NEWS: Puff, Puff...the MPAA Will Pass

CULTURE: Puff, Puff...the MPAA Will Pass

At this point we all know that smoking kills. For obvious reasons there have been significant changes made by the media to clamp down on the habit's "cool factor" and limit the marketing of cancer sticks to kids. But when the MPAA announced yesterday (May 10th) that it would begin to implement drastic changes to the ratings system that would censor movies that depicted smoking cigarettes with the same vehemence typically reserved for sex and violence -- well, that's just taking it a bit too far (in my not so humble opinion.)

Oh, so they're concerned about health issues. Well, currently the number one cause of death in America is heart disease. Obesity has trumped smoking as the biggest threat to our health. If we're going to start slapping an R-rating on any flick where the main character lights up then we should go all the way and do the same with any movie where someone chows down on a cheeseburger.

I agree with Doran. I think the decision should be left up to the filmmakers. If Jack Valenti were to have his way (even from the grave), it seems every Hollywood movie would play like a damn, public service announcement.

Political Correctness is a cancer. It's forming an inoperable tumor on the First Amendment, and it should be eliminated at any cost.

I've seen people smoke all my life... my dad's best friend has been a smoker since I can remember when I was like 5 or 6... I've seen people smoke in movies... and yes, when I was a kid I did pretend to smoke. So did all that made me smoke in the end ? Nope. Why ? Cause people told me what would happen to me if I did.

Not showing people smoking to kids won't change anything unless we tell them what the consequences of smoking are. Hiding something doesn't make it go away. Like hiding dirt under that huge piece of furniture you never move. Oh sure you don't see it, but it's still under there !

Sometimes I really wonder who's in charge or all those things. No violence, no sex... and now no smoke. Well, that's fine with me as long as someone does it's educational job of telling our youth why some things are dangerous instead of just trying to hide em while hoping it'll be enough.

Pretty soon... All we'll be shown is a homogeneous depiction of what our lives should be, devoid of emotion or meaning, choice or consequence.

Oh... wait...

When was the last time anyone saw a PG-13 movie with smoking in it?

Oh good holy god this is stupid. Yes, you have to be 18 and over to legally buy cigarettes in America. But anyone, of any age, can see someone smoking by walking down the street pretty much anywhere in America. It's a fact of life. People do it. I find it incredibly hard to believe that just seeing it is harmful.

If I was a filmmaker, I'd have every single character in my next movie smoke, just as a big Fuck You to this.

Will Casablanca (and every other movie in the 30s and 40s) get a retroactive R rating now?

Dreamgirls, Mission: Impossible III, World Trade Center, Bad News Bears, Coach Carter, The Longest Yard, Last Holiday, Elizabethtown, Yours Mine and Ours, The Honeymooners, Sahara, Casino Royale, Spider-Man 2, Batman Begins, School of Rock,The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, King Kong and that's just off the top of my head.

Not to say I agree with the MPAA. They fucking suck.

I find this a bit superfluous; cigarettes already have a warning label. As long as you can read, you know they're hazardous to your health. If you choose to do it anyway, then that's just natural selection taking its course and I'd prefer the MPAA didn't get in the way of that.

No dumber than any other criteria the MPAA uses. Now, that still makes it "fucking stupid", but I don't see a reason why smoking should be treated differently than they treat other drug use. Optimally, this will make people realize how stupid the MPAA ratings are, but even if it doesn't, it's no big loss.

Once again, Arthur C. Clarke predicts the future.

In Ghost From the Grand Banks, two of his characters (IIRC) made a living digitally removing smoking from movies.


We have the technology now, easily.

Absolutely fucking ridiculous. But I'm not surprised, not one bit.

Funny how all this is happening right after Jack Valenti's death.

Interesting note, Valenti's funeral took place right outside my office window. I saw half the power brokers in Washington AND Hollywood from my desk. The whole block was full of limos and police cars. It was surreal.

Well, if you think about it, smoking actually does kill a lot of people. Nudity never hurt no-one. It's really stupider that breasts are censored.

Good story. Very misleading title.

so what? now kids can't watch a Bogie flick??? Why not do the same with drinking. That kills. Damn the villification of smoking!!!

One more way for Americans to not take responsibility for their actions.

I thought Gore covered this earlier today...

They should probably be more concerned about the amount of shitty movies being produced.

I think the MPAA people are smoking something, and it ain't tobacco...

yeah, i thought the title meant a different kind of smoking....GRRR...

Anyways...the mpaa is just straight up insulting...I've never smoked in my life and my chosen entertainment isn't going to change my mind. Might as well put smoking-warning labels on all Tom Waits albums as well for christsakes...

not to be a dick, but didn't i just read this story?
chris gore's story

guess i am a dick... some one beat me to the comment i just made! hahaha you win this round, keatingmcfly!!!

Alright! After twenty four years I finally won something! This makes my upcoming birthday not so depressing.

I really don't like the MPAA, I think they're bad people that do bad things for bad reasons, like pedophiles.