Website with kid-appropriate movie reviews?

Does anyone know of a website that will give good assessments of kids' movies with the real scoop on violence and scariness for small children? I really appreciated the person's warning who gave the unsolicited warning about ''Ratatouille''. I had looked at reviews online and had the impression that the movie would be ok for my 3-year-old, and I was planning on taking her. (While they did mention that the main character is, yet again, an orphan, they made NO MENTION of the scary losing-of-parents scene.) Thanks to your advice, my daughter will not be cowering on my lap like your child was. Thank you! Next time maybe I'll write in here to ask about a specific movie. By the way, how was ''Surf's Up''? Maybe this should be a category on BPN. Careful about Movies

It's my go to place when I'm thinking of renting a movie or seeing a movie with my son. I have found the advice to be right on and even if I decide that a movie with an age rating higher than my son's chrono age, I know when to be there to answer questions and what issues to talk about after the movie. Hope this helps! Jen

Movie Mom at the Yahoo review site (movies.yahoo.com) recommends Ratatouille for ages 8 (!) and up. Not a lot of detail, though, and she doesn't review every movie.

At the site for International Movie Data Base - imdb.com - , under ''additional details'', find the link to ''Parent's Guide'' for some details about sex and nudity, violence and gore, profanity, alcohol/drugs/smoking/, and frightening/intense scenes. I believe the information is contributed by users, and is supposed to be ''just the facts'', no opinions.

www.kids-in-mind.com also has an extensive listing of ''offenses'', as well as scores on sex/nudity, violence/gore, and profanity. Unfortunately, it also has a lot of advertising, pop-ups, etc. R.K.

I think kids-in-mind.com gives more detail. For instance, the site rates movies on a 1-10 scale for things like violence/gore, profanity, sex/nudity, etc. Then it goes on to give most or all of the actual incidences, describing the scenes or words used that might cause offense or upset kids.

Commonsensemedia.org is good, too. It rates movies by age appropriateness, including a category for ''know your kid.'' Recently, I logged on and saw a review of the new Britney Spears single, which they rate as an age 14 and older song. They also give examples of the lyrics that pushed the rating to 14 and above. Commonsensemedia also rate video games.

All in all, these sites are good because they aren't railing against anything concept-wise, they are merely giving parents the information they need to decide whether a movie is appropriate for their kids or not.

Wondering if any one can recommend useful, parent-friendly websites for the critique of current (or older) kid's films? I'd really value the objective, intelligent insights of a movie reviewer specializing in kids films before relying on my own instincts or limited time with which to do research. Many thanks. Movie critic lacking time

Earlier suggestions

I took my 3 year old to see Ice Age this weekend, having heard generally that it was ''good.'' It wasn't bad - certainly not as violent as some of the Disney movies I've seen - but it still had an awful lot of bopping on the head, crunching, stomping, falling, screaming, growling, etc (it was extremely loud too)-- more than I expected; I would have liked to have had a better idea of what it was like beforehand. How do other parents find out what movies to take their kids to see? Is there a website or something that anyone knows of? Thanks for any tips... Fran

VIOLENCE

* Diego and other saber-toothed tigers prepare to attack a human encampment and steal a baby as a means of revenge. Moments later, they attack and a human must knock one of them aside. The humans then try to defend themselves with spears, while Diego goes into a tent and goes to get the baby, but the mother hits him on the head with a club. He then chases her through several locales until she gets to a very tall waterfall and decides to take the plunge with her baby to avoid the tiger. The humans' large dogs are then let loose on the tigers that then retreat, with the humans also throwing spears at them.

IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR

* Phrases: ''Oh, Jeez,'' ''Shut up,'' ''Losers,'' ''You're an embarrassment to nature,'' ''What are you looking at, bone bag?'' and ''Knuckleheads.'' -- Dana D.

For example, if you click on the review of Ice Age, http://www.screenit.com/movies/2002/ice_age.html you would have discovered that although there was minor blood and gore, & minor weaponry, there were frightening/tense scenes, scary/tense music, and some violence. Beyond these topics, you can also click on an ''our take'' link which gives you an idea of the artistic merits of the film. I find this site very reliable and almost always in tune with my take on things.

Another useful site is ''MovieMom'', http://www.moviemom.com/ which has a less detailed approach to movie reviews. I don't always agree with her opinions - she is much more positive about some of the Disney standard fare than I am. She also has a book, which divides movies according to themes/stories they tell. I find her to be useful, but fairly mainstream in her thinking. She would have told you that Ice Age is recommended for ages 6 and up, and that there was some scariness. She is good at pulling out issues to discuss in the movie.

There is a site called Kids-in-Mind which rates movies on sex- violence-profanity. You would have found out about some of the violent/scary scenes in Ice Age. If those are your main concerns, this site could be somewhat helpful, but you won't get much of a sense of the overall merit of the film.

Lastly, there is Kids First/Coalition for Quality Children's Media which has a website and a book based on their panel of kids and adults reviews of videos and software. They give their endorsement to high quality media, but do not review current films. They publish a good book called ''Parents Guide to the Best Children's videos'', and a somewhat less useful website at http://www.cqcm.org/kidsfirst/

I'm afraid you will continue to be frustrated at the lack of appropriate movie programming for young children. Ice Age was rated PG, which really means it isn't recommended for the under 6 set. Movies with a G rating will probably have fewer frightening scenes, but for a little person, just sitting in the dark in a strange room with loudspeakers all around can be frightening! You may need to find some good videos to keep you going for the next few years - when our kids were preschoolers our favorites were My Neighbor Totoro, the Snowman, Wee Sing Train, National Geographic GeoKids, short animated book-based films such as the Critics Choice, Rabbit Ear, or Children's Circle series, including Marzipan Pig, Mouse & Motorcycle, Frog and Toad Series, the Emperor and the Nightingale, etc. Most of these can be found at your local library, or check out this website: http://www.greattapes.com/

We have a weekly ''family movie night'' and are always in search of good movies to enjoy together. I'd love to hear what people with kids our age are watching (6 and 9 year old). Our favorites include Marx Brothers, Roan Inish, The Yearling, Captains Courageous, Ever After, etc. Natasha

Summer's here, and so are the summer blockbusters. Should you take your 4 year old to see Tarzan? Should your 8 year old see Austin Powers, Wild Wild West, or Star Wars? Or you're planning a family video night, trying to find something that's not too scary for your 5 year old, but interesting enough for your 9 year old. Friends who know of my knee-jerk anti-Disney attitude are often challenging me to come up with good movies for their kids, and "Movie Mom" Nell Minow has come to my rescue with her book and website. She helps parents evaluate the appropriateness of movies for children of various ages, and writes thoughtfully about the movies' themes, including suggestions for topics that parents may want to discuss with their children before or after the movie. Here's part of a review of her book: "Written in a wise, warm, and witty voice, the book is brimming with suggestions on how to engage kids attention, what to do if they get scared, how to respond if they say "everyone else in the 4th grade gets to watch R movies" or "black and white movies are boring," and which movies are best to watch if you're sick in bed..."

In an ideal world, we'd all preview the movies and videos we allow our children to see. Whether or not you're able to do so, you'll really appreciate "Movie Mom's" insights and her age guidelines. I have sometimes made the mistake of letting my three and a half year old watch a movie that was just fine for her six year old sister, only to find that a mildly scary scene was terrifying for the younger one. (I do think that when one is pushing the age envelope, which is tempting to do since there are so few good movies for very young kids, it's best to take the time to sit and watch with the younger child so you can monitor his or her reactions.)

Here are some examples, first from her discussion of "Ever After", a video retelling of the Cinderella story, which my 9 year old niece adores:

Sumptuously filmed at medieval castles and chateaux, with gorgeous costumes, this is is a pleasure for the eye as well as the spirit. Danielle is a very modern heroine, smart, brave, honest, and able to save her prince as well as herself, if necessary. The script is clever (though wildly anachronistic in places), and while the accents come and go (and why do French characters speak with English accents, anyway?), the performances are excellent, with particularly engaging turns by Melanie Lynskey as the sympathetic younger step-sister and Judy Parfitt as the queen...There is some action violence, and a sad onscreen death. The plot may be a challenge to younger children, especially those expecting the story they know (Cinderella), so it is a good idea to prepare them, which can lead to a good discussion of different versions and points of view. (Rated 5 stars, for ages 6 and up)

And here's part of her review of "October Sky":

Parents can use this movie to talk to kids about how Homer, not a great student and not especially strong in math, became so inspired by an idea that he begins to think in new ways...They could also talk about...whether Homer made the right choice in going to work in the mine...how kids at school treat the "nerds" and why...how people are evaluated differently in school than they are once they get out, and how life in 1999 is different from the world of 1957. Parents should know that a drunken stepfather beats up one of Homer's friends in one scene (and is stopped by John) and that there are some very mild sexual references. Kids who enjoy this movie might also enjoy "The Corn is Green," another true story about a boy from the coal mines who is transformed by education." (rated 5 stars, and recommended for ages 8 and up)

Movie Mom's Guide to Family Movies by Nell Minow, is at Cody's Books...

Natasha

I did a web search and found 6 sites that offer reviews of movies for parents. All except Screen It! had limited listings and only brief explanations of why a movie was or wasn't recommendaed for kids. Some listed only those movies the authors thought were appropriate for kids - not so useful, especially for older kids.

Screen it! has very detailed info about every conceivable movie & video. 15 different measures such as blood/gore - alcohol use - profanity - imitative behavior - scenes that make you jump - scary music - bad attitude - etc. Even includes actual count of f-words, etc! Gives a plot synopsis, info about the actors, a general review - the authors like movies, and give their own opinions about artistic content, while also providing useful info for parents.

This site stresses that these reviews are available so that parents can decide for themselves what their kids watch, rather than relying on some other organization to make this decision.