Rated R Movies

Jen · Senior Bucketkeeper

Rated R Movies

glumirk · Senior Member

For my AP US History class in high school we had to watch a couple rated R movies for the summer project: The Patriot, and JFK. I found that I enjoyed the Patriot, but never felt so much need for revenge in my life. Thinking back on how I felt, I'll never watch it again. There was definitely an absence of the Spirit. JFK apparently was really good, but I must have missed it because I would fast forward the parts where I could hear nothing but swearing.

Totally turned me off of R-rated movies. My roommate would buy them edited, and I admit I liked Shawshank Redemption, but for the most part the movies themselves weren't even worth it. I didn't care for the stories they were telling.

There's always the statement about how if you're accurately portraying a war you have to add in the violence. I simply point people to the movie Gettysburg. I always feel the sadness and violence involved when I watch that movie, but they managed to portray it so that it could be rated PG. An amazing movie, in my opinion, and if all war movies could take a note I'd sure have a lot more movies I'd be interested in watching. Even the Cinderella Man (PG-13) was far too violent for me. I may have actually watched it again had the violence not been so horrible.

Cocobeem · Keeper of the Holy Grail

Shawshank is one of my favorite movies of all time and I love the story and the message.

Roper · Senior Bucketkeeper

Ray, I'm not a visual learner. My strong suit is verbal/linguistic.

What I said was, "For those who aren't strong in verbal/linguistic learning, film can be a much more effective teacher."

When to avert one's eyes? I think the counsel of countless church leaders speaks to that better than I can.

Organist · Senior Member

1 Corinthians 8:14 "Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend."

rayb · Hot Air Balloon

I think the counsel of countless church leaders speaks to that better than I can.

Um... Excuse me for picking on you, Roper, but this answer is about as clear as the present that kid gave Val in his bathroom... :)

How many who have posted all the various bits of advice in this thread have thought that they were likewise following "countless church leaders"? Yet the standards seem to vary.

--Ray

Duke of Mirth · Profuse Pontificator

I thought the quote I used was pretty clear

rayb · Hot Air Balloon

me too... but then...

Roper · Senior Bucketkeeper

rayb wrote:

Um... Excuse me for picking on you, Roper, but this answer is about as clear as the present that kid gave Val in his bathroom... :)

I see it, Ray, as a "not commanded in all things" issue. Leaders exhort. We heed. Or not.

Sometimes, I really would like a crystal clear directive: "Thou shalt not see any rated R movie. This commandment applies universally to every mortal who has ever lived and who will ever live, and to every movie ever made and which will ever be made. Absolutely no exceptions. Those who violate this command are in danger of hellfire and unless they repent, they shall certainly be cast out. Thus sayeth the Lord."

Agency and judgment are always uncertain and therefore often uncomfortable.

palmon · Senior Member

Normally, I do not watch R - rated movies, unless the TV version, edited.
However, I did rent "The Passion" and rarely ever looked at the screen. The graphic violence, perhaps 'realistic' to what happened, was so over the top that the message was totally lost on me. I find that I do not have to 'experience' the horrors of situations (and war movies are an example), to come away with an understanding of how horrorific things are. In fact, the more I see of violence in movies, the more hardened I become to it. Instead of amplifing my compassion, it deadens it. I am of the "less is more" camp.
For language, even TV goes too far. We used to have a device that edited TV for language. It broke, but we will be replacing it. For sex, again TV goes too far - that is what DVR's were invented for.

PollyAnna · Senior Bucketkeeper

palmon... I wasn't even tempted to see The Passion, some of the reviews made me feel anxious... I knew it would be too much for me. Movies like the Testaments are actually at the top of my threshold. I am hypersensitive to violence. Perhaps it is because I am a violence survivor...??? Whatever the reason, I am very careful about the ratings for violence even in PG-13 movies.

I like what glumirk said... In Amazing Grace I understood the reality of the slave trade without seeing the graphic-ness that some directors could have use to tell the same story... Because of it's rating it will hit a larger market and I believe will touch many more lives... Including children & those of us hypersensitive to images and violence...

Duke of Mirth · Profuse Pontificator

Amazing Grace was a fantastic movie. I liked that it told the story without the usual blame whitey message in so many other movies.