OPEN RANGE
RATING: R
STARRING: Kevin Costner, Robert Duvall, Annette Bening, and Michael Gambon
DIRECTOR: Kevin Costner
PRODUCERS: Kevin Costner, David Valdez, and Craig Storper
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Jake Eberts and Armyan Bernstein
WRITER: Craig Storper
DISTRIBUTOR: Touchstone Pictures/Buena Vista (Disney)
GENRE: Western
INTENDED AUDIENCE: Older Teens & Adults
SUMMARY: Open Range stars Kevin Costner as a former gunslinger forced to take up arms again when he and his cattle crew, led by Robert Duvall, are threatened by a corrupt lawman. The movie’s beautiful scenery, commendable acting, and positive moral elements are marred by some slow-moving scenes, a double payoff on the love story, excessive violence, foul language, and other questionable content.
CONTENT: Slightly dominant moral worldview upholds some biblical and moral principles such as honesty, integrity, truth, Western justice, and trust with genuine prayers and positive elements regarding Christian church, but spoiled by rampant violence, revenge themes, and villainous business owner is contrasted with independent, free-roaming, little guys; 21 obscenities and eight profanities with one sacrilegious obscenity shouted to God; very strong Western violence includes numerous shootings, killings, gun fights and fist fights in saloons; numerous portrayals of alcohol; some smoking; and cheating, lying, stealing, and revenge.
THE LEGEND OF JOHNNY LINGO
RATING: G
STARRING: Joe Falou, Tamasani Simei-Barton, Fokikovi Soakimi, Kayte Ferguson, Rawiri Parantene, and George Henare
DIRECTOR: Steven Ramirez
PRODUCERS: John Garbett and Jerry Molen
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Brad Pelo
WRITER: Riwia Brown
BASED ON THE SHORT STORY BY: Patricia McGerr
DISTRIBUTOR: Number 8 Production LLC
GENRE: Historical Drama
INTENDED AUDIENCE: All ages
SUMMARY: The Legend Of Johnny Lingo, set in the South Pacific, is the story of an orphan boy who receives his rightful inheritance and follows his heart to find true love. After washing ashore on a boat as an infant, the boy, renamed Tama, grows up to fall in love with Mahana, the daughter of the village drunk. Tama asks Mahana to leave the island with him. She refuses to go because she has to take care of her father, in spite of the fact he’s a drunk. So, Tama heads off, promising to return. Eventually, a wealthy trader takes Tama under his wing and, knowing he’s about to die, makes Tama his heir, giving him his name. He tells Tama to follow his heart back to his first love, which Tama does, but she does not recognize him.
The Legend Of Tommy Lingo has a lot of virtues. It extols patience, kindness, hard work, and perseverance. Being true to your promises, loving someone for what’s inside them, and sacrificing your life for others are also celebrated. The movie is diminished by a Romantic worldview, however.
CONTENT: Moral worldview with strong romantic elements and view of marriage, as well as some redemptive allegorical elements; no foul language; minor violence, such as a woman, both as a girl and then grown up, throws coconuts and other things at guys; kissing; no nudity; one town drunk character, no smoking; and, lying, eventually overcome.
