So the MPAA is going to open up its secret/secretive system for rating movies, apparently in (unstated) reaction to this (unrated) film. It’ll be interesting to see their explanations of how films like Pan’s Labyrinth (which I saw tonight, based on Tammy’s recommendation) and Children of Men can get R ratings, particularly given that they’re somewhat lenient towards violence
. (Both were rated the much more reasonable 14A here in Ontario, with similar ratings across the rest of Canada and most of the rest of the world.)
Ratings and Pan’s Labyrinth
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Oh I had no idea you saw it because of me! You mean people actually consider what I say on my blog sometimes? That’s just crazy. Hope you liked it!
Another thing, I’m sure you know this already, but I think an ‘R’ rating in the states is essentially equivalent to a 17A rating in Canada (if it existed). I remember seeing Scream 2 (rated R) in Florida when I was 11, but I required parental accompaniment. Basically no matter what your age you can get in with a guardian – it’s only NC-17 movies that you are completely restricted from. I think this is an okay way to go about it, though I agree that it’s silly to bar a 16 year old from seeing something like Pan’s by themselves.
Your movie lists are pretty similar to mine—my Woody Allen film of choice is Annie Hall rather than Manhattan, and I didn’t get Spirited Away—so I figured I’d give it a shot. Great call!
You’re right about the similarity to a “17A” rating. Our ratings tend to be a level “down” from the U.S.—I can think of very few U.S. “R”s that were anything more than a “14A” here in recent memory (and not-so-recent, as it used to map to “AA”), and their “NC-17” (when a studio will release one, thank you Blockbuster/Wal-Mart) is the equivalent of our “R”. Of course, Canadian society is that much more primitive and depraved than that of our southern neighbours, which is entirely the fault of our lax movie rating standards. 🙂