Cinematical

When I was younger, a good friend once told me that buying a house and having children were the gateway drugs towards a lifetime of conservative values. Then, I thought he was nuts. I have since done both, and I now understand what he meant.



There was a day and time when I would have seen no difference between "family-friendly" editing and the colorizing old black and white movies. I would have considered both to be gross infringements on the director's original vision (and other smart-sounding sound bites in a similar vein).



Now that I have a son in tow, I can see the other side of the coin. Too many parents undervalue the innocence of their children. The loss of innocence is a one-way street, so I'm going to help my son hang onto his as long as he can (the world will rip it away quite soon enough without my helping it by watching "Showgirls" with him).



I've wanted to watch "True Lies" with him for quite some time, except for the fact that the whole strip scene in the middle would be somewhat difficult to explain to a pre-teen (yeah, yeah, it's all innocent because she's really his wife, but *she* doesn't know that, and *we* know she doesn't know that, and so on). A family-friendly version of this flick would take the pressure off, allowing us to enjoy the movie together without me hovering over the fast-forward button.



Now, if the kiddo isn't around, give me the full version any day. Jamie Lee Curtis - hubba hubba!



Note: I still think colorizing is the tool of Satan.

Reply

I know that by not having kids, I'm not really considered to be in the same state of mind towards about censoring and keeping young children from seeing certain things. I mean I'm in full agreement of keeping certain things from being seen by children's eyes. They're plenty of things that I help to keep my little niece and nephew from seeing and hearing on tv all of the time. But I mean there really wasn't anything that was horrible or tastefully wrong in the Fantastic 4. Seeing a woman in her braw and panties is something you can pretty much see on any daytime or network tv show. I mean even on the Disney channel, you can see younger and older girls in revealing swimwear and other types of revealing clothing.



I think some parents just like to criticize and complain about way to many things nowdays just to get some attention. Always wanting to be in competition with all of the other parents that are trying to make a difference, just so they can say they did something. I mean it even shows on the tv trailer that it shows Jessica Alba in her braw and panties. It's not like these parents don't know what is on these movies before their kids watch them.



The movie is rated PG-13, which means that children under 13 shouldn't be watching the movie anyway, and if you're going to let your kids watch the movie, then you might as well expect to see things like that anyway. The rating rules have changed over the years, seeming like what used to be considered R can now pass for PG-13.

Reply

If a movie has content that shouldnt be for kids then the kid shouldnt watch it period. I have children and I dont get watered down movies for them. There are plenty of original movies, shows and entertainment they can watch that was made with them in mind.

Reply

I'm was a film student in Utah when the clean flicks thing hit; it made me sick then and makes me sick now. I'm all for family values and whatnot, but companies like Clean Flicks take things too far and infringe upon the artistic integrity of cinema.



I have no problem with things like clipping the naked invisible woman scene from Fantastic Four--it's an awful movie either way, an ill-conceived Hollywood afterbirth. Actually, that scene is the perfect example of gratuity in a movie; it served no purpose plot-wise--it was just an excuse to show Miss Alba in her bra and panties. Not only was it not art, it wasn't relavent or necessary.



The True Lies example in the comments is one step tougher, but it still wouldn't bother me if Clean Flicks cut it. I love True Lies, but it's well made entertainment, not art.



What bugs me is when they chop up movies like Traffic, Saving Private Ryan, the Godfather, Memento, Schindler's List, etc. I find that offensive. They should have the good sense to keep their shears off certain works. Some movies are have bad things in them, but some movies are about bad things, or rely on their portrayal for reasons. If you cut the violence and filth out of Goodfellas, you might end up wanting to be a gangster instead of being disgusted by them. Anyway, you get the point.



By the way, Fantastic Four really, really sucks. If you haven't seen it and need a superhero fix, spare yourself the grief and go rent X-Men (either one), Batman Begins, or Superman (the Richard Donner one).

Reply

If the director wants to release a clean version, then god bless. If the director is against it, then no way.



I for one despise any kind of censorship. My first R movie was History of the World and I was 6 years old.



I see nothing wrong with children seeing naked bodies, hearing swear words or being exposed to adult jokes. My mother took my Chicago area museums throughtout my early childhood. By age five I'd seen hundreds of sculptures and paintins of naked people. Shrug. My grandmoth, a crass, racist old windbag exposed me to more swear words than the collected works of richard pryor. My entire family and all my friends deal in double entendres the way most people breathe.



did any of this hurt me? nope. And that doesn't mean i only want adult humor. some of my favorite films last year included:



Serenity, the 40 Year Old Virgin, Pride and Prejudice, Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, Layer Cake. If anything, exposure to adult themes and spending so much time with adults made me into a person who loves a quick turn of phrase and multi-layered jokes.

Reply

Hmm. My last post didn't go up. Forgive me if it does and this is a repeat.



I think it's up to the parent to decide whether something is appropriate for their children or not. While I don't have a problem with parents keeping certain images from their children, it really bothers me that a parsitic company can make money off the hard work of someone else's art.



The bottom line is this. If the director approves, then fine. If not, then use the fast-forward button or watch something more family friendly.



Those other movies will be there waiting when your child gets old enough to watch them.

Reply

You want to show your kid True Lies and the only bit you're worried about is the Jamie Lee Curtis strip scene?!

Reply

Re 7, Tim Whitaker:



The guy who wants to show his True Lies is your typical American. The excessive violence, the lying, the deception, and the borderline racism are fine. It's the hint of human sexuality that bothers that poster and most americans. Seeing a nipple on TV = the end of the world. Seeing a head blown clean off...well that's quality family time. Nothing says family like bullet wounds and mutlilation!

Reply

As long as they allow the "Option" for a clean and dirty version if you will then I say why not. Similiar to the music industry with there 2 versions of songs. Sometimes parents do not have the time to screen Every movie before there child sees it. and while movie ratings are great there are movies that fall in a gray area. I dont think FF needed to be cleaned up. I mean my kid is eight and he has from time to time during a busy wake up seen my wife in her underclothes. Now he never got all giggly and said "I saw you in your bra and panties" But we dont make a big deal of it either (usually kids focus on things that have been made a focus at sometime similar to when your child scrapes his/her knee, if you make it a huge event they bawl and cry for days on end. If you laugh it off or not make a big thing of it they usually just walk it off.) But again as its not only allowing an edited version but giving the option. Its not such a bad thing. It may even give parents a heads up to take the time to view that particular movie first to see if it is necessary. Now if it was a rated R movie that was edited then I dont see the point. The child shouldnt be watching it in the first place and it will just becomoe like the aformentioned CD that the whole is garbled b/c every other word is profanity, why get it.

Reply

Bgdc, I've been called many things, but this is the first time I've heard myself labeled a "typical American." My conservative in-laws would be proud. :)



As for the topic at hand, your mileage will vary depending on the kid involved. Where my son is concerned, concepts like violence and deception were learned at a very early age (visit any school playground for current examples). He's even had some regrettable exposure to racism. However, sexuality is a whole new ball of wax for him; like most kids, sex is that last big hurdle separating childhood from adulthood (and some of us keep trying to jump it long after all other hurdles are past). I believe it is reasonable to exercise more caution with sexual knowledge than the other complexities of human existence.



I was raised the same way - I was exposed to violence, deception, and other seedier sides of humanity long before I saw underneath any skirts. I don't feel the worse for the experience, and I don't have any sudden urges to commit atrocities, neither violent nor sexual.



Circling back to the original topic, I'm just glad that someone out there is interested in giving parents some additional choices between "watch it" and "don't watch it." One size doesn't fit all, especially in parenting, and the more choices I have, the better I can tailor those choices to the maturity level of my child.

Reply

I’m ambivalent about choosing a ‘clean’ version of Fantastic Four.



I’d much rather have an option for a ‘good’ version…

Reply

If you want the option I would recommend ClearPlay. http://www.clearplay.com You can specify what you want to allow to be seen and not, and even what words you want to be heard. It's a unique filter they make for each film, so you have the option of watching it with no edits, partial edits, or completely violence/language/sensuality free.

Reply