I was curious who here gets really offended at violence in movies? Do you get offended easily, or does it take a lot of overwrought violence and bloodshed in films to get you angry? Do you get sick, angry, or do you just turn away and watch something else? Do you think violence in movies should be regulated? Or, do you think violence in film could create actual violence in society?

What movies really offended you with their violence, and why?

2freaky4church1 said:

This is such a tough subject.

I'm generally against censorship and a great believer in artistic freedom, but do I think violence in movies can create violence in society? Yes, I do. Far from all kinds of violence though. I think it usually takes violence that is portrayed in close connection with a "culture" for it to be dangerous. For example, I know that a lot of hoodlums in real life are trying to be like Al Pacino in Scarface. They completely idolize that character and watch the movie over and over so they can copy his exact style and actions. Some ghetto movies can have that effect too, I think.

Some very rare versions of "lighthearted" violence can be dangerous too. In Very Bad Things for example. There they chop up a woman's body into pieces and hide it in a desert - and it's supposed to be a "black comedy". We're supposed to like and accept these characters despite or even because of their actions. On the other hand, there are movies like Monty Python and the Holy Grail where a man gets pretty much every single limb chopped off with gushing blood as a result. I don't think that affects people in the same way. Maybe because it's so cartoonish? It's hard to say exactly why.

When I see violence that crosses my line, I don't really get offended but I usually get nauseous. I usually feel like they included it for the wrong reasons and that it didn't serve the story. Because as a filmmaker I think the story is very important. It can provide a context for the violence in which it is "meaningful" in one way or another. Take Saving Private Ryan for example, where the violence reminds us of what has actually happened and warns us to not let it happen again. Or in Braindead where it becomes humorous and plays with our sometimes ridiculous fear of our own anatomy.

One example of offensive violence is Pink Flamingos, the offensive first film by John Waters: There is a scene where a man and a woman make love between two live chickens. They actually kill the chickens onscreen, and fuck the dead carcass. I'd say that is pretty sick.

2freaky4church1 said:

Yeah, real violence on-screen is of course pretty fucked up. Then again, some would argue that it's better to show real violence since it is more off-putting to people and discourages violence in real life more than the polished fictional kind which could actually encourage it.

Either way, Anxiety will get you for this.

Anxiety lives to pull my wang..lol

SameB1tchDifferentDay said:

Why? Didn't you pay attention to what John Lennon said; "Make War, Not Love"?

Or what about the titties of mass destruction? Or the IRAss? Sex is a horrible thing.

retina said:

it should be outlawed. or at least severely restricted.

give us more time to focus on the axis of evil. find those wmds. and Nicole's killer!

It depends. Generally in horror movies, I love violence. Not because I enjoy seeing people suffer, but because the special effects and makeup interest me. It's almost like watching a magic trick sometimes. I can watch people get dismembered with a chainsaw in a horror movie, but I cannot handle watching a hostage be beheaded.

I have a really hard time watching any kind of violence and tend to turn away or cover my eyes. I can't stand gore, either. Heck, I can't even get through an episode of ER without looking away. Occasionally, stylized violence (a la Kill Bill, khung fu movies, etc.) doesn't bother me so much cause it IS so cartoonish and/or choreographed, its more like an elaborate dance.
And like bitch, I really don't get the whacked out US standard of watching the destruction and mutilation of a clothed human body being OK but the briefest glimpse of skin is somehow 'harmful to children'.
That said, I pretty much feel, let the 'artist' decide.

2freaky4church1 said:

huh?!? i didn't even know you HAD a wang.

2freaky4church1 said:

actually, john waters has 'repented' for this as much as he is willing to, because some of his veteran dreamlanders are vegetarians and animal rights activists (ironically, mink stole has been an outspoken member of PETA in past years) and he's said in several interviews that some of the more outrageous stunts from his old movies are even difficult for HIM to watch these days.

he also said that the chickens used in that scene were barbecued and eaten by the cast and crew afterwards, so in his opinion it was just the food chain at work for the sake of art.

i'm not thrilled with that scene either, but i 'forgave' him for it a long time ago...if he were all ted nugent and "HELL YEAH, KILL MORE CHICKENS!" about it, i probably wouldn't be a john waters fan.

2freaky4church1 said:

I was curious who here gets really offended at violence in movies? Not me. I understand it's a only a movie - with props, make-up and actors.

Do you get offended easily, or does it take a lot of overwrought violence and bloodshed in films to get you angry? No. I am more interested in the problem/resolution of the violence.

Do you get sick, angry, or do you just turn away and watch something else? No. I try to rate the authenticity of the violence ie logic, make-up special, effects etc.

Do you think violence in movies should be regulated? Yes, for the squimish!

Or, do you think violence in film could create actual violence in society? NO. ART IE FILM IS A REFLECTION OF OUR SOCIETY! I think it could create copy cat violence! May-be you should check out foreign films. More mental, minimal violence (if any) and not as loud.

What movies really offended you with their violence, and why? Cliches with potential violence really offend me! For example - I am often insulted by the white cop/detective in the "hood" with one gun. He alone controls the obvious trouble makers by showing his gun and giving a long soliloquy ...! That's when I look away,squirm and say. "That's some bull****!"

i think if violence serves the story that is trying to be told, then i'm okay with it. if a movie about the horrors of war needs to be especially violent to show how traumatic it was for the people who had to fight, then fine. there are a lot of classic stories that are very bloody - greek mythology, medieval legends, so on and so forth - and in a lot of these stories, violence emphasizes the trials of the hero characters, and the violence plays an important part in the stories. star wars is a good example of how this has been modernized - limbs are getting hacked off all over the place in those movies. but it serves the story.