The MPAA
- Matt
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 12:58 pm
Re: The Tree of Life (Terrence Malick, 2010)
An ad I saw the other day for some fake Hannah Montana movie had it rated PG for "rude behavior."
- Brian C
- I hate to be That Pedantic Guy but...
- Joined: Wed Sep 16, 2009 11:58 am
- Location: Chicago, IL
Re: The MPAA
Eat Pray Love got tagged for "male rear nudity." Seems like this is more specific than they usually get - doesn't "brief nudity" usually suffice in this case? I have a hard time believing that they'd put "female chest nudity" in a ratings description.
- mfunk9786
- Under Chris' Protection
- Joined: Fri May 16, 2008 4:43 pm
- Location: Philadelphia, PA
Re: The MPAA
I hope we get to see the phrase "side boob" in a ratings description at some point.
- Matt
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 12:58 pm
Re: The MPAA
One of my favorite reasons for movie ratings is "thematic material." What the hell is that? "Hmmm... I'm detecting a theme in this movie. PG-13!"
"Mild action" and "pervasive language" (what? it's got a lotta words?) are other goodies.
"Mild action" and "pervasive language" (what? it's got a lotta words?) are other goodies.
- Roger Ryan
- Joined: Wed Apr 28, 2010 12:04 pm
- Location: A Midland town spread and darkened into a city
Re: The MPAA
That's why the action is "mild" - too much talking, not enough doing!Matt wrote:"Mild action" and "pervasive language" (what? it's got a lotta words?) are other goodies.
- med
- Joined: Tue Mar 17, 2009 5:58 pm
Re: The MPAA
So, is "graphic nudity" in a MPAA descriptor pretty much a guarantee that you're going to see genitals?
- zedz
- Joined: Sun Nov 07, 2004 7:24 pm
Re: The MPAA
Just about every Woody Allen movie must have been hit with those two.Matt wrote:"Mild action" and "pervasive language" (what? it's got a lotta words?) are other goodies.
- Murdoch
- Joined: Sun Apr 20, 2008 11:59 pm
- Location: Upstate NY
Re: The MPAA
I always liked the rating flag of "partying," sometimes "mild partying."
- MichaelB
- Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2006 6:20 pm
- Location: Worthing
- Contact:
Re: The MPAA
We get "peril" and "mild peril" quite a bit on British ads.
- Brian C
- I hate to be That Pedantic Guy but...
- Joined: Wed Sep 16, 2009 11:58 am
- Location: Chicago, IL
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- Joined: Sat Jun 07, 2008 3:31 am
- Location: Somerset, England
Re: The MPAA
I can't remember the title but I remember something like "mild holocaust images" on a BBFC-rated disc.MichaelB wrote:We get "peril" and "mild peril" quite a bit on British ads.
- Murdoch
- Joined: Sun Apr 20, 2008 11:59 pm
- Location: Upstate NY
Re: The MPAA
Brian C wrote:Some MPAA fun here.
The MPAA really loves to use "intense" and graphic", I'm going to start scouting rating flags nowTwister – Rated PG-13 for “intense depiction of very bad weather.”
- domino harvey
- Dot Com Dom
- Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:42 pm
Re: The MPAA
My favoriteThe Fugitive – Rated PG-13 for “a murder and other action sequences in an adventure setting.”
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- Joined: Sun Sep 20, 2009 5:23 am
- Location: Florida
Re: The MPAA
My favorite MPAA WTF? of all time was the 'R' rating given to Michael Radford's adaptation of "Merchant of Venice." Supposedly given for "some nudity." The skin baring was pretty tame, as I recall.
- colinr0380
- Joined: Mon Nov 08, 2004 4:30 pm
- Location: Chapel-en-le-Frith, Derbyshire, UK
Re: The MPAA
Nothing in recent censorship can be as bizarre as the suspiciously manufactured 'scandal' over the 18 rating given by the BBFC to Neil Jordan's remake of The End of the Affair just because Ralph Fiennes did a couple too many vigorous buttock thrusts during his sex scene with Julianne Moore! (I'm trying to remember but I think there was some discussion that three thrusts or less shown in a wide shot was OK to get the point across, but any more than that was totally unacceptable!)
I say suspicious because it certainly generated a lot of 'hot and steamy' publicity for a film that is really about guilty consciences feeding into religious epiphanies, which was perhaps not as enticing a prospect to general audiences! (While I like the film I think the 1950s version just has the edge on it, mostly for Peter Cushing's great performance as the cuckolded husband - sort of played in the same 'resigned to his partner's transgressions and waiting quietly to accept her back when the thrill of the affair has worn off' vein as Denholm Elliott's character in Bad Timing)
I say suspicious because it certainly generated a lot of 'hot and steamy' publicity for a film that is really about guilty consciences feeding into religious epiphanies, which was perhaps not as enticing a prospect to general audiences! (While I like the film I think the 1950s version just has the edge on it, mostly for Peter Cushing's great performance as the cuckolded husband - sort of played in the same 'resigned to his partner's transgressions and waiting quietly to accept her back when the thrill of the affair has worn off' vein as Denholm Elliott's character in Bad Timing)
- Brian C
- I hate to be That Pedantic Guy but...
- Joined: Wed Sep 16, 2009 11:58 am
- Location: Chicago, IL
Re: The MPAA
Along those lines, here's the explanation for Nacho Libre: "Rated PG for some rough action, and crude humor including dialogue."Matt wrote:One of my favorite reasons for movie ratings is "thematic material." What the hell is that? "Hmmm... I'm detecting a theme in this movie. PG-13!"
"Mild action" and "pervasive language" (what? it's got a lotta words?) are other goodies.
So let that be a lesson to all you young filmmakers out there - if you want a G, you can keep the crude humor, but leave out the dialogue.
- MyNameCriterionForum
- Joined: Sat Jun 21, 2008 5:27 am
Re: The MPAA
Joe Bob Briggs had the most honest (and, incidentally, most entertaining) rating system, simply cataloging the number of breasts, beheadings, types of "fu" and so on. The MPAA could earn a modicum of respect if they followed suit. As it is, their descriptions are simultaneously too narrow and too vague.
- Brian C
- I hate to be That Pedantic Guy but...
- Joined: Wed Sep 16, 2009 11:58 am
- Location: Chicago, IL
Re: The MPAA
As with The Simpsons Movie, which was rated PG-13 for "irreverent humor throughout" (no further explanation given)?
- lacritfan
- Life is one big kevyip
- Joined: Wed Dec 05, 2007 6:39 pm
- Location: Los Angeles
Re: The MPAA
The breasts of the woman in the couple get less R rated as the ratings go up.Some MPAA fun here.
Re: The MPAA
Some of my personal favorites:
Tideland: Rated R for bizarre and disturbing content, including drug use, sexuality, and gruesome situations - all involving a child, and for some language.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: Rated PG for quirky situations, action and mild language.
Tideland: Rated R for bizarre and disturbing content, including drug use, sexuality, and gruesome situations - all involving a child, and for some language.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: Rated PG for quirky situations, action and mild language.
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- Joined: Tue Nov 25, 2008 12:39 pm
- Location: Lebanon, PA
Re: The MPAA
Hey! Gotta protect our youngest young'uns from irreverent humor.Brian C wrote:As with The Simpsons Movie, which was rated PG-13 for "irreverent humor throughout" (no further explanation given)?
And fluoridation.
- Matt
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 12:58 pm
Re: The MPAA
This is why I hate going to the movies now: giraffes, rabbits, kids with boom boxes, little boys in pilgrim hats, pervy little grinning midgets wearing bow ties. It's a nightmare.Brian C wrote:Some MPAA fun here.
- colinr0380
- Joined: Mon Nov 08, 2004 4:30 pm
- Location: Chapel-en-le-Frith, Derbyshire, UK
Re: The MPAA
It's those sunglasses wearing 'NC-17' white rabbits that you really have to watch out for though!
Since the article linked to above mentions the MPAA classification of Lost Highway as 'bizarre violent and sexual content', it might be fun to note that the classification of the film Rampo goes one step further in featuring 'bizarre sexuality'!
Since the article linked to above mentions the MPAA classification of Lost Highway as 'bizarre violent and sexual content', it might be fun to note that the classification of the film Rampo goes one step further in featuring 'bizarre sexuality'!
- Markson
- Joined: Sun Jan 24, 2010 5:50 am
Re: The MPAA
Following an appeal from Harvey Weinstein himself, the MPAA has knocked down Blue Valentine's rating from an NC-17 to an R.
- tavernier
- Joined: Sat Apr 02, 2005 7:18 pm
Re: The MPAA
Maybe Michelle Williams will discuss it on Jon Stewart tonight.