nudity, but plenty of skin) and some language. The club scene added nothing to the movie, other than showing you the type of sleazy men these con-men often dealt with. The whole movie is based on people who think it’s OK to scam people out of their money. However, in the end we see Frank respond very well to being conned in his own game. Not only did he not get upset (or seek revenge), but he realized that his job as a con-man wasn’t making him happy. A family is what he needed to help him be at peace in his life and overcome some of his idiosyncrasies.

Mao’s Last Dancer (2009)

Entertainment Rating: 4 of 5

This was a great movie. I haven’t been to any ballet’s that I’ve particularly liked, but this film made me want to find one that I can enjoy. The last on-stage ballet was a little weird, and is probably the reason why I have a bad view of the art, so I should stick to the classics. Back to the movie, it told an intriguing story of a young boy who was fortunate enough to be brought in to a prestigious ballet academy that eventually led to his “escape” from China and refuge in America, though at great personal costs. This is a good historical-drama, with very few subtitles.

Moral Rating: 4 of 5

[Spoiler Alert] While it’s sad that Li was put in a situation that pressured him into getting married, it’s even sadder that that marriage didn’t last. Both Li and Liz were able to find the happiness they were looking for, not realizing that. ultimately, the highest level of happiness can only be achieved in a family - not pursuing personal dreams (a contrasting message to the Adjustment Bureau - review forthcoming). While you wish they could have worked things out between them, the marriage was formed wrongly in the first place, so is it O.K. to let it fizzle and die? Or should they (in an ideal world) have stuck it out, no matter the impact on their personal dreams?

Regarding idealism, the following quote presents an worthwhile parable. From a message from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, “We are bound to be in trouble if a shirt is made from a shirt that was made from a shirt. A mistake or two in the first product—inevitable without a pattern—gets repeated and exaggerated, intensified, more awkward, the more repetitions we make, until finally this thing we’re to wear to school just doesn’t fit. One sleeve’s too long. The other’s too short. One shoulder seam runs down [our] chest. The other runs down [our] back. And the front collar button fastens behind [our] neck.” Even though idealism may sound like something never worth going after, since we are incapable of making perfect decisions all the time, if we don’t attempt to align our lives to a perfect pattern we will always fall short.

While we can’t and shouldn’t judge Li (or anyone) for their choices (not completely understanding their rationale), but was it right for him to put his family in danger to pursue his dream and enjoy freedom here in the US? It all ended O.K., but how much should we worry about what repercussions our actions might have on those we love?

Forever Strong (2008)

Entertainment Rating: 4 of 5

This was a lot better than your typical movie about an underdog team that rises to the top and ends up winning some championship. Even though this didn’t get great reviews from the critics, we really enjoyed it and learned something from the experiences of Rick, Rick’s dad, and the coach. Definitely a show worth watching with your family of older children. The action scenes were great, they used college-level rugby players to represent the team, which made it that much more fun to watch.

Moral Rating: 4 of 5

The great thing about this movie was that the triumphs presented were more focused on the individuals instead of the dominant rugby team; we really didn’t care who won the championship in the end. While maybe the storyline was a bit predictable, what wasn’t predictable was the way the characters changed to create the expected end result. The changes in Rick and his dad may have been somewhat expected, but seeing how the film portrayed those changes really touched us.

I think I’d put this up as one of my favorite sports flicks.

The Great Buck Howard (2008)

Entertainment Rating: 3 of 5

This was a fun show, albeit a bit slow and not terribly interesting. Supposedly this show was based on the mentalist the Amazing Kreskin, who is one of the few magicians to have his own TV show for a while.

Moral Rating: 3 of 5

The romance between Troy and Valerie was typical Hollywood rubbish. They flirt, sleep together, and then try to decide if they want the relationship to last.

Buck Howard, as quirky and weird as he is, has the strongest moral character. He doesn’t try to be someone else. He knows who he is and doesn’t care what others think of him. The audience could be numerous or pitifully small, but Buck gave it his all.

While not an amazing movie, it’s a nice easy going film that will make you smile.

My Sister's Keeper (2009)

Entertainment Rating: 3 of 5

Because of the tugging and pulling of your emotions, I had a hard time “enjoying” this film. It made me think a lot about the different relationships portrayed and the effects of having someone close to you with a terminal illness. If you just need a good cry, this might be a good one to watch.

Moral Rating: 3 of 5

Though being a full-blown tear-jerker, we didn't experience the full force of it having broken it up into two segments. I think the writers/directors tried a little too hard to pull at your emotions. We learn the importance of parent child communication, and that no matter how much we want something for our kids, we (as parents) have to realize that they are their own selves. Our children need to learn to make decisions on their own (hopefully supported by the example of the parents) and be accountable for them. Our job as parents should be to listen intently and provide needed guidance where we can.

I didn't care too much for Kate's little rendezvous in the hospital after the dance. True or not, we don't need to show kids that premarital sex is adventurous and might be OK if you think you'll never get a chance to be married, or that it's just something all teenagers do.

Me and Orson Welles (2008)

Entertainment Rating: 3 of 5

I was first interested in this film after reading Orson Scott Card’s review. (Let me interject that I read a lot of OSC’s reviews - on books, movies, etc. - and I find that I agree with him on the majority of what he writes, I’m not just a fan of his sci-fi literature). I was a little disappointed overall, but after watching the film I re-read the review and found that there was a lot to what OSC wrote, but it didn’t make the movie much better to me. For instance, “we experience the thrilling moments of this production with the same emotional response that the audience of the time must have had” - I wouldn’t say I was ever thrilled, maybe impressed.

Zac Efron did an alright job, though he seemed to have too much of a lifeless expression throughout the movie

Moral Rating: 2 of 5

The PG-13 rating was supposedly for sexual dialog (and there was too much of it), but should have also included a warning for profanity and blasphemy. We ended up turning on the ClearPlay about a third of the way into the movie.

OSC sums it up quite well:

“For this film is, at core, a study in genius and what people put up with from their geniuses. Welles was, like many so-called geniuses, incredibly strong-willed and needy at the same time. He had the force to make things happen, and the sheer terror and inner emptiness (which the film makes explicit) that make it impossible for him to let others get their full credit. 

The result is that he makes other people miserable even as he brings out the best in them. As the film explains, the actors and crew put up with his miserable treatment of them because they know that by staying close to him, by sacrificing their own pride and honor to bear his impositions on them, their own careers will advance, and they will be part of great art. 

This much we have seen before, but the film goes further. It makes us see that while it is wonderful to be part of a great production, in the end what you give up by subjecting yourself to a man like Welles is nothing short of your soul. We feel the sadness of young Richard as a woman he loves and fought for walks out of his life -- but it is even sadder to watch that woman leave, because we know that she has sold herself and it will not be worth the price she paid.”

This “further” bit is one of the few things Card points out that I really liked about the movie. It was also nice to see the film not end on a tragic note, and to emphasize that whatever happens to us in the short term, we have our whole lives ahead of us to become whatever we want to become.

Pay It Forward (2000)

Entertainment Rating: 4 of 5

This was more of a tear-jerker than I remembered, but still held a really good message with it (not just emotion-manipulating scenes and scores). Nothing was Romanticized or made to appear larger-than-life, which made it a really down-to-earth movie, easily enjoyed and we recommend it.

Moral Rating: 4 of 5

Trevor’s plan to change the world was set up perfectly. He was discouraged at first by apparent failure in each of his endeavors to “do something big” for someone else. Even though he was discouraged he never lost hope in the people he loved (and ultimately found it more worthwhile to focus on those close to him, rather than someone he happened to on the street).

Another important aspect of the film was the fact that most of the good deeds weren't made public and a lot of the time immediate results weren't seen.  We need to learn to do good for the sake of doing good and trust that the seeds are planted even if we don't get to see the outcome of our kindness.

We see Trevor’s mom in a typical abusive relationship, where she’s easily led to believe that her husband has “really changed.” Too many people return back to broken relationships in hopes that it can be repaired, choosing to fall back into an already existing (albeit dangerous) relationship. It seems to require too much courage and “putting one-self on the line” to make the needed change and redirection of one’s life toward progression. The scene where Mr. Simonet explains to Trevor’s mom where he got his burns is a perfect example of this battle many people face.

While this is a movie about a kid, the themes in the film are for a more mature audience.

The movie is based on a fictional novel from which the author started the Pay It Forward Foundation in hopes of spurring a movement similar to what was depicted in the story.

The Secret of Kells (2009)

Trailer #2
The Secret of Kells at MOVIECLIPS.com

Synopsis

"Young Brendan lives in a remote medieval outpost under siege from barbarian raids. But a new life of adventure beckons when a celebrated master illuminator arrives from foreign lands carrying an ancient but unfinished book, brimming with secret wisdom and powers. To help complete the magical book, Brendan has to overcome his deepest fears on a dangerous quest that takes him into the enchanted forest where mythical creatures hide. It is here that he meets the fairy Aisling, a mysterious young wolf-girl, who helps him along the way. But with the barbarians closing in, will Brendan's determination and artistic vision illuminate the darkness and show that enlightenment is the best fortification against evil?" - IMDB

Entertainment Rating: 4/5

Great animation, I’ve never seen anything like it: simple, yet beautiful. The story was fun too, though never too clear on what the Book of Iona actually contained (perhaps left up to the viewers imagination). Our pre-schoolers seemed to enjoy it, the scary scenes were definitely watchable (as compared to How to Train Your Dragon where they were quite frightened.)

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009)

Flint's Inventions
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs at MOVIECLIPS.com

Entertainment Rating: 5/5

This is one of the best animated comedies I’ve seen in a while. Pixar movies are great, but seldom have you laughing so hard you fall out of your seat (whether or not that’s a good thing is a topic for further discussion - see Doctrine and Covenants 88:69). The comedy is on par with Emperor’s New Groove: constant, intelligent wit. If you’re looking for something kids and adults can fully enjoy, this is it.

Moral Rating: 3/5

Two relationships are portrayed, from which we can learn something of value. The first is the father-son relationship. There is an obvious communication barrier between Flint and his dad. Flint doesn’t understand his dad’s fishing metaphors and his Dad doesn’t understand anything about technology. This communication breakdown causes quite a bit of strain in their familial relationship. By the end we see them both make efforts to communicate with each other out of a need to express their love.

Flint’s relationship with Sam isn’t terribly deep, though Flint does help her understand that it’s important to be who you are and there’s no reason to be ashamed of your intelligence. Otherwise it’s a rather standard, awkward boy/girl relationship that gets better once they each are able to express their feelings.

In addition to better understanding the importance of parent-child communication, kids may learn that eating too much of anything can make you sick.

Ponyo (2009)

Racing the Tsunami
Ponyo at MOVIECLIPS.com

Entertainment Rating: 3/5

I remembered hearing the name of this movie quite a bit around Oscar season and had a small desire to see what it was all about. However, I’ve never really watched any anime films and the premise to this one didn’t sound terribly intriguing: a fish wants to become human (pretty much based on H.C. Andersen’s Little Mermaid). Our kids enjoyed the movie and I almost did. The musical score for the film was excellent and the story did turn out to be interesting enough, but it didn’t really conclude anything. We were left with more questions than answers. (Voices by Tina Fey, Matt Damon, Liam Neeson, Betty White, Frankie Jonas, Cate Blanchett, Noah Cyrus)

Orson Scott Card gives examples of some of these unanswered questions:

What did the ocean's attack on the shore accomplish? How did a little boy's promise resolve the conflict between humans and the life of the sea? Who are the little fish-girl's parents and what are they trying to accomplish? What are the rules of the magic in this imagined universe?

Moral Rating: 3/5

Sosuke is able to love Ponyo whether she remains human or is turned back into a fish. Sosuke’s family relationship also provides us with some important insights. Their life is not very easy without a father at home; Lisa, Sosuke’s mother, needs her husband’s help and support with taking care of the house and Sosuke; and Sosuke needs a father around to give him a role model to look up to while he’s growing up. The scene with them communicating via light signals was a particularly touching one, very realistic.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) sums up the moral messages in the movie quite concisely:

...the underlying moral messages, such as the repeated admonition to judge by substance rather than appearance and a deftly delivered warning against environmental carelessness, are universal.

Superman Doomsday (2007)

Entertainment Rating: B

Not great, but pretty good. There was definitely a lot of action and a decent story line. The Doomsday alien seemed a bit odd, not a lot of history behind it, just some random, seemingly indestructible monster that almost kills Superman. The underlying story with Lex Luthor’s DNA research was a bit more intriguing and I enjoyed that bit of the show.

Moral Rating: 3

[Spoiler Alert] The moral dilemma’s presented in this show were well done, but did not have a strong presence throughout the film. We see how the ability to enforce the law goes beyond superhuman strength and power, it lies within the moral fiber of the enforcer. The Superman clones kill those who commit atrocious crimes, without any second thought to due process of the law. However, I don’t necessarily always trust the law to adequately punish criminals, but I wouldn’t want to be responsible otherwise for the abrupt ending of a person’s life or other such punishments. The true Superman has the ability to enforce justice, but also to extend mercy appropriately - very much a Christ-like figure.

We could have been spared the implication of an unmarried, intimate relationship between Lois and Superman. Several scenes with them in their bathrobes wasn’t necessary.

Doubt (2008)

Entertainment Rating: A

This was a pretty good movie. One solely based on the performance of the actors, not on any special effects, and the cinematography was well done (though, I don't have the education to elaborate on it).

Moral Rating: 3

The themes in the movie are quite heavy: homosexuality, pedophilia, slander, etc. all of which involve the potential destruction of a man's reputation. Doubt is a theme that runs through the movie from start to finish. You're not really sure who to believe and what is the truth. There are evidences supporting both sides of the story. I couldn’t give a higher moral rating because the truth is so ambiguous.

[Spoiler Alert]

One particular take is that Father Flynn was guilty of inappropriate relations with young boys in the past, but has since confessed, and hopefully changed. Sister Aloysius refuses to let the man put his past behind him and insists on making him feel as if he's doomed forever and that there is no repentance possible, no opportunity for him to change. Sister Aloysius has good grounds to fear for the children of her school, she's not completely capricious in her actions, and ultimately has everyone's best interest at heart (with exception to Father Flynn).

Most people might come away from this show on Sister Aloysius's side - which doesn’t leave you feeling very good knowing that Father Flynn changes schools, gets a promotion, and can continue his lifestyle. I like to think that the synopsis I presented in the preceding paragraph is a good compromise by saying that either person (Aloysius or Flynn) isn't completely right or wrong - which is the type of situation we encounter in real life, things are rarely easily definable as black or white.

I particularly liked the scene with Father Flynn and Sister James sitting outside during winter. Regarding Sister Aloysius's taking advantage of Sister James's naiveté, Father Flynn says,
"There are people who go after your humanity, sister. They tell you that the light in your heart is a weakness. Don't believe it. It's an old tactic of cruel people to kill kindness in the name of virtue. There's nothing wrong with love." (I took this as a comment on Sis. James’s love, but it could be construed that he was talking about his own love for the altar boys.)

Elder Christofferson, an Apostle in the LDS church, related something similar at a conference held a few weeks ago regarding two business partners who were also brothers in the same church. One took financial advantage of the other. The other's family pleaded with the first partner, "You know this is not right. How could you take advantage of someone this way, especially a brother in the same church?" This plea was met with a response by the first partner's lawyer, "Oh, grow up! How can you be so naive?" This condescending epithet of naivete reminded me of the above statement by Father Flynn to Sister James. Sister James did seem a little naive (e.g., her lack of suspicion of her students, being surprised when Sister Aloysius has her place a picture on the chalkboard to keep her eyes on the students), and it seemed that Sister Aloysius used this innocence to pull Sister James over to her side.

What did you think about the show?

Karate Kid (2009)

Entertainment Rating: B

This was a fun show. The fight sequences were particularly well done, especially for a bunch of middle school kids. I didn't care for the fact that it stuck so closely to the original story. There was no surprise at the end, you knew what was going to happen. Jackie Chan didn't do much for the story, he was a rather serious character - none of his good-natured humor was displayed. My guess is that some influential people didn't want anyone to overshadow Jaden Smith's first star role.

Moral Rating: 3

The original Karate Kid also had a lot more gems of knowledge taught by Mr. Miyagi. Mr. Han in this one had one or two, but nothing I really remember. We're presented with the same conflict with the boy who's recently had to move and gain new friends, and how Kung Fu is about making peace, not punishing your enemy.

I think the first hour or so dragged on a bit too long, there's no reason this movie needed to be longer than 2 hours, but the breath-taking views of China make some of that extra time worth watching.

No Country For Old Men (2007)

Entertainment Rating: C

This was an intriguing, but hard to enjoy movie. We watched a recording off of broadcast television (our only film source other than the library or an occasional RedBox) and even edited I wouldn't recommend this to anyone. Yet at the same time it presented some very interesting thoughts and dialog between me and my wife.

Moral Rating: 2

The violence in this movie is surely what made it R, but was really the crux of the whole movie, so it would be hard to take it out completely or even mostly out and still have a coherent/impactful story. Some of the strong themes that were presented dealt with nihilism, destiny, and agency.

The entire film was nihilistic (as are most Coen brother films). The opening line was rather haunting and hopeless. The single reference to God portrays Him as distant and unkind:

"always figured when I got older, God would sorta come inta my life somehow. And he didn't. I don't blame him. If I was him I would have the same opinion of me that he does."

Atrocious events were talked about as if they were everyday occurrences. Chighur was a god-like figure in that when he said something, he'd do it (executing justice as written by his own law) and only occasionally give people a weak chance to change their "destiny".

[Spoiler Alert]

Lewellyn's choices basically led to his and his wife's death. He was completely aware of what he had to do to prevent that (some faith would have to be exercised), but the 2 million dollars was just too much to let go of. Greed was another element in the film. The ironic part is that Lewellyn actually had some compassion on the Mexicans and it ended up being the Mexicans who killed him, not Chighur.

9 (2009)

Entertainment Rating: 4/5

This wasn't a very complex movie. However, the story seemed like it had so much background information that was only shared in bits and pieces of flashbacks that you feel wanting at the end of the 75 min. film.

Moral Rating: 3/5

9 is the last stitchpunk made and the one that helps the others realize their destiny. Some were content to just hide and avoid the evil that existed in the world, while others tried to learn and grow on their own. 9 actually brings everyone together, and only then are they able to realize their full potential and start the world progressing again (even if it is through implied non-creationism/evolution). We are all free to choose our own destiny. The final line of the movie nicely illustrates this by saying that the world is "what we make of it."

If you're looking for something short and sweet, check it out. I'm not sure why it was rated PG-13, it's definitely a mild PG-13 if anything but could be a bit scary for younger kids.

American Dreamz

Entertainment Rating: C

This movie might be even funnier if you've ever watched an episode of American Idol, but it was funny enough. A little weird in parts, but entertaining if you can watch it edited.

Moral Rating: 2

A semi-good message comes out when you see that fame and fortune don't really bring happiness. William Williams was a good example of getting what you want. He wanted Sally so badly that he refused to see her for what she was and when it finally hit him, the results were explosive.