Does the entertainment industry just drive you crazy? When your children want to go see a movie with their friends, do you cringe because you know there's not going to be ANYTHING good enough to see? Yes, there is the rare "great film" that comes out, but most of them are not worth my time, nor my money.
I've learned to rely on this website to help me with my movie-viewing decisions:
http://www.pluggedin.com/ developed by Focus on the Family - www.family.org
Choose a movie - a new release or an older film and it gives you the DETAILS so you may make an informed decision about whether or not to see the movie, not just rely on your neighbor or friend that said, "It's so great" or "It doesn't really have any swearing" or "There's just a little bit of violence".
It gives you positive elements, negative elements, sexual content, violent content, drug/alcohol content, crude/profane language and other elements. It tells you how many instances of a swear word there are, quotes from the movie, and descriptions of inappropriate scenes; followed up by an "opinion" as to whether or not to spend your money or time.
I use this website often. I've used it so much that my children now go to the website and read the review before they ask if they can go see it. Or, they email me the review so I can read it myself.
With my older two children, we've moved to a different approach. We want them to make the decisions for themselves...it's not much longer before they're on their own and we want them to have practice making choices with guidance from those who love them. We tell them to read the review. If they feel good about it, then we let them make the choice. However, we've put our foot down with Rated R movies - not allowed! It's worked well.
My son wanted to go see Avatar. He read the review. I asked him, "What do you think?" He said, "I don't think I should see it. I'll suggest something different". They didn't see a movie after all. They participated in another activity which I would much prefer.
Help your children choose their media wisely! Find great movies or a TV series to watch as a family and to find enjoyment in. The latest series we've been enjoying is Sue Thomas, F.B.Eye. It's about a deaf lady who works for the FBI, solving cases using her lip reading ability. It's fabulous! No swearing, no sexuality. It's funny and entertaining and exciting.
Purchase it from AFA: http://store.afa.net/p-10000558-sue-thomas-fbeye-complete-5-volume-set.aspx
Learn more about the true story of Sue Thomas:
My movie philosophy: If you're going to watch it, make sure it's worth it.
Thanks for the pluggedin lead! I hadn't found a place yet that didn't require a membership.
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