ABOUT SCHMIDT
RATING: R
STARRING: Jack Nicholson, Hope Davis, Dermot Mulroney, June Squibb, Kathy Bates, Howard Hesseman, and Robert Kem
DIRECTOR: Alexander Payne
BASED ON THE NOVEL BY: Louis Begley
DISTRIBUTOR: New Line Cinema
GENRE: Drama
INTENDED AUDIENCE: Adults
SUMMARY: About Schmidt is a Christian movie with a Lutheran flavor. Jack Nicholson plays Warren Schmidt, a man who finds himself unemployed. As he watches television at home, he decides to adopt an orphan in Tanzania named Ndugu for $22 a month. An ad tells him to write Ndugu a letter with his donation, and he proceeds to confess his disdain for his wife and all the many tribulations of his life, including the fact that he gave up his dreams to support his family and they do not care. One day, a family tragedy causes Schmidt to re-examine his life. He becomes a born-again Christian and tries to make amends for the wrongs he’s done.
About Schmidt is a funny, subtle, on-the-edge, slightly sarcastic, clever, brilliant, jaundiced, poignant, heart-rending, emotive portrait of an elderly man being born again, in a Christian sense. The movie has an edge about it, however, that will keep viewers guessing. Thus, it contains some adult content not suitable for children or teenagers. The Christian elements are clear, but are presented in an off-putting, non-confrontational way that beckons the audience to take Schmidt’s journey with him.
CONTENT: Droll but very clear story about a man being born again with many moral messages as well as some Buddhist and New Age artifacts in an aging hippy’s home; pictures of starving and abused children; sexual talk, kiss and sexual advances which are rebuked; older woman disrobes and gets into hot tub naked; man discovers elation from drugs; and, lying, egotism and selfishness rebuked and transformed.
TREASURE PLANET
RATING: PG
STARRING the voices of: Roscoe Lee Browne, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, David Hyde Pierce, Mona Marshall, Brian Murray, Martin Short, and Emma Thompson
DIRECTOR: Ron Clements and John Musker
PRODUCER: Roy Conli
WRITERS: Ken Harsha, Barry Johnson and Kaan Kalyon
BASED ON THE NOVEL BY: Robert Louis Stevenson
DISTRIBUTOR: Buena Vista Distribution Walt Disney Pictures/Walt Disney Company
GENRE: Animated Science Fiction
INTENDED AUDIENCE: Children
SUMMARY: In Treasure Planet, young Jim Hawkins finds that a spaceship has crashed nearby, whose captain is dying. The captain gives Jim a golden ball with some markings on it and tells him to guard it . . . and to be aware of the cyborg. With the help of Dr. Doppler, Jim discovers that the ball is a 3-D map, showing a hidden planet filled with treasure. Jim discovers, though, that his new friend is actually a scheming pirate with mutiny in mind. He must quickly grow up in this life-or-death sea of choices. Will Jim find the inner strength to face down the mutineers? Will he be able to locate Treasure Planet and get his ship safely back?
Treasure Planet is the Disney-animated version of Robert Louis Stevenson’s famous novel about a boy on an incredible intergalactic adventure. Despite some Star Wars-type monsters that might scare the very young, this movie has some powerful biblical lessons in loyalty, betrayal, choices, and teamwork. The movie is a good mix of adventure, mystery, humor, and heart.
CONTENT: Moral worldview with clear portrayal of the need for good fathering, the decision to not compromise, the ugly fruit of greedy ambition and the victory of self-sacrifice; some action violence with pirate fights and some frightening monsters, skeletons, etc; a man goes overboard, falling into black hole and dying; and, false accusation, greed, selfish ambition, poor parenting, mild rebelliousness, and betrayal.
