violence, nudity and cursing in films

what's your take on it? would you go watch a film filled with it or do you tend to avoid such films. if the latter, what kind films do you watch?





this thread was prompted by a slight argument in another thread so instead of clogging that one up....
and by the way, yes, i do like films that include all of the above...no problems whatsoever with any of them....in fact, in my personal opinion, the best films on the planet include all three...displaying life in all it's squalor and glory...

__________________
http://www.last.fm/user/diezelpower/

I don't have a problem with it usually.
I've watched and enjoyed films by Tarantino and such, where there's lots of it. I usually want to be in the mood for something that has a hard edge to it, but it doesn't generally bother me... unless I'm watching with someone who I know it will bother. Same with sexually explicit stuff. I still haven't recovered from the car trunk full of dildos in Nurse Betty, which I watched with my stepdad. I've never wished harder that I could evaporate.

There's a balance with swearing, though. It needs to feel motivated by the situation. Films (or HBO series) where there is a ton of foul language and they're like... just having a normal day? Nah. The reason is this: swearing is a sign of frustration or anger, generally. People who seem to be experiencing frustration or anger at all times tend to be people I see as good organ donors. You know what I'm sayin'?

__________________
Review: Cabin in the Woods 8/10

I think its unfortunate that filmmakers have to take into consideration Studio's wishes on the matter. Its a fact- sex and violence sell tickets. I remember reading about The Piano, before it was made, financiers gave their only mandate: "It needs Sex and Violence, something that will make it attractive to the Americans" (Almost a direct quote.)

But im just as violent as anyone else- i love to see a head lopped off- or a car explode. Im part of the reason Michael Bay can still make movies, and ive accepted that.

well i may be a bit biased ( as you know, i'm a foul mouthed little bugger ) , but cursing gives a film character. pulp fiction is a very good example, it had it all, and cursing just made the dialogues more real to me.....there was an episode of south park that dealt with the problem fantastically...of course if every other word is a cuss word, it looses the effect ( as seen on Deadwood, although i still respect that choice as that was how people spoke at that time ), but south park still cracks me up specifically because of the violence and cursing, done by kids....it's fantastic!!

also certain people have a problem with nudity and violence, now everything can be done with style and without stlye, but to avoid films because they have those things is rediculous. we're all people, all have bodies and are all ( well maybe not all ) sexual beings and people with character ( i'm sure everyone has had violent scenes in their lives ).

i also don't agree swearing is used in anger or frustration ( yes, i did note that you said generally ), i personally don't use it in anger but rather casually, and it's used casually in films too...more often than not....i'm rather parcial to cursing actually, i'm more likely to like a person that isn't affraid to use the occasional cuss word rather than a person that is terribly careful about that sort of thing. why? because , i think it relates to that person being too conservative in their views of life ( being stuck up ).

would've been lovely if you'd asked this question IN that other thread first before making incorrect assumptions and crunching your boots on a perfectly valid statement. then there wouldn't have been a "slight argument." we'd have had a perfectly civil discussion. farts wouldn't have been set afire.

i curse all the d@mned time. via my keyboard, and via my mouth. cursing is a part of language, and is as much a part of life as violence and nudity. however, i know cursing is not always enjoyed by others and everyone has a different comfort level. just like some people freak out when girls sit with their legs open and they're wearing a skirt, and some people think it's rude to read the paper at a meal.

some people can't take it, and the world is a shared one in which we must make frequent social compromises. thus the films that have to cut parts out because they're threatened with ratings they don't want to get labeled with.

i do think gratuitous or unnecessary violence, nudity, and cursing, are pointless. ie, there is more than one way to tell a story, so if you depend on one crutch for too long or too much, i think it's a waste. you can do so much more. there are times for all these things, and times for none of it at all.

if a key character is being drawn with a serious dramatic issue for a reason, and his issue is turette's syndrome, I am going to be A-OK with him cursing up a storm. the shoe fits. if the story wants to look bad@ss and starts peppering the script with cursing for the sake of beefing up the "macho" factor, that's dumb.

take Kill Bill. if every other word had involved cursing, would it have been necessary? no. this wouldn't have stopped me from seeing it, though.

Trainspotting. If there had been no bare skin, violence, or cursing, in the flick, it would have not been about what it was about.

i don't actively avoid anything unless the story just doesn't appeal. for example, i am not in the mood to see The Hills Have Eyes, not because I don't like violence, nudity, or cursing, but because I don't want to see someone's head get cut off and get scared out of my mind or grossed out. I am totally fine with these types of flicks getting made and wish desperately I had the stomach to get scared witless. Alas, I am a wimp, and cannot.

Some things I can take, some I can't. But that's just me. Still got no problem at all with violence, cursing, or nekkedness.

__________________
life without movies is like cereal without milk. possible, but disgusting. but not nearly as bad as cereal with water. don't lie. I know you've done it.

Swearing, violence and nudity isn't gonna stop me from watching a film, it usually will cause me to watch it. Because you know the movie is going to be exciting and entertaining. It is much easier to make a good entertaining movie with swearing, sex and violence then it is to make one without. We are in the day and age where it has come to that possibly being the only form of entertainment.

I don't encourage every film to have the above in it, but every once in a while it's good entertainment to watch, or to spice up a movie. Movies with pointless swearing, yes is unecessary. But as Samson said Tarantino films need the swearing to make it the movie it is. Or GoodFella's wouldn't have been so great without the swearing and violence as it is. Swearing, sex, and violence is only necessary when it's needed for the better of the film.

__________________
"No, we don't have any needles here... Just a big f*cking gun"

I don't mind any of it as long as it fits the film. I can watch something like "The Incredibles" as easily as I can "Pulp Fiction".

I've never really had a problem with "violence". "Gore" is something else though. I don't care to see gallons of fake blood pouring out of anyone. I think scenes of torture or rape like in "Last House on the Left" or even just the flashback in "The Crow" are more disturbing than anything.

Nudity is easy to deal with as long as the people aren't ugly. In some cases it can be too much though. "Color of Night" comes to mind.

I don't mind swearing at all. The fact that some words are taboo is just ridiculous to me. One word is bad, yet there's four other ways of describing the same thing that are perfectly acceptable.

what? are you telling me the sight of Bruce Willis flailing around nekkid in a pool with farmer's tan everywhere but his fishy pale butt was TOO MUCH for you?

come on. you know secretly wanted him.

Something I've noticed just recently...certain types of movies shouldn't even be made unless they're an R rating. For instance, Aeon Flux and Ultraviolet. A PG rating indicates a certain amount of censorship in regard to flesh and violence. These types of movies NEED flesh and violence. ;-) or they just fall flat and lose their integrity.

An R rating cannot make a bad movie good and a very good PG movie can survive on its quality, even if some elements have been censored out. But castrating a movie that is inherently violent and sensual to receive a PG rating and reach a wider audience, just doesn't work.

Can anyone imagine a PG Sin City or Kill Bill? They'd be totally worthless. Another example is the previews for Team America: World Police. The trailer was awful. With the naughty language cut out, so too was the humor. Thank goodness I ignored the trailer and saw the movie anyway. Those puppets cussing and screwing were funny as hell.

As for violence, someone mentioned they're not too comfortable with The Hills Have Eyes type violence. Same here. I won't see it and I haven't seen the Saw movies or Hostel. But I was ok with the Sin City and Kill Bill violence. Realistic violence with innocent victims who suffer...no thanks, call me a wimp. ;-)

__________________
My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next.

These are three elements that do not turn me away BUT

movies must have three things regardless of whether they use violence swearing and nudity or not. 1/Story I hate pointless movies (on the otherhand I love baseketball) 2/ Atmosphere 3/ Re-watchability (if I can't enjoy a movie the second time round it has failed in my opinion.

I don't know if I could survive through a movie without one of those things.

yep, perfectly normal day in a friendly relaxed society. of course then words are not cursing words anymore, just decoration. but that's what they were to begin with anyway.

i find people who're always (falsely) happy (f. ex. California and everywhere in certain milieux) and greet you with a "hooow are youuuu? i'm so haaaappy to see you! me? i'm haaaappy, everything's fine", a behavior like especially the US happiness dictatorship forces on people, are better organ donors.

__________________
We're a generation of men raised by women. I'm wondering if another woman is really the answer we need.

Do you mean the film has to have a definite narrative running through it? A film must be about something? If so, I disagree, big time. The medium at film is the best medium for saying one thing while showing us another. Stories are nice, but certainly not a must when it comes to film, IMO.

__________________

great pic!
i like it.

Quite the photographic memory you've got there.

Actually, it wasn't so much the nudity but the cheesy music they played during them.

I don't care whether or not it is included. As long as I like the movie, then I take it how it comes. The presence or lack thereof is irrelevant to me. However, as far as meaningless things go, they are pretty damn good .

__________________

not necessarily a definite narrative but at least a confident direction. I've seen a lot of floaty films that make you ask where are you taking me? where are you going with this? You are absolutley right Sedai in all aspects of your arguement. two things we all know... there will be rules and there will be exceptions, Bottom line is movies are about motion If your not moving your stagnant

I can handle some "hard stuff", but usually I avoid movies if I know there will be too much blood or violence. I never watched Passion of Christ for instance since I knew it will be filled with blood and gory images.

__________________
Movie Reviews

I don't mind movies with all this. I am in agreement with thmilin. But I do hate when they use the "c" word. That is just nasty-wrong. I hate that word!