Movie ratings and what is exceptable

[bcguy]

I think from what I read in some thread, A movie with a R rating in the 1980s or perhaps 1990s, would be PG today.

Honestly, I think the whole rating system is fairly wrong. It is hardly ever enforced. Now, take for instance two movies that influences young men to commit murder

Batman

natural born killers

Made for TV - Burning Bed

I can only think of others.

For the majority of the population, they will head home from the movie and not think anything of it. But there is a small few, who the movie could have a profound influence on that will drive them to commit heinous crime including murder.

I am just wondering, how does the MPAA rate movies, that "COULD" lead to these typed of crimes? Do these raters have psychology degrees?

I remember Jack Nickolsen WARNED Heath Ledger from not playing the Joker role because it is such a disturbing role. Now that we have a movie theater full of dead people from a shooter saying he was the joker, I wonder if MPAA will change the ways in rating the way movies are made?

[volgadon]

Now, take for instance two movies that influences young men to commit murder

Batman

natural born killers

Made for TV - Burning Bed

Our chief weapon is surprise...surprise and fear...fear and surprise.... Our two weapons are fear and surprise...and ruthless efficiency.... Our *three* weapons are fear, surprise, and ruthless efficiency...and an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope.... Our *four*...no... *Amongst* our weapons.... Amongst our weaponry...are such elements as fear, surprise.... I'll come in again.

[Guest]

I think pretty much any movie is "exceptable", unless someone is holding a gun to your head and making you watch it.

[pam]

IHonestly, I think the whole rating system is fairly wrong. It is hardly ever enforced. Now, take for instance two movies that influences young men to commit murder

Made for TV - Burning Bed

I'm kind of wondering why you think that this particular movie would influence young men to commit murder.

[pam]

I think pretty much any movie is "exceptable", unless someone is holding a gun to your head and making you watch it.

Good catch.

[Eleven]

Id betcha you found your info in my thread i made just recently.

I dont know what the company is called that rates movies.. but television, radio, and movies have all allowed more and more explicit scenes as the time goes by. Using the F-bomb was an automatic R back in the 90's. Now a PG-13 is allowed one or two before its given the R stamp. Girls get skimpier and violence becomes the norm.

Its just the winds of time..

[applepansy]

bcuy, do you think knowing who the group is or who the individuals are will help you?

[Dravin]

Id betcha you found your info in my thread i made just recently.

I dont know what the company is called that rates movies.. but television, radio, and movies have all allowed more and more explicit scenes as the time goes by. Using the F-bomb was an automatic R back in the 90's. Now a PG-13 is allowed one or two before its given the R stamp. Girls get skimpier and violence becomes the norm.

Its just the winds of time..

Heck, I watched a movie from the 50-60s, a Alfred Hitchcock affair, which was rated R, as far as I can tell, because it showed the husband and wife in the same bed, they were wearing modest pajamas and it wouldn't raise an eyebrow today, but I suspect that was the reason for the rating. The ratings are highly subjective, which makes sense, they're rough guides to the kind of content that society feels is acceptable*, and that is understandably fluid (sometimes this is a good thing, sometimes bad). As society changes so to will what falls under the ratings.

*More accurately what the panel feels society will feel is acceptable.

Edited July 28, 2012 by Dravin

[Rapidmc]

Could it be that people who commit these crimes are sick and would commit crimes even if they didn't have media and a ratings system to blame?

[Guest]

Why are you letting somebody else - a non-LDS organization for that matter - dictate what your standards are?

YOU set your own standards. Movie ratings don't matter one iota. And your standards may be different than mine. I wouldn't begrudge you your choice of avoiding the Disney animated classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarves because you feel the Evil Queen is going to drive people to poison somebody they don't like.

My standards consider Batman a positive movie about the general goodness of people, including those in prison, to choose to do good for others even to the point of sacrificing their own lives. But that's just me.

[Anddenex]

Whenever this type of discussion emerges between friends, or forums, I am always reminded of this statement, "Thoughts proceed actions."

Any form of media, discussion, conversation, article, teaching, etc. which is able to influence thought, has also the tendency to influence action, however the action of course is solely influenced by the person controlling or freely entertaining the thought.

In the Book of Mormon we know that Nephi did not teach his children and the people of the ways of the Jews, 2 Nephi 25: 2, because their works were darkness. Why would Nephi not teach after the manner of the Jews, including their wicked deeds, if they would have had no influence upon the thoughts and actions of their children and family?

I remember when I was young, and unfortunately I fell under the scripture, 2 Nephi 9: 28 - 29,

When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not.

I went away, being more wise than God, assuming these movies had no influence on who I was and the actions I would make. However, on my mission, I learned how easily these movies had persuaded my thoughts, and ultimately (as with anyone else), if uncontrolled can lead people to forbidden paths.

I remember Elder Eyring (this was before he was President Erying) giving a talk, or it is in his book "To Draw Closer to God" , speaking about how he was with a business friend. The friend was driving, and asked if they could make a quick stop by which Henry Erying agreed to the detour. When they reached their destination, the friend invited Eyring to come in with him, and he agreed to. Eyring didn't realize what type of store it was until he noticed all the nude pictures of women on the wall. Erying turned to his friend and said, "if you don't mind I will wait in the car". I remember Elder Eryings words mentioning how for two weeks he was unable to remove and get rid of the images from his mind, no matter how hard he tried. I remember his words in lesson by the spirit being something to the nature of, "Now you know what it is like to not have the spirit with you always." After this revelation the images never entered into his mind again.

Anything that is able to persuade thought, ultimately has the ability to persuade actions, unless controlled, or bridled.

For me personally, I highly doubt the Lord through his servants would have provided a commandment not to watch any R-rated movies, unless they had an ability to persuade or desensitize people to important aspects of life.

Example, anybody who has ever lifted their hand to murder another human being has been, by what means I have no clue, desensitized to murder or the killing of innocent blood.

If you feel they are not fair in their views, then create your own by which you will and will not watch. Ultimately, with any movie I watch, I am not going to be able to stand before my Lord, and my Father in Heaven and say, "But, they said it was PG-13???"

I will be held accountable for my own thoughts, words, and deeds --- and dang it, telling the Lord, "Satan made me do it" is out also. :)

[Saguaro]

Personally I don't rely on the MPAA ratings, they may be a basic guide, but the only way to know what kind of content a movie is going to have is to do a little research, which is very easy on the internet. IMDB.com has a section for each movie that tells you exactly what the content is in the areas of sex, profanity, violence, etc.

I am constantly surprised when friends say they went to see a certain movie, thinking it was OK because it as PG or PG-13, and then are horrified by what they see. It's nobody's fault but your own for not checking out the movies ahead of time.

Two examples of why I don't trust the ratings sytems are the movies The King's Speech and The Social Network. The Social Network has several scenes of partial nudity, implied sex, heavy drinking and illegal drug use, two F words and many other profanities. The King's Speech has no sex, no nudity, no violence, but it does have many F words and other profanities. So which movie has the stronger rating? The King's Speech of course simply based on the profanities. Yet after seeing both I consider the King's Speech to be the far better movie from a moral stand point. And the profanities are not gratuitious, they served a purpose in speech therapy.

[mnn727]

exceptable or acceptable?

Makes a difference.

If I want the Spirit close I stay away from that which would move me away from him (note I did not say move Him away from me)

[Guest]

Personally I don't rely on the MPAA ratings, they may be a basic guide, but the only way to know what kind of content a movie is going to have is to do a little research, which is very easy on the internet. IMDB.com has a section for each movie that tells you exactly what the content is in the areas of sex, profanity, violence, etc.

I am constantly surprised when friends say they went to see a certain movie, thinking it was OK because it as PG or PG-13, and then are horrified by what they see. It's nobody's fault but your own for not checking out the movies ahead of time.

Two examples of why I don't trust the ratings sytems are the movies The King's Speech and The Social Network. The Social Network has several scenes of partial nudity, implied sex, heavy drinking and illegal drug use, two F words and many other profanities. The King's Speech has no sex, no nudity, no violence, but it does have many F words and other profanities. So which movie has the stronger rating? The King's Speech of course simply based on the profanities. Yet after seeing both I consider the King's Speech to be the far better movie from a moral stand point. And the profanities are not gratuitious, they served a purpose in speech therapy.

I like Kids-In-Mind: Movie Ratings That Actually Work. Goes into more detail on the general things that are not appropriate for children.

[MormonMama]

I personally believe that the ratings system should be abolished and instead there should be a brief list of the types of things that are in the movie, such as violence, nudity, blood and gore, etc., more detailed than the little 3-4 word blurb they give you on the back of the DVD box. Netflix does something similar, and there are MANY sites online that you can use that will tell you, some in detail, what will be in that movie. Then you can decide for yourself if it's appropriate or not.

I've seen some R rated films that I would never have rated R if it were up to me. And I've seen some PG-13 (and even a very rare PG) films that made me cringe and wish I'd never watched them. I don't think you can trust the ratings system much.

[Blackmarch]

I think from what I read in some thread, A movie with a R rating in the 1980s or perhaps 1990s, would be PG today.

Honestly, I think the whole rating system is fairly wrong. It is hardly ever enforced. Now, take for instance two movies that influences young men to commit murder

Batman

natural born killers

Made for TV - Burning Bed

I can only think of others.

For the majority of the population, they will head home from the movie and not think anything of it. But there is a small few, who the movie could have a profound influence on that will drive them to commit heinous crime including murder.

I am just wondering, how does the MPAA rate movies, that "COULD" lead to these typed of crimes? Do these raters have psychology degrees?

I remember Jack Nickolsen WARNED Heath Ledger from not playing the Joker role because it is such a disturbing role. Now that we have a movie theater full of dead people from a shooter saying he was the joker, I wonder if MPAA will change the ways in rating the way movies are made?

quite possible for a little while the situation will improve somewhat, but the trend will return to its downward spiral.

no idea how or what reqs are in the movie rating system. other than whatever they are its much more loose now.

[captmoroniRM]

Now a days, saying no R rated films is too specific as the church is global in scale. Different countries use different rating scales. In recent years the word from the Brethren has shifted from "no R movies" to "don't watch anything that offends the spirit" or however it is worded in the "Strength of Youth Pamphlet." Me, personally, I avoid all R rated movies and then am selective about any other movies I watch.

Also, I doubt movies like any of the movies influenced young men into killing. Media can be a powerful influence but not THAT powerful. In situations such as the recent CO shooting, there were many other factors leading into it other than Batman. The guy just chose the Batman movie as the "theme" for his crimes.

[NeuroTypical]

Yeah, I don't allow hollywood to control my moviewatching choices. I'll make my own decision based off reviews from people I trust. (And kids-in-mind.com does indeed rock.

[skalenfehl]

I used to watch hours on end of television and two or three movies per month, minimum. I was a Babylon junkie. Pure idleness and idolatry. I am in a different place today and I find abut 95% of television and theater movies unacceptable. So really, it depends on where one is in his/her journey coming unto Christ, if one is coming unto Christ at all. Just my two cents.

[Bini]

Could it be that people who commit these crimes are sick and would commit crimes even if they didn't have media and a ratings system to blame?

I wanted to quote this, again. Well said, and a Thanks to you.

[olytitan]

Everyone is at a different place in their spirituality. For some people one thing may be acceptable, where for others, that same thing would not be. If anything in a movie offends the spirit you feel...then it's not okay for them to watch that, and they probably would gladly turn it off or walk out of the theater. For others, things will not bother them so much. My husband said coming home from a mission, after seeing no TV for 2-years, he was shocked to see his dad watching Bay Watch and he felt like he shouldn't see it himself. Its kind of like vegetarians being at different places. Some will eat dairy and eggs, some will not. Movies really depend on a person's own spirituality and the point they are at.

[Netgood]

Im reminded of the film student who was obsessed with the serial killer show dexter. He killed someone in his garage just to feel what the character Dexter feels. Thoughts become actions and fiction gives these people an easy way to entertain these thoughts.

[Guest]

Im reminded of the film student who was obsessed with the serial killer show dexter. He killed someone in his garage just to feel what the character Dexter feels. Thoughts become actions and fiction gives these people an easy way to entertain these thoughts.

No, Dexter did not cause that film student to kill someone in his garage. Dexter just gave him an excuse. If it wasn't Dexter, it would be someone else.

Millions of people watched Dexter. You don't see millions of people - not even hundreds of people - kill someone because of it. So, yeah, don't blame Dexter.

[Guest Dalbinder101]

I dont even look at ratings anymore it's all bull. Kids in mind is perfect. I've seen many R rated movies that i felt should not have been R Rated. Few examples are Slumdog Millionaire, There Will Be Blood, The Kings Speech. You just need to know what is in the movie. I think the bretheren are learning this too because we dont really hear "dont see R rated movies" anymore it's more "Dont watch movies that detract from the Spirit." It's more of a how do you feel about it basis now.

Is There an R-rated Movie Commandment? - by Orson Scott Card

Great article

[Vort]

I dont even look at ratings anymore it's all bull. Kids in mind is perfect. I've seen many R rated movies that i felt should not have been R Rated. Few examples are Slumdog Millionaire, There Will Be Blood, The Kings Speech. You just need to know what is in the movie. I think the bretheren are learning this too because we dont really hear "dont see R rated movies" anymore it's more "Dont watch movies that detract from the Spirit." It's more of a how do you feel about it basis now.

Is There an R-rated Movie Commandment? - by Orson Scott Card

Great article

You may consider Card's article "great", but it is demonstrably wrong. The Brethren have, in fact, specifically counseled to avoid 'R'-rated movies. Card is prevaricating when he suggests otherwise.

How can you determine whether a movie is fit to watch without, you know, WATCHING it? Ratings may be an imperfect method, but if a movie gets an 'R' rating in the US, then it's absolutely sure that it is not worth watching, even if it is "only" for bad language. No one ever gained salvation by watching an R-rated movie.