Havent films got very abusive lately?

[Matthew_T]

I mean in terms of what is allowed to be 12A and 15 rated.

My brother is now 16 and some of the films which have come out recently which are rated 15 have an awful lot of swearing and rude actions in them. I just think it has got out of hand.
Me and my dad went to see the Sweeney today and there was so much swearing in it and sexual references that I was appauled that it had been classified as a 15.
Even 12A films have swearing in them.

I am just disgusted at this so why have the rules changed all of a sudden? Is there some loophole which film makers are getting around now just so that they can have a younger audience? Whats going on?

 

[CopperCyclist]

No loopholes, just changing standards. I too am surprised at what they get away with nowadays on 15 or 12a ratings. I guess it's just a sign of the times.

 

[RussellZero]

Same with music, don't know if it's just me getting old, but it seems if you listen to the top 40 (but not the radio edits) probably 80% of them have explicit lyrics or blatant innuendo. I use spotify a lot, and I quite often look to play a song I hear on the radio, but the version they release is quite different to the one you hear - eg. Payphone by maroon 5. Perfectly good song, but I can't put it on from spotify cos of the language I wouldn't want my 12 yo to hear. Probably sound like an old fogey now...

 

[swee'pea99]

I'm a bit of an old-timer myself, especially when it comes to language in the house, but I think on balance I'm quite pleased that things are easing up at the pictures. One thing I'm sure of: they hear worse in the playground every day.

 

[Stig-OT-Dump]

When I was a youngster, Stiff Little Fingers penned a song "You can't say 'crap' on the radio". When my kids listen(ed) to Chris Moyles, it was one of the most common words repeated, after "I", "am" and "great" (good riddance to the fat erse!).

There has been a big shift in media behaviour, but there are some rules. It is something like... for a 12A you are allowed to use the F-Word 3 times along with 2 W-----s and a single C----. and no more than 2 rapes or a single garotting. Well, something like that.

For all that Mary Whitehouse was mocked, I think the fact that there is no crusading moralist today has resulted in a steep decline in regulation of media content, and she actually fulfilled quite an important role. It's all a bit sad really, and will probably result in a desensitisation that will have far reaching consequences.

And I'm normally dead liberal.

 

[Maz]

Same with music, don't know if it's just me getting old, but it seems if you listen to the top 40 (but not the radio edits) probably 80% of them have explicit lyrics or blatant innuendo...

Be honest. There was plenty of inuendo in the old tunes, too.
These Barry Mann lyrics are practically x-rated!...

Who put the bomp
In the bomp bah bomp bah bomp?
Who put the ram
In the rama lama ding dong?​

 

[Vapin' Joe]

In more innocent time not many people realised "Poison Ivy" by the Coasters was about VD -

She comes on like a rose but everybody knows
She'll get you in Dutch
Now you can look but you better not touch
Poison iv-y-y-y-y, poison iv-y-y-y-y
Late at night while you're sleepin' poison ivy comes a'creepin'
Arou-ou-ou-ou-ou-ound
She's pretty as a daisy but look out man she's crazy
She'll really do you in
Now if you let her under your skin
Poison iv-y-y-y-y, poison iv-y-y-y-y
Late at night while you're sleepin' poison ivy comes a'creepin'
Arou-ou-ou-ou-ou-ound
Measles make you bumpy
And mumps'll make you lumpy
And chicken pox'll make you jump and twitch
A common cold'll fool ya
And whooping cough'll cool ya
But poison ivy, Lord'll make you itch!!
You're gonna need an ocean of calamine lotion
You'll be scratchin' like a hound
The minute you start to mess around
Poison iv-y-y-y-y, poison iv-y-y-y-y
Late at night while you're sleepin' poison ivy comes a'creepin'
Arou-ou-ou-ou-ou-ound
Measles make you bumpy
And mumps'll make you lumpy
And chicken pox'll make you jump and twitch
A common cold'll fool ya
And whooping cough'll cool ya
But poison ivy, Lord'll make you itch!!
You're gonna need an ocean of calamine lotion
You'll be scratchin' like a hound
The minute you start to mess around
Poison iv-y-y-y-y, poison iv-y-y-y-y
Late at night while you're sleepin' poison ivy comes a'creepin'
Arou-ou-ou-ou-ou-ound

 

[swee'pea99]

Even I was a bit taken aback by Wendy's song on an episode of the popular cartoon South Park...

Mrs. Landers was a health nut
she cooked food in a wok
Mr. Harris was her boyfriend
and he had a great big,

Cock-A-doodle-doodle
the rooster just won't quit
and I don't want my breakfast
because it tastes like,

Shitzus make good house pets
they're cuddly and sweet
monkeys aren't good to have
'cause they like to beat their,

Meeting in the office
o meeting in the hall
the boss he wants to see you
so you can suck his,

Balzac was a writer
he lived with Allen Funt
mrs.roberts didn't like him
but thats 'cause she's a,

Contaminated water
can really make you sick
your bladder gets infected
and blood comes out your,

Dictate what i'm saying
'cause it will bring you luck
and if you all don't like it
I don't give a flying ****

(Edited for the sake of propriety...)

 

[Octet]

I was surprised when Ted came out as a 15, it was packed to the brim with swear words, references to sex, and probably more worryingly drug and alcohol abuse. In America it was rated as an R which probably would be a more fitting rating.

 

[byegad]

I mean in terms of what is allowed to be 12A and 15 rated.

My brother is now 16 and some of the films which have come out recently which are rated 15 have an awful lot of swearing and rude actions in them. I just think it has got out of hand.
Me and my dad went to see the Sweeney today and there was so much swearing in it and sexual references that I was appauled that it had been classified as a 15.
Even 12A films have swearing in them.

I am just disgusted at this so why have the rules changed all of a sudden? Is there some loophole which film makers are getting around now just so that they can have a younger audience? Whats going on?

Congratulations.
You are middle aged and I claim my £5!

 

[StuAff]

Move to Kent, become Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells....
Just because this stuff is now getting in as 15s in the cinema doesn't mean kids didn't see anything like that before. TV? VCRs?....
Hardly a new problem either. Remember the d***less gag in Ghostbusters?

 

[Nigel-YZ1]

What's acceptable changes with time.
The BBFC site (last time I looked) lists every change made to every film whenever it is resubmitted for release, either in cinema or TV.

Only thought of this as I'm listening to the Conan the Barbarian soundtrack right now.
There's a scene where a rider and horse fall, and the rider rolls down a slope, followed by the horse. Animal rights people on the set approved it, Milus mentions this in the special features of the DVD, yet on this DVD the BBFC cut out the stunt with the horse as they were having a clampdown on anything to do with animal cruelty at the time. And of course they can override even what an animal rights society rep on a film set says.

As far as bad language goes, it's a reflection of the times. People these days can't be bothered to express themselves, so they just swear in your face until you give up. I work in IT so I'm used to it!

 

[Matthew_T]

Congratulations.
You are middle aged and I claim my £5!

I am 18 and yet still disgusted. It does say a lot about how I have been brought up though if even I am thinking that it is innappropriate.

 

[LegsRsore]

I blame eminem.

 

[marinyork]

I think it's the other way round to what you say, a lot of people complain about content taken out of 15 films because the people making them have to be careful they aren't rated as 18 and then lose a massive chunk of revenue.

There is of course variation in how it is applied and one person's views. One will occasionally get caught out by the description or age rating of a programme expecting something else, but hey. Maybe you and your brother would be better off sticking to U/PG/12. One of my friends pretty much does that as he generally prefers that with a few more violent and less family orientated occasionally and he gets on fine. Not what I do, but he has his own tastes.