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Is Guardians of the Galaxy 2 OK for kids?

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Our 7 year old asked us for a cell phone today. He said he wants it to play games. I told him that’s why he has a Nintendo 3DS. He also asked about seeing Guardians of the Galaxy 2. So, Is Guardians of the Galaxy 2 OK for kids? We saw the film and offer up a spoiler free review of it, plus dig down into how the film got its PG-13 rating.

For adult audiences, Guardians of the Galaxy 2 is a whoot. It starts off with a raucous alien fights scene where the guardians have taken on a mercenary role and are protecting the power supply for another gold group of aliens. From there Rocket, Groot, Star Lord and Gamora meet up with Yondu, Nebula. They meet Ego, Matis and are sometimes are vexed by Ayesha, the High Priestess of the Sovereigns, a group of genetically created perfect beings.

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Shows and films to soothe the 7 year old soul on Netflix

We’re part of the Streamteam for Netflix and were provided compensation for this post. All thoughts are our own. Everybody, even the adults has the capacity to be entertained by the same things that will earnestly make a 7 year old, laugh, be scared and tense up with fun anticipation. Here are some things that entertain our 7 year old, some of which also do the trick for his 5 year old brother. There are some cool animated shows and two stop animations things to watch that will entertain the very wide ages of 7 and up, plus all of these can be seen on Netflix.

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Rugrats-finally on DVD giveaway, 26 years on they age well

Way back in 1991 Rugrats debuted on Nickelodeon. It forever changed television and became one of the go-to cartoons for millennials. Now Rugrats Season 1 and Season 2 are finally available on DVD. Our children had never seen an episode of Rugrats and immediately resonated with the characters.

One difference between Rugrats and some of the shows that they watch now is that Rugrats has heart and emotion. It is certainly a comedy, but it never forgets the family or the struggles that really small children go through. Sure Tommy was a toddler, but the way he communicated and his interpersonal relationships seemed older. That aspect allowed him to connect with viewers who are older, which is rare for shows today. Today’s shows often have characters acting older than what they really are. Actually enjoying a show where older kids are watching a show about babies-and it’s entertaining is rare indeed.

Another bonus is the cost of the Rugrats DVDs. Season 1 has 26 episodes for 316 minutes on two discs at $14.99. Season 2 is spread out over four discs, 657 minutes of content and 56 episodes for $19.99. That is a great bang for the buck when compared to some newer releases that might retail for that same price but only have 6 episodes. If you don’t win then you can purchase them on DVD when they go on sale May 2.

Rugrats on DVD, Season 1 and Season 2

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Hilda and The Stone Forest is timeless, top tier book/graphic novel

For us, Hilda and The Stone Forest is like meeting someone for the first time who we’ve seen at parties and seems really cool. Then, when you meet them, you realize that they are even nicer and cooler than you thought they were and you kick yourself for not meeting them earlier. I’ve read a couple of short Hilda stories that were printed on Free Comic Book Day and did like them, but simply never got around to reading one of Luke Pearson’s books. That’s worth noting because there are some existing characteristics and story elements to Hilda, but they are not necessary to know to fully enjoy The Stone Forest.

The first thing that will grab reader’s attention is the art by Luke Pearson. Once you see Hilda you will not forget her. She’s immediately memorable and Trolberg, the world where she lives is rich with detail, various sized creatures and a European landscape that makes you want to be a resident there. Each page has art that feels like a comic strip, but is laid out with various sized panels and illustrations. Some of these even overlap each other so as to give the reader momentum as the story progresses. This effect also enhances the creativity and sense of wonder that Hilda has in engaging with her adventures.

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Secrets of the Seven: The Eagle’s Quill review

One of our favorite books of 2016 was Secrets of The Seven: The Eureka Key. It was a literary version of the Goonies with ties of National Treasure about a group of teen genius’ who were selected to solve puzzles, fight bad guys and preserve historical artifacts. That book left us very eager for the second one in the series. With Secrets of the Seven: The Eagle’s Quill the gang is back, but the book lacks a certain zip and charm that made the first one so much fun.

The first chapter starts off with the team bickering. They’re on the way to Glacier National Park to find the second in a series of seven ancient artifacts. When combined these artifacts are suppose to unlock a secret weapon that was created by the founding fathers. The artifacts are being protected by ancestors of the founding fathers and they’re being pursued by Gideon Arnold, descendant of Benedict Arnold.

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The Boss Baby aims for laughs, succeeds for all who are 5 and up

Our 7 year old has been talking about The Boss Baby for almost one year prior to its release. In June 2016 he came into the office and asked if we could see The Boss Baby. How he got the inside tip on this film we don’t know. When he finally got to see it with the family it was a close call as to who enjoyed it more, the adults or the kids.

The plot of The Boss Baby is simple. An 8 year old boy gets a baby brother who is wearing a suit. Why is he wearing the suit? How can he talk? What’s the point of all this madness? Mild spoilers are below so if you want to have complete surprises when you see the film stop here….

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5 shows you might want to see on Netflix

We’re part of the Stream Team for Netflix and were compensated for this post. All thoughts are our own. Last week our allergies were so bad it forced us to the sofa for most of the week. My allergy people feel me on this one. Said unexpected down time meant that I spent more time than usual watching television. There are some fun things on Netflix that I re-discovered, one new thing that’s great and one new thing that was quite disappointing. For the most part these shows are for adult audiences, except for one, which is quite obvious.

Train to Busan

It’s like Die Hard on a bus, that’s the way that Speed was pitched to audiences in 1994. Train to Busan is like Under Siege 2, except loaded with zombies, set in South Korea and is utterly, brutally violent and nihilistic. It’s also a very good film. It is not as good at The Girl With All The Gifts, but Train to Busan is a shot in the arm to a genre that needs a jolt from the living.

The plot in Train to Busan is simple, a South Korean businessman doesn’t spend enough time with his daughter and takes her to see his mother for her birthday. Unfortunately for them and all of the country a plague has set upon the nation that has people turning into flesh eating killers about :60 after they’re bitten. And one of these monsters has snuck into the train.

The usual monster movie tropes are here, there’s a child in peril, power hungry businessman, the elderly and lots of extras. The difference in Train to Busan is that the tension and action are expertly paced so that the potentially limited space of a train is not an issue. Instead each train car has its own particular problem, the groups of passengers provide problems and the only stop that the train makes on the way to Busan ratchets up the tension even more.

These are the fast moving zombies from World War Z, but these zombies are dumb as a brick. This film succeeds in making you care about some of the human cast, while detesting a couple of them, yet making us realize that most of us would probably act like the later if this were to really happen. It is also utterly dark, 98% of the cast gets killed and the ending is not exactly ‘happy’, but it’s not the end of the world either. Action fans who are OK with non-Hollywood films (See: they don’t end well for the main characters) will enjoy the South Korean gem.

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Big Nate, What’s A Little Noogie Between Friends review

I’m laughing to myself in a coffee house. There are men and women in suits talking about insurance, retirement homes, closing loans and talking technology. And I’m reading a comic strip that makes our 7 year old laugh-and laughing as much as he does. Big Nate, What’s a Little Noogie Between Friends collects previously released comic strips from this seminal series and it’s hilarious.

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