What have you watched lately?

[Rollo Tomassi]

It gets pretty intense at times. And if I'm an adult thinking this is intense, its gonna be especially nerve wracking to a kid. The beginning alone, with the creepy posessed zombie shadow boar would give kids some fitful dreams.

Plus, I don't think PG-13 existed in 1980 when Empire got its ratings.

[anarky]

My 4-year-old had no problems with it. She didn't understand it all, but it didn't bother her.

The MPAA (?) has gone back and re-rated some movies. Not sure if that was on their own or at the request of the filmmakers. Empire would easily get a PG-13 today. It's funny how, as society gets more permissive, the ratings seem to get more restrictive overall (disregarding stuff like the NC-17 rating). Even the tamest Disney movies can't get a G. The movies responsible for the PG-13 rating existing were Gremlins and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, two quite tame movies. A boobie would be PG in the 80s, but is an automatic R in most cases now (and studios don't like R movies since kids can't see them, so we're stuck watching boobieless movies). Planet of the Apes had several bare asses and was G, that'd be at least PG-13 now.

I think the funniest shit are the reasons for the ratings they now list in the boxes. They're so inconsistent, it's impossible to accurately compare from movie to movie. Best of all are the tobacco warnings. I know smoking's not cool, and it's not a good thing to encourage it anymore, but, really, it goes overboard. I saw a movie advertised once, and the rating was R. The reasons were "Pervasive Strong Language, Graphic Violence, Frightening Imagery, Nudity, Strong Sexual Content, AND AN INSTANCE OF TOBACCO USAGE." I'm not kidding. Everything else was normal, and the thing about tobacco was enormous. If my kids are watching Basic Instinct, Sharon Stone lighting up a cigarette after a sex scene where she stabs someone to death is not my biggest concern.

[Rollo Tomassi]

It just goes to show you what a loony and insular group the MPAA is. Not only that, but its a rather small group, and I'm not even sure how they are picked/appointed. I vaguely remember seeing a story on it on 60 Minutes a few years ago, and the way they are picked seemed much too machiavellian to me, considering how much "influence" they wield. The guy was like "Oh no, their identities MUST remain a closely guarded secret." Its absurd.

I've decided just to be my own MPAA for my kids. I'll watch something, and then judge whether they're 'mature' enough to understand whats going on. Or, in the digital age, I can just chapter jump past something on DVD. Like, I put in Top Gun for my kids last month, and when the silhouette of Tom Cruise muffdiving on Kelly McGillis to the tune of Berlin was about to come on, I skipped ahead to more fighter jets rockin' out to Kenny Loggins.

[anarky]

That's what I do, too. I look at the parental advisory sites, too, but half the time disregard what they say because they're usually quite Puritanical. ("He says the d-word thirty minutes into the movie! Onoes! Unclean! Unclean!")

I remember reading something about Trey Parker and Matt Stone from South Park. Their first movie, Orgazmo, had to be released unrated, since it was going to get an NC-17 rating. It was an independent (or small studio) release, and they did not have the money to appeal. And it didn't hit hardly any theaters, since they don't like unrated movies. But South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut was far more explicit. It was backed by whatever major studio released it, who could easily use their influence to get it an R.

Whatever. I just remember when I was 14 (almost 15!), and could not get in to see Robocop 2, even with a 17-year-old friend, because it was R. This despite my having seen the first one probably a half dozen times on HBO, and the second one is downright tame compared to the first.

[Rollo Tomassi]

I don't think I've seen the Robocop sequels in decades. Certainly not since the invention of DVDs. And I've never seen any of those made for cable Movies/miniseries.

[Rollo Tomassi]

I'm rewatching the Dirty Harry movies. Ha! These things are awesome. Just finished DH and started Magnum Force.

[Ran]

This weekend I watched most of Patton, Midway, & part of The Longest Day. I don't think I've ever seen Longest Day before because I'm sure I would have remembered seeing John Wayne and Sean Connery in the same movie.

[Rollo Tomassi]

Here's a The Longest Day funfact. It had like four or five directors. Like all the German sequences were directed by an actual German director. And the John Wayne stuff was a different director from the Bob Mitchum stuff, etc.

Back to the Dirty Harry films. I like how all of the sequels have different names. They need to go back to doing that for films. Instead of Lethal Weapon 1, 2, 3, and 4 and shit like that. Also, official worst job ever: Harry Callahan's Partner. If you get paired up with Harry, you are probably dead by closing credits. In The Enforcer he loses TWO partners.

[jjreason]

The only partner I ever felt sad over him losing was the bulldog's nutsack - mind you he went and fucked shit up like crazy after that (if I'm not mistaken, it's been well over 100 years since I watched any Dirty Harry).

[Rollo Tomassi]

One of the things I found hilarious,(and this is true of a lot of the films from the 70s and 80s) is that the goons are holding hostages or whatever and they keep saying "If you cops try anything funny, the hostages DIE!" and then Dirty Harry always does something incredibly 'rogue cop' like drives his car through the front of the store, or walks in and says "You assholes are in for it." and the goons completely forget they have hostages. I would've liked to have seen the goons just turn around and cap a few of the hostages like "Fuck you man! We told you what would happen!"

For instance in the first film, the Scorpio killer has a bus full of kids hostage and they're driving to the airport. Harry is waiting on a train trestle and jumps onto the roof of the bus. Right there, Scorpio should've just turned around and drilled a few of the kids, instead of trying to shoot Harry off the roof of the bus.

[vynsane]

we watched 'no strings attached' last night - predictable ending, but genuinely funny. also kinda hot hearing NatPo say "oh, yeah, i looked - you have a nice penis".

[Ran]

Re-watched Flash Gordon and Stripes this past weekend. I think Flash Gordon may be funnier than Stripes.

[Diabolical]

The Girl Who Played With Fire - Meh, which is sad because the book was so good.

X-Men First Class - Awesomeness (see thread).

[jjreason]

There was a trailer for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo in front of my X-Men showing - hasn't this already been done???

EDITED: How's THIS for a teaser poster????

[Diabolical]

There was a trailer for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo in front of my X-Men showing - hasn't this already been done???

The trailer you saw is for David Fincher's American version with Daniel Craig (obviously from the poster).
The movie(s) out on DVD right now are the original Swedish versions. "Dragon Tattoo" was good, but "Played With Fire" was just so-so. Haven't seen "Hornet's Nest" yet, as I want to read the book first.
I can't wait to see Fincher's version.

EDITED: How's THIS for a teaser poster????

Very Nice. Too bad no theater would ever post it.
Hard to believe it but the goth chic ('Lisbeth Salander') is the same chick that played Jessie Eisenberg's girlfriend at the the beginning of "The Social Network."