"Whether you enjoy watching the Academy Awards or not, the yearly celebration of Hollywood’s finest at the very least provides an opportunity to reflect on the movie industry and its trends, its successes and its failures. As we examine box office totals and the Academy’s choices for 2008, the numbers provide interesting insights and some fertile ground for discussion. Take the following statistics:
* Of the five movies nominated for best picture, four are rated R and one is rated PG-13
* The average gross box office of the five movies was 50 million, skewed high by the sole PG-13 movie, Benjamin Button, which grossed nearly 123 million
* Rated R movies accounted for 50%(!) of the rated movies released last year, but only accounted for 22% of the total box office revenue
* Only 14% of the rated movies released in 2008 were G or PG, but they accounted for 23% of the total box office
* PG-13 movies accounted for a whopping 55% of the total box office gross and were 36% of the movies released
A Thirst for the Family Friendly
The numbers indicate to me that America has a thirst for movies in the “family friendly” G/PG category. I think the statistics show that people enjoy clean movies and want to see films with their families. But despite the overwhelming success of non-rated R movies, Hollywood still makes as many rated-R movies as it does all three of the other ratings combined! From a purely business perspective, sense would seem to dictate that studios need to shift resources away from the raunchy, profane, and violent. So why don’t they?
While the answer is likely complicated, the number of rated-R movies released and the Academy Award nominations may suggest that one factor is a values gap: those within the industry simply don’t share the same values, perspectives, and goals as the movie going public. The statistics demonstrate that we want more quality, clean entertainment, while some directors and studios may want to generate buzz by pushing boundaries, seeking for prestige among their peers, or releasing films that reflect their own morals and interests.
What To Do?
While studios have every right to release what they want, those of us who would like cleaner, values-oriented entertainment must voice our opinions. While every industry wants to reward its innovators and visionaries and be successful, we need to send a message that more graphic sex, violence, and profanity do not innovation, a vision, or even good business sense make. Until Hollywood understands this, or perhaps until they understand us, ClearPlay will have plenty of work to do."
-Brian Fuller
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(2) Sun Feb 22 2009 13:31 The Oscars, Hollywood, and You:
Here is an article I thought was interesting food for thought:
I have been cleaning out closets and rooms. I combed through clothes and toys. The thing about me is I love to get rid of stuff. It feels so good afterward to be decluttered. The thing is though that there are some things I have been dragging around with me for years I just can't bring myself to let go of. For instance my tennis skirts. I don't want to get rid of them even though I will probably never wear them again to play tennis in or anything for that matter. But they are my tennis skirts! Many matches were played and won in them, and memories made with my team mates. I have had one black skirt since 8th grade and it has held up great! I like to look at them when I see them every year or so when I dig through drawers going to give things away. They are there and I see them and it puts a smile on my face.
Or the shirt Julie made when she came to visit me my first year away from home. We went to the Backstreet Boys concert and she made me a shirt that had an iron on of the group and on the back a picture of Nick and under it saying "Nick's girl" and for herself she made one of Kevin with the same thing. Am I ever going to wear that shirt again in my life? Oh heck no! But Julie made it for me and we had so much fun that trip.
And the UCLA Bruins champ shirt that was the first old baggy night shirt Aaron gave me when we were dating to remember him by when I went to sleep. So what if it has holes in the arm pits? Speaking of holes in the armpits, the armpits have completely disintegrated in my UVSC physical ed shirt. And my In-N-Out shirt Aaron bought me while on vacation when we were dating before I even knew what In-N-Out was, has seen better days. How am I going to throw that away?
I have every letter than anyone has ever written me (including the ones from you Susie when we were like 13 and it has the pictures of you with blue hair) and wedding announcement. I've got it all. I still have the movie ticket stub of Star Wars Episode 1--the first movie date Aaron and I went on. How can I defile the memory by throwing the proof away? I have a sweatshirt that I have had since Junior year for heaven's sake. I have been dragging that thing around with me for 12 years now. It's practically an antique. I am pretty good at throwing away some things, but there are certain things my heart never wants to let go of. When I die everybody can just bury my body with trash bags of my 'stuff'.
Or maybe not...those things are in the Goodwill pile right now. *tear, tear* I guess it's the thought of moving cross country to possibly a smaller house than we currently are living it which I know is going to be old with teeny, tiny closets, forcing me into two options, drag that crap around the country with me and sleep with it stuffed under the mattress or in boxes around my bed, or get rid of it now.
Wrench. Ahh, I can't even bare to throw those things away...no one else wants them but I must donate them and let someone else pronounce their demise. (9) Sun Feb 22 2009 14:14 Spring cleaning:
Time to sell the house...we have been busy getting it ready to show. We got the carpets cleaned and I did a bunch of weeding already. On Sat we did more yard work as a family. We gathered up all the rocks (which were many and heavy), and I mowed the front yard, and Aaron degrassed the area around the trees. The kids helped by putting the rocks into the wheelbarrow. It started to sprinkle and Aaron broke the hoe and shovel so we called it good and treated the kids to Chick-fil-a for lunch for all their hard and cooperative work. (Hmm, family Sat cleaning sounds like a good tradition to start.) The food is good and they have a playground. And Luke got to come with us.