Fan Rant: Utah Jazz Owner Bans 'Zack and Miri'

To be fair this IS Utah we're talking about.

I think there may have been some consternation concerning the word "Jazz" as the name of their basketball team when they moved there from N'Orleans.

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Couldn't agree more! It's unbelievable that torture and bone-breaking have become accepted as "entertainment" but you still can't show tits!

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Mr. Miller pulled this same crap back in 2005 with "Brokeback Mountain" (really.) Sure, he had no problem screening "Hostel" - but apparently the thought of a love story between two cowboys was just too offensive for him.

He's an asshole.

Truly.

And that's really a shame, because Megaplex theaters are, in all sincerity, the best chain of movie theaters I've encountered anywhere. Reserved seating, all digital projection, 21 and over only screenings every weekend (so you can enjoy your movie teenager and whiny baby free), and a giant variety of restraunts and food choices (all of which can be brought into the movie no problem.) Seriously, I lived in Utah for 8 years and I miss Megaplex more than I miss anything else.
I thought about boycotting Miller's theaters altogether after the "Brokeback" fiasco, but I just couldn't stay away.
Did I mention Reserved Seating? For every screening?

But still - an asshole. Truly.

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Where to begin on this one...

Just as Mr. Davis points out, the first thing that came to mind is the fact that Megaplex theaters won't exhibit this film, but yet are showing 'Saw V'. I also found it amusing that 'Sexdrive' is also showing at most Megaplex locations.

The thing that bothers me the most is the negative focus that already is and will continue to be the focal point of other discussions -- that it's a Utah theater chain run by an individual who comes from the same religious background as the majority of Utah's population.

Mind you, I'm saying this as Utah resident, as someone who, yes, belongs to that majority as well, and as someone who saw 'Knocked Up' at one of Miller's theaters.

Am I going to see 'Zack and Miri'? Probably not. That's because I'm not an Kevin Smith fan, not because I have a visceral/moral objection to the word "Porno". I have no problem with other people seeing it, nor would I take issue with it being screened anywhere here in Utah.

As Miller's made his choice to exhibit films containing equally and/or more extreme content in the past, he has no room to suddenly take umbrage with a film's title and refuse to show it in his venues. Doing so is hypocritical, and will only help in furthering those negative (and often erroneous) characterizations of Utah and its residents.

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Don't you guys see the difference? The things that you watch in Zak and Miri are legal to do, and you have all the equipment to do them. America is falling apart because more and more children are being born out of wedlock, and have decreased chances of success as a result. More and more men are addicted to pornography, which is detrimental to a healthy sexual relationship with one's wife.

I don't go and watch movies like Hostel and Saw because I don't need the violence, give me "The Haunting" any day for something scary, but the thing is, seeing this violence on the screen does not make people want to go out and replicate what they see, unlike Zak and Miri. People understand that whay they are seeing is illegal, and wrong, and will not go out and replicate it.

A 17 and 15 year old couple who knew the guy selling the tickets, or bought tickets for another movie, then hopped into Zak and Miri will definitely want to replicate what they see on the screen. They will probably hop out of the theater and into the car and start shagging right away. Now what do we do when the 15 year old is pregnant? If these same kids go and see Saw, I don't think that they will jump out of the theater and start searching for victims.

Logical fallicy of

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another idiot. its a shame but hey people will just go elsewhere

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Seriously...the MPAA and crap like this is proof how illogical the right wing conservationists in this country are - too bad they still run things...what would it take to eliminate the MPAA altogether and instead put in place a more liberal and honest film grading system whereby it's sole purpose is to inform audiences what to expect from a film instead of a bureaucratic and outdated system that seems to really be holding back the industry.

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What is the big deal if people want to see the movie in utah they still can. Just like people have the choice to go see the movie if they want, he has the choice not to show the movie in the theater that he own. Who cares. really? Really, Erik? Give me a break.

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What a ridiculous post.

Larry Miller owns the theatres and he can show what he wants, when he wants. There are other theatres in Utah playing Zack & Miri, some as close as 5 minutes away.

Yes, I'm from Utah. No, I'm not mormon.

Oh, and I hope Erik Davis has a miserable season.

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Clearly Miller has the choice to play whatever films he wants in his theater - that shouldn't be and isn't the argument.

The argument is that his reasoning behind his banning of Zack & Miri is retarded and hypocritical...but whatever - let's just argue about it for the sake of arguing - that will accomplish so much!

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Isn't it going a little far to wish unhappiness to all Jazz fans just because the owner is foolish? ... not that I'm a huge fan, but really.

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I think this is absolutely ridiculous. I love Kevin Smith. I love that he pushes the envelope, but always in a joyful way. I can't believe all the scrunity and prejudice that this film has engendered. I will be in the theater this weekend.

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I dont get americas aversion to tits and ass.. i mean LA produces some serious amount of porno so what gives?

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I'm with Chris. It's Miller's theater, he can do what he wants. The Saw/Hostel argument is pretty valid, though - Why show that crud, either?

And to back up MrR0ng, if you think that sex in the culture doesn't influence teens to be more promiscuous you are as naive as you claim proponents of that idea to be. And while I don't think that violence leads to emulation, I do believe that it desensitizes people to real world horrors.

Vic

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Theres a big difference between gore and violence , and porn and sex. Porn is a disgusting exploitation of sex. A genre of film exploitation that includes things like taking a dump in another persons mouth, having sex with animals, gagging women, in general degrading women, treating women like sex objects all for profit there really is no difference between porn and prostitution in all seriousness. Im not saying its beyond me or anything, Ive watched this stuff my self for the shock value and entertainment, but I still find it filthy, offensive and disgusting.

In films violence is usually attached to some emotional drive in characters and is used to emphasize extreme emotion or used to show us the twistedness of a characters mind. I don't know of any serious studio produced movie where violence is looked at lightly, there is always some kind of theme and moral behind the use of violence, like in natural born killers for example, possible one of the most violent and disturbing films I have ever seen, there is a deadly serious theme related to america and the mass media, its a commentary of sorts on society and an important one, one that needs to be voiced.

Even in Quentine Tarintino films like road house the second half, we see a violent evil murdering psycho woman killer, in the end he gets what he deserves, justice. there's a purposeful theme there. on the other hand if you want to compare zombie movies and violence well I don't think theres much harm in deformed and mutated alien beings eating people its pretty obvious this could not ever happen( to a sane person at least) and its meant to to scare us, but scare us in a way that after we leave the theater were not emotionally traumatized. Going to the movie theater in america is an accepted and very common and very public part of american culture, you can look at porn and make movies condoning porn in the privacy of your own home theres no need for it in a public setting.

Think about the mind of a pubescent boy and girl, what does a casual movie about making a porn say to them? I think its pretty well understood that violence is wrong, and I am in no way condoning violence in movies I am simply differentiating porn and violence as unequal.

I urge people to think about this topic more critically. Sex is real yes, and it can be a great thing but as a society we have to be very careful about the way how we handle this issue because sex is so deeply entwined in the human psyche that if abused can lead to serious mental problems. Another issue that is related to porn, we cant pretend that men and woman view sex in the same way. Though some people might like to pretend that men and women have equal ideas about sex, and some young women believe they can act like a 19 year old male, this is not true for one simple reason, women carry a baby inside their bodies for nine months and are then responsible far that baby for at least another 17 years. So lets not pretend that sex is just this casual thing, like smoking pot, or just having fun cause it feels good.

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