Archives for August 21, 2022

When a charming but naïve young woman inherits her late -Grandfather’s estate, she soon discovers the house’s ghostly inhabitants who have taken a pledge to protect her family’s century-old secrets and powerful artifacts. Now, to guard the future, she teams up with spirits of the past to fight treasure-hunting criminals and discovers the power of life itself.

KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Giana N. comments, “Kung Fu Ghost is a unique film that incorporates different messages and the basics of learning something new. If you like to watch films with a good message that everyone can relate to, then you should check this out.” Maica N. adds, “I like that it (the film) shows us some new talent like Jennifer N. Linch, David S. Dawson and Noah Sargent. These actors are clearly passionate about this project and it shows in their performances. Jennifer N. Linch shows fear, admiration, shock, anger, disappointment and so many other emotions.” KIDS FIRST! Adult Reviewer Pamela L. wraps it up with, “Kung Fu Ghost is a fun movie that is both action-packed and a love story. The cinematography is strikingly beautiful and it is filled with both kung fu fighting and teenager love which makes it appealing for a cross section of people and ages.” See their full reviews below.

Kung Fu Ghost

Giana N., KIDSFIRST! Film Critic, Age 11

Kung Fu Ghost is a unique film that incorporates different messages and the basics of learning something new. If you like to watch films with a good message that everyone can relate to, then you should check this out.

The story follows Daisy (Jennifer N. Linch) who has just inherited her grandpa’s house, but discovers that the house is haunted and she has to stay there for a whole week. During her stay she encounters ghosts who have come to protect Daisy’s family’s secrets and special artifacts. When robbers come to steal these artifacts, Daisy has to learn how to defend herself and how to keep her family secrets safe.

This film is very family friendly. Although this film isn’t a big budget production, I like how they got creative and used what they had. For example, Daisy’s grandpa’s house doesn’t look like how you would expect it to look, but without all the cobwebs and trash all over the place, it is still a very nice house.  At times in the film it is difficult to understand the dialogue because the characters speak too low or their pronunciation is off. When Daily first arrives at her grandfather’s house you can barely understand what she is saying.  But for the most part, the actors’ performances are believable. My favorite character is William (Noah Sargent), because he is mysterious and he adds more suspense to the film, plus he is a nice guy. Anytime he appears in a scene, he makes you anticipate what is going to happen next.

The message of the film is that if you try hard enough you will succeed. In the beginning Daisy isn’t a person that people would call “strong,” so when she has to learn to defend herself it’s not easy at first. In the end she learns how to do defend herself and proves people wrong.

I give Kung Fu Ghost 3 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 12 to 18, plus adults. It releases on VOD and DVD August 2, 2022. Be sure to check it out! 

Kung Fu Ghost

Maica N., KIDS FIRST! Film Critics, Age 14

Kung Fu Ghost is a film with many good qualities – a unique storyline and inclusion of up-and-coming new actors that do a fair job portraying their characters.

The storyline follows a young woman named Daisy (Jennifer N. Linch) who has moved from Vietnam to California after inheriting her late grandfather’s (David S. Dawson) estate. Quickly after she arrives, she discovers that the estate is haunted by the spirit of her grandfather and a ghost named William (Noah Sargent). The ghostly inhabitants vow to protect her family’s secrets and special artifacts, but when treasure-hunting criminals threaten the future, she teams up with the ghosts to try and stop them. 

Kung Fu Ghost is a film with a lot of potential. I like that it shows us some new talent like Jennifer N. Linch, David S. Dawson and Noah Sargent. These actors are clearly passionate about this project and it shows in their performances. Jennifer N. Linch shows fear, admiration, shock, anger, disappointment and so many other emotions. Her reactions to certain situations are realistic, which makes the audience more interested in the story. You can also tell that the actors were well prepared for their roles. Kung Fu Ghost has a few editing flaws, such as the scenes where Daisy is on a video call with her aunt. The picture of Daisy’s aunt is noticeably edited onto the phone. An honorable mention is Jennifer N. Linch, who serves as the director and producer, and also plays the lead role. Not only does Jennifer N. Linch have all of these credits for this film, but she also specializes in various martial arts, which is incorporated into the film. Adding this element to the Kung Fu Ghost makes it feel more authentic.

The message of Kung Fu Ghost is to give people a chance before you judge them. Although Daisy is quick to not want anything to do with her ghost grandfather, she finds that she can rely on him more than she initially thinks.

I give Kung Fu Ghost 3 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 12 to 18, plus adults. Viewers who enjoy movies about ghosts and spirits may find Kung Fu Ghost particularly fascinating. You can find Kung Fu Ghost on VOD and DVD August 2, 2022.

Kung Fu Ghost

By Pamela L., KIDS FIRST! Adult Reviewer

Kung Fu Ghost is a fun movie that is both action-packed and a love story. The cinematography is strikingly beautiful and it is filled with both kung fu fighting and teenager love which makes it appealing for a cross section of people and ages.

The story follows a young Vietnamese woman named Daisy (Jennifer N Linch) who inherits her grandfather’s US estate. She plans to stay in the house only long enough to sell it and return to Vietnam to re-open her grandmother’s restaurant. However, she discovers that her deceased grandfather’s (David S. Dawson) ghost haunts the house along with his friend William (Noah Sargent). They are protectors of a magic relic. The film tells the story of the lengths the ghosts take to protect the girl and the relic from harm.

It is easy to be drawn into this film. The story flows seamless from scene to scene. The characters are believable and are very well developed and it is easy to be empathic to what everyone is going through. The vocabulary and concepts are suitable for the target audience and, although the kung fu fights are realistic, they are in the realm of martial arts and not particularly violent. There certainly is no bloody, gory violence. The cinematography is outstanding. The images are clean and crisp and the outdoor scenes are exquisite. The background music is also beautiful. I like how the film teaches us a bit about teenage Asian culture.

The message of the film is about honoring our elders and being open to new experiences.

I highly recommend Kung Fu Ghost for ages 5 to 18, plus adults. It releases on DVD August 2, 2022.

Thirteen Lives recounts the incredible true story of the tremendous global effort to rescue a Thai soccer team who become trapped in the Tham Luang cave during an unexpected rainstorm. Faced with insurmountable odds, a team of the world’s most skilled and experienced divers – uniquely able to navigate the maze of flooded, narrow cave tunnels – join with Thai forces and more than 10,000 volunteers to attempt a harrowing rescue of the twelve boys and their coach. With impossibly high stakes and the entire world watching, the group embarks on their most challenging dive yet, showcasing the limitlessness of the human spirit in the process.

KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Sydney S. comments, “I absolutely loved this film by Ron Howard! Thirteen Lives is based on the true story of thirteen people who got stuck in a flooded cave in Thailand in the summer of 2018. The storyline is action-packed and extremely suspenseful. It felt like my heart was racing a million miles a minute while I watched it.” See her full review below.   

Thirteen Lives

By Sydney S., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 12

I absolutely love this film by Ron Howard! Thirteen Lives is based on the true story of thirteen people who got stuck in a flooded cave in Thailand in the summer of 2018. The storyline is action-packed and extremely suspenseful. It felt like my heart was racing a million miles a minute while I watched it. 

Thirteen Lives takes us on the journey of twelve boys and their soccer coach getting stuck in the Tham Luang cave in northern Thailand. The boys wanted to visit the cave; however, little did they know that there was an approaching monsoon that would soon after flood the entire cave. People from all over the world were watching their rescue attempt with the many challenging obstacles they had to overcome. Will someone find them inside the cave? If they do, will the boys get out of the cave in time before they starve, or run out of oxygen?

The acting in this film is phenomenal. The portrayal of these young boys, their coach and their rescuers is so believable that you feel like you are there along with them. The cast includes Colin Farrell as John Volanthen, Viggo Mortensen as Richard Stanton, Joel Edgerton as Richard Harris and Tom Bateman as Chris Jewell. The production team, led by director Ron Howard also delivered. The way the film is made makes you feel like you’re actually in the cave with the rescue workers. It took a lot of effort and coordination, which is very impressive. Over 5,000 people, including cave divers, doctors, rescuers, Navy SEALS, farmers and others contributed to helping the boys. They put their own lives at risk to help the boys and their coach, whom they didn’t even know! Without those people playing a part in this rescue who knows if they would have saved them. My favorite part is when the farmers give up their crops so water can flood them and divert the water from going into the cave. It took a lot of heroism and sacrifice to lose their entire crop in order to give the boys a better chance of surviving.

The message of this film is that working together is essential. You should be aware that there is a lot of blood in some scenes and there is some bad language used a couple of times.

I give Thirteen Lives 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 12 to 18, plus adults. This film releases in select theaters on July 29, 2022, and starts streaming on Prime Video August 5, 2022.

Trailer: