'Bloodshot' Gets a Disappointing Rating and Two Awesome Posters

Bloodshot is a property that I'm ashamed to say I know nothing about....it seems like it couldn't be more up my alley, yet I've never even heard of it until this Vin Diesel movie came about. Diesel, who's been trying to get a successful comic book film under his belt for years, and only has a single line of dialogue to show for it ("I Am Groot" anyone?) seemed to have a winner here. Maybe not an MCU caliber winner, more of an Upgrade level, but winning is winning right? The trailer is every bit of sci-fi awesomeness you could hope for. One part Universal Soldier one part X-Men with some Blade thrown in for good measure it really feels like one of those under the radar comic book flicks that really resonates with people...like Dredd for example. Then the rating was released. Now, I'm not usually a fatalist when it comes to hearing something is PG-13, you can do ALOT with that rating and a creative director with most projects. This doesn't seem like most projects, this seems to crave hyper-violence. Much the way that Deadpool would have been neutered by a PG-13, Bloodshot will most likely suffer from the label.

But hey....at least we have these cool new posters! And I've included the trailer below just in case you haven't seen it yet.

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Netflix Is Close To Finally Joining The MPAA

Netflix's uphill climb to respectability took its biggest step forward this morning with 15 Oscar nominations, 10 going to Alfonso Cuaron's Roma. All of the time and money spent was to achieve that first Best Picture nomination, and now that they have it, Netflix is ready to play with the big boys.

THR reports that Netflix is in "advanced" negotiations to join the Motion Picture Association of America, which is comprised of the 6 biggest movie studios. This would be a historic move, as Netflix may be the first non-traditional studio to become a member, and it could open the door for others to follow right behind them. Of course, none of the others throw around money quite like Netflix does. 

And naturally, it's dollars that are playing a role in all of this. The MPAA will be short one studio when the Disney/Fox deal goes through, and that will account for between $10M-$12M in annual dues they'd be missing out on. Netflix could plug up that gap, while at the same time the streaming giant gains the credibility that comes with being recognized as a legit film studio and force in the industry. Probably means we'll start seeing some real MPAA ratings on their original movies, too. 

So this is big and I expect it to go through at some point, probably very soon. Nobody can argue that Netflix is putting out the kind of crap, easily-forgotten flicks they used to. They're now producing Best Picture contenders and attracting the biggest names in the industry. This move only makes sense and it's likely just the beginning. Once Netflix gets its foot in the door, Amazon will follow, and so on. 

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'Deadpool' Gets The Rating Fans Have Been Hoping For

Whether you've ever read a Deadpool comic or not, chances are you know the upcoming movie is going to be lewd, raunchy, and hyper-violent. It's been pretty impossible to miss since Ryan Reynolds and 20th Century Fox have made it abundantly clear they want the film to be rated 'R', and now they've officially got their wish.

The MPAA have given Deadpool an R-rating for "strong violence and language throughout, sexual content and graphic nudity.” Graphic nudity? The decision to cast Morena Baccarin and Gina Carano is looking better and better.  Anyway, this is what fans have been demanding since the beginning, and now it's up to them to turn out and support it.

Deadpool hits theaters on February 12th.

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New Trailer for 'Mad Max: Fury Road' is Intense, Violent, and Disturbing

George Miller's been waiting a lot of years and enduring a ton of headaches to bring Mad Max: Fury Road to the big screen, and he's not pulling any punches whatsoever. If the insanity of the awesome trailers we've seen so far wasn't clue enough, the MPAA has just given the film an 'R' rating for  "intense sequences of violence throughout, and for disturbing images." Surely that's music to the ears of any diehard Mad Max fan.

Now another chance to see the face-melting action has arrived with a new international trailer. Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, and Nicholas Hoult lead the film which is basically one long, maddening chase across a post-apocalyptic landscape.  Here's the official synopsis:

Haunted by his turbulent past, Mad Max believes the best way to survive is to wander alone. Nevertheless, he becomes swept up with a group fleeing across the Wasteland in a War Rig driven by an elite Imperator, Furiosa.  They are escaping a Citadel tyrannized by the Immortan Joe, from whom something irreplaceable has been taken.  Enraged, the Warlord marshals all his gangs and pursues the rebels ruthlessly in the high-octane Road War that follows.

Mad Max: Fury Road burns rubber on May 15th.

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'Fifty Shades of Grey' gets an "Unusual" R Rating by the MPAA

There are a couple of funny things about the news that Fifty Shades of Grey, based on the hit mom-sanctioned sex novel by E.L. James, would be given an R-rating. First is that anybody thought the MPAA would rate it anything different given the extreme bondage fetishizing and graphic sexual content of the books. Despite some rumors about lightening up the sex to make it more audience friendly that was never going to happen if they hoped to keep the fanbase happy. The other funny thing is how the MPAA actually described the rating, which fits into their history of being vague, awkward and occasionally bizarre when handling controversial material.

Fifty Shades of Grey has officially been rated R by the super-conservative MPAA  for “strong sexual content including dialogue, some unusual behavior and graphic nudity, and for language.” Unusual behavior. So that's what all you Fifty Shades fans out there have to look forward to, some "unusual behavior". That's one way of putting how Christian Grey puts it to Anastasia Steele, I guess. 

Personally, I was hoping to see the film earn the dreaded NC-17 to see just how loyal its fans truly are and if casual moviegoers would be curious enough to buy a ticket.  So there you have it. Get the kids a sitter and check out Fifty Shades of Grey when it opens on February 13th.

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Eva Green's 'Sin City: A Dame to Kill For' Poster is Too Hot for the MPAA

The MPAA is notorious for being run by a bunch of old fuddy-duddies scared crapless by the very idea of anything sexy, so Robert Rodriguez and the marketing brains at Dimension Films knew exactly what they were doing with this latest salacious poster for Sin City: A Dame to Kill For. The image, which features Eva Green at her absolute sexiest, was rejected by the MPAA for  "for nudity - curve of under breast and dark nipple/areola circle visible through sheer gown." And my response to this? Thank you, Dimension Films! Seriously, the poster is pretty hot but that's kind of the point, isn't it? Now Rodriguez can go out there and pimp that his film is "too hot for the MPAA" or something.

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For opens August 22nd.

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'X-men: Days of Future Past' Rated PG-13 for Nudity

The questionable folks at the MPAA have revealed their rating for Bryan Singer's X-men: Days of Future Past, and while the director himself would probably be rated NC-17 right about now, the film has earned a PG-13. Why?

"For sequences of intense sci-fi violence and action, some suggestive material, nudity and language."

Excuse me? Nudity? There are gonna be naked mutants running around in this? Chances are it won't be Michael Fassbender (sorry ladies), and probably they just meant the blue form of Jennifer Lawrence's Mystique who doesn't really need clothing. Nudity plus suggestive maerial and language has me anticipating the film even more.

Try and spot the naked muties when X-men: Days of Future Past opens May 23rd. 

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Palm d'Or Winner 'Blue Is The Warmest Color' Slapped with NC-17 Rating

"This is a landmark film with two of the best female performances we have ever see on screen.  The film is first and foremost a film about love, coming of age and passion. We refuse to compromise Kechiche's vision by trimming the film for an R rating, and we have every confidence that BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR will play in theaters around the country regardless. An NC-17 rating no longer holds the stigma it once did, and we look forward to bringing this unforgettable film to audiences nationwide. We believe this film will leave a lasting imprint as the LAST TANGO IN PARIS for a whole new generation."

So says Jonathan Sehring, President of Sundance Selects/IFC Films about his Palm d'Or-winning romance Blue is the Warmest Color, which just got slapped with a restrictive NC-17 rating by the MPAA for “explicit sexual content.” They might as well have said "because girls having sex is kind of icky and junk". Ironically, in France the film has a rating of '12' which basically means it's only restricted from kids below that age. It'll be nice when we stop letting the sexual prudes run the show around here.To the studio's credit they aren't going to try and appeal the ruling, deciding to release it on October 25th in its full 3-hour capacity.

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'Man of Steel' MPAA rating revealed

Superman's going to be pretty intense, get a little violent, wreck a whole lot of stuff, and his language salty enough that the MPAA thinks your parents may need to tag along for Man of Steel. Warner Bros. highly anticipated film has received a PG-13 rating "for intense sequences of sci-fi violence, action and destruction, and for some language."

Not exactly a shocker here, right? Man of Steel opens in 2D, 3D, and IMAX on June 14th.

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Sure Shots: Romany Malco; Gerard Butler; 'Riddick'

* While he's expected to return for the upcoming Think Like A Man sequel, Romany Malco is keeping plenty busy in the mean time and capitalizing on that film's unexpected success. He'll next join screen legends Michael Douglas, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Kline, and Robert De Niron in Last Vegas, a comedy from director Jon Turteltaub. The story follows a group of four old friends who hit the city of sin to celebrate the impending marriage of the last of them to remain single. Mary Steenburgen plays a lounge singer that causes friction between Douglas and De Niro, while Malco is a concierge name Lonnie. [Deadline]

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The Weinstein Company announces 'Bully' will be released unrated

If the MPAA wanted to prove just how old, outdated, and ultimately out of touch they are with today's world, the worst fight they could have chosen to pick was against the documentary, Bully. Directed by Lee Hirsch and championed by The Weinstein Company, the film details the tough lives of a handful of high school students who face bullying every single day, the dire ramifications of the abuse. An anti-bullying campaign has been sweeping the country for months, spear-headed by celebrities, athletes, and people numbering the hundreds of thousands taking part in the movement. With the film clearly targeted at teen aged audiences, the MPAA in their infinite wisdom decided to stamp it with an 'R' rating, ensuring that the people who need to see it most would have almost no opportunity to do so.

Harvey Weinstein has been locked in a vicious, very public feud with the MPAA ever since. Nearly 500,000 people signed a petition to get the MPAA to reduce the rating to PG-13. The MPAA never budged, and the Weinsteins even went to far as to threaten leaving the MPAA behind altogether. Today, after the final appeal was denied, The Weinstein Company has decided to release Bully unrated into theaters on March 30th. This puts the decision squarely into the hands of theater owners whether to show the film or not. Below is the issued press release announcing the decision....

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'The Hunger Games' earns a PG-13 rating; new 60 second TV spot released

While the bulk of Lionsgate's marketing for The Hunger Games has been targeted at the young adult audience, Suzanne Collins' novels are pretty graphic in their content. It is after all about a future in which the children from poor districts are forced to fight and kill one another mostly for entertainment. The violence perpetrated against the young puts it on the same level as something like the similarly themed Battle Royale. Would Gary Ross and Lionsgate tone down the content in order to maintain an audience friendly MPAA rating?

According to the MPAA, The Hunger Games has been rated PG-13 "for intense violent thematic material and disturbing images - all involving teens." That would seem to indicate that the violence hasn't been toned down much, although it's likely many of the more brutal acts will be left mostly off screen. This is probably the best place for the film to be, since a harsher rating would have left the primary audience out in the cold, while lightening the tone too much would render the story unrecognizable to its considerable fan base.

Lionsgate has also released a new 60-second TV spot, focusing on the life experienced by Katniss Everdeen(Jennifer Lawrence) in the poor, totalitarian ruled District 12. The studio appears to be keeping the bulk of the competition action scenes under wraps, choosing instead to flesh out the world that the Hunger Games could exist in....

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PG-13 rating confirmed for 'The Expendables 2'

Yesterday we learned that the paragon of virtue known as Chuck Norris had put his foot down and demanded that The Expendables 2 have it's harsh language toned down to secure a PG-13 rating. For the kids, of course. Oh ho ho, won't somebody please think of the children!? We took his word for it that he wasn't lying, and it turns out he wasn't, because Sylvester Stallone has now confirmed it. AICN talked to ol' Sly himself and here's what he had to say...

Stallone:  Harry, the film is fantastic with Van Damme turning in an inspired performance... Our final battle is one for the ages. The PG13 rumor is true, but before your readers pass judgement, trust me when I say this film is LARGE in every way and delivers on every level. This movie touches on many emotions which we want to share with the broadest audience possible, BUT, fear not, this Barbeque of Grand scale Ass Bashing will not leave anyone hungry...Sly

 I'm not so much angry over this because I think it'll have a drastic effect on the finished product, because it probably won't. The Expendables wasn't exactly over the top bloody, nor was it all that filthy language-wise. It's that Norris had the power to get his way, even though the extent of his concern doesn't stretch towards violence, only the occasional cuss word. It's flat out dumb. The MPAA has the same ass backwards mentality, so maybe Norris can be their Chairman some day.

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MPAA chairman comes out against websites protesting SOPA

If you've never heard anybody talking about SOPA over the last few weeks, let me just say it has nothing to do with washing your hands. It's an acronym for the Stop Online Piracy Act, legislative measure making it's way through the House of Representatives, designed to stop...well, piracy, and any illegal activity over the internet. The bill, and it's senatorial counterpart, PIPA(Protect IP Act), have been the topic of some pretty heated discussion.

SOPA's aims aren't the issue, as I understand the need to put an end to some of these bit torrent sites that allow for the illegal downloading of movies and music, or other sites that steal content on the regular. The problem is that the bill is too far reaching in it's scope, so it should come as no surprise it was introduced by those hypocritical "small government" Republicans, in this case Representative Lamar Smith. The power granted by SOPA would grant the attorney general unchecked power to shut down any website under suspicion of copyright infringement. So, y'know those times when we've had a leaked trailer or something and the studios give us a hard time then yank it down? We could potentially be shut down for something like that. 

Today, a number of major websites such as Google, Wikipedia, Reddit, are blacking out as a means of protest against SOPA. This has apparently pissed off Chris Dodd, former Democratic senator and current chairman of the Motion Pictures Association of America, who is a big supporter of the bill. He released this statement to that effect....

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Movie Poster: Blue Valentine, starring Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams

Unfortunately if you've heard anything about Blue Valentine, it's likely been as part of a negative story. Not about the film itself, which has been the subject of critical raves ever since it premiered at Sundance earlier this year. No, the controversial flick from director Derek Cianfrance has become known for being the latest victim of the MPAA's shoddy system for rating movies, saddling Blue Valentine with the dreaded NC-17 for one particularly intense sex scene between stars Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams.

The Weinstein Company is appealing that decision, shooting for an 'R'. An NC-17 practically guarantees that nobody reading this post today is going to see the movie, which would be a crying shame.

I don't know if the Weinsteins are playing off the recent MPAA decision when they released this brand new poster, but the sexual energy radiating off of it is palpable.

Blue Valentine opens in limited release on December 31st, 2010. Check out the latest trailer for the film below, followed by a brief synopsis.

Blue Valentine is the story of love found and love lost told in past and present moments in time. Flooded with romantic memories of their courtship, Dean and Cindy use one night to try and save their failing marriage. Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams star in this honest portrait of a relationship on the rocks.

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