Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: ElDorado

This is topic ElDorado - What's PG about it? in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 03-31-2000, 06:05 PM:

An article in Film Journal makes a pretty big deal about the PG rating of "Road to ElDorado," and the IME newsletter says it contains "sexual innuendo that may upset some."

So just how "bad" is it? Are we going to get complaints from mothers and fathers on this?

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Mike Blakesley
www.goforsyth.com/roxy

Posted by Dustin Mitchell (Member # 372) on 03-31-2000, 07:08 PM:

I haven't gotten any complaints yet. But with the way the chick looked on the stnadee I wouldn't be suprised.

Speaking of which, anyone else get the "Scary Movie" Red Band trailer? What's so bad about it to make it Red Band?

Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 03-31-2000, 10:03 PM:

Ever notice how all feature cartoons now have to have a buxom young woman with come-hither eyes?

Still, nothing will ever beat Preston Blair's show stopper, in Tex Avery's "Red-Hot Riding Hood"!!!

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Better Projection Pays!

Posted by Dave Williams (Member # 299) on 03-31-2000, 10:16 PM:

PG = Pointless Garbage.... These don bluth style cartoons usually are, then again most of the disney ones are getting that way too....

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"If it's not worth doing, I have allready been there and done it"

Posted by Andrew D'Vrey (Member # 285) on 03-31-2000, 11:11 PM:

Hmmm...looks like Dreamworks is trampling on Disney's turf! Disney has long been the leader of putting sexual inuendos in their PG or even G cartoons. Who knows...maybe it's a cartoonists thing.

All I can say to customers who complain is..."Hey, we aren't the ones who rate these things."

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"And the monkey flips the switch."
- Major Don West, "Lost In Space"

Andrew D'Vrey
IATSE Local 219

Posted by Joshua Lott (Member # 240) on 03-31-2000, 11:11 PM:

I couldn't believe that they are letting cartoons get away with showing 2 naked guys running after there clothes. They showed a shot from the rear twice. (no pun intended)

And of course the main female character there wasn't much left to the imagination.

Isn't this stuff intended for little kids?

Posted by Jon Bartow (Member # 241) on 03-31-2000, 11:49 PM:

I thought for sure that it was the "Oh Ship" line that gave it the PG

Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 04-01-2000, 05:49 PM:

They are compelled to put this stuff in every movie anymore, not just cartoons. They can't not do it! There's absolutely nothing wrong with putting this stuff in movies that are made for it, but not in children's fare! An otherwise fine movie will be ruined by gratuitous swearing, just so they can avoid that awful "G" rating!

I guess that's why I like B-Westerns so much; I know that the bad guy will never win, and a virtuous moral will be the lesson. Plus, these pictures are very fast-paced, which holds the little one's interest. I can comfortably let my son watch a B-Western and not worry about his picking-up new words to use at the dinner table. (And no, he won't learn to use guns to settle his disputes anymore than he'll learn to use a horse to get to school.)

I'm convinced that, sometime in the 50s, they forgot how to make movies.

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Better Projection Pays!

Posted by Ian Price (Member # 14) on 04-01-2000, 06:55 PM:

David Lynch just happened to make a "G" rated film this year. Not only was it one of his best but it was my favorate film the the year.

The Straight Story just happened to have no nudity, violence or foul language in it. It wasn't a childrens film but I don't think the "G" hurt its grossing potential. It wasn't aimed at children and except for one instance, most parents were clued in. Even if they had brought the chlidren, they would only have been bored.

I don't think the "G" rating is the kiss of death for a film, any more. I would like to see more of them.

Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 04-02-2000, 01:34 AM:

I took my 3 year old to see Anastasia and spent most of the time shielding her eyes from the bad guy whose limbs fell off without warning.

Kids films for kids. It's not THAT hard you big stupid money hungry lets cover all demographics movie execs!

Posted by Tom Ferreira (Member # 70) on 04-02-2000, 08:46 AM:

Yeah, and what about that cartoon that came out last summer where every other word was f-this and f-that-you know, the one with Satan and Saddam Hussein.
Seriously, the lines have become so blurred these days, and unfortunately most parents don't care what their kids are seeing. I understand that there should be films totally free of any offensive material whatsoever, but more often than not, I can imagine the conversation going like this:
Ten year old:Mom, will you buy us tickets to South Park?
Mom:Is it violent?
Kid:No, it's a cartoon
I've heard it all too many times-
1)The parents have the MPAA explination of the reason for the rating right in front of them at the box office. To read it would be time consuming.
2)They've seen anything and everything already, anyway.
3)The parents are potential Springer Guests, and to spend quality time with their children would cut into their drinkin' time.
I know I've gotten a little bit away from the specifics of this topic, but the bottom line is that a lot of parents just don't care.
I have a little bit more to say about a specific film, but I'll start another thread.
As far as El Dorado goes, it seems to be instantly DOA at the box office. I will agree with one thing: why make an animated film with this subject matter? Kids today will flock to a branded, proven property(witness the success of Nickelodeon's Snow Day), or the flavor of the moment(Pokemon and the first Power Rangers movie). Something tells me that perhaps some of these animators should take their heads out of their asses, stop trying to make high art, and make something that kids want to see. Besides, if Dreamworks had any faith in this picture, why did they release it at the end of March????

Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 04-02-2000, 08:17 PM:

A mother came in the other day with two ten year old boys to see...wait for it... Scream 3.

Mother: "I'd like two child tickets for these boys for Scream 3"

Box Office: "And another for yourself?"

M:"I don't want to see that"

B.O.: "This is an MA film (your R) and 10 year olds can't see it without an adult."

M: "Why not?"

B.O.: "It's the law. This film is not suitable for 10 year old children"

M: (Getting disgruntled)"I don't see why that should be the case! They've seen the other two!"

...and we all wonder why they are killing each other in the schools.

If parenting is too hard for you to place some guidelines on what your children see, why not try contraception? That IS legal.

Posted by AndrewBurnell (Member # 122) on 04-03-2000, 07:24 AM:

We had that exact same problem last night.

Lady wants to know why we won't let her eleven year old son in to Scream 3 with his older brother.

We replied simply:

"We should imagine you wouldn't want to expose your children to that type of violence anyway"

Our response:

"Oh... ummm yeah i guess" I think we foiled someones plans for a evening without the children.

I start my first shift in projection training next week if anyone is interested in sending me some advice!

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 04-03-2000, 11:30 AM:

The April 2000 issue of "NATO News" has an interesting article about ratings by John Fithian, NATO's new President.

Mr. Fithian notes that in 1999, only two of the top ten grossing films were rated R. Historically, only 8 of the top 50 grossing films were rated R. Fithian then says: "Yet, the majority of films produced today receive the R rating. In 1999 CARA rated 677 films, or which 470 received either an R or an NC-17 rating. Only 207 films rated in 1999 received a G, PG, or PG-13 rating." Fithian feels there is a need for more family-friendly films, but he "will fight tooth and nail against any attempts by any government to regulate what we can and can't exhibit". He then agrees with most of the posters here: "But with our freedoms comes responsibility. The rating system is one way to shoulder that responsibility, and it works well. Working with the MPAA, we provide parents with the information, we do our best to enforce the ratings at the boxoffice, and parents work to make informed decisions about the movies their children see".

For those who haven't seen it, the MPAA now has a web site with complete searchable information about film ratings:
http://www.filmratings.com

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John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Eastman Kodak Company
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7419
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: 716-477-5325 Fax: 716-722-7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com

Posted by Dave Williams (Member # 299) on 04-03-2000, 02:13 PM:

Andrew, here is some advice as you begin to learn to use the projectors....

KEEP YOUR HANDS OUT OF THE FEED SPROCKETS!!!

In all reality just remember there are no dumb questions, just dumb projetionists. If you think you have a dumb question then just ask it, at least you avoid losing a finger or worse yet, thrashing a print....

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"If it's not worth doing, I have allready been there and done it"

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 04-03-2000, 04:34 PM:

Check out the link at the bottom "tips". Also check out Kodak's Film Notes, which will be on the "manuals" page very, very soon.

That'll get you started.

Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 04-07-2000, 04:53 PM:

quote:
Originally posted by Tim Reed:
Still, nothing will ever beat Preston Blair's show stopper, in Tex Avery's "Red-Hot Riding Hood"!!!

"Oh! Wolfie!" -- The first character in cartoon history to have actual "sex appeal", if I remember right!

Anyway, what about the LEECHES! Not only do they run around the jungle butt-nekkid, they also pull leeches off one another's back when one of them went in the water! ICK!!!!

Honestly, I don't mind this kind of thing in animated cartoons but it's the way the movie is being marketed. So many people are coming up to me and saying, "I can't believe Disney did that." I tell them, "It's Dreamworks, Maam... You know, Speilberg." People just don't get it. Nobody would DREAM of taking the kids to see Fritz the Cat!!!

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 04-08-2000, 07:32 PM:

Didn't Coal Black and the Sebben Dwarfs come before riding hood?

Posted by Dwayne Caldwell (Member # 417) on 04-12-2000, 09:35 PM:

I would think that a lost finger is worse than a thrashed print. I guess I'm too attached to my magic phalanges.

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The man with the magic hands.