MovieGuide" on THR3E, The Cleaner, and Alpha Dog
January 11, 2007
(AgapePress) - - Following are information and comments from Christian movie reviewer Dr. Ted Baehr on three movies released recently, one of them based on a book by Christian novelist Ted Dekker. These comments are offered for information only and are not to be interpreted as endorsement of the films. More details about these and other movies are available at Dr. Baehr's website, MovieGuide.org.TITLE: THR3E
Genre: Thriller
Intended audience: Teenagers and adults
Quality:* Fair (2 stars)
Acceptability:** CAUTION: Discretion advised for older children
Movie website: http://www.foxfaithmovies.com/thr3e
VIEWER WARNINGS:
Language: None
Violence: Moderate violence (may include some blood)
Sex: None
Nudity: None
Thr3e is a low-budget thriller designed to attract the thriller audience without alienating the family audience. Rated PG-13, the movie begins with a female police detective, Jennifer, trying to save her brother from a mad bomber nicknamed the Riddle Killer. She fails and injures her hands in the explosion. The killer's next victim is a seminary student named Kevin. Kevin barely escapes a bomb planted in his car. On a tape recorder, the killer demands that Kevin confess, but confess to what? As the killer continues to stalk Kevin and his childhood friend, Samantha, the movie reveals Kevin was raised by his mentally unstable aunt. As children, Samantha and Kevin were stalked by an unknown juvenile delinquent, who Kevin thought he had left for dead in an abandoned warehouse, but who may be the killer.
Once it gets going, Thr3e has some nice twists and turns. Though shot well, the acting is uneven. The movie has a strong Christian worldview with Bible quotes such as, "The wages of sin is death." There is no sex, nudity or foul language, but there is some scary violence, so MovieGuideŽ advises caution for older children.
Rating: PG-13 (for suspense and thematic elements)
Release: January 5, 2007
Time: 105 minutes
Starring: Marc Blucas, Laura Jordan, Justine Waddell, Max Ryan, Priscilla Barnes, Tom Bower
Director: Robby Henson
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
* * * * *
TITLE: CODE NAME: THE CLEANER
Genre: Comedy
Intended audience: Teenagers and adults
Quality:* Good (3 stars)
Acceptability:** EXTREME CAUTION: Discretion advised for adults
Movie website: http://www.thecleanermovie.com
VIEWER WARNINGS:
Language: Several obscenities and profanities (10-25)
Violence: Brief or action violence
Sex: Implied adultery, promiscuity, sexual perversion or sexual immorality
Nudity: Naturalistic nudity (not in a sexual context)
Code Name: The Cleaner would have been a cute comedy if only it were cleaner. Starring Cedric the Entertainer, the clever story involves a man who wakes up in a hotel room beside a dead FBI agent. He has lost his memory and has no idea who he is or how he got there. The more people he runs into who know him, the more confused he gets. Was he a janitor or a secret agent? He must figure out who he really is from clues given by people who lie to him. And, he must do so before he is killed by people who are chasing him for reasons he doesn't understand.
The Cleaner comes close to being charming, but some foul language and a scene where a woman tries to stir his memory by dancing in tiny underwear make it unsuitable viewing for families. This is a shame because the story was interesting, and the acting and production values were good. While the filmmakers kept the foul elements light enough to earn a PG-13 rating, if they had left them out entirely, the movie would appeal to a larger audience.
Rating: PG-13
Release: January 5, 2007
Time: 84 minutes
Starring: Cedric The Entertainer, Lucy Liu, Nicollette Sheridan, Callum Keith Rennie, DeRay Davis, and Mark Alan Dacascos
Director: Les Mayfield
* * * * *
TITLE: ALPHA DOG
Genre: Drama
Intended audience: Older teenagers and adults
Quality:* Good (3 stars)
Acceptability:** EXCESSIVE: Excessive sex, violence, immorality, and/or worldview problems
Movie website: http://www.alphadogmovie.com
VIEWER WARNINGS:
Language: Numerous obscenities and profanities (more than 25)
Violence: Moderate violence (may include some blood)
Sex: Depicted adultery, promiscuity, sexual perversion, or sexual immorality
Nudity: Partial or brief nudity
Alpha Dog tells about a personal feud between two young marijuana dealers that goes terribly wrong. The movie follows three days in the lives of a group of teenagers and young adults in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles. The teenagers spend their nights partying and doing imitations of the black "gangsta" rappers who shoot videos full of girls, guns and drug references. Sonny Truelove is the main pot dealer. Another drug dealer, Jake Mazursky, owes Sonny $1,200. When Sonny demands payment, Jake, who's addicted to crystal meth, goes berserk, causing trouble. Sonny, Frankie and Elvis accidentally run across Jake's 15-year-old brother, Zach. Sonny decides on the spur of the moment to kidnap Zach and force Jake to pay.
Alpha Dog is a harrowing look at the pagan, hedonistic lifestyle of too many American teenagers. Regrettably, it sometimes seems to glamorize the foul-mouthed, party-hardy lifestyle of its youths. By mostly taking a non-judgmental attitude, and letting the viewers decide what to think, the movie misses an opportunity to arouse public outrage. The good news is that all the bad guys, except for Zach's irresponsible, out-of-control brother, get their just desserts.
Rating: R
Release: January 12, 2007
Time: 118 minutes
Starring: Ben Foster, Shawn Hatosy, Emile Hirsch, Sharon Stone, Justin Timberlake, Anton Yelchin, and Bruce Willis
Director: Nick Cassavetes
* "Quality Ratings" refer to the production values in the movie, the entertainment quality of the production, and whether the movie fulfills what it tries to do. A four-star rating does not guarantee that the movie will meet MovieGuide's criteria for what makes a truly fine, much less great, work of art. That kind of criteria depends a lot on one's moral and spiritual values, issues that Acceptability Ratings (explained below) are meant to address.
** "Acceptability Ratings" are based on a traditional view of the Bible and Christianity. Some movies receive positive ratings because they fit a biblical worldview of ethical monotheism, even though there is little specific Christian content in them. Acceptability Ratings take into account cognitive stages of development, moral issues and theological issues; and help parents with children and the media-wise adult viewer.
