Now Streaming – November 2020

PAUL BLART: MALL COP is a rather dull and poorly written portrayal of a wannabe cop who saves the day by capturing the bad guys and rescuing the hostages through slapstick physical comedy. Although the filmmakers try to add some family elements to the movie, some awkward violence, sexual references, foul language, and a scene of drunkenness spoil the fun.

In THE NEXT KARATE KID, Zen practitioner Miyagi returns, this time to help out the 17-year-old daughter of an deceased army buddy who is having trouble with a tough boy at school. Although the movie contains positive messages concerning discipline and a positive sense of self, caution is warranted concerning violence portrayed as a means to solve problems and the promotion of Eastern philosophy (Zen Buddhism).

CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS 2 finds young inventor Flint Lockwood and his friends embarking on a dangerously delicious mission to battle hungry tacodiles, shrimpanzees and other foodimals to save the world. CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS 2 is a feast of fun for the eyes and the funny bone, with some positive moral lessons along the way.

A CHRISTMAS MOVIE CHRISTMAS is a television movie about two sisters who suddenly find themselves magically transported to a perfect town for Christmas, where they have to figure out how to salvage the Christmas season as well as their love lives. The romance in A CHRISTMAS MOVIE CHRISTMAS is sometimes a little sappy, but the movie is often humorous and inspirational, with wonderful messages about family, community and helping other people.

ZOOKEEPER stars Kevin James as a kind-hearted zookeeper who gets romantic advice from the zoo animals when he learns they can talk to him. Rated PG, ZOOKEEPER is funny but does have a strong environmentalist message equating animals with people and lots of scatological humor, so caution is advised for pre-teens.

Leslie Nielsen does a great job of recreating the cartoon Mr. Magoo as a live action persona in Walt Disney’s MR. MAGOO. In spite of his extremely poor vision, Magoo foils a group of international jewel thieves. This mainly moral movie is slightly flawed by slapstick violence, a little sexual innuendo and a few foul words.

The new animated DISNEY’S A CHRISTMAS CAROL is a magnificent adaptation of the classic Charles Dickens story about Ebenezer Scrooge, an old black-hearted miser, who changes his sinful ways when three spirits take him on a nightmarish, frightening, life-changing journey through scenes of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Yet-To-Come. A CHRISTMAS CAROL brilliantly captures this masterful tale, with redemptive references to Jesus Christ and the Bible. Even so, A CHRISTMAS CAROL is too frightening for young children and susceptible adults.

In PLANES: FIRE & RESCUE, Dusty Crophopper has a problem with one of his parts and has to take a break from racing and learn how to be a firefighter. PLANES: FIRE & RESCUE is an adorable animated movie, with a strong moral worldview, that the entire family will enjoy.

Based on a popular book, ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY follows a family of six who have an unusually bad day but still stay positive through it all. ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY is a fun, enjoyable movie that extols family but has some magic and scatological elements.

THE SPY NEXT DOOR stars Jackie Chan as Bob Ho, a Chinese spy on loan to the CIA who has fallen in love with the divorced woman next door, who has three precocious, opinionated children. Although there is some action comedy violence and some PG lines that require caution for young children, it is a delightful family romp, with lots of light action comedy violence and many good values taught in a gentle, family-friendly way.

Set in India, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE is the story of a young man, Jamal who goes on the Indian version of “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire” in hopes of not so much winning the money as winning the girl he loves. SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE is an enjoyable movie with a mix of action, adventure and romance, but there is some violence, foul language and light references to the Muslim culture of the main characters.

SOUL SURFER is an inspiring, powerful story about young surfer Bethany Hamilton, who overcame great obstacles when a tiger shark took her arm while she was surfing. SOUL SURFER is an inspiring, powerful story with a wonderful performance by AnnaSophia Robb about a courageous young woman who has deep faith in Jesus Christ.

In desperate need of love and the security of a family, 12-year-old Jesse recognizes similar needs in his new-found friend Willy, a 7000-pound killer whale, living in the North West Adventure Park, and knows there can be only one solution...FREE WILLY. This film is well made and very clean, to the point of being refreshing. FREE WILLY is a great treat and suitable for the entire family.

THE LEGO MOVIE is an animated comedy about an underdog hero carrying the key to peace, who must battle a wannabe dictator in order to save the world. THE LEGO MOVIE is a hilarious movie with great animation and a strong moral worldview containing a strong Christian allegory.

In THE IRON GIANT, young Hogarth befriends a giant robot, which is designed for war, but is transformed by love in the face of military attack. The story makes it seem like all guns are bad and includes problems in describing the soul. Yet, the story also has wonderful elements of love overcoming evil, death and resurrection.

Part One of THE HOBBIT, AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY, Gandalf the wizard enlists the aid of a reluctant little hobbit to help a group of dwarves recover their homeland from a great dragon and hordes of murderous orcs. AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY is a bit too long and contains some intense violence and scary creatures that are too much for younger children, but it’s a grand, exciting, uplifting adventure epic that extols loyalty, honor, courage, kindness, self-sacrifice, and redemption.

13 GOING ON 30 is a feel-good retelling of BIG for young females. Starring Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo, this movie contains a positive message about difficult moral choices and selfishness, although that message is surrounded by some light adult elements.

Based on Jack London’s classic book, CALL OF THE WILD comes to the big screen again in the story about a large stolen dog that has to re-discover his animal nature and survive the harsh wilderness and evil men. CALL OF THE WILD is fast-paced and entertaining but has a mixed worldview, with a positive character caring for and helping others, though, ultimately, the movie and the book stress returning to primal nature rather than civilization.