Helpful Online Resources for Content-Aware Viewers
Over the years I have used several online resources to determine the content of a movie before paying the ever-increasing ticket price. After all, nothing is worse than paying eight bucks for a movie and then discovering twenty minutes into the film that the language is unbearable, or the content is obscene. Here are some helpful resources I use currently or have used in the past:
ScreenIt.com - This one has been around for years and contains a ton of information about almost every mainstream movie or video. The folks at ScreenIt.com go more in-depth than anyone about the content of a film. Be careful though, as sometimes you can be reading an accidentally ruin the plot. I’ll give them a B+. It would be an A, but man their advertisements have really taken over.
Kids-In-Mind.com - Another content review site that has a wealth of information is kids-in-mind.com. This critics.com resources assigns a 1 to 10 rating for each movie in the categories of sex / nudity, violence / gore and profanity. Their reviews are more brief but still comprehensive, providing just enough information to make an informed decision without spoiling the plot. They also have a nice search features which allows you to find movies quickly. You can even search by an actors name to see all related films. Nice job! I highly recommend this resource!
ParentPreviews.com - ParentPreviews.com also does nice write-ups about the content of movies and videos. While they tend to be more subjective than Kids-In-Mind.com, I like ParentPreviews.com because they also review video games. As I’m sure we’ve all seen on the news, video games are becoming increasing filled with violence, poor language and sexuality.
CharitysPlace.com - While not exactly in the same league as the above three, I’ve got to mention Charity Bishop’s site just because she does such a stellar job. The site currently has over 1,500 reviews, and each review is well written and well thought out. Charity is content-aware and explains the content in each movie well. Definitely check out her site from time to time.
Yahoo’s MovieMom - Of course we can’t forget the Movie Mom! Yahoo’s long-standing resource gives each movie a grade based on content so you can make informed decisions about what to watch.
So those are a couple of my favorites…which ones have I left out? Do the MPAA ratings mean anything to you anymore?
April 28th, 2007 at 3:00 pm
Plugged In Online - This lively affiliate of Focus on the Family offers one of the most polished websites in the review line-up. An extensive selection of well-written reviews, covering up-to-date theater and video releases, follow a useful categorization template that includes a detailed breakdown of offensive content by type. Clearly marked “spoiler” alerts prevent all but the most curious of readers from ruining the suspense.