My entire life I grew up with the message that all R-rated movies were trash. That nothing good could come from them. As a child, I had no problem with this reasoning, but as I grew up I slowly realized that not all R-rated movies were terrible. One side, like my dad, would argue that R-rated movies fill our minds with unwanted thoughts and images. The Bible even talks about filling our minds with what is good: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8). They have a good point. As Christians, we should not be filling our minds For instance, take the movie 12 years a slave. This is a fantastic movie that shows the story of a freed African American man in pre-civil war America that is sold into slavery. The movie has themes of perseverance, hope, family. These are all themes that are good and commendable. It also goes to teach the horrors of the past so that the same mistakes are not repeated. The reason this movie was rated R was that it showed in gruesome detail the physical abuse that slaves had to endure. The movie also did not shy away from using foul language such as the f-word and the n-word several times. While I do not condone the use of these words, if the story was going to be told accurately, these words would need to be used. The sad truth is that many movies that are historically accurate are rated R because they do not attempt to sugarcoat the past. They state them exactly like it was. I would rather watch a movie that tells me how it actually was so that I can better understand and reflect on the past, then watch a movie that tries to paint over the Many people, however, will never experience these because they refuse to watch an R-rated movie. When choosing an R-rated movie there is a line between truthful storytelling and excessive use of graphic images and foul language. Many of these movies air on the excessive side, giving R-rated movies a reputation for being inappropriate. There is truth to this reputation. Most R-rated movies are inappropriate to watch especially for young teens, who would not be able to discern where to draw the line between truthful storytelling and excessive use. However, it’s ludicrous to ask adolescents and young adults to just not watch R-rated movies. It is in our very nature to be curious about what is out there. Our minds are drawn to what we believe we cannot have. For teenagers, this can be R-rated movies. What we have to realize is that these young adolescents are going to find some way to watch R-rated movies. If we are willing to have conversations and discuss what the movie was about, the movie becomes more about the themes rather than the graphic images and foul
The author of “Hollywood, Stop Exposing Our Kids to Violence” claims that filmmakers need to stop producing violent movies. The article argues that many children pick up bad habits from watching violent
A young mother has decided to take her children to see the latest blockbuster to grace the silver screen. Her two children, both boys, are aged 9 and 11. She is aware that the film they are going to see, the critically acclaimed Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises, is rated PG-13 but sees no problem with her kids seeing it. The rating states that “some material may be inappropriate for children under 13” and that “parents [should be] strongly cautioned” (Ratings Posters). But what could be so inappropriate in a Batman film that would require her parental guidance? For the following two and a half hours, images of dead bodies, grisly gun violence, and murder as well as implied sex, numerous profanities ranging from damn to a partially enunciated use of fuck, themes of terrorism and a world absent of law and order are shown to the gleaming, action hungry eyes of pre-teens. The mother leaves in utter disbelief that she had just witnessed numerous neck-snappings, head shots, and brutal beatings alongside her children. Movies these days are not what they used to be. Even the modern superhero film can be filled with graphic violence, ear splitting profanity, an abundant amount of sexual material, increasingly dark themes, and still be given a PG-13 rating. As a result of the excessive tolerance exhibited by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), films are being allowed to contain more explicit material than ever before and younger generations are being exposed to mature subject matter outside of their understanding.
Although Valenti and the Rating System's advocates claim that parents should have the final choice in what their children view, the system may, in practice, obstruct that purpose for parents who decide that their children should see some films. For films with the controversial NC-17 rating, the theatre is prevented from letting young John Small and his under-aged ilk from seeing a film despite his parents' permission. In fact, had John actually been accompanied by his parents, the theatre would have had every right -- some would even say responsibility -- to refuse his admission. The printing of the NC-17 rating often does not read -- as would be reasonable -- "Intended for Adults Only" but rather the more rigid "Not to be Attended by Children Under Seventeen.
The MPAA rating system is outdated. The recent advances in technology allow children to see movies regardless of the rating. The rating system worked well for the early years, but recently “kids slip into the movies they want to see. . . . They also see them at home on widely available DVDs, on cable, and via popular streaming services like Netflix and Amazon” (Ebert 2). Even when kids go to the theater to see movies they can “theater hop” or buy a ticket to a low rated movie and slip into the R rated film of their choice. DVDs and the Internet both provide ways for kids to watch movies that contain objectionable material. Websites that offer the o...
The representation of race, in particular the issue of slavery and abolition in film is not only a highly emotive and potentially divisive subject but it also provides a means of accessing the past in a manner which is empowering and knowledgeably rewarding for the viewer. Representations of historical contexts in film are often critically considered to be amongst the main source of the general publics perceptions of the historic past. “When slave narratives are done on film, they tend to be historical with a capital H, with an arm’s-length quality to them. I wanted to break that history-under-glass aspect, I wanted to throw a rock through that glass and shatter it for all times, and take you into it.”1 Following the unlikely duo of a white German bounty hunter, Dr. King, and his black slave counterpart, Django Freeman, as they journey to reclaim the token damsel in distress, film director Quentin Tarantino sparked mass controversy surround the representation of African Americans and slavery in the south of America during the 19th century. The issue of race and slavery are directly confronted within the film told through the narrative of Django. Django Unchained is ultimately a story of white redemption; offering an interpretation into the justifications of slavery while race is represented in ways which both challenge and enforce stereotypes.
Saying 12 Years a Slave is a realistic film is an understatement. According to the British film director Steve McQueen, some people did not want the film made. He stated, “Some people want to close their eyes on some subjects. They don’t want to look behind them.” (Aspden 5). Others feel there have been too many films been made about slavery already, such as Roots, Django Unchained, and Amistad. 12 Years a Slave is a true story that needs to be told. In this writer’s opinion, it depicts the abuse of slavery in the United States with more intensity than any other film previously made.
Many Americans love films, the meanings behind those films and the impact some films have on people’s lives. Ever since films were created there have been people and organizations that have tried to censor and block what the public can and cannot see. Even to this day there are certain things that if put on film because of censorship, would never make it to the public. This is very sad. Film is one of this country’s great expressive outlets. Many filmmakers and the people who enjoy what these filmmakers put out are effected by the horrible concept of censorship. When a film is put out to the public it is first reviewed by a movie rating board who then assigns the film a rating to tell people what age groups the film is suitable for and what the film contains. Movie selection for minors should solely be the responsibility of that child’s parent, not some critic that watches films and then makes decisions for other people about who can watch it and who can’t. People just need to start to understand the real meaning of free speech and expression in this country. Too many people are taking it for granted. People who are for the censorship of films may argue that it’s for the good of our children, shielding them from violence and sex, and not exposing them to something that they claim may be mentally harm...
Throughout history America remembered slavery in a crucial unsettling way. Slaves worked long strenuous hours, get whipped to death, starved, and become broken spirits. All these factors describe the life of a slave. "To be a slave meant to be black and to be black meant to be a slave". Slavery at its very core was inhumane and traumatizing for every African American facing it, However today in our history textbooks slavery will be a chapter that many students come across. But what about in the media? well in today 's media movies about slavery are being reenacted and altered on the big screen. Two big box office hits come to many minds of Americans today, those films are Django Unchained and 12 years a slave. Both of these films provide
Today, our society likes to take time off to relax and watch a movie. Do you think it’s relaxing to watch people die and constantly be injured? Well most of the movies out today are violent. Even thought here are strict rating rules put on these movies, children are still seeing them. For example, The Power Rangers Movie. In this movie, five teenagers take on the roles of fighters. When kids view this PG rated movie they see how cool it is to kill other creatures and human beings. About three weeks after this movie was released in Chicago, two kids were playing power rangers; they decided to take the game a step further by involving pencils used as swords. This game ended with one of the two kids with serious incisions from the pencil. This situation could have easily been avoided if some of these movies were not so violently oriented.
Finding other forms of stimulation to satisfy one’s sense such as exercise and family activities instead of watching a film is a healthier alternative. Limiting the amount of time exposed to violent films, will in effect lower the risk of negative effects. Understanding media literacy will lead individuals to recognize the problems associated with media violence and “how the effects process works”(Potter 186). Above all, we need to guide one another, children especially and educate ourselves on the subject matter together.
Secondly, I think that if a child under the age of 18 views graphic violence in movies or TV shows, they will more likely to engage in those types of behaviors. I think that movie violence is sometimes viewed as a fun and effective way to get what you want to young eyes. Even though kids are taught or should be taught by their parents that it is not right to hit, television and movies portray that it is okay. I suspect that this can lead to confusion for kids to understand the differences between right and
Knowing who will be inspired by a movie meant for entertainment and go on a killing spree is highly unlikely and until then copycat acts of violence will continue to baffle society. But in the minds of a few already unstable minds the violence that some movies depict will take on a reality of their own. Then, regretfully there’s one fact that can’t be denied, it does happen. When an unstable mind is influenced by a movie the results the results can be devastating. Movies do influence society’s view on violence and in some rare cases it will motivate some to violence.
The first reason video games are an issue is that many video games made today possess content that many people would consider to be obscene. The term obscene covers violence, profanity, and sexual images (obviously). Such videogames are usually branded with the M (mature audiences only) rating on the front of the videogame cover. This means that only players seventeen or older should be playing such games. However, many children around the ages of twelve and under are acquiring these video games as gifts or are purchasing the games themselves. Therefore, it can be assumed that the parents are purchasing M-rated games for their children, and that stores are willingly selling these young children M-rated games. As Paul Keegan says, parents are not following these ratings and stores are not enforcing them, thus allowing young children to view content that is considered obscene (6). Thus, if parents understand and follow the various video game rating labels, and if stores enforce the videogame rating system, then young children will not be as easily able to view mature material.
Today’s kids are growing up faster and maturing at a faster rate than ever before. Twenty years ago it would be impossible to show breasts in a PG-13 movie. Today, kids are being taught the fasts of life younger than anyone could of imagined. This is all due to older brothers, the Internet and schools teaching kids about sex at the age of twelve. If everything else is changing except the rating’s no one is going to obey the law.
Imagine, a man just got shot in the chest and his blood is pouring out like water from a faucet. The killer pulls out a knife to finish his work and violently stabs his victim to death. Why would anyone want to see this? The fact is, many people do want to see violent movies, and this has been proven with their high ratings at the box office. Whether people use these violent movies to release their daily frustrations, to see the danger involved in watching them, or the special effects, people want to watch violent movies.