Help for Parents

While we have been exploring these films from around the world we have noticed that some of them have things in it that some children may find upsetting because they aren't use to seeing it in most western films. such as the spirits in Spirited Away. As a parent it can be a struggle to find just the right film for your children this site "Common Sense" does more then rate a film they suggest ages for the views and explain why they chose that age. Parents have the chance to also rate the film and share there thoughts on it. The mission of Common Sense is to improving the media and entertainment lives of kids and families. They exist because media and entertainment profoundly impact the social, emotional, and physical development of our nation's children. As a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization, they provide trustworthy information and tools, as well as an independent forum, so that families can have a choice and a voice about the media they consume. What’s so great about this site is that it rates on the film in many categories such as Violence, language, consumerism, (that's a cool one!) Drinking, drugs and smoking, Message and role model. What I love about this is that for example Spirited Away was a wonderful film but there are a few things that some parents may want to discuss with their children before they views this. This site flagged violence and it stored 3 out of 5 (low scores means there isn't any violence) Here is what this site said about the violence "Birds attack the a main character who has taken the shape of a dragon. Some scary supernatural scenes including parents turned into pigs." Over all Spirited Away received positive reviews from "Common Sense" and got 5 stars. They said that the main character is a strong girl character who sees the good in all and saves the day and is a positive role model. One parent gave this film a "go" and said "This is such a great movie! I have watched it many times and each time love it even more. It teaches some good lessons and it's heart-warming too. I would suggest to get some other movies like this. Maybe "Totoro". Anyways Thumbs up for me!"Another parent gave it an "iffy" but still that parent gave it 5 stars. This site can even review films that are in the theaters as well. this site is made for mostly western films but has its own search engine so feel free to look for other films I found the one that I watched for this project on it. I would suggest before seeing a film with children that you do not know much about read about to find some more guidance on choosing the film. This site is a great resource!

Here is the link to the home page of Common Sense
http://www.commonsensemedia.org/