Menacing Movies

Sources

2009-12-01T01:10:00.000-08:00

The following websites have been used for educational purposes within the blogs prior to this one:

Information
-www.imdb.com/List?certificates=Malaysia:%28Banned%29&&heading=14;Malaysia:%28Banned%29)
-www.moviefone.ca/2009/06/19/sacha-baron-cohen-bruno-controversy/
-www.conservapedia.com/Michael_Moore
-www.perezhilton.com/2009-11-16-michael-moores-running-out-of-steam
-www.iambed.com/2009/11/16/2012-movie-traile/
-www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,1202224,00.html, and expect to be surprised by some of the contenders.
-www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Movies/11/24/lil.wayne.carter.documentary/index.html.

Movie Summaries
-www.imdb.com/title/tt1232207/plotsummary
-www.imdb.com/title/tt0889583/

Videos
-www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hqyC0rWN7U&feature=player_embedded
-www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hz86TsGx3fc&feature=player_embedded

Next celebrity to die in 2009?

2009-12-01T00:51:00.000-08:00

With the string of celebrity deaths that have been occurring lately - Michael Jackson, DJ A.M. and Patrick Swaze to name a few - it is being speculated that David Hasselhoff may in fact be the next celebrity to pack it in.

The Baywatch star has rumored to have been hospitalized 10 times for alcohol related illness, and was taken to the hospital again on November 27, for "spouts of seizures", although it has been hypothesized that this was yet another alcohol related hospitalization.

"The Hoff" gained infamy in 2007, when a video was leaked of him drunk, on a bathroom floor, eating a hamburger in front of his daughter.

While it is morbid to speculate the death of anyone, being in the public eye in such a negative way, such as the celebrity that Hasselhoff has been showing, it is not surprising that the first message upon his International Movie Data Base page is a fan expressing their concern that Hasselhoff will be the next 2009 celebrity death.

Lil' Wayne shoots a movie ... sort of

2009-12-01T00:36:00.000-08:00

Lil' Wayne is best known for his songs such as "Lollipop", "Prom Queen" and "Got Money", and is no stranger to the controversial lyric.

Recently, Wayne allowed a film crew to follow him throughout his every day life, now branching into the world of film.

The film crew was able to record Wayne smoking illegal drugs and mixing cough syrup with soft drinks, as well as recording music, and living his day-to-day life.

This documentary was screened for Wayne, who gave his approval, but shortly later sued to make sure that the film was not released.

This controversial act has left numerous people scratching their heads, wondering why Wayne, who admittedly liked the film, is so against it being released into public consumption.

The producer of the documentary, Quincy Jones III, is under the impression that Wayne is merely acting for someone else, in having the film cancelled.

To view a CNN Entertainment article based around this controversy, visit http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Movies/11/24/lil.wayne.carter.documentary/index.html.

Even Disney contains controversy

2009-12-01T00:10:00.000-08:00

Almost all individuals within North America and Europe can recall viewing at least one Disney movie within their lifetime. Disney's films are essentially fairy tales, traditional stories that end happily ever after.

Children aim to have their lives turn out like a Disney movie, with girls wishing to be saved by their Prince Charming, and boys wishing to save a damsel in distress.

As these children grow older, they are alarmed to learn of the negative aspects of Disney, most predominantly sexual messages, and racism.

Take Aladdin, for example. This classic movie is the tale of a man and a woman, but is that all there is to it? An infamous controversy surrounds this movie in the form of a hidden verbal message; Aladdin stating "teenagers take off your clothes." While it is hardly audible while watching this cartoon, there are numerous websites that have isolated the sound, making it very obvious that this line is uttered within the movie.

Sexual images and themes occur in many different Disney movies, such as The Lion King, with the spelling out of "sex" within the stars in the sky in one scene, The Little Mermaid, with a penis shape being drawn into the castle, and The Rescuers, with a topless woman being shown in the background of a scene, to name merely a few of these sexual innuendos.

In addition to sexual messages, racism is also a major feature within Disney cartoons. Those who study archetypal theory have expressed their dislike for the dark imagery within these movies. For example, the Lion King possesses a prime villain, Scar. Scar has a black mane (while the rest of the male lions have an orange one), and his sidekicks are black hyenas. This can be viewed as highly racist, as it gives children the idea that everything dark is evil.

The occurrence of "dark" or "dark skinned" villains is shown throughout numerous Disney movies.

Finding out these facts about children's movies makes an individual question the media that they have experienced throughout their lifetime.

Go back, look through these movies, and decide for yourself whether or not these timeless movies truly are as controversial as they appear.

Most controversial movies of all time

2009-12-01T00:04:00.000-08:00

People have been drawn to controversial entertainment since these types of movies were first put into public cohttp://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=3802126487113187934nsumption. Movies such as The Da Vinci Code, The Day After Tomorrow, and Fahrenheit 9/11 are both informative and fear mongering.

While movies such as these are visibly controversial, other movies are also deemed so due to their suggestive plots, characters, or language, though they are not nearly as blunt about it as documentaries or apocalyptic thrillers are.

Entertainment Weekly's website has comprised a list of the top twenty five controversial films of all time.

As EW states, "The world's $583 million obsession with 'The Da Vinci Code' proves it: We're fascinated by what shocks, disgusts, and divides us."

To view the complete list formulated by EW, visit http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,1202224,00.html, and expect to be surprised by some of the contenders.

Laurier student believes fear would exist without films

2009-11-30T23:11:00.000-08:00

When a movie such as 2012 or Capitalism: A Love Story is put into public consumption, nothing but fear is administered to those who view it.

Lisa Gurney, a first year student at Wilfrid Laurier University's Brantford campus is voicing her opinions on apocalyptic and fear mongering films.

When asked about films that exploit fears, Gurney states, "I believe that [these films] are exploiting fears and also creating fears of their own. As more people hear about the movie [2012] and where it stems from, they are going to wonder whether the world is actually going to end ... this can cause a fear in society."

Though she admits that without these movies, apocalyptic theories and fears would not be as wide spread, they would still exist. "I think that it is human nature to fear what is unknown. As long as people have the ability to communicate, then they can still gossip amongst themselves. Even if a fear is based on a rumour someone decided to spread, until they dig deeper into an issue, then they aren't going to know the truth."

Gurney goes on to relate a situation such as a fear mongering film to a bomb rumour within a school. She elaborates, explaining that the general public would be the students in the school, who are being guided by their teachers - these films. The "bomb squad" would be the experts, such as NASA scientists, and researchers, who try to defuse the problem (or "bomb") and get the truth out to both the children and their teachers.

When faced with the two common forms of fear inducing movies - fictional versus documentary - Gurney states, "I think that it's always better to be blunt and come out with what you mean. Yet when it comes to fiction, there is also more drastic effects that you can spin into the story to cause the audience to walk away [with a] feeling [of wonder]. So [I believe that] both can be equally effective since they can tie into one another."

While Gurney is not necessarily pro apocalyptic films, she does believe that these movies are also a source of entertainment. "One person's fear may be another man's salvation. In other words, everyone has different views and just because something may be made to invoke fear, others may find comfort in it or find it interesting. It will effect different people in different ways. And fear, like any emotion, is a reaction which sometimes is all a person is looking for; a reaction to the information being presented."

A late welcome

2009-11-30T22:37:00.000-08:00

Movies are a way that people bond – a way for two or more people to relate to one another, when no other common ground has been presented. When movies are viewed in a controversial light, they make for even better conversation, and potential debate, as anything that is seen as controversial has more than one side to it.

This blog will explore everything controversial, in respects to film. It will differ from most other blogs, as this is a unique topic that is universal and relatable; everyone has their own opinions, and I will merely provide you the facts.

Sit back, enjoy the controversy, and don’t be afraid to voice your own opinions.

Hollywood continues making money off people's fears

2009-11-16T14:41:00.000-08:00

By now, most people have heard of the doomsday controversy surrounding the year 2012. In short, the myth, or reality, if you choose to believe so, is based upon the ending of the Mayan Long Count Calendar, which existed for 5000 some odd years, and ends on either December 21 or 23, 2012.

So, wanting to make money, obviously some Hollywood director would turn this apocalypse theory into a movie.

Enter director Roland Emmerich, the man behind similar apocalyptic movies such as The Day After Tomorrow, and Independence Day. The movie follows an academic researcher who is battling against the end of the world, which is set to occur in 2012.

The link below is to an interview done with NASA scientist David Morrison, who is assuring the general public that the year 2012 is being looked upon in a way that is similar to the Y2K theory was in 1999.

http://iambed.com/2009/11/16/2012-movie-traile/

Moore's newest film not doing so well

2009-11-16T14:38:00.000-08:00

According to perezhilton.com, Michael Moore's newest film, Capitalism: A Love Story, has not been a box office hit, to say the least.

States Hilton, "Moore's latest effort, Capitalism: A Love Story, has only earned $14 mil at the box office since its release seven weeks ago!
At the height of his career, Moore's 2004 film, Fahrenheit 9/11, drew in an impressive $119 million in its year of release, and even 2007's Sicko managed to gross $24.5 million."

To view this specific post, see http://perezhilton.com/2009-11-16-michael-moores-running-out-of-steam, or for more Hollywood gossip, visit www.perezhilton.com.

Michael Moore’s Conservapedia page possesses information regarding all movies that Moore has released prior to the release of Capitalism: A Love Story. To view this page, visit http://conservapedia.com/Michael_Moore.

Sacha Baron Cohen is back

2009-11-02T00:25:00.000-08:00

He did it in 2006 with his hit movie Borat, and now Sacha Baron Cohen is at it again...

Think of a minority, and it is likely that Baron Cohen has offended at least one member of it within his 2009 movie, Bruno. Bruno is the story of a homosexual Austrian fashionista, who upon ruining his credibility within German-speaking Europe, decides to move to LA for a fresh start on finding world fame. Bruno works his way through various events, television shows, etc. offending numerous people along the way. (Visit http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0889583/ for complete information on the movie)

One of the first controversies that this film encountered was the opposition of Gay and Lesbian rights groups. While the film was pre-screened for some rights groups, it was instantly decided that the screening had taken too long, and that the changes that wished to be made by these groups were unable to be completed. Due to the inability of these changes, many homosexual peoples have attempted to have the film banned.

For a detailed list of controversial aspects of this movie, visit http://www.moviefone.ca/2009/06/19/sacha-baron-cohen-bruno-controversy/.

Malaysia bans most Western favourites

2009-10-26T21:50:00.000-07:00

Think about movies that you could see being banned.

Which ones come to mind?

Movies by Michael Moore, maybe. The American Pie series... perhaps. Babe? Yeah... me neither.

Over the past couple of decades, the Malaysian film board has banned the most [seemingly to Westerners] random films that have been released. When looking through the list of banned films and TV shows that has been provided by the Internet Movie Database, it's hard to understand the motives behind some of the decisions to ban.

Among those banned, the list names movies such as Brokeback Mountian, I Know Who Killed me, Pokemon and Interview with the Vampire. (For a complete list, visit www.imdb.com/List?certificates=Malaysia:%28Banned%29&&heading=14;Malaysia:%28Banned%29)

Confused? Me too. The titles of the movies and TV shows that have been banned vary to the point of randomness, and rarely do the ideas that have placed them on this list make any sense. Movies, such as Babe, and it's sequel Babe 2: Pig in the City, which are both rated "G" in Canada, are yet to be released within the Malaysian boarders.

With children's movies being banned, good luck finding any films that star popular actors such as Seth Rogen or Sacha Baron-Cohen, as well as most horror movies that have been released within the past decade.

Michael Moore is at it again...

2009-10-26T20:50:00.000-07:00

Michael Moore’s controversy check list:

√ Flint Michigan’s depression – Pets or Meat: The Return to Flint (1992)

√ Gunfire culture – Bowling for Columbine (2002)

√ The Bush Administration – Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)

√ The American economic crisis – Capitalism: A Love Story (2009)

Michael Moore is the king of controversial documentaries. He doesn’t care who he offends, who he exploits, and who he tramples over to give his viewers the truth about whatever has been bugging him.

This time around, with his newest documentary, Capitalism: A Love Story, Moore continues to explore the impact of corporate dominance upon the every day American citizen.

For a complete summary of the movie, visit www.imdb.com/title/tt1232207/plotsummary.

Before his movie was even released, Moore was suffering for his past ridicule of General Motors, from his ’92 movie Pets or Meat: The Return to Flint. Over 10 years ago, Moore explored his hometown of Flint, Michigan and exploited the GM automotive plant for their role in the depression that the town is now facing.

Present day, Moore was banned from his own screening of his 2009 movie, as all four of the theatres in which the screening took place are owned by GM. The screenings were able to take place, but Moore was not able to enter the buildings in which they occurred.

Thus far, Moore's newest film has not circulated as much controversy as his previous films, but give it time... we are talking about Michael Moore, after all.