The Washington Post - 23.08.2019

THE WASHINGTON POST

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FRIDAY, AUGUST 23, 2019

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24

Movies

Overcomer (PG)

Age 10+

Well-made Christian drama

succeeds despite stereotyping.

“Overcomer” is a faith-based

sports drama from Christian

filmmaker Alex Kendrick, who

also stars. The story’s central

theme is forgiveness, which is

demonstrated on many levels,

the greatest of which is God’s

atonement of man’s sins through

Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Other themes include

compassion, humility and

communication. The movie’s

purpose is evangelical, and a

student who feels tormented by

her parents’ poor decisions finds

immediate comfort once she’s

saved. There’s no sex, swearing

or violence in this message

movie, but it does deal with drug

addiction: A character’s past

with drugs is a plot point, and

there are references to a young

mother who died of a drug

overdose. While the casting is

diverse, there are some

stereotypes, like a black family

with a teen who steals, meth-

addicted parents and a father

who abandons his baby. The

white family, meanwhile, is

depicted as pretty close to

perfect and facilitates turning

the black family’s life around.

(120 minutes)

Aquarela (PG)

Age 10+

Powerful documentary captures

beauty and devastation of water.

“Aquarela” is a documentary

about the immense power of

water, demonstrating how

humans are insignificant

compared with it, especially in

this age of climate change. It’s a

visual spectacle: Shot at 96

frames per second and projected

in theaters at 48 frames per

second, with an ultrarealistic

feel, it is like looking out a

window. Expect some intense

moments, such as when a car

crashes through the ice, and two

people climb out of the icy water

claiming that a third has

drowned. A rescue attempt is

made, but the third person never

comes up. A person is shown

with blood on his face. There are

also some shocking, sudden

booming sounds, loud noises,

sirens and alarms, and the movie

has many troubling images of

floods, storms, etc. Cigarette

smoking is seen. (90 minutes)

Ready or Not (R)

Age 16+

Ultraviolent satire is forgettable

but fun for horror fans.

“Ready or Not” is a comedy-

horror movie with extremely

graphic violence. Characters are

dispatched in many ways

(bludgeoned, shot, crushed) and

die with spurting, pooling blood

and gurgling in agony and terror

— all of which the movie plays

for laughs. Many deaths are

presented as comic or

unimportant: Some characters

die just after doing something

that the movie views as bad, for

example, and others who’ve had

no lines are dispatched bloodily,

after which survivors argue

about who has to clean up the

“mess.” Small children

participate in the violence; some

are killed in over-the-top bloody

scenes. Dead bodies are shown at

length, including a long look at a

severed head during a comic

argument. Several characters

smoke prominently, including a

scene in which the main

character smokes calmly in front

of an apocalyptic scene. Other

characters drink and act sloppy

and hostile, snort white powder,

and take unnamed pills and

seem manic and out of it. Sex is

confined to a mention of a

couple’s “bone-athon” and a

scene in which they kiss fully

clothed and one tells the other to

“take off your pants” (he doesn’t).

Frequent language includes “f---,”

“motherf----r,” “b----,” “a--hole”

and more. This movie obviously

intends to make points about

power and wealth, but the

messages are muddled. Samara

Weaving stars. (95 minutes)

Rocko’s Modern Life:

Static Cling (TV-Y7)

STREAMING

Age 10+

Embracing change is key in this

fun, frenetic return.

“Rocko’s Modern Life: Static

Cling” is a special that brings

back the characters from the

classic ’90s Nickelodeon

animated series. Rocko (voiced

by Carlos Alazraqui) and his

friends Heffer (Tom Kenny) and

Filburt (Mr. Lawrence) have

been stuck in space for 20

years, and when they finally

return home, lots has changed.

Expect plenty of gross-out

humor; for example, Heffer

finds a TV remote in his butt, a

nose-picking executive loses

everything but his booger jar

(which he fills repeatedly) and

there’s lots of farting. If you

forgot how edgy Rocko’s world

is, “Static Cling” brings you

back very quickly: The

Fatheads (a show within the

show) are like if “The

Simpsons’ ” Itchy and Scratchy

were a married couple — there’s

lots of cartoonish violence,

arguing and explosions. There

are also some fat jokes and

arguing between Heffer and

Filburt. That said, positive

messages abound about

accepting change and loving

unconditionally, primarily

explored through a transgender

main character’s transition

from male to female. It’s lots of

fun; just be sure your family is

familiar with the “Rocko” vibe

before you dive back in.

(45 minutes)

Available via Netflix streaming.

Common Sense

Media helps

families make smart media choices.

Go to commonsensemedia.org for

age-based and educational ratings

and reviews for movies, games, apps,

TV shows, websites and books.

ALEKSANDR DUDAREV/SONY PICTURES CLASSICS

“Aquarela” is a documentary that demonstrates how insignificant

humans are when compared with the power of all types of water.

Common Sense Media What parents need to know

ERIC ZACHANOWICH/FOX SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES

Samara Weaving stars in

“Ready or Not,” an ultraviolent

horror film that plays its many

deaths — all of which are

extremely bloody and full of

gore — for laughs.

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