Comments about ‘Entertaining 'District 9' is a smart sci-fi thriller’

i really wish it wasn't rated R

I've got to agree with you Dang

Interesting dilemma. I assume you mean "I wish it didn't have the "strong violent action and imagery", "graphic and gory imagery", "strong sexual language", etc. that made it "R" in the first place. I argued for years that it made no sense for the LDS Church to arbitrarily exclude "R" rated movies from acceptable viewership--and it seems like now even the PG-13 movies have gotten so bad that they've given up on the "R" exclusion, stating instead that we'd better just be careful what we watch. Turns out television shows are worse than the old "R" rated movies. So, yeah, I wish that it was a tamed-down version of the story so that I could feel comfortable watching it. But even if it was PG-13, I don't trust Hollywood enough to go see it on that basis alone.

Did Mr. Vice really put "...derogatory slurs and language based on nationality and alien heritage"? Alien heritage? Like, what, illegal alien? Martian alien? I didn't know aliens were a race and had to be included in why this film is "R". Are some "aliens" going to get offended if they watch? Puhlease...

We don't live in a toned-down world so I can't expect filmmakers to portray ideas like xenophobia, hatred of differences, prejudice and people killing or hurting others for greed in a toned-down way.

We saw war movies for decades that were toned down. It may have made us feel better about our government killing people and romanticized violence and guns. Making mature themes and toning them down to "nice" levels is dishonest.

The world is a tough place. Ghettos are tough places. Movies aren't going to make ghettos or discrimination "safe" viewing, nor should they.

@stumblefall. In attacking the LDS stand on R rated movies, you are actually perpetrating the myth itself. If you do the research, you will find that President Benson only said that young men who hold the priesthood should not see R rated movies. He said nothing about adults, and that makes sense since R rated movies should exclude those under 17.

to be totally honest with you, not very much actually bothers me in movies. I decided to draw a line in the sand and not watch rated r movies though. It was not an arbitrary decision, someone i care about helped me make the decision. This specific approach (simply not watching any R movies) is by no means perfect and if you had the time and energy to research all tv shows and pg 13 movies you could probably make more educated decisions on what would be appropriate to watch than to simply avoid all R movies. Simply avoiding all R movies has worked for me. It works well for someone who doesn't really want to worry about it too much and wants to have a simple approach to things. Nevertheless, I am the first to admit that many R movies would be fine to see and definitely not any more harmful than many pg 13 movies.

As I read your posting, I couldn't help feeling a strange - Alice in Wonderland - kind of sense to it. Do you realize who sets the rating standards? You may want to Google the MPAA and see who is making that moral decision for you. When you click on "Who Rates the Movies" the answer is headlined parents do. But read further. That some members on the rotating board may be parents doesn't mean they have the same values that you have.

The one good thing about the system is that it is physically detached from the producers and has a great deal of autonomy. On the other end of the equation is that the system has decayed over the decades as American moral standards have decayed. What is now R rated often would have been X rated. What is now PG-13 and even PG rated may have gotten an R rating 20-30 years ago. Is that how we want our decisions to be made. I'd love to recommend some R rated films that perhaps all adults should see; and some PG-13 films that should not have gotten out of the studio.

It's not a disney world and to have one of the few non pg-13 movies this summer come out that is supposed to be this good I'm looking forward to seeing it. Go see the Transformers 2, I can't watch that garbage.

Take heart, oh CleanFlicks folks, I'm sure there will be some edited version. Just catch it on a plane.

"...if you had the time and energy to research all tv shows and pg 13 movies you could probably make more educated decisions on what would be appropriate to watch than to simply avoid all R movies...."

Yes, you could make a more educated decision. You could take some of the time you spend watching movies researching whether or not you want to watch a movie. It takes more effort than drawing a line in the sand and might even result in you having additional free time because you choose not to watch something rated PG-13. It depends on why you choose to restrict your viewing--because you want to feel good about what you watch or because you want to feel good about what you aren't watching.

I think it's wonderful that you put thought into it with someone you love helping you rather than just blindly choosing a cut-off point.

Well, I'm just glad that no one so far has called the film "junk" or "trash" solely because of its R-rating.

Of course I have no problem with someone deciding not to watch R-rated movies - each person has their own limits, and that should be respected - I just hate it when someone mindlessly makes qualitative judgments based on a completely arbitrary system like the MPAA (which has repeatedly stated that their ratings are not in any way an indication of the quality of a film.) Some of the best, most intelligent and most artistic movies being made today are R-rated.

you know the funny thing about refusing to watch r rated movies is that if you move to a country that doesn't use the MPAA rating system like Canada or Brazil you'll be completely lost. Rating systems differ from country to country so if you live the letter by refusing to watch r movies stay in the US.

you people are missing out on some great films.

i never realized how many ppl refused to watch r movies, what are we living in a fantasy world? it was a great movie and i loved it, gore happens in real-life and it should in movies. All the talk about the rating and stuff is saying nothing about this review or the movie itself.

Its a good movie seemed rather original to me and was a lot of fun to watch, cant wait for it on blu-ray to watch at home.

So, did anyone actually like the film? Does it make you dizzy watching it in the "documentary" style quoted by the original review? How did you feel after leaving the theater after this show. Does it end in a way that left you feeling empty or dissatisfied etc...? Was it a good story line with some good graphics and decent acting? Let's get some relevant data on this show please.

I'm contemplating on whether or not I really want to see District 9. I've seen plenty, if not all or even close, of rated R movies. However, I haven't seen any in the cinema for over a couple of years. Pres. Benson was right about Latter-day-Saints choosing not to see rated R and I as a Latter-Day-Saint guy has been guilty of not hearkening to that council before. (Ain't I a bad sinner?) I do believe that it's up to the individual what is and isn't appropriate for his of herself, and the family if that person has a family. In recent years, the rated R movies that I've seen in the cinema have been historically, culturally, religiously, or spiritually themed. That's just me, though. I do stay away from vulgar sex related comedies, erotically charged and explicit dramas and mindless R-Rated graphically violent action films along with horror shows with all the working of a very hard "R". I'm not righteous enough to stay away from all rated R movies, but I really try to be sensible in what I choose for entertainment. CTR.

@clem: I did not know the origin for the "R" ban. All I knew was that growing up all my leaders, and of course my parents, ensured that I would never, ever watch an "R" movie. I guess that goes along with your Benson quote.

@to:to stumblefall: I think you are making the point I was trying to make. Once in an interview with the bishop when I was a teen I pointed out how I thought it was strange the Church let somebody else decide our standards for us. Then I went to England on my mission and found out THEIR rule was no 18 movies, but 15 or lower was okay. That was strange for me since a bunch of movies I could never see were rated 15 there but "R" here. That's when I really started thinking the arbitrary thing was a problem (Clem, is it also a myth that the old "Strength of the Youth" pamphlet said no "R" movies? I thought I remembered that).

Jason: Saving Private Ryan, Shawshank Redemption, The Great Raid, Glory, Blackhawk Down, V for Vendetta...I couldn't agree more.

Why don't you all grow up and live in the now!!! The "REAL" world is not sensored, nor should movie be. If you shelter yourself and/or your kids from what happens in real life, then you would be appalled at what actually does happen! That is one of the many things wrong with society today! And by saying society, I mean Mormon or LDS society!