`Madagascar’
Rating: PG for mild language, crude humor and some thematic elements.
What it’s about: Central Park Zoo critters are shipwrecked on the island of Madagascar and must learn to fend for themselves in “the Wild.”
The Kid Attractor Factor: It’s a very sweet and funny cartoon with talking animals.
Good lessons/bad lessons: You have to take risks and leave the comforts of home if you want to grow. And animals shouldn’t be penned up in zoos.
Violence: Dart guns, a little growling here and there, and the fish don’t make out too well.
Language: Disney clean.
Sex: None.
Drugs: Again with the dart guns.
Parents advisory: A DreamWorks cartoon that is sweeter and more kid-friendly than the “Shrek” franchise. Perfect for the “Nemo” set.
`The Longest Yard’
Rating: Rated PG-13 for crude and sexual humor, violence, language and drug references.
What it’s about: A disgraced ex-footballer and prison inmate leads convicts against guards in a game that could redeem him and give him back his self-respect.
The Kid Attractor Factor: Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Nelly and assorted wrestlers and football players are in the cast.
Good lessons/bad lessons: Cheating in sports shows a lack of character.
Violence: Plentiful.
Language: Almost as plentiful.
Sex: The camera leers at every female breast it is pointed at and gay prison sex gags abound.
Drugs: Discussed, and alcohol is consumed.
Parents advisory: Though the original was forbidden fruit for sports-mad boys in the ’70s, this one may not have that appeal. Too juvenile for most grown-ups, it’s still pretty adult for a PG-13.
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`Star Wars: Episode III–Revenge of the Sith’
Rating: PG-13 for sci-fi violence and some intense images.
What it’s about: A proud young Jedi lets his vanity and his fears get the best of him.
The Kid Attractor Factor: A galaxy of action, Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman.
Good lessons/bad lessons: Come to the Dark Side. Beware of flattering senators. Secret marriages never work out.
Violence: Beheadings, child murders, dismemberings, etc.
Language: Stilted, but not profane.
Sex: Somebody is pregnant. Some of us know how she got that way.
Drugs: None.
Parents advisory: Violent and dark, take the PG rating seriously, the “13” part not so much. Ten-and-ups who are into this won’t be weirded out by the sword fights.
`Kicking & Screaming’
Rating: PG for thematic elements, language and some crude humor.
What it’s about: Weenie dad tries to best his tyrannical father by outcoaching him at soccer.
The Kid Attractor Factor: Will Ferrell, the world’s tallest and oldest 11-year-old.
Good lessons/bad lessons: Kiddie sports are about having fun, not wins and a trophy for dad’s mantle.
Violence: Slapstick, noogies, tackles, kids are shoved into pools.
Language: Pretty clean.
Sex: None, though grandpa’s trophy bride likes her tops low-cut, and there’s an awkward bit of humor in trying to explain why one player has two mommies.
Drugs: Coffee, in its many forms, is abused.
Parents advisory: Pretty tame stuff, more like “Elf” than “The Bad News Bears.”
`Unleashed’
Rating: Rated R for strong violent content, language and some sexuality/nudity.
What it’s about: A martial artist has spent his life in chains, used as a mobster’s attack dog, until he finds friends who show him another way.
The Kid Attractor Factor: Jet Li kicking beaucoup behinds.
Good lessons/bad lessons: “Family should be together, no matter what.”
Violence: Savage, non-stop and graphic.
Language: Some profanity.
Sex: Yes, and pretty base stuff, involving cash.
Drugs: None, save for alcohol.
Parents advisory: The parable at the heart of the story may be kid-simple, but this is stunningly violent, worth cutting off allowances over to keep your teens away.
