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NC-17: Fatally Flawed
Jun. 25th, 2007 01:17 amJust read this article on Entertainment Weekly and I must say I'm mightly impressed. I've always taken a keen interest in ratings and movie censorship issues. I always valued to great achievement of Jack Valenti when he finally abandoned the goddamn Code of Decency and actually introduced a ratings system. However, it is critically flawed as Mark Harris points out. Go ahead and read it! It has some minor spoilers for Hostel II I suppose if you don't like gory scenes to be spoiled.
Now, I must say I've always been bothered about this particular aspect. What the hell is the MPAA trying to do? Their self-professed aim is to provide guidelines for parents. As a matter of fact, a prerequirement to get on the MPAA board is to be a parent. I've liked when the MPAA started explaining just why they've awarded a movie with a certain rating. As a matter of fact, it's what I try to adopt for my own writing. I don't just go "adulz only lawl" but I explain why I gave that rating. I think that's important. Is it not suitable for kids because they're shagging like rabbits or because limbs get cut off gorily? That's important!
However, what is it that the MPAA really wants to do? Guidelines or protecting the innocent? Hm? It doesn't work in a country with a constitution like the US. I'm sure as soon as you actively start keeping kids out of movies that aren't suitable for their age, someone is going to sue somewhere for violation of their First Amendment Rights. Should they though?
I really do think they need to make up their fucking minds. And like Harris suggests, they should just make do with being advisors, and being good ones. I would totally love the idea of a comprehensive website where concerned parents (and queasy moviegoers) can check beforehand whether they'll like a movie or not. Take me. I like horror. I don't mind gore as long as it's clearly fake. I do however hate violence against animals. And zombies. God, can't stand them. Would be good to have a site that warns me about that.
That actually brings up long forgotten childhood dreams... When I was a teen I wanted to invent this all new movie rating system, giving points for ick-factors, boo-factors, smooch-factors and what not... LOL. I would love to have that. Rate every movie reliably for content. Don't attach censorship or a ban to it. Just say it like it is. "This movie contains explicit violence, sudden shock killings and zombies". That would be a wonderful rating for me. Hah...
Of course I realize that this is near impossible to achieve. Even moreso, the movie industry would oppose it violently. They'd fear viewing figures going down with people being scared of, or maybe spoiled. So, too bad.
Even more so, why don't we have a rating system for books? I've been wondering about that ever since. In fanfiction we always meticulously rate our fics, warn for any kind of matter that could arouse the slightest bit of issue. Yet, when you buy a book it's often a stab into the dark. When I was 13 I accidentally read a horror story collection that dealt with zombies in a way that is still inconceiveable to me how anyone would ever write that. I still remember every detail and could puke when I think about it. How come I was able to buy that, nobody even asked me if I really wanted that, and I was totally blindsided, thinking I'd read something along the lines of Stephen King! Some romance novels are extremely raunchy, borderlining porn. Yet it's open for sale.
I think there needs to be a rating for books too. Not one that actually prevents a mature, informed 13 year old from reading the book he or she wants, but one that will ensure that they know what they're getting into. It wouldn't even need to be as anal and inclusive as we fanficcers do, but would it be too much asked to just print on the back "violence", "sex", "intense horror" or whatever? I really wonder why nobody's thought about that yet. Everybody's bludgeoning the movie and gaming industry over this, but why does nobody bother with fiction? From personal experience, I've found fiction a lot more terrifying and impressive than the worst movies. But that might just be me...
NC-17: Fatally Flawed
When a film as violent as ''Hostel: Part II'' can get an R -- that is, it's deemed okay for kids to see with an adult -- it's obvious the ratings system is in serious need of reform
By Mark Harris
Jack Valenti has gone to that great screening room in the sky, but his legacy persists — for better and for worse — in the form of the movie ratings system. Back in 1968, Valenti's ratings replaced a capricious code of self-censorship with labels designed to help parents make choices. That's still a worthy idea — at least, it would be if it were applied with anything resembling sanity.
( article )
Now, I must say I've always been bothered about this particular aspect. What the hell is the MPAA trying to do? Their self-professed aim is to provide guidelines for parents. As a matter of fact, a prerequirement to get on the MPAA board is to be a parent. I've liked when the MPAA started explaining just why they've awarded a movie with a certain rating. As a matter of fact, it's what I try to adopt for my own writing. I don't just go "adulz only lawl" but I explain why I gave that rating. I think that's important. Is it not suitable for kids because they're shagging like rabbits or because limbs get cut off gorily? That's important!
However, what is it that the MPAA really wants to do? Guidelines or protecting the innocent? Hm? It doesn't work in a country with a constitution like the US. I'm sure as soon as you actively start keeping kids out of movies that aren't suitable for their age, someone is going to sue somewhere for violation of their First Amendment Rights. Should they though?
I really do think they need to make up their fucking minds. And like Harris suggests, they should just make do with being advisors, and being good ones. I would totally love the idea of a comprehensive website where concerned parents (and queasy moviegoers) can check beforehand whether they'll like a movie or not. Take me. I like horror. I don't mind gore as long as it's clearly fake. I do however hate violence against animals. And zombies. God, can't stand them. Would be good to have a site that warns me about that.
That actually brings up long forgotten childhood dreams... When I was a teen I wanted to invent this all new movie rating system, giving points for ick-factors, boo-factors, smooch-factors and what not... LOL. I would love to have that. Rate every movie reliably for content. Don't attach censorship or a ban to it. Just say it like it is. "This movie contains explicit violence, sudden shock killings and zombies". That would be a wonderful rating for me. Hah...
Of course I realize that this is near impossible to achieve. Even moreso, the movie industry would oppose it violently. They'd fear viewing figures going down with people being scared of, or maybe spoiled. So, too bad.
Even more so, why don't we have a rating system for books? I've been wondering about that ever since. In fanfiction we always meticulously rate our fics, warn for any kind of matter that could arouse the slightest bit of issue. Yet, when you buy a book it's often a stab into the dark. When I was 13 I accidentally read a horror story collection that dealt with zombies in a way that is still inconceiveable to me how anyone would ever write that. I still remember every detail and could puke when I think about it. How come I was able to buy that, nobody even asked me if I really wanted that, and I was totally blindsided, thinking I'd read something along the lines of Stephen King! Some romance novels are extremely raunchy, borderlining porn. Yet it's open for sale.
I think there needs to be a rating for books too. Not one that actually prevents a mature, informed 13 year old from reading the book he or she wants, but one that will ensure that they know what they're getting into. It wouldn't even need to be as anal and inclusive as we fanficcers do, but would it be too much asked to just print on the back "violence", "sex", "intense horror" or whatever? I really wonder why nobody's thought about that yet. Everybody's bludgeoning the movie and gaming industry over this, but why does nobody bother with fiction? From personal experience, I've found fiction a lot more terrifying and impressive than the worst movies. But that might just be me...
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