The Journey with Jesus: Film Reviews
Film Reviews by Dan Clendenin
This Film is Not Yet Rated (2006)
The whole notion of rating films based upon their content is genuinely complex and controversial, especially in the internet age when anyone can view anything in the privacy of their homes. Should we "censor" films, let the public "censure" them by audience response, or just let the free market work its magic when people vote with their wallets? What are reasonable parameters for artistic expression in the public square? Director Kirby Dick gives a uniformly one-sided view in this documentary. According to Dick, the Motion Picture Association of America, made (in)famous by the high profile Jack Valenti (its head from 1966 to 2004), represents all that's wrong and unfair about Hollywood from an artist's perspective. The MPAA is secretive, arbitrary in its decisions, moralistic, defends corporate monopolies and the major studios to the detriment of independents, and is harsh on sex while giving graphic violence a free ride. There are grounds for all those complaints, but don't look to this film for a serious treatment of such an important topic.