What parents need to know about ‘Ballerina,' ‘Wylde Pak' and more
Age 16+
Strong woman anchors fun but violent, bloody Wickian action.
'Ballerina' (also known as 'From the World of John Wick: Ballerina') is the fifth movie in the John Wick series. It focuses on a different character, Eve (Ana de Armas), but has similarly over-the-top action. Expect lots of deaths, with blood spatter/sprays; bloody wounds; gore; characters being blown up by explosives; a severed hand; guns and shooting; crossbow bolts to the head and eye; characters getting burned by flamethrowers; intense fighting (with punching, kicking, flipping, slamming, broken limbs, eye gouging, strangling and more); and clashes with swords, axes, knives, mallets, ice skates and other improvised weapons. A character also cauterizes a wound, and someone prepares to die by suicide. Language includes occasional uses of 'f---,' 'motherf----r,' 's---,' 'bulls---,' 'Christ,' 'oh my God,' etc. People smoke cigarettes and cigars, and a character has a martini on his desk. (125 minutes)
Available in theaters.
Age 16+
Bloody, nonstop violence, death in animated alien film.
'Predator: Killer of Killers' is an animated film in the Predator universe based on characters created in the 1980s by Jim and John Thomas. The film is full of the franchise's usual gore, bloody violence and death, including scenes involving children as both witnesses and participants. While characters are driven by revenge, they ultimately learn to sacrifice for others and discover that vengeance doesn't bring satisfaction — nor does it bring back the dead. Gory battle scenes involve death by beheading, sword wounds (including a father who forces his daughter to help wield the fatal blow), falls, near drownings, arrows (including into eyes), amputations (a main character loses an arm, and another is sliced in half in front of a child), plane crashes, fires, explosions, being eaten and more. Entire villages are slain. The film's second half also includes regular use of strong language including 'f---,' 's---,' 'damn,' 'hell,' 'a--,' 'b----,' 'b-----d,' 'sucker' and 'anus.' (90 minutes)
Available on Hulu.
Age 8+
Charming series about blended family; cartoonish violence.
'Wylde Pak' is an animated series about a blended family learning to live together. Half-siblings Lily Pak (voiced by Nikki Castillo) and Jack Wylde (Benjamin Plessala) are thrown together after summer plans go awry, and they're figuring out how to share space at the family home and pet care business, Wylde Pak Groom & Board. This cute comedy has great messages about accepting change and sacrifice, as well as many nods to Korean culture, especially thanks to K-drama-loving grandmother Halmoni (Jean Yoon). There's a lot of chaos and cartoonish violence that may be too intense for younger kids: Characters careen down a dangerous waterfall, a runaway trailer zips across town, and there's lots of physical play fighting between characters. There's also a bit of romance in a K-drama that the characters watch. (26 episodes)
Available on Nickelodeon.
Common Sense Media helps families make smart media choices. Go to commonsense.org for age-based and educational ratings and reviews for movies, games, apps, TV shows, websites and books.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
43 minutes ago
- Yahoo
'Ballerina 'director breaks down the ending and its 'brutal' consequences for John Wick and Eve
This article contains spoilers for Eve's (Ana de Armas) fight has only just begun by the end of Ballerina. The John Wick spinoff movie introduces a new ruthless assassin on a quest for vengeance, and director Len Wiseman tells Entertainment Weekly that there's so much more yet to come with Eve's story after this movie. And despite Keanu Reeves' titular killer advising her multiple times to walk away from this life, she continues to dive deeper into the world of contract killings even after she finally gets her revenge. "She's checked herself into the Continental, and her next move is really sorting out how her whole life has been a lie," Wiseman tells EW of where Eve goes from here. "She now understands what her father was really doing for her, understands where she came from, and decided, 'I've made a choice. I've got the answers that I needed, but there are consequences in this world.'" If Ballerina gets a sequel to continue exploring that open-ended conclusion, the director says it will need to unpack the fallout from Eve's choices. "She has to now deal with the consequences that John Wick laid out to her, that Winston [Ian McShane] laid out to her," Wiseman says. "It is a brutal world. You don't walk off into the sunset very easily. And so now Eve's next move is how to deal with the consequences of her actions in this [movie]." Ballerina is essentially Eve's origin story, beginning with her tragic childhood. When her father (David Castañeda) is killed in front of her, she's given over to the Ruska Roma for training in both killing and ballet. Twelve years later, she graduates to become a hired gun. Only two months into her new career, she discovers a clue about who really killed her father, motivating her to find and punish the mysterious cult of assassins responsible for his death. While the Ruska Roma's Director (Anjelica Huston) tries to dissuade Eve from seeking revenge, she immediately goes rogue, getting intel from New York's Continental owner Winston that helps her track down the tribe's leader, the Chancellor (Gabriel Byrne), and his entire town of trained assassins. While fighting her way through the town, Eve learns she was actually stolen away from this place when she was a child by her father, who wanted her to have a better, less violent life. That's why the Chancellor had her father killed, to punish him for kidnapping Eve. She also meets her long-lost older sister Lena (Catalina Sandino Moreno) in the town, but she's killed pretty quickly — no emotional hugs here. Eventually, the Baba Yaga himself, John Wick, is sent to kill Eve to stop her from causing a war between the Ruska Roma and the Chancellor's gang of killers, who have had a truce for over 100 years. But John doesn't follow through on his contract, instead helping Eve kill the Chancellor and save a little girl named Ella (Ava Joyce McCarthy) from a life of murder. Eve helps Ella reunite with her father, Daniel (Norman Reedus), ultimately finding redemption for her own tragic childhood. It's not a totally happy ending, though, since Eve discovers at the very end of the movie that a contract has been put out on her for $5 million, forcing her into action once again. Her original mission may have ended, but her troubles are only just beginning. "The Chancellor relates to her at the ending that this cycle will continue: 'You kill me, you've cut the head of the snake, but the body still lives,'" Wiseman says. "There will be ramifications of that. And she didn't kill the entire village." The filmmaker would love to explore what would happen if Eve's mother isn't actually dead, as everyone believes. What if she returns to see her entire home destroyed and Lena dead?"If I really were to get my full fantasy of that, her mother would discover that village and see it decimated and her daughter has been killed, so the ramifications can come in many different forms," Wiseman says. "And also, is John completely off the hook for helping her out at the end? He technically was going by the rules in a sense, but he kind of fudged the rules a little bit. I don't think anybody gets off kindly in this world." The director thought it was a no-brainer that John defied his orders and helped Eve in her mission instead of killing her, especially considering that this movie takes place between John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum and John Wick: Chapter 4. "It comes down to John and what John has gone through in his life and what circumstances he's been put in at this point," Wiseman says. "And there's an understanding of how sometimes this life takes things from you. He was somebody that is having to deal with the consequences of the revenge path that he went on and what he had lost, and so it really is him seeing a bit of himself in her and how personal it is and what has been destroyed about her life. So he feels for her in that moment." Ballerina is now playing in theaters. Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Netflix Shareholders Vote Out Board Member, Venture Capital Investor Jay Hoag In Rare Repudiation, Streamer Considering Whether To Accept His Resignation
In a year marked by some high-profile instances of shareholder activism, Netflix stockholders have voted director Jay Hoag, a venture capital investor, off the board. The vote follows a recommendation by leading proxy advisory firm Institutional Shareholder Services. ISS, which issues deep-dive analyses of issues up for vote at the annual meetings of many public companies, including the election of directors, had recommended a vote against Hoag for poor attendance – or failing to show up for at least 75% of his total board and committee meetings in 2024 without disclosing the reason for the absences. More from Deadline Runway's AI Film Festival, On Hallowed Ground At New York's Lincoln Center, Honors 'Total Pixel Space' 'The Bold And The Beautiful' Leaving Television City After 38 Years, Will Continue To Film In Los Angeles Gavin Newsom Suggests That "Maybe It's Time" To Cut Off California's Share Of Federal Taxes Amid Report That Trump Seeks To Cancel State Grants He received just 21.6% support among votes cast, a rare instance of shareholders rejected a board candidate. Earlier this week, Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders voted in large numbers against the company's compensation of its top executive officers led by CEO David Zaslav. His $51.9 million package did not pass a so-called say-on-pay vote, which is non binding but a definite red flag. 'Jay Hoag failed to attend at least 75 percent of the total meetings of the board and committee on which he served during the fiscal year under review. Specifically, Hoag only attended 50 percent of such meetings. The board did not disclose the reason for his absences. Directors who do not attend their board and committee meetings cannot be effective representatives of shareholders. When a director fails to attend at least 75 percent of the aggregate of his or her board and committee meetings, adverse vote recommendations will be issued with respect to that director in the absence of a valid reason. Accordingly, support for Jay Hoag is not considered warranted due to poor attendance,' ISS wrote in its report last month ahead of the June 5 shareholder meeting. Netflix noted today in an SEC filing that Hoag 'did not receive a majority of votes cast in his election to the board of directors. In accordance with the Company's director resignation policy, on June 5, 2025, Mr. Hoag offered his resignation from the Board, conditioned upon Board acceptance. In accordance with the Resignation Policy, the Nominating and Governance Committee of the Board will consider Mr. Hoag's resignation and recommend to the Board regarding whether to accept or reject the resignation or take other action. The Board will act on the Committee's recommendation and publicly disclose its decision and rationale within 90 days from the date the election results are certified.' The results of the shareholder vote set out in the filing showed 71.4 million votes for and almost 260 million votes against the director, who also sits on the boards of Peloton, Zillow and TripAdvisor. At Netflix, he served as the lead independent director serving on the nominating committee and governance committee, where he was the chair. He's been a Netflix board member since 1999. 'As a venture capital investor, Mr. Hoag brings strategic insights and financial experience to the Board. He has evaluated, invested in and served as a board member for numerous companies, both public and private, and is familiar with a full range of corporate and board functions. His many years of experience in helping companies shape and implement strategy provide the Board with unique perspectives on matters such as risk management, corporate governance, talent selection and management,' read the Netflix proxy, an annual filing where companies lists all the directors up for reelection. Hoag has also been a technology investor and venture capitalist for more than 40 years, the giant streamer noted, ' involved in numerous technology investments, including Actuate Software (acquired by OpenText), Airbnb, Ariba (acquired by SAP), Altiris (acquired by Symantec), BlueCoat Systems (formerly CacheFlow), C|NET, eHarmony, Electronic Arts, Encompass (acquired by Yahoo!), EXE Technologies (acquired by SSA Global), Expedia, Facebook, Fandango (acquired by Comcast), Groupon, LinkedIn, ONYX Software, Peloton, Prodege (parent company of Swagbucks & acquired by a private equity firm), RealNetworks, Sportradar, Spotify, SpringStreet (acquired by Strava, TechTarget, TripAdvisor, (acquired by Expedia), Viant (acquired by iXL), and Zillow.' Best of Deadline 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery 2025 TV Cancellations: Photo Gallery 'Stick' Soundtrack: All The Songs You'll Hear In The Apple TV+ Golf Series Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Does 'John Wick 5' Come Next After 'Ballerina'?
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." THE franchise is going strong. Now spanning five movies and a TV series (and counting), it's clear that this is not only a violent, unique, and action-packed world, but one with just about endless possibilities. In fact, the latest film, From the World of John Wick: Ballerina (or, as we'll refer to it to avoid that clunky title, Ballerina) is proof that the franchise can explore new ground and succeed even without the titular Mr. Wick himself. Sure, Keanu Reeves is in the movie, but the main character is Ana de Armas's Eve—and watching her kick ass in a Wick-esque manner should fill any Keanu-size holes in your heart in the meantime. It's clear that the Wick franchise will continue from here—it's just unknown in what direction. This is a series and brand that's now been making Lionsgate lots of money for over a decade, and with multiple recognizable stars in the fold, there are a bunch of ways things could go. For example, we know that we could do another John Wick movie, and now it seems more than possible that we could do another Ballerina movie. But there's also a spinoff film coming on the John Wick: Chapter 4 character Caine, played by Donnie Yen, which will also star Rina Sawayama's Akira (Yen will also direct). We've already gone down the road of a prequel; the little-watched limited series The Continental focused on the exploits of a younger Winston (Ian McShane). So that's probably not a road that will particularly be gone down, though Wick director Chad Stahelski and McShane don't think particularly highly of it. So maybe don't rule out some kind of re-do. Again: the possibilities do feel kind of endless. But we know the primary question that everyone is going to be asking after Ballerina—will we be getting John Wick 5? And at this time we do seem to have a pretty definitive answer. From the World of John Wick: Ballerina is set between the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum and John Wick: Chapter 4. It picks up the character of "The Director," played by Angelica Huston, who was introduced in Chapter 3, and, perhaps most notably, includes Keanu Reeves as played by John Wick. This is the key part of the equation, considering John Wick dies at the end of Chapter 4. That would seem to signify a closed book, right? But as we've established, the possibilities in this world are pretty endless. Most likely. Despite the titular character's death at the end of John Wick: Chapter 4, Lionsgate officially announced that John Wick 5 was in the works at this year's CinemaCon back in April. That being said, director Chad Stahelski is still a little apprehensive that the film will actually get made—because he wants to make sure it's as good as it can possibly be. "Look, everybody seems to want it," he said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. "It's a matter of whether we crack it. We're actively working on it. It's just … is it going to be satisfying?" Throughout the conversation Stahelski repeatedly suggested that while they're early in the process on John Wick 5, it's still just that—early in the process. And that he hasn't even officially brought the idea to Reeves yet. Stahelski is meticulous, and holds himself to a high standard. And so he doesn't want to proceed with something until it's actually ready to proceed. "If we go down the road of John Wick 5 and build this story and decide this isn't right, there are probably going to be 10 other things we'll discover that we'll use for other things," he says. Which implies it still could not happen. But, he says, sooner or later, it probably will. "The studio would very much will it into existence, I'm sure, at some point," he says. "Look, they've been great and they've asked us to really try and we have a really good couple of ideas and we're going to try." But still, they are very early on. And it seems like for now the Caine spinoff, which has Donnie Yen attached to star and direct, Rina Sawayama attached to reprise her Akira character, and Mattson Tomlin attached to write, is much further along in production, and will certainly come first. Now that much truly remains to be seen. But it would feel like kind of a missed opportunity if it didn't, right? Keanu Reeves and Ana de Armas are both bona fide movie stars, and scenes between the two of them are action magic. Let's say Wick 5 opens up with John Wick fighting his way up from hell. Might be a little tricky for him to meet up with Eve down there, but once he gets back to the surface, it feels like a pretty good bet that we'll see these two together (and with guns at each other's throats) again. Shop Now Shop Now You Might Also Like The Best Hair Growth Shampoos for Men to Buy Now 25 Vegetables That Are Surprising Sources of Protein
