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Given the dissenting opinion on the awesomeness of Watchmen on Warlach’s World and a positive review by Juned for the Watchmen movie is up. Does this mean that when the Philippines’ Movie, Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) cuts Watchmen that’s a crime?
So I ask, would it ever come to this:
When in the course of Human Events it becomes necessary for One People to seek Art, Culture, Literature, Science and Rational Discourse as it was meant to be seen by the Powers of the Earth, as the Laws of Nature and God entitle them a decent, Open and Free Society that they declare the causes which impel them to Oppose:
We hold these Truths to be Self-Evident that all Humans are endowed by their Creator with unalienable Rights: Life, Liberty, Reason, Common Sense, [and] Happiness,
and Deism. That to secure these rights, Humans are Free to resolve this grievance through Creative Destruction; That whenever any Form of Censorship becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, to usurp it through the Network, laying the Foundation of Creative Destruction on such Principles and Rights, and organizing encrypted, distributed ad hoc Peers.Such has been the patient Sufferance of People. The history of Censorship is a History of Repeated Injuries and Usurpations, all having in direct Object, the Establishment of Censorship of Ideas, and of Tyrannical Authority, as opposed to an Era of Rational Discourse and Personal Judgement, of Republicanism, of Liberalism, of Naturalism, of Scientific Method and Modernity.
So say we all: in General Congress, Assembled, and by the Authority of good People of these Interwebs, solemnly Publish and Declare that we shall have our Content, unblemished, uncensored and for the support of this Declaration, we mutually pledge to each other, our Peer Networks and our sacred Clients.
What say you?
oh, by-the-way, image is from here via @sofimi on plurk.
Popularity: 2% [?]
Just as important as the issue of censorship of movies — maybe even more important — making divorce legal in the Philippines.
coy,
A most enlightening yet disturbing heads up for Filipinos.
Censorship in all its forms are tools employed by those who pretend they are of superior intellect, judgment and authority.
There one word for it: FASCISM.
Cocoy,
This is a great statement of the Principle behind Right of Reply.
there’s something i dont get about this censorship thing… the distributor could have keep the scenes but had a more restricted rating, right? why didn’t it do that?
Palayain interesting.
Mercy: that’s true too.
Ding :D
DJB :D
GabbyD, distributor wanted a wider audience, hence more money. That said, still the question of rating/censorship comes to mind. Also this isn’t really a kid’s film. this is a serious movie, albeit a comic book one.
@cocoy
then why the drama about it being a ‘crime’?
because there shouldn’t be a rating system at all.
i’m guessing this is how it went down: mtrcb saw the film. very violent, very graphic and the sex scene too. they said they can’t release this film as an R18. R18 means, high school kids can watch it. which means a lot of people will not be bringing their young adults into the movie. money will be lost. compromise: some scenes will be cut to get the desired rating.
seriously when a movie is this violent, doesn’t excessive violence trump any sex scene when rated? doesn’t make sense really.
this is based on literature. this is based on a Hugo Award winning book! it should be enjoyed as it was envisioned by its director so that more people can enjoy this rich story. it should be as faithful to Alan Moore’s book. Hopefully people will like the movie and go read the book. if not, then at least they’ll get part of the magic.
Remember Schindler’s List? Remember Da Vinci Code? Same thing. That’s not right.
I am against any form of censorship. Nobody has
the right to impose what I want to see, view,
read, or think. Mind control is a Big Brother policy. Big Brother knows best what is good for us. How can we grow to our own individuality, if censorship is still with us ? Guardians of morals are the people who are behind these moves.
If we are taught to think in a certain way. We
will become Robots. Like those suicide bombers.
@cocoy on March 6th, 2009 1:00 pm
then shouldn’t we be blaming the distributors who chose to restrict the scenes?
would the uncut version be X? i think in one of the links on your website it was R18
A flaccid nuclear penis isn’t exactly worth the X rating. Besides, the film was so-so. The only thing I really liked was the score. Ninety-nine loft balloons…
@gabby the distributor wouldn’t have to worry about it not being shown at all if the law permitted it, correct? my point really is that in a democratic and free society, we don’t need an mtrcb. let people decide if the thing is shit or not. As brian b pointed out, much to do about nothing. no need for an x-rating.
no mtrcb? really? even for explicit scenes? the ratings guide parents and the general public about what to expect. if its R18, then kids shouldnt be watching it, no?
i am in favor of allowing the showing on X rated movies in select cinemas… which i understand is impossible under the current system…
@gabby when has an r18 rating stopped a teenager from watching porn? if they can’t find it shown in a movie house, they’ll find it somewhere else.
how many times has the mtrcb rated a film or prevented a film or tried to prevent a film to be shown, only to utterly fail because it was much to do about nothing?
Da Vinci Code was a recent example, correct? Dan Brown’s book was fiction and yet somehow it ruffled so many feathers. Some people thought it wasn’t fiction. It of course didn’t gross the way Titanic did, correct? Titanic had a sex scene too, right?
Superman Returns sucked that it barely made money. The Dark Knight, Titanic, Star Wars, etc. etc. were movies people watch and still watch long after they’ve been shown in the big screen. if a movie is good, people will watch it. if a movie sucks, people won’t.
I think Rotten Tomatoes carry more weight. Critics would say what is good and what isn’t. word of mouth is the say. I think censorship is wrong. I think a movie rating system is wrong. Suggesting that it isn’t suitable for minors should be the norm and weather or not people listen to that suggestion, that’s for them to do or not, imho.
cocoy, Watchmen is too violent and much of the violence is supposed to be the movie’s own aesthetic, while to me it just seems gratuitous. Totally anemic film and a worthless exercise for all actors. You put all characters together and they won’t even make up a decent movie character. I’m sure the graphic novel is just as worthless, too. Overrating a work of art should be a crime. I’ve wasted my time, it could’ve been a nice Friday evening, I wasted money I could’ve spent on a really nice dinner. All those Watchmen fanatics could suck Mr. Manhattan’s blue ding-dong. My advice: read a good book.
Da vinci code, titatnic, dark knight… all were shown. i don’t get the point…
the point of ratings is not to say whether a movie has artistic merit.
its only to rate movies for their explicit scenes, and to restrict viewership as such. parents can rest assured that their kids aren’t watching stuff they don’t want them to watch in the cinema, or at least its harder to get to.
don’t we want to help these people? can’t the govt help in this regard?
its true for some people/kids will watch it anyways via piracy. but rating can still help, can it not?
Brian B,
LOL. The deconstruction of the superhero was revolutionary in its day. Just as how it reflected the 1980s. Well in spite of it being a Hugo Award winning book, I guess it isn’t for everybody.
That’s how it goes. I respect your point of view for it.
@gabby
the da vinci code had all the hoopla that it couldn’t be shown because it rubbed conservative sensibilities too much. i’m a practicing catholic and i’ve read the book and seen the film and i don’t mind it at all.
the dark knight was such a violent film. seriously the first few minutes of the film you had Joker killing his own crew. talk about crime! talk about super violence. the big difference between that movie and this one, no sex scene. seriously, are we that shallow?
my short answer is: No.
my longer answer:
that’s not a job of the government. imho the government should be focused on other things like making sure for instance Legacy doesn’t happen again or our banking system is up to spec to face tomorrow’s challenges, just to name two of the least of our people’s worries.
Also making sure EDSA isn’t a moon-crater filled artery of transportation should also take higher priority. Heck prioritizing the environment such as ensuring clean, cheap power should be of higher priority. When all of those worries are solved or at least on its way to be better managed, /then/ let government come forward and suggest what people should watch and what it shouldn’t. maybe i’ll even listen (fat chance).
that’s just my humble opinion.
What they edited out was the sex scene. Which was a pity since it was set to Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” A no-brainer given Night Owl’s erectile dysfunction.
“the da vinci code had all the hoopla that it couldn’t be shown because it rubbed conservative sensibilities too much.”
just point of fact, Da Vinci was shown in RP… according to this wiki article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Da_Vinci_Code_(film)#Philippines
is it wrong?
@gabby, ok i miss typed, i’m sorry about that confusion.
Anyway that doesn’t take the fact that controversy surrounding da vinci code was much to do about nothing. ;) same in this case. hence, why do we need an mtrcb? why go through all that trouble to “censor,” when in fact the best censorship is people’s taste?
Brian B hated watchmen, and i’m sure he’ll be telling his friends why and his friends will be discouraged, somewhat or will go in and watch it for themselves to see just how good or bad it is.
As for kids going to an R18 movie, that’s first and foremost the parent’s job. Heck, I’m going to say that that’s morality’s job and none of government’s business. Second, when has anyone in the history of the world been able to prevent a teen from doing anything that they’re not suppose to? And three when people say, something is controversial or bad, the more likely they’ll go and watch it or read it.