Pre-Code Paramount at the Criterion Channel

March 2, 2022March 7, 2022 ~ Lincoln Spector

As silent movies died and the talkies took over, movies became racier. The jokes got raunchier. The gowns were more revealing. And the bad girl could get the good guy - or maybe two good guys. This so-called "Pre-Code era" died in 1934, when the censors of the Production Code Administration took away much of … Continue reading Pre-Code Paramount at the Criterion Channel

The Interview at the New Parkway (Spoiler: The theater didn’t blow up)

December 29, 2014December 29, 2014 ~ Lincoln Spector

I haven't written anything yet about The Interview and its assorted release problems. Why should I? Everyone else has already written about it. Besides, I was on vacation. Now I'm back. Sunday night, my wife and I saw Kim Jong Un's least favorite movie at the New Parkway. Perhaps it was a case of lowered … Continue reading The Interview at the New Parkway (Spoiler: The theater didn’t blow up)

X-Rated Movies at Yerba Buena

October 16, 2013October 23, 2013 ~ Lincoln Spector ~ 2 Comments

Some films are just too strong to get an R rating. And for the first 22 years of the rating system, those films were saddled with the notorious X. Through November and December, the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts will celebrate that controversial and now-dead label with an eight-film series, X: The History of … Continue reading X-Rated Movies at Yerba Buena

Changing Film Technologies Reflected in Best Picture Nominees

February 7, 2012February 7, 2012 ~ Lincoln Spector

If either The Artist or Hugo wins the Best Picture Oscar, it will say something interesting about how the Hollywood community accepts the technical changes around them. If Hugo wins, it will be the first 3D movie, and the first shot digitally, to win the prize. If The Artist wins (which would please me far … Continue reading Changing Film Technologies Reflected in Best Picture Nominees

Good News on Blue Valentine Rating

December 9, 2010December 9, 2010 ~ Lincoln Spector

I just received word that the MPAA has agreed to The Weinstein Company's request to rate Blue Valentine R rather than NC-17. It appears that parents have the right to decide if their 16-year-olds can watch simulated cunnilingus.

Ratings, Censorship, and the Weinstein Company

November 18, 2010 ~ Lincoln Spector ~ 4 Comments

I just received word that the Weinstein Company is appealing ratings on two upcoming films. They're objecting to the MPAA's NC-17 rating for Blue Valentine, and an R rating for The King's Speech. I saw The King's Speech at a press screening for the Mill Valley Film Festival, and liked it very much. (You'll find … Continue reading Ratings, Censorship, and the Weinstein Company