Scott W. Davis
08-30-2003, 02:53 AM
I am anti-censorship and I make no apologies for it. My own personal experience with the absolute ugliest facets of the issue have forced my opinion, and I just can't be apathetic about it.
The Motion Picture Association of American (MPAA) controls the rating system in the United States, and it controls various forms of advertising as well. While I am not opposed to the rating system on principle, they have a history of leaning on some independent projects a bit more than their big budget counterparts. ORGAZMO was crude, but didn't deserve an NC-17 rating anymore than THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY from the same year. WHALE RIDER is an acclaimed family film that did not deserve it's PG-13 tag anymore than DADDY DAY CARE deserved it's PG seal of approval. And I will never understand how showing a hundred bodies get shot without an ounce of blood is somehow more acceptable than showing what a gun can actually do to the human body.
On it's website, it states: "The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) serves its members from its offices in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. On its board of directors are the Chairmen and Presidents of the seven major producers and distributors of motion picture and television programs in the United States. These members include: the Walt Disney Company, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Paramount Pictures Corporation, Twentieth Century Fox, Universal Studios and Warner Bros." Hmmm, don't see any indies there. What does this mean? Hey, I'm not about to pick a fight with a bunch of legal eagles. Make up your own mind.
The MPAA, led by Jack Valenti, controls the content of trailers, TV spots, newspaper and magazine ads, posters and even internet content. Which is how they have managed to jump on HOUSE OF THE DEAD.
The MPAA has ordered the film's taken down due to some "extremely gory" stills that were at the site. Although it's the WORLD Wide Web, I guess the fact that it was a site originating in the U.S. and plugging a U.S. film, and thus got the flag. Horror has often been the punching bag of the censors, and this is no different. No news on when the new site will appear. Still, as an independent production trying to promote itself to fans via the web, it's a blow to the film in those all-important months just prior to its release.
If you would like to protest this move by the MPAA, you can do so through their own , which unfortunately, does not have anything "extremely gory." It is, however, disturbing in it's own way. I've never seen that logo look so ominous.
The film makes zombie chow out of a bunch of ravers on a tropical island. HOUSE OF THE DEAD is directed by Uwe Boll and is based on the classic zombie game of the same name. It is written by Mark A. Altman (FREE ENTERPRISE) and Dave Parker (THE DEAD HATE THE LIVING). It is slated for an October 10 release in the U.S.
You can still see the for the film, thanks to the folks at Fangoria.
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[I 30h resevil_08 I]Comment on censorship, the MPAA and persecuted zombies in our !
The Motion Picture Association of American (MPAA) controls the rating system in the United States, and it controls various forms of advertising as well. While I am not opposed to the rating system on principle, they have a history of leaning on some independent projects a bit more than their big budget counterparts. ORGAZMO was crude, but didn't deserve an NC-17 rating anymore than THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY from the same year. WHALE RIDER is an acclaimed family film that did not deserve it's PG-13 tag anymore than DADDY DAY CARE deserved it's PG seal of approval. And I will never understand how showing a hundred bodies get shot without an ounce of blood is somehow more acceptable than showing what a gun can actually do to the human body.
On it's website, it states: "The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) serves its members from its offices in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. On its board of directors are the Chairmen and Presidents of the seven major producers and distributors of motion picture and television programs in the United States. These members include: the Walt Disney Company, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Paramount Pictures Corporation, Twentieth Century Fox, Universal Studios and Warner Bros." Hmmm, don't see any indies there. What does this mean? Hey, I'm not about to pick a fight with a bunch of legal eagles. Make up your own mind.
The MPAA, led by Jack Valenti, controls the content of trailers, TV spots, newspaper and magazine ads, posters and even internet content. Which is how they have managed to jump on HOUSE OF THE DEAD.
The MPAA has ordered the film's taken down due to some "extremely gory" stills that were at the site. Although it's the WORLD Wide Web, I guess the fact that it was a site originating in the U.S. and plugging a U.S. film, and thus got the flag. Horror has often been the punching bag of the censors, and this is no different. No news on when the new site will appear. Still, as an independent production trying to promote itself to fans via the web, it's a blow to the film in those all-important months just prior to its release.
If you would like to protest this move by the MPAA, you can do so through their own , which unfortunately, does not have anything "extremely gory." It is, however, disturbing in it's own way. I've never seen that logo look so ominous.
The film makes zombie chow out of a bunch of ravers on a tropical island. HOUSE OF THE DEAD is directed by Uwe Boll and is based on the classic zombie game of the same name. It is written by Mark A. Altman (FREE ENTERPRISE) and Dave Parker (THE DEAD HATE THE LIVING). It is slated for an October 10 release in the U.S.
You can still see the for the film, thanks to the folks at Fangoria.
--------
[I 30h resevil_08 I]Comment on censorship, the MPAA and persecuted zombies in our !