F R I D AY, S E P T E M B E R 0 1 , 2 0 0 6This Film Is Not Yet Rated -- The PopsurfingReview ** 1/2There are two movies fighting for control in this documentary aboutthe MPAA rating system.</p><p> One is a solid, entertaining and funny look atthe MPAA and how crazily inconsistent the ratings are for Hollywoodmovies.</p><p> This section combines interviews with everyone from KevinSmith (very funny and cogent) and John Waters to Kimberly Pierceand almost anyone else you can think of with an "adult" film from thepast 15 years.</p><p> They contrast clips from mainstream (oftenheterosexual) films that got an R with very similar or even tamer clipsfrom indie (and often gay films) that got an NC-17.</p><p> Even more galling isthe horrific level of violence that gets an R while sex (even loving andintimate and sweet) is invariably considered much less appropriate forkids.</p><p> You'll want to demand changes from the MPAA immediately.The other movie is a creepy stalker film.</p><p> The MPAA board is composedof anonymous LA parents and that anonymity -- coupled with the factthat the MPAA misleads or lies about the board's makeup -- compelledthe filmmakers to hire private eyes to stake out the MPAA, follow thesepeople home and video tape them.</p><p> They show license plate numbers,show their actual homes, give out details about the ages of theirchildren and on and on.</p><p> You know, giving a movie a rating isn't exactlylike a star chamber where people are sentenced to death.</p><p> The moviecould have made the same points with humor, rather than getting allMark David Chapman.Finally, the movie is fascinating for one reason: NONE of the clips inthe film were paid for or requested through official channels because allof them are brief, clearly serve a Fair Use function and don't in anyway, shape or form damage the commercial viability of any of the filmsthey excerpt from.</p><p> This movie is intended and likely will serve as a testcase if someone sues them and it heads to court.</p><p> Ultimately, it will endup at the Supreme Court which hopefully will rule in favor of artisticfreedom and reinforce the Fair Use laws already on the books, ratherthan the stifling copyright pretensions of Hollywood.POSTED BY MICHAEL IN NEW YORK AT 2:44 PM Next Blog»sal1mineo@hotmail.comSEARCH BLOG FLAG BLOGFOLLOW BLOGP O P S U R F I N G .</p><p> C O MS U R F I N G T H E WAV E S O F P O P U L A R C U LT U R EB Y M I C H A E L G I LT Z & F R I E N D SPOPSURFING.COM: This Film Is Not Yet Rated -- The Popsur...http://popsurfing.blogspot.com/2006/09/this-film-is-not-yet-rate... 1 of 37/28/09 7:33 PMFAV O R I T E L I N K SAmericablogFive O'Clock Lightning baseball blogDeep Pop -- Lori Lakin's BlogThe Back Page -- Jason Page on ESPNRadioCine-Blog -- George Robinson's BlogDocuments On Art & Cinema - DarylChin's BlogBrucie G's Wondrous Blog OfAdventure and Mystery -- BruceGreenspan's BlogB L O G A R C H I V E▼ 2009 (17)▼ July (3)1939 -- The Greatest Year ForMoviesSwimming Bans Those Hi-TechSuits!Best Movies Of The Year -- TheMaster List► June (3)► May (1)► March (2)► February (1)► January (7)► 2008 (86)► 2007 (781)► 2006 (2412)► 2005 (5)C O N T R I B U TO R SAaronBiboyMichael in New York POPSURFING.COM: This Film Is Not Yet Rated -- The Popsur...http://popsurfing.blogspot.com/2006/09/this-film-is-not-yet-rate... 2 of 37/28/09 7:33 PMPOPSURFING.COM: This Film Is Not Yet Rated -- The Popsur...http://popsurfing.blogspot.com/2006/09/this-film-is-not-yet-rate... 3 of 37/28/09 7:33 PM
