MPAA censors...websites??

Vendetta · Post by **Vendetta** » 2003-08-30 02:09pm

G - General audience, anyone gets in, no questions asked.
PG-13 - Under 13s should be accompanied by a parent. This is the "Golden rating" for the US, as it ensures the widest audience, and therefore the largest number of cinemas will show it.
R - Restricted audience, anyone under 17 requires accompaniment (IIRC). Can be commercially successful, as it can capture most of the teen market (or at least the bits of it with disposable income and dates to go on)
NC-17 - No-one under 17 allowed. Basically any film that garners an NC-17 rating is commercially fucked, as a massive proportion of cinemas won't even bother showing it in the first place. (In effect, this is like the R18 certificate, not the 18.)

Best thing is, unlike the BBFC, the MPAA doesn't actually have any legal federal power, (although some states choose to impose it's ratings at state level)

The original intent of the MPAA was as a guideline rating, not as a fucking big hammer for the whiny minority.

(Whereas, of course, the BBFC is all about governmental control over what we are allowed toview)

kojikun · Post by **kojikun** » 2003-08-30 02:39pm

did you hear, the MPAA is blaming text messaging for the failure of movies like Giglie and Hulk. Apparently the movies dont suck, its just that people can bad mouth it while watching it. Gee, now why ever would they badmouth a movie that doesnt suck?

Stupid **AA groups. Idiots don't know when to accept facts -- their shit stinks.

YT300000 · Post by **YT300000** » 2003-08-30 06:43pm

Vendetta wrote:G - General audience, anyone gets in, no questions asked.
PG-13 - Under 13s should be accompanied by a parent. This is the "Golden rating" for the US, as it ensures the widest audience, and therefore the largest number of cinemas will show it.
R - Restricted audience, anyone under 17 requires accompaniment (IIRC). Can be commercially successful, as it can capture most of the teen market (or at least the bits of it with disposable income and dates to go on)
NC-17 - No-one under 17 allowed. Basically any film that garners an NC-17 rating is commercially fucked, as a massive proportion of cinemas won't even bother showing it in the first place. (In effect, this is like the R18 certificate, not the 18.)

Best thing is, unlike the BBFC, the MPAA doesn't actually have any legal federal power, (although some states choose to impose it's ratings at state level)

The original intent of the MPAA was as a guideline rating, not as a fucking big hammer for the whiny minority.

(Whereas, of course, the BBFC is all about governmental control over what we are allowed toview)

You skipped PG: Parental Guidance suggested for children under 8 or 10 or so.

Vendetta · Post by **Vendetta** » 2003-08-30 07:38pm

I thought there might be one like that.

But I couldn't be arsed, at the time, to look it up. And having done so, I find that the MPAA's own website is bollocks.

The BBFC's is actually pretty damn good, it tells you what rating every film they've rated since 1914 got, whether any cuts were required, how long they were, and it has the criteria for all the ratings (which the MPAA doesn't seem to want to give), as well as some cast and crew detail, and any related ratings for rereleases.

YT300000 · Post by **YT300000** » 2003-08-30 08:27pm

I thinkt the best thing is CHVA (Canadian Home Video Association) + MPAA ratings. Example: R can be 14A or 18A. PG13 can be 14A or PG. PG can be PG or G. NC-17=A.

It really tells you more about the movie. Eg: X-Men= PG-13, PG. Any Brosnan James Bond film= PG-13, 14A.

Vendetta · Post by **Vendetta** » 2003-08-30 08:34pm

We have the same, with the ratings going U, PG, 12A/12*, 15, 18 (there are also Uc and R18, but they're special cases.

There's far more scope in the system for attracting a wide audience. A PG-13 movie will usually end up a PG or 12A, an R usually becomes a 15 or 18, and an NC17 an 18.

(*12A is a cinema rating, Under 12s with adult permission, 12 is a home video rating, no-one under 12 can independently rent or buy the video)

Peregrin Toker · Post by **Peregrin Toker** » 2003-08-31 04:37am

Vendetta wrote:G - General audience, anyone gets in, no questions asked.
PG-13 - Under 13s should be accompanied by a parent. This is the "Golden rating" for the US, as it ensures the widest audience, and therefore the largest number of cinemas will show it.
R - Restricted audience, anyone under 17 requires accompaniment (IIRC). Can be commercially successful, as it can capture most of the teen market (or at least the bits of it with disposable income and dates to go on)
NC-17 - No-one under 17 allowed. Basically any film that garners an NC-17 rating is commercially fucked, as a massive proportion of cinemas won't even bother showing it in the first place. (In effect, this is like the R18 certificate, not the 18.)

Best thing is, unlike the BBFC, the MPAA doesn't actually have any legal federal power, (although some states choose to impose it's ratings at state level)

The original intent of the MPAA was as a guideline rating, not as a fucking big hammer for the whiny minority.

(Whereas, of course, the BBFC is all about governmental control over what we are allowed toview)

As a comparison to how things are in Europe, the Danish rating system is:

A - All allowed.
7 - All allowed, but not recommended for children under 7.
11 - Children under 11 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian.
15 - Children under 15 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian.
(I faintly recall a "18" rating, but it's rarely used - not by theatres, that's for certain)

Post by **Gandalf** » 2003-08-31 06:33am

Simon H.Johansen wrote:
Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi wrote:
Uraniun235 wrote:The South Park movie is not technically "uncut"; they had to cut out some foul language because the MPAA was about to give it an NC-17 rating. FOR BAD LANGUAGE.
Well, to steal from Kyle's mom: "Just remember what the MPAA says: Horrific, deplorable violence is okay, as long as people don't say any naughty words!"
Reminds me of how unintentionally soul-scarring some 1960s kiddie matinee movies are when viewed with modern eyes...

Like?

Peregrin Toker · Post by **Peregrin Toker** » 2003-08-31 10:55am

Gandalf wrote:
Simon H.Johansen wrote:
Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi wrote: Well, to steal from Kyle's mom: "Just remember what the MPAA says: Horrific, deplorable violence is okay, as long as people don't say any naughty words!"
Reminds me of how unintentionally soul-scarring some 1960s kiddie matinee movies are when viewed with modern eyes...
Like?

This, this and practically all of those listed here.

(The reviews of the movies also contain indepth analysises of them, thus providing some explanation of why they were unintentionally scary)

Tsyroc · Post by **Tsyroc** » 2003-08-31 11:44am

I just wanted to mention that NC-17 basically replaced X which originally was an adult only rating. It got co-opted by the porn industry with them putting X's together to suggest that a film was even more sexually graphic. XX to XXX (get the crotch cam out) neither of which were ever officall MPAA ratings but "X" was.

NC-17's biggest problem is that most of the major theater chains won't touch movies with that rating because they want to cultivate a "family" atmosphere.

The same theater chains won't touch "unrated" films for the basically the same reason so the MPAA maintains it's power because the theater chains enable them to.

The last I heard Blockbuster wouldn't carry movies with the NC-17 rating and they don't seem to like carrying unrated films either. I've noticed that the unrated "director's cuts"(Requiem For a Dream, Original Sin etc..) of many movies don't make it into Blockbuster, although some others do. I guess gross out humor is okay but not more sex.

Vendetta · Post by **Vendetta** » 2003-08-31 12:09pm

Whereas here, no-one gives a damn about the 18 rating, even though it's even MORE restrictive than the NC-17, cutting out a whole year of moviegoing...

But then, cinemas here are pleased to cultivate an adult audience as well.

Tsyroc · Post by **Tsyroc** » 2003-08-31 01:22pm

Vendetta wrote:Whereas here, no-one gives a damn about the 18 rating, even though it's even MORE restrictive than the NC-17, cutting out a whole year of moviegoing...

But then, cinemas here are pleased to cultivate an adult audience as well.

For some reason the US has an obsession with everything being "family" accessable or some dumb assed shit like that.

One of the reasons for trying to get movies in the G to PG-13, and a lesser extent R ratings is because parents can take their kids with them. This means more ticket sales for the theater and the parents don't have to find someone to watch their kids.

Personally, I would think that with video being so big now that maybe it might be a good time for some theaters to cultivate a more adult clientell. If they can provide a better experiece than what I can get at home then I'll be more likely to spend money at their theater.

Xon · Post by **Xon** » 2003-08-31 01:43pm

In Australia, there is a censorship board. If a film/game/etc gets refused classification its not allowed to be commercially sold in Australia.

What are the classification categories?

Below are all the classification categories that relate to movies, computer games and publications.

Movies (including videos and DVDs)

General Exhibition

Parental Guidance Recommended for Persons under 15 years

Recommended for mature audiences 15 years and over

Classifications below are legally restricted

Persons under the age of 15 must be accompanied by a parent or adult guardian

Restricted to adults 18 years and over

Restricted to adults 18 years and over
Children may be disturbed by exposure to this film. It is a crime to allow this film to be seen by a person under 18 years. X18+ films cannot be publicly exhibited.

Computer games

General, all ages

General, 8 years and over

Mature, 15 years and over

Classification below is legally restricted

Restricted, 15 years and over

Publications

Unrestricted

Unrestricted - Mature
Classifications below are legally restricted

Restricted Not available to persons under 18 years

Restricted Not available to persons under 18 years

Slartibartfast · Post by **Slartibartfast** » 2003-09-01 01:26am

I liked the Freakazoid definition better.

Here we just have:
-Apt for All
-Older than 14
-Older than 18

Apt for All is essentially kiddy movies. And I don't mean that kiddies can watch it, but that it's often RESERVED for kiddy movies. Most adults wouldn't even bother trying to see those, unless it's Harry Potter for some reason.

If you're accompanied by your legal, er owner? I mean parent or such (ah, guardian) you can go to the next category (so if you're 12 and go with your dad or uncle or whatever you can get into the >14 movie and so on). I'm not even sure whether you can watch an >18 if you're under 14, with your parent or not.

Then there are porn movies, not sure how they are rated. IIRC they're mostly just labeled "ADULTS ONLY", but I don't see why should I care

REAL movies never ever fit in this category, only explicit p0rn.

EDIT: damn, I just went over the movie listings for local theathers and they don't even mention the rating anymore. Looks like they said "fuck it, if your dad can't tell or find out whether a movie is too strong for you, it's not our problem".

Spyder · Post by **Spyder** » 2003-09-01 07:21am

Personally I like the defenition from 3rd Rock from the Sun that John Lithgow's character discovered.

R16: Allows teenagers to witness scenes of gratuitous violence and carnage while protecting them from potentially damaging sex scenes.

zombie84 · Post by **zombie84** » 2003-09-01 12:21pm

the thing that is important to remember though is that certain countries, even though they have 18+ ratings, further edit their films. A movie might be R in the US but 16+ in another country--however, in that foreign country, much of the violence/language/nudity has been edited out. Hell, in Britain you cant even show NUNCHUCKS! A guy can have his head ripped off but you cant show nunchucks because they're illegal.

Canada, as far as i have seen, has by far the best film censorship board in the world, in terms of ratings and content. Nothing is ever cut out of the films released here, and in fact in many times they contain footage that was trimmed out of everywhere else--American Psycho was released uncut here with an R/18+ rating while in the US it was cut and still had an R rating. The Canadian film board's rating scheme makes the most sense to me--most films rated R in the states make their way over here as 14+(and Canada never alters the content). The American rating system is rediculous, but sadly it seems more lenient than most of the world.

Peregrin Toker · Post by **Peregrin Toker** » 2003-09-01 01:03pm

zombie84 wrote:the thing that is important to remember though is that certain countries, even though they have 18+ ratings, further edit their films. A movie might be R in the US but 16+ in another country--however, the in that foreign country, much of the violence/language/nudity has been edited out. Hell, in Britain you cant even show NUNCHUCKS! A guy can have his head ripped off but you cant show nunchucks because they're illegal.

This will explain why some movies are banned in Britain (and Finland) for little apparent reason...

Post by **The Yosemite Bear** » 2003-09-01 01:05pm

Does that mean "Enter The Dragon" is now banned?

zombie84 · Post by **zombie84** » 2003-09-01 03:13pm

you cant show headbutts or ear-claps in Britain either for some reason. Apparently its because they're "easily imitated"--like punching or stabbing a guy isnt. I think Germany has one of the most conservative film boards--ironcially, some of the most shocking underground films also come out of there.

Oberleutnant · Post by **Oberleutnant** » 2003-09-01 06:45pm

Simon H.Johansen wrote:
zombie84 wrote:the thing that is important to remember though is that certain countries, even though they have 18+ ratings, further edit their films. A movie might be R in the US but 16+ in another country--however, the in that foreign country, much of the violence/language/nudity has been edited out. Hell, in Britain you cant even show NUNCHUCKS! A guy can have his head ripped off but you cant show nunchucks because they're illegal.
This will explain why some movies are banned in Britain (and Finland) for little apparent reason...

Not in Finland anymore. We don't censor movies here either.

Vendetta · Post by **Vendetta** » 2003-09-01 08:54pm

zombie84 wrote:the thing that is important to remember though is that certain countries, even though they have 18+ ratings, further edit their films. A movie might be R in the US but 16+ in another country--however, in that foreign country, much of the violence/language/nudity has been edited out. Hell, in Britain you cant even show NUNCHUCKS! A guy can have his head ripped off but you cant show nunchucks because they're illegal.

Used to be.

The ratings system has changed within the last couple of years. Anything that isn't openly pornographic will generally get an 18 rating.

And things like Nunchaku aren't quite as illegal any more, since anyone stupid enough to try and copy Bruce Lee is more a danger to themself than others

you cant show headbutts or ear-claps in Britain either for some reason. Apparently its because they're "easily imitated"--like punching or stabbing a guy isnt. I think Germany has one of the most conservative film boards--ironcially, some of the most shocking underground films also come out of there.

Things like that are covered by 'Imitable Technique', especially when they're shown in sufficient detail to be copied. The kind of things that are classified under it are generally the kind that you can damage people with, even if you don't know much about what you're doing. (You have to know how to punch someone in order to damage them, and you won't get that from watching movies), Films which contain them are given higher ratings. Also, focusing on fight scenes with knives will earn a film a higher rating than with guns, because they're more easily obtained.

Remember, next time you see a story about little ten year old johnny who killed his sister copying wrestlers on TV, that people are stupid enough to try to copy stuff.

Peregrin Toker · Post by **Peregrin Toker** » 2003-09-02 10:36am

zombie84 wrote:I think Germany has one of the most conservative film boards--ironcially, some of the most shocking underground films also come out of there.

One theory suggest that German censorship is so draconian because they don't want WW2 to happen again.