Parent Previews Podcast

Rod, Donna and Kerry join together to talk about things parents should know in Spider-Man Homecoming, Despicable Me 3 and Transformers: The Last Knight.

Both the United States and Canada celebrate their countries birthdays over this next week. And guess what? We have a few movies to get you in the mood.

The TV Upfronts are when major US TV networks and producers decide what you will see a few months later in the fall. Discover how this works and what shows may or may not be on your family's list. We talk with Christopher Gildemeister from the Parents Television Council in Los Angeles.

Time off at Parent Previews, but we had a few minutes to give you a preview of Transformers: The Dark Knight and a couple more.

Does the little white Circle live up to its hype as a tech management tool for families? We review it and talk to a mom who's using it.

Rod and Donna look at two movies worth the price of admission: Cars 3 and Megan Leavey.

On June 13, movie streaming and filtering service Vid Angel announced a new service that allows subscribers to filter steaming services like Netflix and Amazon. We talk with Jeff Simpson, one of the earlier testers of the service, to discover what the new service does and does not include.

Animating with LEGO can be a fun learning experience for your kids. If you've got the blocks and a smartphone, that's enough to get you started. Professional LEGO animator Jordan Johnson tells us how to begin. You can also read our blog post and see a sample Jordan's work.

The Mummy and Paris Can Wait couldn't be more different. Rod and Donna look at these two movies on this week's Parent Previews Podcast. You can also read our reviews by clicking the links below: The Mummy Paris Can Wait

With the huge popularity of comic book based and other action movies, what do our kids learn from these heroes? Here are some thoughts from Rod and Donna at Parent Previews along with Dr. Christopher Gildemeister from the Parents Television Council in Los Angeles. Read our full story here: http://parentpreviews.com/news/post/girl-power-in-the-movies  

What do Wonder Woman and Captain Underpants have in common? Well, if you've ever dreamed you were at work in your underwear, the answer should be obvious! More seriously, we explore the positive messages within Wonder Woman -- and there are a surprising number of them. And we take a look at how Captain Underpants may or may not corrupt your eight-year-old. (Most likely, not.)

The next Spider-man Homecoming, Despicable Me 3 and <gasp> the Emoji Movie are just three of many titles releasing over the next few months. Rod and Donna give parents a heads up on ratings, content and stories for movies releasing during Summer 2017. You can also read the complete story and know the best movies to watch during Summer 2017.

Rod and Donna Gustafson discuss the messages of pirates as role models for children and an overall review of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.

Helping young people understand the significance of Memorial Day may be a little easier with an appropriate movie. Rod and Donna discuss a few that offer lessons to a wide variety of ages.

Two movies based on books targeting adolescent audiences release to theaters, but both may have issues for parents. Everything, Everything is a story of an 18 year old woman who has been confined to a sanitized room for her entire life. When she makes a break for it, her top priorities may not be what most parents would have in mind. In Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul, the Heffly family heads out on a road trip. It's everything you might expect in a road trip movie (you can play a game... guess who throws up first), but the underlying messages are a bigger issue than the bathroom humor.  

What TV shows are about to be cancelled and which ones are renewed? We talk with Christopher Gildemeister from the Parents Television Council in Los Angeles and get the latest news about the major network's program decisions. Fortunately, according to Christopher, the news isn't all bad. Should your teens see Netflix's 13 Reasons Why? The Netflix series is getting hot and cold attention from a variety of sources. The bottom line is parents should be well aware of what this series is and how it may affect their teens. Finally Christoper discusses his favorite director, Joe Johnston, who was recently asked to direct the next movie in the Narnia franchise, The Silver Chair.  

Rod and Donna review King Arthur: Legend of the Sword and look at why we are so addicted to violent media.

Do you live each day with feelings of dread? Beverly Flaxington is the author of Self Talk for A Calmer You. On this episode she discusses how we can help our children, and ourselves, overcome negativity in media and society.

Rod and Donna disucss Guardians of the Galaxy and The Circle on The Parent Previews Podcast.

La La Land was a big release in awards circles and is surprisingly free of most content concerns. We discuss it and The Founder, a movie that tells the story of McDonalads, on this podcast. We delve into both movies and suggest what discussion and teaching opportunities they may present to your family.