when is "unrated" not "unrated"?

[mckracken]

It seems to me theres a current trend with releasing DVD titles in an "unrated" edition.. thats great honestly but when is "unrated" not "unrated"?

I just picked up Pathfinder: Unrated, first off let me say that this movie is amazing, however...
their definition of "unrated" comes from adding CGI blood splatters throughout the film and sometimes its painfully obvious when the added blood doesnt match the color scheme of the scene its been implanted in. Correction, its not really "CGI" but a composite of a real liquid blood splatter effect that was created inside a studio under the perfect conditions then added into the final shot.

Isnt this the same as paying a high price for a Thomas Kincade print, thats been slightly dabbed and touched up in places by the artists understudy and renamed an original?

who knew that I could buy an ORIGINAL (print) that has paint dabs on it?

...anyway back to my original point, is this really considered an "unrated" version, its the same as the theatrical version only with the added composite blood effects. Is this REALLY a new totally separate unrated edition?

thoughts?
-McK

[Lavoruis]

When there's slightly more and in your face death scences exteneded or sex?
Like the first RoboCop it was almost rated x "Big Babies"
I seen alot more in your face violence in some other 80's movies
Than Robocop,
The MPPA is stupid!

[mckracken]

the MPAA is stupid, but its the director and producer that decides to release their movie in the theaters under an "R" rating, then make subtle changes to it for the DVD release, these changes arent anything hardcore, the only reason the movie is "unrated" is because they DIDNT resubmit it to the MPAA again after the changes were made.

IE: it isnt the MPAA's fault this time.

[Strider]

"Unrated" isn't really "unrated" unless the film is substantially different from the rated cut (obviously this doesn't apply to film that never had a rated cut). It has to have quite a bit more added footage, and it has to have some content that was too much for a rated cut.

Adding composited blood splatters to the exact same movie doesn't count. Using alternate "bloody" takes does count.

[Bark]

Unrated Cinemax movies rule! I know I love them.

[McJester]

Is it really up to the director what the rating is? because I remember watching the behind the scenes of "The Frightners" and Peter Jackson was talking about how hard it was for them to make the movie how he and the team had originally intended when the MPAA or whoever it was forced him to keep it R, Peter Jackson wanted it to be PG-13 so it could reach a wider audience and he states it brought the movie's popularity down and kept it from grossing higher because of the rating R against his own wishes.

So do director's have that decision? Or do they have to acquire the status of Spielberg first?

[mckracken]

Frighteners , I love that flick still havent seen the extented edition... I always thought that it was that scene where Daumers gets his head blown off and turns into a ghost that put the movie into R ratings.

[Lavoruis]

Theres probaby a directors cut of Toal Recall "
from what I heard on the special features they said the had to cut back some
of the violence.

[KingVoyeur]

I got all excited when I bought the "unrated" version of Pitch Black (which is a fine sci-fi flick), but I didn't see a damn thing different from the original.

[mckracken]

the word unrated means very little apparantly. So does "Special edition" or "Directors Cut"... quite sad really...

back in the day, a special edition really WAS special, "Unrated" actually MENT more tits and more ass, more violence and more sex...and a directors cut was not edited by the producers, after they had fired the director...lol.

[Graymatter]

"Unrated" isn't really "unrated" unless the film is substantially different from the rated cut (obviously this doesn't apply to film that never had a rated cut). It has to have quite a bit more added footage, and it has to have some content that was too much for a rated cut.

Adding composited blood splatters to the exact same movie doesn't count. Using alternate "bloody" takes does count.


I don't know if that's totally correct? It seems like over time, racy and suggestive ads for dvd releases have caused us to associate "unrated" with "too hot for the censors". but I think mckracken is closer to the truth: "unrated" just means literally "it wasn't ever rated", as in, it's any version of the film that wasn't submitted for rating by the MPAA.

So an Unrated cut doesn't necessarily have footage that the censors watched and then threw down their notepads and said "harumph!" and stormed out of the screening room...if there's just an extra scene or some extended dialogue that they added in between theatrical and dvd release, it can still be called Unrated and it's not lying. which is a bummer, but it's true.

[Jakester]

Exactly, Brain-guy. The "Unrated" cut of Pitch Black, for example has more character development, but I don't think it's got any more violence in it.
Any more, it seems that comedy directors will shoot alternate takes with an "unrated" version in mind, a la Knocked Up or the American Pie movies.

[Gentlemen Death]

I like pie......:p

[mckracken]

Well said graymatter, that is precisely what I am saying. I think that the studios are playing off the aspect that the DVD buying audience thinks "unrated" means "too hot for the MPAA" because back in the '70's it ment exactly that. In the 70's, if an R rated movie was "UNRATED" it was usually to add back in all the stuff that the MPAA told them to cut out in the first place.. and fans celebrated!

However in todays market, the MPAA doesnt dictate what goes and what stays,(did they ever?)I think they simply give a rating. If the movie gets an NC17 rating, the filmakers will try their best to scale back the gore sex, language and/or violence and resubmit the film to the MPAA again, but its basically the filmakers guessing what was too hardcore for the MPAA that resulted in the unwanted grade, and usually results in shaving mear minutes or seconds from certain scenes they think are too hardcore. Thats great...however what if the film was awarded an R rating by the MPAA. The filmakers now want to release an unrated copy to DVD for reasons unknown but they have no cut footage. Simple, make some changes and alterations and release it on DVD... never going anywhere near the MPAA (since its not going into theaters this time) the movie is now unrated simply by default, not because this version was "too hot for theaters".
It really sucks that they try and trick us like this.

but I think mckracken is closer to the truth: "unrated" just means literally "it wasn't ever rated", as in, it's any version of the film that wasn't submitted for rating by the MPAA.:)