Parents’ guide to new movie releases

'Dear John'

Rating: PG-13 for some sensuality and violence.

What it's about: A young couple meet and fall in love on the beach, but war takes him far away, with only letters keeping them together.

kid attractor factor: Amanda Seyfried and Channing Tatum in a film of a Nicholas Sparks novel.

Good lessons/bad lessons: Love means sacrifice and doing right by the other person, no matter what.

Violence: A shooting, in combat, in the opening scene.

Language: Disney clean.

Sex: Yes, but handled with discretion.

Drugs: A beachside party with some beer.

Parents' advisory: An old-fashioned romance with an emphasis on the inoffensive, very much in the Nicholas Sparks style.

'From Paris With Love'

Rating: R for strong bloody violence throughout the movie, drug content, pervasive language and brief sexuality.

What it's about: An embassy functionary is teamed up with a gonzo visiting spy for a wild and bloody dash through the Paris underworld.

kid attractor factor: John Travolta, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and lots of violent action.

Good lessons/bad lessons: Fighting terrorism makes strange, crazed bedfellows.

Violence: Almost constant.

Language: "Pulp Fiction" filthy.

Sex: Yes.

Drugs: Yes, the sniffling kind.

Parents' advisory: This film is entirely too raw and rough for children 14 an under.