Redstate

At times attacks from Christian critics fall flat (as when Shark Tale was accused of having a homosexual agenda) but the ad campaign and publicity for this film have focused on raunchiness and debauchery. The most tasteless shot was Carrell walking around with 'morning wood' (or a morning wood double). This seemed to get more promotion in some ads than the stars of the film. If the studio releasing the film wants to focus on the lowest common denominator, they deserve to be dismissed as smut.

even if a movie comes with a good moral message somewhere behind all the raunch.

It's one of those things that turns me off from Southpark and similar, I just enjoy being inundated with filth-even when I might agree with the message.

What puts me off of these kinds of movies (and South Park) is their contempt for humanity. I don't want to live in a world where everything is viewed with cynicism, where we are supposed to laugh at everyone, where the prevailing attitude is 'who gives a crap.' I don't need to see prostelytizing, or message of the week, but I want to watch people who feel, who try to improve themselves, who make the effort, even if they fail in the end. That's one of the reasons I became a fan of Six Feet Under, even as there were many plot elements on the show that might repulse me in my everyday life.

I am going on the assumption (based on advertising) this film has a negative or mocking view of life. If I ever see the film, I may have a different reaction.

I thoroughly enjoyed the movie with my girlfriend, though. It's one of those movies that is just something to pass the time, in my opnion. I didn't get the message the diary writer did; I saw it more in line with a movie like Napoleon Dynamite...just something that has no real point to it. Stuff like South Park actually does have moral messages, though. I never realized that until a few months ago...and I first watched in fifth grade (given I just thought it was hysterical, but never actually copied them...my parents made sure I didn't even think about it, haha. South Park I think actually speaks more from a conservative standpoint, even though it makes fun of everything; just as Family Guy is liberal even though it makes fun of everything as well. They're mostly just satires.

I think the episode that tuned me into the "morals" of South Park was the Wal-Mart episode where they are all trying to stop "The Wal-Mart" and must get to the heart of it, which is, in fact a mirror. Then they realize that the people make up Wal-Mart. Then it goes through the whole spiel and then they make fun of everything else and scr*w themselves again. Then I just seemed to notice it in all their other shows. Obviously it shouldn't provide a moral compass to anyone...but there is some substance to the stuff, I guess.

Even if no one agrees with me, it's an entertaining way to relax your brain for a little while.

See, this is what drives me nuts about people who criticize artists without viewing or experiencing their art.  When Tipper Gore railed against rap music and rock music, she hadn't once listened to the songs and tried to understand what was being said, who it was being said to, and what the results could be.  She read lyrics from the liner notes, and if you look at some Bob Dylan songs, his lyrics come off kind of bad too.

It's the same if you dismiss a film from its advertising.  I'm not saying you have to applaud the advertising, God knows I wish they'd stop showing all the good parts ads while hiding the bad, but this film is trying to attract an audience and change its mind about something.  While Rick Santorum turns off kids who just want to get laid, this film invites those kids and young adults in and suggests that they might have it all wrong.  South Park does the same thing, and the other poster is right, South Park is a little more conservative than you'd think (Family Guy is pretty liberal I guess).  But in satire they attempt to make genuine points about life in this country.  

Purportedly Roman Catholics hated "The Exorcist", but the film makes Roman Catholics look like the last line of defense for humanity against demonic possession.  It scared the hell out of people by being a real horror film, but it also kind of furthered Roman Catholic beliefs.  The thing is, I don't think people want to see their beliefs made real.  Adult virginity is kind of funny and a little weird to people all over this country, particularly the target audience of this film.  How wonderful, then, that those same people who snicker at Christians who say they want to wait might come to respect them a little more after seeing this film.  Contempt for humanity?  Hardly.  Go back and try again.

you will see I said I admit I might be wrong about the film. I was judging based on the promotion of the film and on the comments of the actors who are in the film. My other comments were about other programs, South Park among them. I think that show has an 'everybody sucks' attitude, a parody of libertarian talking points which help poison the hope and drive of the public.

I think these types of products preach to the apathetic and apolitical. They want people to stop caring.

to evaluate it.  I have to evaluate all kinds of media in order to determine what I will allow my children to be exposed to.  I have neither the time nor the hidden place to personally preview it all.  I rely on the reviews and the trailers.  If the advertisers emphasize raunchiness, I am going to take their word for it.

good idea if a movie is a good fit or not, previews are good for this as well.

I don't think I have to see a movie to have an opinion on some of the content-it is often the content that keeps me from viewing it.  

Jumped on the horse before I knew who I was attacking.  But I still don't think these films and tv shows are trying to get people to stop caring.  I really think you should see this film and try it out for yourself.  This is not a movie for 7 year old kids, but it might be good for older teenagers who are feeling pressured into sex.  It offers a fairly realistic alternative to always chasing tail and it does it in a fair and balanced manner.

Again, sorry for slamming you when you agree you should probably see it yourself.

already but it might be a good idea to expise your teenagers to this movie since they are surrounded by peers obsessing about sex right now.  I think this movie is best for college kids who right now have sex like it's taking a shot of liquor, they do it nearly every weekend and in way too much quantity.  This movie gets a little preachy, maybe, but it's preaching love and sex over love-less sex.  Nothing too bad about that, is there?

I had to track down a movie review that your comment reminded me of.

Here's John Singleton, director of "Boyz in the Hood" and the recent "Four Brothers," explaining why his movie trailers seem to glorify sex and violence, while the actual movie speaks out against them:

Maybe some kids will see the trailer and come to see the movie and leave with a lot of ideas they didn't have before.

I've seen "The 40 Year Old Virgin" several times (it's that good), and I agree that the scenes in the trailer cast a very different light than the movie itself does. But the way I see it, the trailer has 30 seconds to convince kids to come to the theater and the movie has almost two hours to get it's point across.

Under those circumstances, I can understand why the marketing department decided to highlight a bunch of penis jokes instead of the message of abstinence.

If you're someone who is concerned about the content of a movie as well as things like a good story and entertainment value, I would strongly recommend this review from Plugged In Online which is put out by Focus on the Family.

I have found them to be a credible resource because they (a) are very upfront about where they come from (a traditional Christian perspective) while (b) presenting the content in a factual rather than an exaggerated manner and (c) they give an honest review and overview of the movie rather than exaggerating its good points or bad points.  Even if you might disagree with their perspective, I have still found it useful in picking movies that I would feel comfortable seeing with a date or while taking my cousin's small children to go see when I'm watching them.

I seriously hope that no one is advocating that we should not be able to watch movies like this, American, or the South Park television show.  This is the USA here and if you do not want to watch or listen to something you have as much of a right not to, as I do to view raunchy movies and pornography.  I will say it again, if the Republicans allow the christian right to run the party, they will not win any elections, as they will lose the support of people like me and the vast majority who voted that way in 2004 but still want our porn and right of self determination.

< /snark>

Couldn't help but notice this is the second time you've expressed an unreasoning fear that the government was out to seize your porn. Considered moving your collection to the Caymans?

of seperating you from your porn. YOur hands should not be occupied with hiding stuff you value so highly.

No one wants your porn.  But you should consider getting a new hobby.  It sounds like you live a riotous life, or rather you sit and watch someone else live one from your boring lifeless chair.

where people were ashamed enough about their predilections to be hypocritical about them, and not make them the basis of a political platform.

somewhat fecicious about the porn (you can substitute Democrats and gun control for a similar argument).  My point is that instead of the party of fiscal conservatives and self determination, we have become a party that spends freely and attempts to determine what people should think and look at and how they should live their lives.  Sounds like the party I used to despise so much.

has ever been the "porn party."

You have us confused with the Libertarians.

It burns.  Thanks a lot.

and one thing I like is they are very specific about the types of situations that may be objectional, down to exactly what curse words are used, the amount of sex/sexually explicit jokes, and the types of violence.

I have directed some of my non Christian, but concerned parents in their direction, because they tend to do more than just the synopsis of the movie.