The Salon -- PG-13

The owner of a beauty salon (Vivica Fox) manages to find love as she tries to save her shop from being torn down. African American women grew up in salons like this one, sometimes kicking and screaming! Really liked this movie.

Sahara -- PG-13

While searching for Confederate gold on the Nile River, Dirk Pitt (Matthew McConaughey) thwarts the attempted assassination of a UN scientist (Penelope Cruz) that is investigating a possible epidemic. When she is kidnapped, he cases the culprits. With his boyhood friend (Steve Zahn), he manages to look for her and the gold in the same area to discover a dreadful secret. PG-13 for action violence.


The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause -- G

Tim Allen is good in this familiar role, but Martin Short steals the movie. A seasonal favorite, this family film will delight both the kids and the parents.


Saved! -- PG-13

A movie starring Jena Malone, Mandy Moore and Macaulay Culkin about a girl going to a Southern Baptist high school who gets pregnant by following what she thinks is the will of God. This movie has an agenda of teaching young people that you don't have to do all the things religious people tell you to do to be able to make it into Heaven or to enjoy life here on Earth. Mandy Moore is a spiritual warrior who is a spiteful, hateful, vindictive person in truth. Jena Malone is a believer who tries to live her faith, yet she gets pregnant trying to lead a gay boyfriend into the "normal" straight life. She is so upset, she curses God because He didn't keep her from getting pregnant. Other characters are portrayed as rebellious, yet really decent at heart. The principle of their school -- Pastor Skip -- is trying so hard to be relevent to the students ( "Are you down with G-O-D?" he asks) he forgets his responsibility to teach truth as it is -- not as he imagines it to be. This movie will intentionally mislead young people who are just beginning to understand and develope their faith. Rated PG-13 because of sex, teen pregnancy and language


Saw – R

This first time effort from director/story writer James Wan and actor/screenwriter Leigh Whannel is probably the scariest non-horror movie I have ever seen! That is saying a lot. Cary Elwes and Danny Glover are the names in this movie ( and they each did an excellent job playing the characters they played); however – and there’s always a however in life – the story itself is the star of this film. To have a maniac place people in situations where they have to decide just how badly they want to live and how much they are willing to do to live is tremendous. Grisly violence is the reason for the justified R rating.


Saw II -- R

In the tradition of SAW and Se7en, this movie, although a slasher film rather than a horror movie, this movie terrifies and entertains. Not for kids, adults will find this movie as good as the first. Fellows will take their girls to see if they can get free hugs, but who will be hugging who?


Scary Movie 3 -- R

Parts are EXTREMELY funny, and other parts miss the mark entirely. Overall a good movie for adults only. Strong sexuality and vulgar language earned this movie it's R rating.


Scary Movie 4 -- PG-13

This is a non funny, non scary nonsense of a movie that should be nonexistent. One or two funny minutes of a 2 hour film is not enough.


School of Rock -- PG –13

Jack Black at his most hilarious. He plays a rock musician who is replaced in his own band. Determined to show them up, he steals an assignment to be a substitute teacher from his friend, at a prestigious private school and proceeds to turn the elementary school students into a rock band. Fun for the whole family.


Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed -- PG

So much better than the first one -- and I liked the first one. Not only were the original actors back and better, but Seth Green, Peter Boyle and Alicia Silverstone were outstanding in this movie also. Based on the monsters created by the cartoon version of Scooby-Doo, this movcie is fun for the entire family.


Seabiscuit -- PG - 13

A very good movie based on a true story of a horse that captivated America in 1938. A horse that was too small, ridden by a jockey (Tobey McGuire) that was blind in one eye and too big, trained by a trainer that was too old (Chris Cooper) and owned by a rich man (Jeff Bridges) who made his riches selling cars, give a post-Depression America something to cheer for. The PG-13 is for sexual bargaining with prostitutes. You never see them naked; however the movie explains what they are.


Second Hand Lions -- PG

Haley Joel Osmet is a young teenager who is left by his irresponsible mother to stay with his two "eccentric" uncles. When you're rich, they call you eccentric instead of crazy and everyone thinks the uncles are very rich. The movie is good when the acting is Michael Cain and Robert Duvall, but the subplots aren't good or believable. With Haley Joel, I kept thinking, "Dickie Roberts"


The Secret Window -- PG-13

This Johnny Depp vehicle is about a writer who is confronted by a mysterious, country man who claims to have written the story that the writer published. The country man (John Tuturro) claims to only want the story republished under his name -- with the original ending. An animal killing, house burning and collateral deaths convince Johnny Depp that the man is serious. Violence is the reason for the 13 of the PG-13 rating.


The Seeker: The Dark is Rising -- PG

This is a great movie for families. It is a story of a young man who finds out he is the last in a line of immortals that must defend manking against the forces of evil. When the Dark is rising again, he must find a set of clues by traveling back and forth thru time to defeat this evil.

Semi-Pro -- R
 
Will Ferrell in perhaps his best movie to date.   Woody Harrelson, Will Arnett and Andre Benjamin costar in this funny movie about an inept professional basketball team trying to plan better to get into the merger between the NBA and the old ABA.

Serenity -- PG-13

This movie is an extremely good science fiction movie that doesn’t get carried away with special effects. The effects they have are very, very good; however, and there’s always a however in life – the only ones there are the only ones needed. The story line follows the "Star Wars" model of an overpopulated Earth and an "Alliance" of planets that depresses the free-thinking people of the universe. Funny, as well as action packed, this movie is appropriate in the PG-13 rating it received.


The Shaggy Dog -- PG

Tim Allen makes very good family movies (with the exception of Christmas with the Kranks) and this no exception. Based loosely on the original Shaggy Dog (1959 with Fred McMurray) and The Shaggy D.A. ( 1977 with Dean Jones), an evil scientist (Robert Downey Jr.) brings a three hundred year old English sheep dog from Tibet to discover why he lives so long. When his laboratory is disrupted by kids protesting poor treatment of animals, the assistant D.A. (Tim Allen) defends him, until he gets bit by the dog and discovers just how badly animals are treated by turning into one.


Shall We Dance – PG-13

A remake of a 1997 Japanese film, this movie is about a married lawyer (Richard Gere) who is tired of dealing with his safe, mundane world, day after day after day. One day, on his Amtrak ride home he spots a dance teacher (Jennifer Lopez) looking with melancholy out of her studio window, and decides to take dance lessons, but not tell anyone. With outstanding secondary plots, and great performances (particularly Stan Tucci and Mya) this was a fun movie. Rated PG-13 because of some dance-related sexual references.


Shark Tale – PG

An animated tale with Robert DeNiro, Jack Black, Will Smith, Renee Zellweger, Angelina Jolie, Martin Scorsese, Doug E. Doug and other personalities voicing the characters in a tale about a confused shark (Jack Black) trying to discover himself. He finds his calling when he meets a fish (Will Smith) trying to turn himself into a hip-hop legend. Although this movie is rated PG, it sends a strange message to little kids. The Smith-fish lies by taking credit for killing a shark, gambles away someone else’s money, and cheats on his girlfriend. The Jack Black-fish has a gender crises because he isn’t as hard as the other sharks. The DeNiro-fish puts a hit out on other fish. Although it was funny and a delightful movie for adults, it should be explained to little children.


She's the Man -- PG-13

Amanda Bynes is talented, in this very loose adaptation of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. She pretends to be her twin brother so that she can play on the soccer team while he goes away to London to play music. Predictably, she falls for her roommate (who thinks she's an athletic male) and a school beauty falls for her (because she thinks Bynes is a sensitive male).


Shopgirl -- R

Written by, produced by and starring Steve Martin, this drama is about the relationship between him and Clair Danes. What is a woman to do? Does she accept a casual sexual relationship with someone who has possessions, or does she wait for her "Prince Charming" to come along? For men, is it alright to woo someone for sexual reasons only, as long as you tell her first? What about if she falls in love? Strong performances from two outstanding actors.


Shrek the Third -- PG

Third in the series of Shrek movies, but still highly anticipated. Not the best, but still a very enjoyable movie.

Sin City -- R

This movie, based on three of Frank Miller's graphic novels, has an all star cast in each of the three vignettes. Bruce Willis is a policeman with a heart problem who is wrongly accused of raping a child he was trying to save from a rapists/serial killer, who just happens to be a State Senator's son. Clive Owns is a photographer accused of murder, who tries to protect a gang of assasin/prostitutes from a vicious policeman (Bernicio DelToro) and Mickey Rourke plays a hard-case, slightly psychotic thief who tries to find the killer of a woman who treated him right. It also stars Elijah Woods, Jessica Alba, Rosario Dawson, Jaime King, Josh Hartnett, Michael Clark Duncan and others. Due to the extreme violence, from beginning to end, this movie earned it's R rating, but it is a magnificent, stylized film noir that an adult will enjoy.


Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas -- PG

Animated feature than was mediocre in plot and execution. A brief sexual reference gave this movie a PG rating that it would have done better without. The adventure action didn't seem impressive or very adventuresome.

Sing Along Songs -- Unrated

Walt Disney brings some of their newest characters to sing soem of their newest songs. It also has a karaoke feature, 3 vocabulary activities, a dance alone video, a spelling game and a reading skills game. It even has a free ticket to the movie Home on the Range inside.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants -- PG-13

A story about four life long girlfriends (Amber Tamblyn, Alexis Bledel, America Ferrera, and Blake Lively) who go on separate vacations for the first time. They find a pair of "magical" blue jeans that fits all of them perfectly, although they are the most diverse of shapes and sizes. They agree to send the pants to each other for a week at a time and share their experiences while they wear them. If the pants aren’t magical, the movie most certainly is. I absolutely LOVED it! Mild sensual situations earned this movie it’s PG-13 rating.

16 Blocks -- R

Undoubtedly, one of the best movies so far this year (March 2006), this depicts the type of person we all know and overlook. There is a policeman (Bruce Willis) who has a limp, is overweight, drinks on the job, and is generally just waiting for retirement. We all know someone just like him. He must have been a good cop in his better days because all the officers knows him to be as negligent, as they give him easy jobs to handle. One such job is to take a small-time felon (Mos Def) to testify in court 16 blocks down the street. The problem is, a small band of rogue policemen, led by Willis' ex-partner (David Morse) want the felon dead before he can testify against them. Mos Def and Bruce Willis are both outstanding with their performances.

Sky High -- PG

How would you feel if your mother and father were the greatest superheroes the world has ever known, and you have no powers? How about if you went to their old high school where everyone has either a mother or father with super powers? Talk about teenage angst! Very funny and visually exciting movie.

Sleeping Beauty -- G

A Disney classic on DVD for the first time ever. This movie is timeless and wonderful. The reason for buying DVD is the extra features, and this one has them all -- wide and full screen editions of the movie, games, behind the scene features and a music video. Loved it!

Sleepover -- PG

This is a movie that will play well with the girls 15 and under crowd. It's a movie about relationships between friends and the way they change. It is also about that age when the girls develope longings for boys. Mothers should see this one with their daughters. The PG rating is appropriate to the movie, but some family values (such as sneeking out, stealing, etc.) should be explained by the viewing parent.


Snakes on a Plane -- R

In spite of all the hype, this movie is fun! A young man witnesses the murder of a Los Angeles prosecuting attorney in Hawaii. The FBI (Samuel Jackson) bring him back to Los Angeles to testify. In order to stop his testimony, the killer places hundreds of poisonous snakes on his plane.


Something's Gotta Give --R

A hilarious story about the May/December relationships. Jack Nickleson has never dated a woman over 30, although he's 63. His current girlfriend's (Amanda Peet) mother (Diana Keaton) dates Jack's doctor(Keanu Reeves) after he has a heart attack at their (the daughter and mother"s) home. Nudity and language gave this outstanding movie it's R rating.


Son of the Mask – PG

Without Jim Carey, you would think it would be hard to pull off this movie. Actually, without Jim Carey, they had an extra $20 million for special effects. Alan Cummings, as Loki was very good, as was Bob Hoskins as Odin. This movie will be liked by children in spite of Jamie Kennedy, not because of him.


Spanglish – PG-13

A light-hearted romantic comedy about a Mexican immigrant (Paz Vega) moving to Los Angeles and getting a job as a housekeeper for a restaurant owner (Adam Sandler). His stay at home wife (Tea Leoni) is selfish and spiteful toward everyone, including their daughter (Victoria Luna) and her own mother (Cloris Leachman), who gives as good as she gets.


Spartan -- R

A confusing film about a Special Ops lieutenant from the military, working with the Secret Service to find the kidnappers of the President of the United State's daughter. After hearing of her death before they can rescue her, they uncover a conspiracy that just might go all the way up to the White House. Violence and sexual situations are the reason for the R rating.

Splash -- PG

Ton Hanks is such a good actore you have a tendency to forget he started out as a comedian. This movie, Splash, helps remind you. This is the movie that showed you the promise of Tom Hanks, and made America fall in love with Daryl Hannah as a mermaid. One of Ron Howards earliest movies, and maybe one of his best.

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie -- PG

I have never seen the television series. Let me say that up front. If this is any indication, I never will. I talked to children who loved the series AND the movie, but they were the exception rather than the rule. It appears most people who like the series agree with me. Anytime you have to put David Hasselhoff in a movie, you’re in trouble.

Springtime with Roo -- G

Walt Disney knows how to make a DVD. The added features on most of theirs are simply outstanding. And Springtime with Roo is no exception to the rule. The movie itself is a fun for children movie featuring the Winnie the Pooh characters with the main focus on Roo, the baby kangaroo. The story is a mixture of A Christmas Carol as applied to Easter, where Rabbitt is the Scrooge. The extra features incluse a decorating game, a sounds of spring game, an art project teaching you how to make butterflies out of household objects, two short Winnie the Pooh stories, and a preview of the next Pooh movie coming out in 2005.

Spy Kids 3D: Game Over -- PG

Possibly the worst kid's movie I've ever seen. AntonioBanderas, Selma Hyak, George Clooney, Ricardo Montleban, and Sylvester Stallone. A great ensemble cast that over-acts in a bad movie. The 3D never quite works. They should have taken lessons from Ghost of the Abyss. I thought I saw an eight year old slap his father for bringing him to this movie.


Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith -- PG-13

One thing I've discovered about the Star Wars movies is that they are generational. Parents appear to like the three from the seventies and eighties more, and their children appear to enjoy the recent three more. Either way, this episode joins them together better than I thought they would. The special effects are great, the action is good and the stories finally are completely joined and explained. It's rated PG-13 because this movie is darker and more violent than the others.


Starsky and Hutch -- PG-13

More than a spoof of the television series, this movie is a funny spoof of the entire 70's. With fashions right - on, hairstyles, music and even dancing correct, this is a very good movie. The television cop drama violence is the reason for the rating.


The Station Agent -- R

Whe his friend dies, a dwqarf moves into an abandoned train depot his friend left him in New Jersey. Although he tries to maintain being alone, a female artist with a personal struggle, and a hot dog vendor who refuses to let either of them be alone make this an excellent movie. Mild drug usage and vulgar language gives this an R rating.


Stealth -- PG-13

The first half of the movie is a moral stance against war in general, and the second half is a destructive video game of violence. In between, Jessica Biel, a female pilot of an ultra modern aircraft, walks around in a bathing suit. That made a lot of sense. The rating was PG-13 because of brief nudity and language.


The Stepford Wives -- PG-13

It is hard for me to imagine this movie without the horror of the original, but this comedic drama has none of the terror, but all of the "feel" of the original. That's mainly because of Bette Midler and Jon Lovitt. It got it's 13 of the PG-13 rating because of sexual themes.


Step Up -- PG-13

Tough neighborhood kid tears up art school and gets sentenced to community service at that school. While there, he helps a ballet student with her dance routine, injecting hip-hop, and changing his ways.

Stitch! The Movie -- Unrated

This is a straight to video sequel of the hit movie Lilo and Stitch. Although unrated, there is no reason to believe the movie would have received anything stronger than a PG rating. This fantastically fun film about a little Hawaiian girl who plays Elvis songs and lives with her older sister has a pet alien (Stitch) as a loyal companion. This alien was experiment 626 on his home planet, and in this sequel, we meet the other 625! Fun and danger abounds in this family film as all of the original voices return.

This DVD has extra features, such as a trivia game, an alien game and a music video.

Stomp The Yard – PG-13

In 1906, Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity invented "stepping." Now colleges around the country, high schools, military academies and even middle schools have step teams. The tradition as well as the theatrics are explored in this movie with an outstanding sound track, dance scenes, acting and great story. Harry Lennix and Meagan Goode are the anchors, with Chris Brown and Ne-Yo as the attractions for youngsters. In other words, this is a very good family film.


Stranger Than Fiction -- PG-13

This movie stars a subdued Will Ferrell as an I.R.S. auditor that hears a voice in his head. Not just any voice, but the voice of a novelist narrator; played by Emma Thompson, that is dictating his life. He becomes fine with until she dictates that he is going to die. Then he enlist the aid of a literary professor -- played by Dustin Hoffman -- who helps him find out what type of novel he’s in, and who the author is. Very good movie.

Superhero Movie - - PG-13
 
How this movie got a PG-13 rating, I will never know.  It's vulgar, offensive and downright nasty.  It could have worked well with a better story, but they went for the sight gags only.

Superman Returns -- PG-13

You need to see Superman 2 with Christopher Reeves to understand some of this movie, and it’s mainly a love story, but there is enough action and great special effects to delight the intended audience.


S.W.A.T. -- PG - 13

G.R.E.A.T! A lot of action, explosions, and fireworks. The killings and cursing give the movie the 13 of the rating.


Syriana -- R

This is a conglomeration of intentionally clumsy and confusing constant complaining about corporate greed. This conspiratorial cacophony completely condensed 30 years of policy into a couple of quaint collections of crap. The R rating should be for replace, but it’s for violence.