Kevin Smith Having Trouble with MPAA Board

Michelle:

One of our top 10 movies for this fall is already under attack. It appears that the always fickle MPAA wants to give Kevin Smith’s Zack and Miri the deadly NC-17 rating instead of an R. Smith’s  already had to take down the Internet only trailer.

Seth Rogen recently  spoke to MTV about the problem.

“The MPAA is gunning for us, I think, it’s a really filthy movie. I hear they are having some problems getting an R rating from an NC-17 rating, which is never good.†

“A guy f—ing a donkey, (in Clerks 2) they ain’t got no problem with,† he continued. “But a man and a woman having sex they seem to have real issues with, for some weird reason. It’s insane. It’s completely insane.†

“They [fight against] sex stuff. Isn’t that weird? It’s really crazy to me that ‘Hostel’ is fine, with people gouging their eyes out and sh– like that,† Rogen shrugged. “But you can’t show two people having sex — that’s too much.†

Not unexpected because  of the title and the director, but Rogen makes a good point. While sex seems to be  verboten with the MPAA,  hardcore violence tends to get a free pass.  We’ll see what  cuts Smith  has to make to  satisfy the rating overlords.

Ram Man Says:

It’s Friday , it’s sunny outside and all my reviews are done..I’m a pretty happy guy. UNTIL! I read that the MPAA is debating on giving Zack & Miri Make a Porno the kiss of death in the movie industry..the NC-17.   I picture an assisted living center in (sorry Michelle) Connecticut somewhere with a group of grey hairs sitting around a bingo table deciding what rating to give what movie! This is probably retribution from Kevin putting a clip out on the Internet (they said was a trailer) without the all mighty MPAA approval and rating. I’m sure the title has some part in it also. I am equally as sure that they disregarded Kevin’s apology for the trailer mix-up and they haven’t even seen  the film.

The old always attack the visionary. We tried to lock up rock artists for singing, Columbus was a screwball for saying the earth was round. And now we are going to kneecap one of the finest filmmakers to come along the last 20 years because he dresses different, he puts bad words in his movies, people are have sex on film….NOOOOOOOOOO (MPAA ..people do have sex, that’s how most of us got here!) . I don’t get it. I would invite anyone with the MPAA who is up for the challenge to sit down with me and explain to me how Zack and Miri rates a NC-17 when we have seen the following the last 2 years:

Sex and the City (2008):Numerous sex scenes and male frontal nudity..R rating
Eastern Promises (2007): naked teen prostitutes, Viggo Mortensen fighting with all his “members” R rating
Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008): Jason Segel is a nudist in three separate scenes. R rating

This doesn’t even take into account all the blood flowing. Saw1-5, Hostel 1&2, Halloween, Devils Rejects, House of a thousand corpses. I guess its OK to cut someones boobs off but lets not show them being fondled on the screen!

I don’t like to get the soap box out, but today, i feel the need..the need for  movie-geeks to unite and stand up to these crotchety old bitties. If we are stuck with an NC-17, you must get everyone you know and drag them kicking (not screaming… use a rag in the mouth it will disturb the other movie goers) to the theater opening weekend and get a big number to show these so call moral-measuring society the are full of s–t!

Ram Man has spoken!

Scott:

I say they just keep the damn NC-17 warning, the only one that will care is Roger Ebert and his opinions don’t matter anyway!