NOT RECOMMENDED
“8MM” (R): Nicolas Cage is a second-rate detective with a nice wife and a baby girl. But Cage’s whole world is rattled when a rich woman hires him to find out if an 8mm pornographic “snuff” film – a movie that depicts a murder – that she found at home is fabricated or the real deal. His investigation draws him into a world of violence, pornography, spiky hair and bad guys in leather masks. On the road to solving the mystery – and learning some nasty truths about himself – he might just lose his family, soul and life.
Language: Hefty profanity.
Sex: Male and female nudity, with stark depictions of S&M, bondage, asphyxia and extreme sexual activity.
Violence: The movie begins with the brutal killing of a tender runaway and escalates to pornographic vigilantism.
Audience: Adults only, and even some of them should think twice.
RECOMMENDED,WITH RESERVATIONS
“THE OTHER SISTER” (PG-13): Juliette Lewis plays Carla, a 24-year-old with an I.Q. of just 50, whose transition from a cloistered special school to her parents’ home in a posh San Francisco neighborhood is difficult. Her overprotective mama (Diane Keaton) tries to quash Carla’s individuality, while Carla desperately wants what most young adults crave – a mate, a career and her own apartment, where she can play music as loud (and as late) as she wants. Carla ultimately finds true love and independence with Danny (Giovanni Ribisi), a young man as “special” as she is.
Language: Loud and angry, but not obscene.
Sex: Carla and Danny read “The Joy of Sex” together and show their skivvies on camera.
Violence: Violent emotions, but no fisticuffs.
Audience: I can’t imagine any teen-ager wanting to see this bittersweet romantic comedy, but its content shouldn’t restrict them.
RECOMMENDED,WITH RESERVATIONS
“OFFICE SPACE” (R): From Mike Judge, the creator of the animated TV shows “Beavis and Butt-head” and “King of the Hill,” comes a live-action comedy about life in the working world. Unless your kids are moonlighting to help pay the mortgage, this story about a “take-this-job-and-shove-it” computer programmer (Ron Livingston) has no relevance to their lives. Still, young fans of “Beavis” and “King of the Hill” will appreciate the film’s irreverent humor.
Language: Use of that “Beavis and Butt-head” term “cornhole.” (If you don’t know what it means, ask your teen-ager.)
Sex: A photo of a topless woman, and a suggestive dream sequence played for laughs.
Violence: Livingston and his co-workers sledgehammer a fax machine.
Audience: It isn’t exactly the motivational film parents would want for their kids, but teen-agers will enjoy the humor and might even get some tips for that first office job.
RECOMMENDED
“OCTOBER SKY” (PG): Who would have thought that the 1957 launch of the Russian satellite Sputnik would change the fate of four boys from Coalwood, W.Va.? Based on a true story, the moving drama focuses on four high schoolers, led by Homer Hickam (Jake Gyllenhaal), who want to build a rocket to rival the Russkies’ and (metaphorically) ride it out of town by winning the National Science Fair. “Sky” is a classic American story about fathers and sons, and patriotism and achievement, set during the Cold War, when the world was smaller and dreams seemed larger.
Language: It’s 1957. “Damn” is a dirty word.
Sex: Instructions on how to slyly arch one’s arm over a girl’s shoulder during a scary movie.
Violence: A drunken stepdad has a fight with his stepson.
Audience: Ages 8 and over.
