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MPAA to revise their rating system

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MPAA to revise their rating system

Old 03-02-11, 08:29 PM
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Re: MPAA to revise their rating system

Originally Posted by Matthew Chmiel
I was trying to Google it to no avail, but there was an interview with Joan Graves a few months ago during the heat of the MPAA controversy with the Weinsteins trying to successfully get an R rating for Blue Valentine and unsuccessfully get a PG-13 rating for The King's Speech where she publicly admitted they failed when honoring Gunner Palace and The Hip Hop Project with PG-13 ratings. It pretty much alluded to the fact that exceptions like those two would never happen again.
I couldn't find that interview either, although I did find another interview where Joan Graves said this:
The appeals board did not do their job for Gunner Palace. It was an emotional appeal and it was emotionally received, and I know that Jack Valenti and [the head of NATO], they felt that it misrepresented the ratings system, so they put out a special press release at the time saying “This rating has been overturned, but the PG-13 does not indicate the level of content in the film.”
Note how she makes the distinction between what the MPAA rated it, and what the ruling of the appeals board was.

Here's where I got that quote from:
http://www.slashfilm.com/mpaa-rating...-kings-speech/

Here's the podcast of the interview, focusing on The Tillman Story:
http://www.kcrw.com/etc/programs/tb/...llman_storys_c

At 6:30 minutes, the story on the film's rating starts. The interview with Graves starts about 17:00 minutes in, while at 22:00 minutes is the quote about Gunner Palace.


This Chicago Tribune article mentions both Gunner Palace and The Hip Hop Project, and quotes an interview with Joan Graves, but she doesn't mention those films directly:
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2...rating-mpaas/2

This is the LA Times article the Tribune quote came from:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/the_...gs-speech.html


Here's a 2008 interview with Joan Graves done for her alumni magazine at Standford:
http://www.stanfordalumni.org/news/m...ow/graves.html

An interesting excerpt:
Nowadays Graves’ office even accepts scripts to review for a ratings opinion... "One of our senior raters is very good at assessing scripts. Another is the filmmaker liaison, to answer production questions like: ‘How much nudity can we show in this scene?’ ” Graves says the liaison issues are “the most interesting part of the job for me, and growing larger.”

Finally, an article by Michael Tucker, one of the directors of Gunner Palace, on his experience with the MPAA ratings board:
http://www.documentary.org/content/w...ing-fin-lethal
Old 03-02-11, 08:38 PM
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Re: MPAA to revise their rating system

Originally Posted by bluetoast
What about smoking....weren't they trying to make that an instant R at some point?
Some people were petitioning the MPAA to make depicting smoking an "instant R" for a film. They didn't succeed, although smoking is now a factor the MPAA considers when rating a film.
http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/...-smoking_N.htm
Old 03-02-11, 09:11 PM
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Re: MPAA to revise their rating system

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, but the MPAA ratings are pointless these days, with most movies being seen on cable/satellite, streaming, or DVD/Blu-ray.

It's time to just do away with them, and let the filmmakers label their films as they see fit.
Old 03-02-11, 09:21 PM
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Re: MPAA to revise their rating system

Originally Posted by Josh-da-man
I've said it before, and I'll say it again, but the MPAA ratings are pointless these days, with most movies being seen on cable/satellite, streaming, or DVD/Blu-ray.

It's time to just do away with them, and let the filmmakers label their films as they see fit.
"But, but, think of the children."

Seriously though, all that tech you mentioned has built-in filtering that parents can do based on ratings. And they provide a good general base for judging the appropriateness of a movie, although they shouldn't be taken as gospel.

Keep in mind that the ratings originated as, and are primarily still, PR management by the studios. They self-rate so as to appease those who would say negative things about the MPAA. This is why they rate sex and language more harshly than violence, because they get more complaints about sex and language in movies than they do about violence.
Old 03-03-11, 09:23 AM
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Re: MPAA to revise their rating system

I think the only recent movie where I was appalled that a parent would take their child to was 'Jackass 3D' - I couldn't see their reaction, nor did they walk out, but the nudity and sheer grossness I didn't think was appropriate to a child under the age of 10 (which that child was) but ... that's the name of the game, when a film is rated R - technically any child regardless of age can see this with an accompanied adult ... ... whatever.
Old 03-03-11, 09:46 AM
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Re: MPAA to revise their rating system

Originally Posted by Jay G.
"But, but, think of the children."

Seriously though, all that tech you mentioned has built-in filtering that parents can do based on ratings. And they provide a good general base for judging the appropriateness of a movie, although they shouldn't be taken as gospel.
I agree. As a parent, I appreciate the descriptions of the "objectionable" content of a movie quite a lot more than the actual rating.
Old 03-03-11, 09:51 AM
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Re: MPAA to revise their rating system

In the Friday Washington Post movie section a reviewer goes through the new movies and describes why the ratings are rated as such and the degree of content - it's an interesting read, but it also sort of ruins the movie since some surprises are described (I tend to read it after seeing the movie)
Old 03-03-11, 12:01 PM
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Re: MPAA to revise their rating system

That Washington Post section always seemed overdone. Written by an overconcerned mother, who was originally a freelancer, then was hired for that feature. Even throws in a little review, like it means anything "High schoolers should see this" stuff like that. Like you said, too descriptive of the movies.
Old 03-10-11, 05:29 AM
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Re: MPAA to revise their rating system

I'm really upset about Guillermo del Toro’s At the Mountains of Madness project falling apart, and partly because of the rating.

Having only PG-13 and R is far too wide and simplistic.

Saw 3D is R – and so was The King’s Speech before they cut it! I agree that a 15-year-old shouldn’t watch Saw 3D, but barring him from watching a movie because of a string of swearwords is ridiculous. Same regarding sex and nudity: maybe it’s because I’m European, but I don’t object to any of those. And chances are that your 15-year-old boys have already seen plenty of boobs in real life anyway.

The R rating should be split in two: for the sake of argument, let’s call them “R15” (nobody younger than 15) and “R18” (nobody younger than 18).

In R15 films:
-Drugs: Drug taking may be shown but the film as a whole must not promote or encourage drug misuse.
-Violence: Violence may be strong but should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury. No gore or sadistic or sexualised violence. Any portrayal of sexual violence must be discreet and have a strong contextual justification.
-Horror: Strong threat and menace are permitted unless sadistic or sexualised.
-Language: There may be frequent use of strong language.
-Nudity: Nudity may be allowed in a sexual context but without strong detail.
-Sex: Sexual activity may be portrayed without strong detail. There may be strong verbal references to sexual behavior.
-Thematic elements: No theme is prohibited, provided the treatment is appropriate for 15 year olds.

Worse than that, and it’s R18.

Oh, and remove "accompanied younger people" altogether. If you want your 10-year-old to see Jackass 3D, watch the Blu-ray with him at home.

Examples of movies that would be R15:

Biutiful
Black Swan
Due Date
The Fighter
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest
The Kids Are All Right
Somewhere
Splice

Examples of movies that would be R18:

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
The Last House on the Left
Machete
A Nightmare on Elm Street 2010
Piranha
Saw 3D

The guidelines above are summarised from the BBFC for its "15" rating.
Old 03-10-11, 05:39 AM
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Re: MPAA to revise their rating system

Originally Posted by Rockmjd23
Are nunchuku still banned?
No. Black Dynamite was rated "15" with no cuts.
Old 03-10-11, 06:50 AM
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Re: MPAA to revise their rating system

Originally Posted by Grubert
Great idea
This makes too much sense to ever be implemented in America.
Old 03-10-11, 02:13 PM
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Re: MPAA to revise their rating system

Originally Posted by Grubert
I'm really upset about Guillermo del Toro’s At the Mountains of Madness project falling apart, and partly because of the rating.

Having only PG-13 and R is far too wide and simplistic.

Saw 3D is R – and so was The King’s Speech before they cut it! I agree that a 15-year-old shouldn’t watch Saw 3D, but barring him from watching a movie because of a string of swearwords is ridiculous. Same regarding sex and nudity: maybe it’s because I’m European, but I don’t object to any of those. And chances are that your 15-year-old boys have already seen plenty of boobs in real life anyway.

The R rating should be split in two: for the sake of argument, let’s call them “R15” (nobody younger than 15) and “R18” (nobody younger than 18).

In R15 films:
-Drugs: Drug taking may be shown but the film as a whole must not promote or encourage drug misuse.
-Violence: Violence may be strong but should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury. No gore or sadistic or sexualised violence. Any portrayal of sexual violence must be discreet and have a strong contextual justification.
-Horror: Strong threat and menace are permitted unless sadistic or sexualised.
-Language: There may be frequent use of strong language.
-Nudity: Nudity may be allowed in a sexual context but without strong detail.
-Sex: Sexual activity may be portrayed without strong detail. There may be strong verbal references to sexual behavior.
-Thematic elements: No theme is prohibited, provided the treatment is appropriate for 15 year olds.

Worse than that, and it’s R18.

Oh, and remove "accompanied younger people" altogether. If you want your 10-year-old to see Jackass 3D, watch the Blu-ray with him at home.

Examples of movies that would be R15:

Biutiful
Black Swan
Due Date
The Fighter
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest
The Kids Are All Right
Somewhere
Splice

Examples of movies that would be R18:

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
The Last House on the Left
Machete
A Nightmare on Elm Street 2010
Piranha
Saw 3D

The guidelines above are summarised from the BBFC for its "15" rating.
A 15 year old doesn't need to see the sexual violence in any of the Stieg Larsson films.

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