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mystmarimatt · 08-26-2005, 09:14 AM

This is something I've been thinking of addressing for awhile. CleanFlicks, at www.cleanflicks.com. The idea behind CleanFlicks, an LDS-owned online video rental company (I believe so, my Mormon friends told me it was, but I've no way to verify it), is that they take movies, anything above a 'G' rating, and they edit out anything like: Profanity (including "The H word, when not referring to the place" and "references to deity (G-word and JC-words etc.), only when these words are used in a non-religious context.") Graphic Violence, Nudity and Sexual Content. They do this for the clean, good-hearted families who want to watch religiously acceptable material with their children.

Now, I do not begrudge them the right to want to watch movies devoid of anything deviant, like the word 'Hell' (Except when referring to the place, naturally.) But as an artist, my integrity demands that they really shouldn't have the right to do this. Many of these films were a labor of love for the actors, directors and writers and general creators, et al. If there's a sex scene in there, or drug use, there's a good possibility that its inclusion in the film serves a purpose. To me, it's just artistic mutilation. Destroying something you did not create.

Now, they only have 700 titles at the moment, but I'd like to discuss 2 in particular. The first is "Good Will Hunting," a movie which uses the F-word some 150 times. And 2 F-words doth an R-rated movie make. But, the cussing in the film does serve a purpose. That's actually how people in Southie talk. They cuss. A lot. It was an artistic choice to make every other word 'fuck.' But it helps establish character and setting and mood. It's also in the movie enough that editing out each word is impossible without making it painfully obvious you mutilated the movie. And that's annoying.

Second, is "The Ballad of Jack and Rose." I'll put it simply. This film, is, in effect, a film about a father and a daughter with an incestuous relationship. Would anyone like to tell me how to edit that out without completely ruining the point of the film? Because I'd really like to know.

I guess this is what I want to ask everyone. Is what they're doing to these films ethical? Should this be something taken as valid?

For my money, no. The bottom line, for me, is that I can think of only one way to retaliate against CleanFlick's artistic mutilation. I will myself become a film-maker. And I will create a movie so poignant, and beautiful, and touching, that everyone in the US will be raving about it. And CleanFlicks will be stewing in their own juices, just boiling mad, because in every plot vital scene, in every beautiful, heartwrenching scene, I'm going to put in something they'd need to edit out in order to make it acceptable, so that you can't mutilate my movie without absolutely killing it and making it unwatchable.

That's right, in every plot vital scene, I'm just going to put in two hot lesbian chicks going down on each other. Just to fucking spite them.

Your thoughts?

08-26-2005, 09:14 AM	#1 (permalink)
mystmarimatt Omnipotent Ruler Of The Tiny Universe In My Mind Location: Oreegawn	Clean Flicks This is something I've been thinking of addressing for awhile. CleanFlicks, at www.cleanflicks.com. The idea behind CleanFlicks, an LDS-owned online video rental company (I believe so, my Mormon friends told me it was, but I've no way to verify it), is that they take movies, anything above a 'G' rating, and they edit out anything like: Profanity (including "The H word, when not referring to the place" and "references to deity (G-word and JC-words etc.), only when these words are used in a non-religious context.") Graphic Violence, Nudity and Sexual Content. They do this for the clean, good-hearted families who want to watch religiously acceptable material with their children. Now, I do not begrudge them the right to want to watch movies devoid of anything deviant, like the word 'Hell' (Except when referring to the place, naturally.) But as an artist, my integrity demands that they really shouldn't have the right to do this. Many of these films were a labor of love for the actors, directors and writers and general creators, et al. If there's a sex scene in there, or drug use, there's a good possibility that its inclusion in the film serves a purpose. To me, it's just artistic mutilation. Destroying something you did not create. Now, they only have 700 titles at the moment, but I'd like to discuss 2 in particular. The first is "Good Will Hunting," a movie which uses the F-word some 150 times. And 2 F-words doth an R-rated movie make. But, the cussing in the film does serve a purpose. That's actually how people in Southie talk. They cuss. A lot. It was an artistic choice to make every other word 'fuck.' But it helps establish character and setting and mood. It's also in the movie enough that editing out each word is impossible without making it painfully obvious you mutilated the movie. And that's annoying. Second, is "The Ballad of Jack and Rose." I'll put it simply. This film, is, in effect, a film about a father and a daughter with an incestuous relationship. Would anyone like to tell me how to edit that out without completely ruining the point of the film? Because I'd really like to know. I guess this is what I want to ask everyone. Is what they're doing to these films ethical? Should this be something taken as valid? For my money, no. The bottom line, for me, is that I can think of only one way to retaliate against CleanFlick's artistic mutilation. I will myself become a film-maker. And I will create a movie so poignant, and beautiful, and touching, that everyone in the US will be raving about it. And CleanFlicks will be stewing in their own juices, just boiling mad, because in every plot vital scene, in every beautiful, heartwrenching scene, I'm going to put in something they'd need to edit out in order to make it acceptable, so that you can't mutilate my movie without absolutely killing it and making it unwatchable. That's right, in every plot vital scene, I'm just going to put in two hot lesbian chicks going down on each other. Just to fucking spite them. Your thoughts? __________________ Words of Wisdom: If you could really get to know someone and know that they weren't lying to you, then you would know the world was real. Because you could agree on things, you could compare notes. That must be why people get married or make Art. So they'll be able to really know something and not go insane.