Category: Film Classification

Paint Drying

Paint Drying (2016) is a film created solely to annoy British film classifiers. This 607 minute epic shows paint drying on a wall. For ten hours and seven minutes. Nothing else. Fourteen hours of footage was shot, however the final cut depended on the funds available to cover the per minute cost of classification. The… Continue reading Paint Drying

Deadpool

Deadpool is a parody of Marvel films, from its mock opening credits to its frequent fourth wall breaks to its post credits non-gag. However, it remains faithful to the formula it mocks. It also continues, without irony or comment, the standard, sexist, and tiresome tropes of men fending for themselves and protecting women. You cannot… Continue reading Deadpool

Ontario Film Authority

The Ontario Government has spun off the Ontario Film Review Board to a new agency, the Ontario Film Authority. This is an independent non-profit agency which will administer the Film Classification Act. In letters to distributors and retailers, it appears the only change is that fees are now payable to the agency instead of the… Continue reading Ontario Film Authority

Spectre

It’s a Bond movie, and we know what to expect. As the Irish Film Classification Office notes, there is “frequent intense action violence consistent with the franchise.” Across Canada, violence is the advisory. Everyone gave it a PG classification, except Quebec. which does not have a PG equivalent. Quebec noted the film was not suitable… Continue reading Spectre

Vacation 2015/1983

2015 1983 I’m not sure if the latest Vacation is a sequel, a reboot, or a remake, but whatever it is, something is missing. Rotten Tomatoes gives the original 93%, and this one a mere 25%. The new one has the same general storyline and crude humour, but in a misguided effort to refresh the… Continue reading Vacation 2015/1983

Mad Max: Fury Road

The first three Mad Max films are all violent, but different in tone. The third, Beyond Thunderdome, was not even originally a Mad Max film, which explains some of the differences. Mad Max: Fury Road promises to be different again, if nothing else because of time that’s passed. It’s been thirty years since Beyond Thunderdome.… Continue reading Mad Max: Fury Road

Fifty Shades of Grey

The publishing phenomenon arrives in theatres for Valentines Day, though it might not be the best choice for a date movie. Much has been written about the books, and the coming movie, and what it all means. It’s good to have conversations about sex and power in relationships, and to remember that most of us… Continue reading Fifty Shades of Grey

Unbroken

It may be a true story, but I’m not sure who is going to enjoy a film about surviving a Japanese prison camp, and the Christmas Day release seems particularly ill-timed. Back in the 1950s, films like this turned on up the exploitation circuit, and were sometimes banned for stoking racial hatred. Not surprisingly, some… Continue reading Unbroken

Guardians of the Galaxy

Consistently rated PG across Canada, except for Quebec which does not have a PG rating. Manitoba and the Martimes were concerned about language and violence, while Ontario and BC were only worried about violence, and Alberta was only worried about language. Elsewhere there is agreement that this is not a film for young children, with… Continue reading Guardians of the Galaxy