What content in movies offends you the most?

[mvd]

I vote "depends" - gratuitous of any of these is bad.

[bhunt70]

1. rape scenes make me very uneasy.

[BigMcLargehuge]

6. I second that

unless they are absolutely germain to the plot, and even then I'd rather not see them.

[VelmaD]

8. I'll go a step further...

scenes of violence against women that are filmed and presented in a way that is designed to titillate the males in the audience.

[BigMcLargehuge]

13. I have yet to encounter one

that was designed to tittilate, thankfully. Perhaps my natural aversion to them prevents me from being tittilated though.

[VelmaD]

15. You're definitely...

one of the good guys. :)

[BigMcLargehuge]

21. thanks :)

and I review horror movies for a hobby, so I've seen my share of them, but they are always presented as horrible. In most cases the event sets up a revenge story like in I Spit on your Grave or Last House of the Left. In some cases it's to illustrate the depths of depravity of the main character like in Henry Portrait of a Serial Killer. Even the rape scenes (unnecessary as they are) in the Blind Dead movies serve to illustrate that a particular main character is a scumbag.

Come to think of it the only film that had them for the flimsiest of reasons was Humanoids from the Deep.

In both the Blind Dead films and Humanoids from the Deep, I mention my aversion to such scenes in my reviews in the Horrorview Hall of Shame.

http://www.horrorview.com

[VelmaD]

22. Dude, I love horror flicks...

will definitely be checking out your reviews.

[BigMcLargehuge]

26. comments on reviews are always welcome Velma!

I also do regular reviews, for example the posted Hellboy review is mine, as is Someday's Dreamers.... But we have several regular reviewers except in the Hall of Shame, that's alllllllll mine!

[fudge stripe cookays]

57. You mean Evil Dead?

You know...with the chick getting it from a tree.

[DrWeird]

44. F'rinstance?

nt

[BigMcLargehuge]

48. probably the rape in

"Return of the Blind Dead" comes closest in my experience to what Vemla describes.

[DrWeird]

50. Haven't seen it.

I was trying to think of something and the closest I could come up with was the fight scene in Diamonds Are Forever when Sean Connery gets in a brawl with to scanntily clad models.

And that's so silly it's hard to believe its offensive.

And what is it with Sean Connery and punch women?

[BigMcLargehuge]

53. to be fair, he only punches the ones trying to kill him

if it's any consolation. You could also consider the Sharon Stone/Governator fight in Total Recall.

[Nay]

68. Amen, Velma. When I see that shit, I can feel my hair stand up and

I get REALLY SERIOUSLY freaked out. I don't need to be reminded that there are plenty of guys out there who see me as a simple receptacle.

[smirkymonkey]

70. That would be my number one choice of

film offensiveness.

[ProfessorGAC]

51. That Would Be Mine Too

Very troubling, even in a movie where the victimization is clear and compassionate (like the Jodie Foster movie), it's really hard to sit through those scenes.
The Professor

[Loonman]

2. Sugary-sweet sentimentality

Like that "Pay it Forward" crapfest, or "Divine Secrets of the all-men-are-insensitive-bastards Sisterhood.

[wysimdnwyg]

3. Blatant racism and/or misogyny

I'm a guy, so I like sex and watching things blow up.

[gottaB]

4. cruelty

including scapegoating

well, I am fascinated by certain explorations of cruelty like in a Neil LaBute movie

but it does offend me

and I hate gratuitious cruelty

like scenes in an action movie where a bad guy meets a greusome death, and it's supposed to be something to cheer

[Hemorrhagia]

5. Sex outside of marriage

Not only is it bad values for the young people who watch, but watching the obligatory sex scene in any so-called romantic movie without any reference to marriage is hackneyed and trite.
How about great romance movies like "Sleepless in Seattle" or "An Affair to Remember" where the participants exude romance without even showing as much as a kiss. So not only are the trashy ideals of sex outside of marriage destructive, they aren't even necessary. In fact the movies are better without them!!

[Goldmund]

7. I've always been baffled...

...why some people find sex offensive. It's a completely bizarre concept to me.

[BigMcLargehuge]

11. or why they think mention of it

or depiction of it is somehow harmful...

to quote Eric Cartman "Ohh, that movie has warped my fragile little mind..."

:eyes:

[Hemorrhagia]

18. The operative words I used were "outside of marriage"

However, as I said, understatement is far more romantic anyway.

[Goldmund]

25. As far as for the understatement being more romantic...

...that is up to your personal taste. Mine is different.

But as far as the "oustide of marriage" thing, those are some arbitrary values that are, again, your personal. As I see _absolutely_ nothing evil in sex -- to the contrary -- my values are different. When you start saying that unmarried sex in movies teaches "wrong values", then you're becoming absolutist, and you're mistaking your set of arbitrary personal values for a universal one.

So, go ahead and watch "Sleepless in Seattle", with your kids or not. I'll pick "The Last Tango in Paris" anyday, and if I ever have kids, I won't stop them from seeing it.

[Warpy]

23. That obligatory sex scene

...is always my cue to go to the bathroom, get some more munchies, attend to my own comfort. I am usually just bored by them, don't really "get" sex as a spectator sport.

Having said that, I would say the most offensive thing in movies is the pervasive misogyny, from the witless females who scream and fall down a lot in adventure flicks and neeed rescuting by the violent but dumb as a box of rocks hero, to the restriction of most roles to the ingenue (virgin) vs. mother vs. whore (with or without a heart of gold) genres, all of which are dependent upon males to define them.

I've gotten to be a real film snob of late, avoiding most of the formula crap coming out of Hollywood in favor of the formula crap coming out of the rest of the world

At least it's a different formula, and the subtitles make me feel posh.

[arcane1]

28. lol, that's hilarious

yeah, pre-marital sex is the worst thing young people are exposed to in movies :eyes:

I happen to dig those 'trashy ideals', just like most Americans.

You don't hate America for that, do you? :shrug:

[Anaxamander]

45. LOL

Nice joke. I'm laughing my ass off!

I mean, like anyone could hate pre-marital sex. Especially the kinky stuff. :spank: Ooh, yeah. That's the spot.

[geniph]

61. You know, you're absolutely right

I'd much rather my kids saw the scene in Pulp Fiction where Bruce Willis hacks the guys who just raped Ving Rhames to bloody bits with a sword than that they saw the scene where Bruce Willis has SEX (oral sex, at that) with his girlfriend outside of HOLY WEDLOCK!

:eyes:

[m-jean03]

9. Shoot 'em up action movies bug me

I am pretty disturbed by the sound of machine guns for some reason :shrug:

Also -- 2 scenes which really scarred me were:

The scalping scene in Nurse Betty -- disgusting & unnecessary IMO

& The opening scene in "Ghost Ship" -- you know, where everyone gets cut in half with that wire?? *shudder* That was upsetting! Ick

And violence against women. THE worst thing. Really hate it. Too real. Hate seeing women exploited for their vulnerability. Example : "Scream" -- the eviscerated carcass of the girl, hung up in the driveway. Good god. Took me weeks, months maybe, to get that out of my head. And made me so angry. I want them to stop making stalker movies where women are the victims. I think it only gives the mofuckas ideas & reinforces women's feelings of vulnerability.

And I agree with the other poster on rape scenes. I don't see their point.

[gottaB]

30. scalping scene

I "liked" that scene. For one thing it was unexpected.

It marks a distinction between thought and deed, makes you question what is real, or what is credible, one of the central themes of the film.

It functioned to differentiate the father and son, Charlie (Freeman) and Wesley (Rock). Most of what you need to know about those two characters is revealed in that scene.

It was sufficiently violent to make Betty's experience of trauma believable. So it contrasted with her reality, and created a kind of conflict that must be resolved.

At the same time, there were many parallels between Wesley and Betty. The scalping is one of those. Like Betty, Wesley mistakes storytelling for reality. And he acts upon his mistaken beliefs. Like the traumatized Betty. So the scalping can be seen as a catalyst, and a symbol. You have to wonder, Does this complete her? Does she only fully realize herself through this event?

Okay, and the dark underneath. We the audience were led to despise the husband, Del. But we didn't hate him that much, did we? We didn't want that, did we? And Betty didn't, did she?

Repressed hostility. Beneath the calm surface, rage. That's what the scalping represents.

[m-jean03]

34. Well, maybe I'm just a wimp

But it upset me.

I also couldn't make it past 30 minutes into Apocalypse Now, and many feel that is a great movie.

[terrya]

10. Violence. Extreme violence. Like that found in Tarantino's films.

That isn't necessary.

[mouse7]

12. Movies with over-abundant suckage. n/t

[MissMillie]

14. blood and gore added for effect

I think of the movie "Platoon" where that soldier sits on the can and blows his brains out, and I really didn't have to see it to get the point... ya know. Show him put the gun to his mouth, then show him on the ground after a loud band. I don't need to see his brains splatter on the wall to know that he killed himself, and it really doesn't add anything to the story of the movie.

[mvd]

31. Yep, that offends me a lot

It's usually at the top of the list. I prefer atmospheric horror movies to slasher films.

[mac1000a]

35. Slight correction

That was "Full Metal Jacket."

[MissMillie]

37. I knew it was one of those two

thanks for setting me straight!

[wryter2000]

16. Violence

Violence portrayed as cool, especially if it's sanitized.

[Shrek]

17. Gratuitous profanity

It doesn't bother me if it's "realistic" for the character or the plot.

But it seems like a lot of profanity is inserted because the writer couldn't come up with better dialogue.

[On the Road]

19. "Depends"

I find those frequent shots of used Depends gratuitously offensive.

[TXlib]

20. Sex doesn't bother me. Violence doesn't bother me.

But sexual violence bothers me.

[Westegg]

24. Bad writing. Throw a rock in L.A. and hit 10 idiot scripters.

Try it! It's fun. But that's why I had to move to NYC.

[m-jean03]

36. Hey Westegg!

I get the feeling you've really "been around the block", seen some interesting things!

Care to share what your profession is? You've got me curious by now. :)

[Westegg]

73. Ain't it the life, though?

[Feanorcurufinwe]

27. Cliches of any type.

These screenwriters get paid quite a bit. I'm offended when they can't do better than regurgitate the last 3000 movies they saw and pretend they've produced something original.

[VelmaD]

29. YES YES YES

I am SO in agreement with you on this one.

And can someone PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE come up with an original idea instead of just another sequel to a movie that was based on a crappy tv show to begin with. ARGH!

[stanwyck]

66. Oh, yeah, like the obligatory

hero/heroine profiled against the background of flames as they leap to safety. Cool the first time. Deadbang boring the 300th. Same for the car crash scenes...the cars flying over ramps, the near misses. Flopsweat desperation on the moviemaker's part. They've got nothing else. Throw in some explosions and fire.

[VermontDem2004]

32. delete

[Champ]

33. No content can possibly offend me

I think there was one scene that made me feel uneasy and that was where Ed Norton in American History X told one of his enemies to put his teeth on the curb and shot him in the back of the head. It didn't offend me but everytime I see that scene about to come up I look the other way.

[RebelOne]

38. Any abuse of animals.

[mac1000a]

39. Propaganda

Sex, violence, none of that stuff bothers me if it's done for a reason. And I believe if you are going to show violence, you shouldn't make it neat and pretty. What does offend me is propaganda. Films like "The Alamo" or "Blackhawk Down." Stuff that glorifies war or presents a skewed view of history. I've seen enough of this in the last five years to last me a lifetime.

[skippysmom]

40. Graphic violence

Anything with lots of blood and gore. It's so gratuitous -- and some of our best directors are great at implying what happened without having to show every bloody detail. It makes me physically ill to see some of these shots -- for some reason, the opening of Saving Private Ryan comes to mind.

I also freak out about anything involving needles in movies, but that's just because I'm weird.

As for sex, sex scenes don't bother me. But I'm damn sick of always seeing naked women and not seeing naked men!

[VelmaD]

41. Bravo!

I am totally with you on the nekkid man thing.

[Champ]

54. About the last sentance

Hollywood or other major movie productions have a very strict policy about showing stuff on the front side just below the belt. That is both men and women. I have never seen a man's thingy or a woman's front side in any movie that wasn't porno. I have seen plenty of asses(both men and women), and topless women but that's about it.

[Skittles]

42. childbirth scenes

enough already

[Taverner]

43. Lloyd's Lunchbox

I don't get offended - but there is this series of cartoons that makes me wince every time I watch them. Spike and Mike has them every time...

And I really can't describe them except to say that they take paper cuts to a WHOLE new level...

[Mrs. Venation]

46. Violence

I can stand a fist fight; most other forms of violence deeply offend me. I like films that are uplifting to the human spirit, not films that depict and glorify the ugliest side of human nature.

[ewagner]

47. Depends

I have seen movies where subjects I thought to be offensive were handled in a manner where they displayed a powerful message in an artistic and meaningful way.

On the other hand, I've seen those same subjects displayed in ways that were just for shock or commercial value and had no merit whatsoever.

[Mobius]

49. rape, beheadings, stabbing, cutting skulls open and feeding brains

to the person whose brain it is, while thay are still alive. I especially detest violence against children, which is only done for shock value. Pretty soon no violence will be taboo, and we will be desensitized to any violence, but will still get our panties in a bunch over a nipple and spoken words that really mean nothing.

[Kat45]

52. Violence, especially against women and/or innocent victims.

But I absolutely love mob movies, and those can be extremely violent. My qualifier on the violence issue address that: in mob movies, most of the violence is perpetrated against each other, not against innocent victims.

I also hate gore/horror stuff, but I can't say it offends me so much as it just grosses me out and makes me feel sick.

[dawn]

55. Nothing offends me.

It's a movie, not real life. If I don't like something, I turn the channel or walk out.

That being said, I've only walked out of one movie in my life. When I was little, my grandmother took me to see a star trek movie. We didn't like it, so we left.

[rbnyc]

56. I'm not sure if offend is the right word, but...

...violence against animals in movies bothers me terribly. I could watch 10,000 half naked teenagers get sliced in half while eating a dish of spaghetti. But if I see someone kick a dog, or kill a cat, like in "May", or kill a gorilla, Like in "Instinct", I will seriously cry for days.

EDIT: typo

[genius]

58. You can't use movies with sexual content for educational purposes

Violence is mostly special effects. If kids are shown how it's done it won't bother them.

However, try using "Reds" to show a group of 6 year olds about the Russian Revolution or "Havana" to show kids about the reasons for the rise of Castro. You have to avoid showing the kids the scenes with the sexual content and it can be very difficult.

There are a lot of great educational pictures that would be so useful in teaching if they simply lacked the sexual content.

[VelmaD]

62. Would you really show...

either of those movies to a 6 year old and expect them to understand? Seriously?

We generally don't teach kids about the Russian Revoluation or the rise of Castro in Cuba at age 6 anyway. At least that's not what they taught me about in 1st grade.

[geniph]

59. The only thing that truly offends me in a movie

is sheer stupidity of the screenwriters - appealing to the lowest common denominator in the audience, pandering to the audience's worst instincts, or otherwise underestimating the overall intellect of the audience. General suckage, in other words. Sure, there's movies whose violence, misogyny, racism, homophobia, sexism, etc., offended me in specific cases. But none of those things will ALWAYS offend me; sometimes they actually do advance the plot and the movie is otherwise worthwhile. But a STUPID fucking movie is a stupid fucking movie, whether or not it contains any of those elements. I truly hate a movie made by committee solely to make money, where all the participants clearly thought the moviegoers were a pack of chumps. Especially when said movie becomes a huge success and proves the moviemakers correct in their assessment of audience idiocy. (I'm thinking specifically of trash like Independence Day or that awful thing with Demi Moore and Robert Redford - whose title I have blocked from my memory - here.)

[POed_Ex_Repub]

60. Historical Inaccuracy

Specifically bits of history changed in movies to make them more politically correct or more popular with the audience.

[ForrestGump]

63. Presence of Robert Goulet

And many of the other things listed here.

[Van Helsing]

64. Nothing.

[gpandas]

65. none

[Delano]

67. I put violence, but...

Gratuitous violence is bad, but I especially hate a certain jaded/numbed/cynical worldview that is most evident in Quentin Tarantino's films. It's like "Look how clever I am to intersperse gratuitous bloodbaths with little pop-culture quips and quirky cameos." I hate Tarantino just as much as I hate Mel Gibson's new death-porn Jesus movie.

[DS1]

69. Scenes that aren't sex or violence or car racing or sci-fi or

epic battles.

Hey, I'm a guy, dammit!

[smirkymonkey]

71. Telephones ringing and babies crying for

minutes on end - will someone just pick the goddam thing up!!

[Endangered Specie]

72. Scientific Impossiblities, Historical Mistakes, and Continuity Problems.

Im a BIIIG nitpicker.

[Pretty_in_CodePink]

74. Wouldn't say offends but hardest to watch

Violence. I stopped watching anything with violence about 8 or 9 years ago. I decided I didn't want to give energy to violence by focusing on it with my attention and money - even if it was just a TV show or film. This was somewhat difficult as I used to see almost every film made. Now that I have to hire a babysitter I am less inclined to see anything. Few films seem worth my precious baby-sitter time.

Anyway, a couple of years ago I broke this boycott to see "Road to Perdition" and discovered that I (my husband too, by default) have become extremely sensitized to violence. Just couldn't watch it.

[wyldwolf]

75. woman/child/animal abuse