anybody else notice the superficial "family values" impact on film?

[leftofthedial]

12 theaters in my local SuperMovieMart at the Mall. Not one rated "R."

Of current films rated "R," "Wedding Crashers" is of the very slightly raunchy frat-boy humor variety, "Hustle and Flow" is a hip-hop movie (and you know how "those" people are) and then there is some murder and mayhem, sex and violence thing. None are playing at the nearest cineplex.

Not one intelligent, adult-themed offering. Nothing dealing with actual adult sexual relationships.

I know. It's Summer. But still, 0 for 12 is a poor average.

Is there a concerted effort to "clean up" the movies?

Plenty of violence to be sure, but no real adults doing really adult things.

[tjdee]

1. Well, everything is targeted to teenagers...

there is a serious influx of rated PG-13 movies lately, and in general the trend is to get teens to spend their money on whatever crap the entertainment industry can regurgitate.

So maybe it's that?

But aren't both those in their first week? Maybe next week or the week after they'll come to you??


Actually I wouldn't be surprised if Hustle and Flow was on less screens than Wedding Crashers.

[leftofthedial]

3. I can drive an extra three or four minutes and see them now.

And Summer is the PG-13 action adventure comic book season,

but usually there are at least a few relationship and humping films (I don't know what to call them. I don't mean porno, but films targeted at grownups).

Most places at least have Wedding Crashers, but it's clearly a horny young male film.

[xmas74]

2. I hadn't noticed.

Of course, w/ our current economic environment, I can't afford to go to a movie anyway so it doesn't much matter to me right now (though I've been saving my money to take my daughter to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory).

[leftofthedial]

4. I saved for a month and took my kids to see it

It is a good one for kids and adults alike

I really enjoyed the soundtrack. No hits, but a fun pastiche of styles. Elfman is inventive.

Depp is fearless. Burton is seriously messed up.

[xmas74]

5. It's a movie that I think that I will enjoy just as much as my

daughter. I love Burton and Depp. They are just too messed up and that's how I like it.

[leftofthedial]

6. if you are fans of those two already

you will love this one

good for you! enjoy!

[xmas74]

8. Thank you.

[LeftyDarthBrodie]

7. PG-13 rated have more to do with increased earnings than

an influence of right wing "family values" on film. The PG-13 was initiated as a middle ground between PG and R during the '80's so that some of the "edginess" of R rated films can be in PG-13 films. I don't remember exactly which film this was for but I know Spielberg was involved in the push for the new rating.

My problem with the current slate of multiplex offerings is the utter lack of quality and originality being presented to us. The winter months are when adult themed mainstream Hollywood or "Independent" films are released. I anxiously await those months for that reason and because I can't stand this heatwave anymore.

[leftofthedial]

9. you are correct about the business of summer films

but having found movies to attend with my now teenaged daughters for the past decade and a half, I don't recall a single instance prior to this year of the 12-plex not having at least one or two or three "R" rated movies.

I'm planning to drive an extra couple of blocks and see "Crash." I can't afford it, but maybe if I don't eat tomorrow . . .

[LeftyDarthBrodie]

10. Are you looking for an R rated film

or a good film?

I enjoyed both Batman Begins and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I have heard good things about Crash though.

[leftofthedial]

11. haven't seen Batman Begins

Charlie and the CC was terrific fun, I thought.

I just got back from Crash and it is the best film I've seen in a long time. Really great. Don Cheadle is amazing. See it.

I'm not looking for "R" particularly. I just noted when I looked for the time for Crash that the theater nearest to me had no "R" films on any of its 12 screens (actually 15 screens--2 films are on multiple screens).

[LeftyDarthBrodie]

16. I had been considering seeing Crash

but never got around to it when it was playing by me.

[LeftyDarthBrodie]

17. I had been considering seeing Crash

but never got around to it when it was playing by me.

[leftofthedial]

18. you should do it

This would be a great DVD one too.

[LeftyDarthBrodie]

20. Saved on Netflix

despite the lack of a release date.

[leftofthedial]

21. I was surprised

It was in the smallest theater in the joint, but it was still half full. Maybe 30 people.

How long has it been out?

[LeftyDarthBrodie]

22. In theaters since May I believe

[AlGore-08.com]

19. "R" rated films earn much less over their lives than "PG-13" rated films

Because - - don't be shocked ;) - - parents are much, much more likely to let their kids see and rent PG-13 films than R films or NC-17 rated films.

The entertainment industry works very hard to keep films from getting an "NC-17" or an "R" rating. If a film doesn't get a "PG-13" on it's initial rating, the producers will recut, reshoot and/or rewrite until they get the MPAA to give the film a PG-13.

And they are constantly lobbying the ratings board to loosen the requirements for a PG-13 rating: allow more graphic violence, allow more sexual situations, allow more nudity, allow more cussing, allow more drug situations, etc. (This is why the NC-17 rating was developed: to allow very violent and/or erotic films to avoid an "X" rating.) At the same time, they are trying to pretend that the ratings system is totally static, so that a parents will think "PG-13" films have the same amount of violence and sex in them today as they had back when the rating was created in 1984 as a response to complaints about "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" and "Gremlins".

Usually, the only time they don't worry about an "R" rating is when the film is designed for a niche market - - "art" films, for example. But every once and awhile somebody decides it's time to "push the envelope" and they will try to market an NC-17 or R film as a major release, in order to prove that the public will patronize NC-17 or R rated films as much as PG-13 films. (I believe "Showgirls" was the last major attempt.) So far, they haven't been successful in shifting the public off PG-13 as the standard.

[KitchenWitch]

12. I think the PG-13 rating has pretty much lessened the movies released

with an R rating.

[leftofthedial]

13. and watered down or eliminated sexual content

with no discernable effect on incredible, massive, extreme violence.

[KitchenWitch]

15. true

[Initech]

14. This is the exact reason why I dont go to movies anymore.

And not having some new R-rated comedies just so they can slap an "UNRATED" label on the DVD is seriously insulting to one's intelligence/

[leftofthedial]

23. consumers get played for suckers

because so many of them are

it's hard to support industries that so obviously don't respect their customers