Current films are reviewed each week to provide parents a guide to decide what may be appropriate to younger viewers.
SKYFALL
Rating: PG-13 for intense violent sequences throughout, some sexuality, language and smoking
What it's about: A computer hacker has stolen a list of secret agents, and James Bond wants them back.
The kid attractor factor: It's James Bond, with car chases, epic brawls and lots and lots of action.
Good lessons, bad lessons: "Age is no guarantee of efficiency" and "Youth is no guarantee of innovation."
Violence: Plentiful.
Language: Not much profanity at all.
Sex: Nothing explicit, but James Bond is catnip to the ladies.
Drugs: A few drinks, a few cigarettes.
Parents advisory: The lightest of the Daniel Craig Bond films, it's still violent and too sexual and too long for anybody under 12.
THE MAN WITH THE IRON FISTS
Rating: R for bloody violence, strong sexuality, language and brief drug use
What it's about: An ex-slave blacksmith is caught up in clan wars in late 19th century China.
The kid attractor factor: Martial arts, and lots of it. And that 40-something rapper RZA.
Good lessons, bad lessons: "A dog living in a palace is still a dog."
Violence: Constant, graphic, played for blood-gushing laughs.
Language: Shockingly modern in its profanity.
Sex:Coarse and crude, and not hard to find.
Drugs: Booze, opium.
Parents advisory: Yeah, they're telling you they're going to see "Wreck-It Ralph." Just make sure the cutlery's hidden when they get back. Unsuitable for anyone under 16.
WRECK-IT RALPH
Rating: PG for some rude humor and mild action/violence
What it's about: A disgruntled video-game bad guy escapes and tries to show his true colors.
The kid attractor factor: It's a new 3-D Disney cartoon set inside the lives of video game characters.
Good lessons, bad lessons: Labels don't matter; "you must love you" before you can live a happy, contented life.
Violence: Cartoon slapstick, even the first-person shooter game scenes.
Language: Disney-clean, despite the presence of Sarah Silverman.
Sex: A little game-on-game smooching
Drugs: None.
Parents advisory: Suitable for all ages.
CLOUD ATLAS
Rating: R for violence, language, sexuality/nudity and some drug use
What it's about: People, interconnected through time, seek a way out of intolerance, corruption, fear and greed.
The kid attractor factor: It's possibly the most eye-popping picture of the year
Good lessons, bad lessons: "My life extends far beyond the limitations of me." "You have to do what you can't not do." Violence: Quite a bit, much of it graphic and gruesome.
Language: Profanity, racial slurs.
Sex: Yes, explicit.
Drugs: Yes.
Parents advisory: Take the "R" rating seriously. Suitable for 16-and-up.
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