Bumblebee, The Goldfinch, They Shall Not Grow Old and More in This Week's MPAA Ratings Bulletin

By Chris Kavan - 11/14/18 at 10:04 AM CT

This list isn't as long this week, but the MPAA Ratings Board makes up for it with the quality. While I haven't been enamored with Transformers for a long time - we'll see if things get better with a spinoff movie instead. Also on the way is a powerful WWI documentary from the man best known for directing big-budget fantasy films and a drama about recovering from a terrorist attack - and an impulse decision. All in all, a pretty well-rounded group of films, and all worth talking about. Let's get to it, shall we?

MPAA Official Logo

As I said, I have been over the Transformer movies for awhile. I grudgingly watched almost all of them in theaters, before finally coming to my senses and totally ignoring The Last Knight. So will things fare better by focusing on one major character? We'll see with the upcoming Bumblebee. We're going back in time - with Charlie Watson (Hailee Steinfeld), who is the new owner of the "classic" Bumblebee - the original yellow bug. But Bumblebee has seen a lot - and is far from alright. Lucky that Charlie is going through her own changes and could really use a friend - Transformer or not. Of course the government gets involved, the Decepticons - all that jazz. Justin Theroux, Angela Bassett, John Cena, Kenneth Choi, Peter Cullen, John Ortiz and Pamela Adlon all lend their talents to these proceedings in which I'm sure woman and machine will learn a valuable lesson. I mean it does look better and maybe director Travis Knight can make a difference, but I'm not sold yet. Rated PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi action violence.

As my dad is a huge war buff when it comes to movies and documentaries, he has been very excited about Peter Jackson's WWI documentary They Shall Not Grow Old - and with good reason. Jackson, probably best known for directing the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films, has really put his heart and soul into this project. He gathered footage taken from WWI, and not only went through the film to have it 3D-digitised, not only hand-colorized the footage, not only added in all sound effects - but went so far as to hire forensic lip-readers to give voice to men who gave everything, and often sacrificed everything. WWII gets almost all the attention in war films and documentaries - but WWI was just as important to our history, and Jackson should have a lock on an Oscar from what has been near universally-praised. I don't know if this is going to play around my area, but there will be at least some showings in December and if it is anywhere near you, I implore you to check this out. Rated R for disturbing war images.

Finally, that leaves us with the film farthest out - not coming until well into 2019, The Goldfinch follows Theodore Decker (Oakes Fegley younger, Ansel Elgort as older) who survives a terrorist attack at Metropolitan Museum of Art, only to watch his mother die. But this is not the only turn of events that day, as he also takes this opportunity to steal a priceless work of art called The Goldfinch during the aftermath. The film follows how both these major events shape his life. The film has some other big names involved including Nicole Kidman, Sarah Paulson, Jeffrey Wright, Luke Wilson, Denis O'Hare, Finn Wolfhard and Willa Fitzgerald among others. The premise certainly seems interesting and though it's a ways out, I have a feeling it should play well with audiences. Rated R for drug use and language.

Those are your big three films receiving their ratings due for the week, but be sure to check out the full MPAA Ratings Bulletin below:

1 ANGRY BLACK MAN

Rated R for language including some sexual references.


AMERICAN FIGHTER

Rated R for violence.


BUMBLEBEE

Rated PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi action violence.


CHARLIE SAYS

Rated R for disturbing violent content, strong sexuality, graphic nudity, drug use, and language.


DUMPLIN'

Rated PG-13 for brief strong language.


THE GOLDFINCH

Rated R for drug use and language.


PREY

Rated PG-13 for violence, bloody images, terror, and brief strong language.


RISE OF THE FOOTSOLDIER 3

Rated R for brutal bloody violence throughout, pervasive language, strong sexual content/graphic nudity, and drug use.


STAN & OLLIE

Rated PG for some language, and for smoking.


THE SUN AT MIDNIGHT

Rated R for some language.


THEY SHALL NOT GROW OLD

Rated R for disturbing war images.

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