This Film Is Not Yet Rated | 
| Director: Kirby Dick
Actors: Kirby Dick, Kimberly Peirce, Darren Aronofsky, Atom Egoyan, Matt Stone
Studio: IFC Films
Category: DVD
List Price: $19.95
Buy New: $4.89
You Save: $15.06 (75%)
New (20) Used (23) from $4.88
Rating:  68 reviews
Sales Rank: 27911
Format: Color, Dolby, Ntsc, Widescreen
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: Unrated
Region: 1
Discs: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 98 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: GEPD79867D
UPC: 796019798679
EAN: 0796019798679
ASIN: B000JGWD64
Theatrical Release Date: 2005
Release Date: January 23, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
| |
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
This investigates the secretive & inconsistent process by which the mpaa rates films. It questions whether certain studios get preferential treatment exposes the discrepancies in how the mpaa views sex & violence & reveals the associations efforts to control culture. Studio: Genius Products Inc Release Date: 05/08/2007 Run time: 97 minutes
Amazon.com
As it turns out, Kirby Dick's eye-opening documentary isn't rated. When he submitted it to the Motion Picture Association of America, they slapped it with an NC-17 (though he had always intended to release it unrated). This is fitting since he sheds much-needed light on the inner workings of a secretive organization that wields great power over the movies the public gets to see (since most mainstream media won't touch the dreaded NC-17). It's just as well since This Film Is Not Yet Rated focuses on the more controversial films of the past three decades. Aside from the stories of filmmakers who have tussled with the MPAA, Dick hires a private investigator to determine who sits on the board, since this information isn't in the public domain. With her assistance, he solves the mystery. Directors include Darren Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream), Mary Harron (American Psycho), and Kimberly Peirce (Boys Don't Cry). Though frequently humorous, This Film Is Not Yet Rated should be required viewing for serious film fans, because the MPAA doesn't just affect what gets seen--but what gets made. If it has a flaw, it's this: In his attempt to generate transparency, Dick (Twist of Faith) arguably crosses the line. It's one thing to identify the board members; it's another to divulge their vital statistics. Whether or not these "guardians of morality" are working for the common good, they're still entitled to a little privacy. That said, this is vital stuff for anyone concerned about First Amendment issues. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 63 more reviews...
 Always good when a documentary entertains and informs April 17, 2009
GadgetChick
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Amazing documentary about the MPAA, how it operates in secrecy, and what that means for movie consumers - mainly, a board of people with dubious credentials and experience make decisions about what you and I can and cannot see in a movie theater. For a serious topic, the documentary is hilarious and takes a light-hearted approach. If, like me, you believe that adults should be allowed to make their own informed decisions about what they can and can't watch, this is a great expose on just how much power the MPAA raters have to change the content of what you and I watch. If you love movies, don't miss this DVD!
3 stars out of 4 February 5, 2009
One-Line Film Reviews (Ann Arbor)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The Bottom Line:
Though the film could certainly have done with a lot less of its "day in the life of a lesbian private investigator" scenes, the skewering of the MPAA is so well-done that it's recommended, despite its substantial flaws, to anyone who can't believe that Waiting for Guffman is rated R and Casino Royale is PG-13.
To Rate Or Not To Rate November 24, 2008
Ruhi E. Tuzlak (Toronto, Canada)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Wonderful production! I found the efforts of the producer most admirable. He did a great job. This film should be rated "E" (Excellent).
Smart, entertaining documentary for film fans August 25, 2008
Joseph P. Menta, Jr. (Philadelphia, PA USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Interesting, entertaining documentary that presents a variety of opinions on the concept of movie ratings in general and the current MPAA system in particular.
We hear from people who think there shouldn't be any kind of ratings system, as, in their view, it's the job of parents to police the kind of movies that their kids see.
We hear from other people who believe that the current ratings system can be a valuable guide to help parents make viewing decisions for their kids, but that the system definitely needs a few tweaks. Violence, for example, often gets a free pass while sexual content- whatever the context- almost always lands a harsher rating.
We hear from people who, interestingly, think that the MPAA should actually go even easier on violence, so that young filmgoers can more readily see the real-life consequences of gun violence and wars. These folks feel that film violence shouldn't have to be sanitized (by removing blood and other messy visuals, for example) to assure a softer rating. Let the kiddies see all that blood and guts so they won't think guns are fun, the thinking goes.
There's much discussion about the idea that, while there isn't any direct censorship in the film industry, a film getting slapped with an NC-17 rating essentially won't get any kind of real distribution or promotion. So film-makers are often put in the awkward (and some say, art-killing) position of haggling with the MPAA to get a more marketable rating.
Along that line, transparency is probably the biggest issue this film addresses. The MPAA's ratings deliberations are held in secret and feedback to filmmakers is often vague and frustrating. Sometimes the MPAA will point to clear, printed guidelines to justify a rating but other times will say something like "there's just a constant overall tone of potentially offensive material" in a particular film, which isn't helpful to a director who wants to know what changes have to be made to get a desired rating.
Again, this is an interesting film about an interesting topic. There's a little bit of goofiness during the segments that show a private detective and the director trying to uncover the identities of the MPAA movie raters in a semi-parodying "Mission Impossible" tone, but I guess that stuff served to lighten the mood a little. After all, while definitely a serious topic, this is the movies we're talking about, not life and death.
 Disappointed in documentary July 30, 2008
R. Nordstrand (Michigan)
1 out of 9 found this review helpful
I was expecting more then this documentary delivered. After viewing the documentary I was not persuaded by it. While the current rating board is not perfect, it is still a guide. In every situation in life we can always find examples that may show an inconstant behavior in judgment. We can use the Baseball Hall Of Fame as an example. One player may gain entrance while another, with similar life time stats does not. So I am not surprised we find the same situation in movie ratings. Ratings are important and I am sure that rating a film is not always easy. Those that want a more friendly movie knows what they have to do, yet we find them complaining in this, so called, documentary. They would rather change the system then change their movie. While some may have valid complaints displayed in this movie, the system as a whole, does do an effective and difficult job. Any system replacing it would also receive criticism.
|
|
|
