'NEVER LET GO'

Rated R for strong violent content and grisly images.

What it’s about: A troubled mother survives in the forest with her two young sons, tormented by terrifying visions of ghosts.

The kid attractor factor: This psychological horror thriller is for adults only, despite the two young stars.

Good lessons/bad lessons: Everything...Read more

Children get all kinds of books from their parents while growing up. But a book mine gave me when I was around 10 years old would have a significant impact on my life — even if I didn’t realize it at the time.

It was around 1980 when they gave me “Why Was I Adopted?” by Carole Livingston. The book is meant to help parents like mine ...Read more

This column is the latest in a series on parenting children in the final years of high school, "Emptying the Nest."

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After weeks of preparing myself for the emotions of "the last first day," the start of my youngest child's senior year was distinctly anticlimactic.

I did make her a hot breakfast, over which she received my bittersweet ...Read more

'SPEAK NO EVIL'

Rated R for some strong violence, language, some sexual content and brief drug use.

What it’s about: An expat American family living in London go on a weekend trip to visit some new vacation friends in the English countryside. Things get increasingly uncomfortable and dangerous from there.

The kid attractor factor: This is ...Read more

ATLANTA -- When my kids were young, I kept a stack of parenting books to consult on teething, toddler tantrums and bedtime routines. More often, however, I took my child-rearing questions to parents I met on the playground or in the neighborhood.

My own mother was no help. She had four children in proximity and always told me our early ...Read more

'BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE'

Rated PG-13 for violent content, macabre and bloody images, strong language, some suggestive material and brief drug use.

What it’s about: Thirty-six years after the bio-exorcist and the Deetz family charmed audiences, Beetlejuice and Lydia are back to close some doors and settle some scores.

The kid attractor ...Read more

CHICAGO — Ever since Chuck Blatt got divorced 14 years ago, he’s established a routine with his daughters — visits and dinners on Wednesdays, Fridays and every other weekend. But this year, it started to significantly change when both women went away to college, his youngest for her freshman year at the Chicago College of Performing Arts. ...Read more

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison sent letters to more than 5,000 retailers and distributors asking them to stop selling unauthorized flavored tobacco products in the state. Those products include flavored e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches that have not been authorized for sale by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

“For decades now...Read more

The former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin took to X this week to vent about past treatment of her 16-year-old son, Trig Palin, who was a very young child when Palin was picked to run alongside John McCain in 2008. “The lies, conspiracy theories, death-wishes and death threats against him that continue to this day are the ...Read more

'1992'

Rated R for violence and pervasive language.

What it’s about: A former gang member interrupts a daring heist during the chaos of the L.A. riots in 1992.

The kid attractor factor: Not much, this is more of an action/crime film.

Good lessons/bad lessons: Family is more important than money.

Violence: Some extreme bloody violence, ...Read more

'BLINK TWICE'

Rated R for strong violent content, sexual assault, drug use and language throughout, and some sexual references.

What it’s about: A young woman and her friend go to an island with a group of wealthy men and find themselves in a dangerous and mysterious situation.

The kid attractor factor: Not much, this is a horror/thriller

...Read more

'ALIEN: ROMULUS'

Rated R for bloody violent content and language.

What it’s about: This seventh "Alien" movie, taking place after the events of "Alien," follows a crew of youths who come upon the xenomorphs while scavenging for equipment on the ship.

The kid attractor factor: This is more of an adult-oriented horror/sci-fi thriller

Good ...Read more

LOS ANGELES -- For more than a decade, visitors say the Children's Garden at Elysian Park was a shady showcase for indigenous plants, with dense stands of mature native trees and shrubs lining the paths of the grounds just west of Grace E. Simon Lodge and creating a cool, restful places to walk, play and learn.

Then, in late June, all that lush...Read more

'IT ENDS WITH US'

Rated PG-13 for domestic violence, sexual content and some strong language.

What it’s about: A romantic melodrama about a woman who falls into an abusive relationship and seeks solace with her first love.

The kid attractor factor: This is more of an adult drama and story about intimate partner violence.

Good lessons/bad ...Read more

SEATTLE — What do you know about Seattle’s teen dance ordinance?

Maybe you read that the TDO is a reason Redmond’s Old Fire House was once an unlikely music hot spot. Maybe you’ve heard a “Footloose” joke or two, about the dark years when Seattle kept kids out of dance clubs. Or maybe you haven’t heard of it at all.

If that’s ...Read more

'HAROLD AND THE PURPLE CRAYON'

Rated PG for mild action and thematic elements.

What it’s about: An adaptation of the Crockett Jensen children's book about a boy and his crayon — now an adult navigating the real world.

The kid attractor factor: I suppose this is for kids, despite mostly starring adults with adult problems (bad job, ...Read more

It’s been a few decades since Jonathan Knight was a true new kid on the block, but he remains a loyal member of the group New Kids of the Block, which remains alive and well in 2024.

“I’m still a kid at heart,” said 55-year-old Knight in an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I always feel like a kid. Sometimes after ...Read more

'DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE'

Rated R for strong bloody violence and language throughout, gore and sexual references.

What it’s about: Irascible potty-mouthed superhero Deadpool teams up with stoic Wolverine in a farewell salute to 20th Century Fox's Marvel era (as produced by Disney).

The kid attractor factor: Teens will definitely be drawn to ...Read more

CHICAGO -- Kevin Dekkinga’s son was going to elementary school and the family faced a decision: buy a second car, or buy a new cargo bike.

His son would attend a Chicago Public Schools magnet school in a different neighborhood. His wife worked in the suburbs. And with CPS facing a bus driver shortage after the pandemic that left school bus ...Read more