How Should We Watch Movies?

Here's the place for discussing music, plays, YouTube videos, and any other media that doesn't quite fit in the other sections of Harlequin Theatre.
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Petrichor
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How Should We Watch Movies?

Post by Petrichor »

So, I have a question for you guys about watching and reviewing movies, but first, take a look at these links. (Best review site ever! \:D/ )

http://www.purityandprecision.com/2013/09/mulan.html
http://www.purityandprecision.com/2011/ ... t-may.html
http://www.purityandprecision.com/2010/ ... ngled.html
http://www.purityandprecision.com/2010/ ... dards.html

So, kinda simplistically put, my question is this: Is it a good idea to tally up all the content in a movie to determine whether the movie is "good" or "bad", or do we risk losing the story and meaning of a movie when we take all the "objectionable" situations out of context?
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Post by The Top Crusader »

Language:
A defeated Caleb jokingly calls Rachel and his father “You dogs,”
Well I know one movie I won't be seeing. :noway:
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Termite
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Post by Termite »

They didn't like Casablanca.

They didn't like It's A Wonderful Life.

They didn't like WHITE CHRISTMAS.

Guys, this is why people think Christianity is a joke. :P Seriously. Ridiculous.

EDIT: You know, I actually feel bad for them. They're stuck in such legalism and the Law and don't even know it...
Last edited by Termite on Mon Dec 23, 2013 9:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Amethystic
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Post by Amethystic »

Just curious, what movies do they recommend? :roll: I mean, I'm definitely on the stricter side of things when it comes to movie content, but I'm absolutely baffled that they could find Tangled both deeply inappropriate for children as well as highly questionable for even "mature" young adults. (Also, the reviewer's analysis of Flynn's smolder is bizarrely off-base. Not only that, but the accompanying footnote makes it seem way, way more sexual than it actually is. O_o) Naturally, we have to be careful with what we watch, but a lot of these apparent deal-breaker moments mentioned seem more to me like moments a parent might discuss with the kids afterwards, if there's something about the film's content they disagree with.

And again, while I'm definitely more of a gender role traditionalist, I find it a little over-arching to consider independent and/or career-minded women to be so universally ungodly that they're on the list of negative movie criteria. Being a strong and motivated woman with your own dreams and desires doesn't have to take away from God's design; if applied properly, it should strengthen marriages and other male-female relationships, not undermine them.

I could say more (the criteria for sexually/emotionally impure content is a doozie), but I think I'm good for now. :-

EDIT: Oh, c'mon! They blasted The Prince of Egypt?? :x This just got personal!

DOUBLE EDIT: Okay, I said that I'd leave this alone, but they also went after Faith Like Potatoes and The Ultimate Gift. *sigh* This is just sad.

TRIPLE EDIT: Yeah, I know, but I just had to point out, not only do they not recommend anyone watching Phantom of the Opera, but they thought it was so bad that they actually classified their own review of the movie as inappropriate for children under fifteen. And this was my favorite film when I was like fourteen.
Last edited by Amethystic on Mon Dec 23, 2013 10:39 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Over the Rainbow
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Post by Over the Rainbow »

And I thought pluggedinonline was bad. I think we've hit a goldmine with this one, ladies and gentlemen.

And they attacked Christy? Can they not...?
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TigerintheShadows
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Post by TigerintheShadows »

Actually, as far as online content review sites go, PluggedIn actually appears to be on the saner side of things.

(I find it funny that this is a thread that concerns the way we should view entertainment, and we're having a similar discussion in Second Church.)

I think that it's important that we are careful about what we watch, read, and listen to, because content--good or bad--does have some degree of effect on how we think, whether we like it or not. I, however, take the stance that it's more about personal conviction, to a certain level. It's like the meat sacrificed to idols, as has been iterated numerous times when these things come up. If a movie or book does not bother you solely based on content and you are discerning enough to square what you're seeing or reading with Scripture, then whether or not you watch or read that particular movie or book is immaterial. If it does bother you if a movie or book has negative content in it, then don't watch or read it.

The thing about PluggedIn is that for the most part, their reviews seem a bit more like editorials--they might state whether or not they'd recommend seeing the movie, but for the most part they simply present the information as it is and give their personal opinion about it. They don't attempt to legislate the reader's choice, which the Moral Guardians of this world could stand to learn. Stating your personal convictions about whether or not you would read a book or watch a movie is one thing, and really, so is recommending that someone not read or watch it--however, acting like your personal convictions are verifiable Biblical fact when they're not is something else entirely, because what causes stumbling varies from person to person. But this is a two-way street--if you do think that reading a particular book or watching a particular movie is okay, don't push people into exposing themselves to it if they've already told you they don't think it's acceptable.

Tl;dr: If it's not your cup of tea, you are free to express that you don't want to drink it. Do not, however, try to tell other people what herbs to put in theirs.
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Marvin D.
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Post by Marvin D. »

So I read what they were against, and here are some of the winners:

Stupid Fathers.
Independent Women.
Unhappy Housewives.
Comical Pain.
Public School Focus.

...

Yeah, I'll stop.
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Mr. Sunnys
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Post by Mr. Sunnys »

I just read the Tangled review. Really? The fake mom's dress was inappropriate? I don't think so. Neither was Repunsle's. Flynn and Repunsle never kissed (Except maybe at the end) and Flynn wasn't "stabbed to death" at all! There was no blood on a thugs mustache, and why is it wrong to have a small amount of comical (and non-killing) violence? This website is crazy. I agree with Termite. Plugged In review was much much better.
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Aeva
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Post by Aeva »

Well, these unfortunate legalists missed out on the beauty of The Lord of the Rings. They can now go be eaten by Smaug. :noway:
Petrichor wrote:So, kinda simplistically put, my question is this: Is it a good idea to tally up all the content in a movie to determine whether the movie is "good" or "bad", or do we risk losing the story and meaning of a movie when we take all the "objectionable" situations out of context?
So to actually answer the question instead of just ridiculing the authors lol, I definitely think personal conviction plays the major role in deciding to watch a film. I try to avoid explicit nudity and sex and the overuse of foul language, but I have watched films with these elements in them.
But break my heart, for I must hold my tongue. --Hamlet.
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TigerintheShadows
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Post by TigerintheShadows »

Mr. Sunnys wrote:Flynn and Repunsle never kissed (Except maybe at the end)
Twice, actually. I personally thought they were quite sweet, but I guess that makes me an irrevocably immoral person.
Mr. Sunnys wrote:and Flynn wasn't "stabbed to death" at all!
He was. The whole point of the sacrifice scene was to show that Eugene was willing to die from his knife wound rather than allow Rapunzel to spend her life enslaved to Mother Gothel. Ah, but the theme of self-sacrifice is immediately marred by the evils of sarcasm and female independence.
though not necessarily up to the standards of the viewers
Well, seeing as all viewers totally hold themselves to ultra-conservative standards, I'm surprised that Rapunzel's dress ever got past the censors. How immodest.
“The world is dark and cruel. If it finds even one ray of sunshine, it destroys it.” If we’re just talking about life outside Rapunzel’s room, the statement is untrue. But if, say, a Christian parent says something like this about the part of the culture that is at war with Christ, and tries to convince their doubtful teen-aged child that a culture that is at war with Christ is also at war with his people, the statement is true; it’s just not going to sound like it, after a movie like this.
Because as we all know, the only way a teenager could possibly figure out that our culture is at war with Christ and His people is to be told that by their parents. Give me a break. It's not like the only way to learn anything is to be told by your parents instead of actually observing reality for yourself.
sarcasms, ironies, mouthings-off and insolent tones of voice that will now be repeated by little children all over the globe
Jared DeWhite would be proud.
“I'm the girl with the best intentions/Something I should probably mention/I like to get just what I paid for/So I pay and I get and I pay and I want some more, more, more… Chorus: And I want something that I want/Something that I tell myself I need/Something that I want/I need everything I see… I'm the girl that's got a notion/I'm not gonna show you my magic potion/I could shop till I drop right to the floor/And I get right up and I want some more, more, more… (Repeat Chorus twice)”
:hilarious: Yeah, because anyone who actually listened to the song would hear these exact lyrics. Mm-hmm. Yeah, see, this isn't even a mistake. How do you confuse that thing she wrote for the actual song? Looks to me like they had to fudge the truth quite a bit...not exactly what you want to encourage your poor, impressionable kids to do, is it?
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals wrote:She's a girl with the best intentions
He's a man of his own invention
She looked out the window
He walked out the door
But she followed him
And he said, "What'cha lookin' for?"

She said, I want something that I want;
Something that I tell myself I need
Something that I want
And I need everything I see.

something that I want
something that I tell myself I need
something that I want
and I need everything I see

he's been livin' in a pure illusion
she's gonna come to her own conclusion
right when you think you know what to say
someone comes along and shows you a brand new way

She said, I want something that I want
Something that I tell myself I need
Something that I want
And I need everything I see.

Something that I want
Something that I tell myself I need
Something that I want
And I need everything
'cause

It's so easy to make believe,
it seems you're livin' in a dream
Don't you see that what you need
is standing in front of you?

I want something that I want
Something that I tell myself I need
Something that I want
And I need everything I see

Something that I want
Something that I tell myself I need
Something that I want;
and I need everything I see
So a song that talks about looking for something that you think you need but then finding out that you already have what you actually need is encouraging materialism and open rebellion. Mm-hmm.
Yes, indeed. But it wouldn’t take me nearly as long to list them out.
Really? Because it sure would take me quite some time. The "bad content" in this review only takes so much time to list because the reviewer is freaking out and making conspiracy theories over irrelevant details that don't even matter. This is why people think Christian discernment is a joke. And it's sad, really, because the people who work this site obviously have good intentions. They're all just completely insane.
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"Death's got an Invisibility Cloak?" "So he can sneak up on people. Sometimes he gets bored of running at them, flapping his arms and shrieking..."
"And now the spinning. Thank you for nothing, you useless reptile."
"It unscrews the other way."
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jelly
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Post by jelly »

For those of you that are looking for intelligent, non-compromising Christian film reviews, there ARE good ones being published! But they're definitely not found at this website, Moveiguide, or even Pluggedin. ;)

Christianity Today is a great place to start. Intelligent film reviews complete with strong parallels to faith and Christian values. The good folks over at Patheos also host a number of blogs upkept by film fans of faith.

It's easy to come up with non-intelligent, paranoia-fueled black lists that attack cinema and arrogantly claim to be doing it in the name of Christianity. Those websites are a dime a dozen. The greater challenge is to find film reviews that value cinema for what it is, focus on beauty and truth and draw intelligent parallels to life and faith.

Please be careful what you choose to fill your minds with. ;)
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Mr. Sunnys
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Post by Mr. Sunnys »

Jelly wrote:For those of you that are looking for intelligent, non-compromising Christian film reviews, there ARE good ones being published! But they're definitely not found at this website, Moveiguide, or even Pluggedin. ;)
PluggedIn has very good reviews. It offers a Godly perspective on movies, etc.
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Post by jelly »

Plugged In sometimes has good reviews. But for the most part their reviews are problematic because they're filtered through a highly detrimental system of strict check lists and misappropriated moral priorities. That's not a good way to offer a Godly perspective on movies. The review sites I linked to do a much better job of that. :)
Fallacy of false continuum. // bookworm
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Post by Whitty Whit »

lol they hated on Princess Bride so much that they recommended that NO ONE should watch it.

http://www.purityandprecision.com/2011/ ... bride.html
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Termite
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Post by Termite »

Jelly wrote:For those of you that are looking for intelligent, non-compromising Christian film reviews, there ARE good ones being published! But they're definitely not found at this website, Moveiguide, or even Pluggedin. ;)

Christianity Today is a great place to start. Intelligent film reviews complete with strong parallels to faith and Christian values. The good folks over at Patheos also host a number of blogs upkept by film fans of faith.

It's easy to come up with non-intelligent, paranoia-fueled black lists that attack cinema and arrogantly claim to be doing it in the name of Christianity. Those websites are a dime a dozen. The greater challenge is to find film reviews that value cinema for what it is, focus on beauty and truth and draw intelligent parallels to life and faith.

Please be careful what you choose to fill your minds with. ;)
Meh. I check PluggedIn to see if the level of swearing goes past my tear-out-hair limit or if anyone decides they need to showcase a bed show. :P It is good for that, though I generally skim over or ignore the rest.
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Post by Amethystic »

While there are times I disagree with PluggedIn's final verdict, their reviews are comprehensive enough that I can tell whether or not I would want to watch it.
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Post by jelly »

*shrug* I guess it depends on why you watch movies. If you're just looking for clean entertainment that comforts or affirms your worldview so you can escape for an hour or two, Plugged In is probably fine.

I care a lot about the films I watch. I analyze, I critique, I reflect. Therefore the more challenging the film, the more rich the experience. It hurts to read 'reviews' from people who have no right to actually review films because they have no real appreciation for the medium.

If movies are only an outlet of escapism for you, why bother watching movies at all? You should probably be reading your bible or begging God for forgiveness because you watched A Princess Bride. ;)
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Whitty Whit
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Post by Whitty Whit »

I use PluggedIn for the sole purpose to come up with movie ideas. I haven't come up with another good movie title list.
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Post by Amethystic »

Jelly wrote:*shrug* I guess it depends on why you watch movies. If you're just looking for clean entertainment that comforts or affirms your worldview so you can escape for an hour or two, Plugged In is probably fine.

I care a lot about the films I watch. I analyze, I critique, I reflect. Therefore the more challenging the film, the more rich the experience. It hurts to read 'reviews' from people who have no right to actually review films because they have no real appreciation for the medium.

If movies are only an outlet of escapism for you, why bother watching movies at all? You should probably be reading your bible or begging God for forgiveness because you watched A Princess Bride. ;)
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Post by Pirate Oriana »

....All I could think of was Blimey Cow. "FINDING NEMO!? Son, what have I said about watching PG movies?!?!? NOW GET YOUR BIBLE; WE'RE GOING TO AWANA."
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