How to best censor your DVDs for content (1 Viewer)

[Michael St. Clair]

Why, with MovieMask, of course!
Isn't "The Princess Bride" much more palatable with "laser-light" swords instead of those nasty steel ones?
http://www.startribune.com/stories/389/846134.html
:rolleyes

 

[Chauncey_G]

You know, I remember the good ol' days when parents would see a movie advertised that they didn't feel comfortable having their kids watch and would say: "No, you can't see that."

I guess the little darlings just can't handle that kind of rejection any more...

 

[Keith_R]

Censorship sucks, take better control of your kids and what they see in the media instead of ruining a movie with this censorship. Complete crap
Oh and in the case of SPR, I think you'd be yelling and cussing when you are getting shot at from all sides

 

[Jacob_St]

It looks like it can only be used on a PC so I don't think it'll catch on. Even if it did I really don't see any reason to get upset about it. If people want to butcher movies in the privacy of their own home so be it.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Well, I sure as hell favor this over "Editted for content" dvds. Atleast this won't tamper with the movie itself as sold. The idea that a movie can be sold NC-17 and editted down using software in the family's home to a G is great. Dad can watch his porno with the kids in the room now.

 

[Nate Anderson]

Well, I sure as hell favor this over "Editted for content" dvds. Atleast this won't tamper with the movie itself as sold. The idea that a movie can be sold NC-17 and editted down using software in the family's home to a G is great. Dad can watch his porno with the kids in the room now.

Yeah, except that all that would remain is the bad dialouge...and what's the point in that?

 

[Joseph S]

Dad can watch his porno with the kids in the room now.

Actually, no. Kate Winslet will have her own special mask, but your favorite Porn star won't. So all the kids have to do is check the list at the site and make sure their favorite porn title isn't on the mask list.
I think SPR should use Super Soakers and Nerf Ball guns. Maybe they could come ashore playing the drums though.

 

[Patrick McCart]

This is as pointless as "Curse-Free TV" that you see on TV.
Why can't the parents just explain and teach instead of having the TV be a babysitter?
I bet this "MovieMask" device would catch on fire if you used it with Eyes Wide Shut or GoodFellas.

 

[Carlo_M]

I guess this is as good a substitute as any for parents who lack common sense!
Seriously, you want a child to watch SPR even "masked"? Or how about Fight Club "masked"? I don't know, if it's not suitable for a child to begin with, "masking" it won't make it any more suitable. How about Silence of the Lambs masked. There's barely any cussing and a minimum of onscreen violence. Think those themes are appropriate for a child, despite not having much of either vice? :rolleyes

 

[Alex Shk]

Some films aren't made for children.

Some films aren't made for the sensitive.

Some films aren't made for people who might be ethically or religiously offended.

Some films aren't made in agreement with your point of view (or mine).

Viewing a doctored version of these films doesn't mean you've seen the film. As a matter of fact - you've probably missed the entire point.

 

[DaveF]

I guess this is as good a substitute as any for parents who lack common sense!

The parents I know who use these sorts of things are very sensible, concerned and involved with their kids' upbringing.

I can see why people have no interest in this. But I don't understand the vociferous animosity towards such a device, and those who use it. I see several saying that parents should control their kids and what they see, yet railing against a product that could help some parents do just that.

And while I agree that censoring something like Fight Club or Saving Private Ryan for a five year old, is futile, those are straw-man arguments. This is more commonly used for otherwise clean childrens' movies that for unknown reasons, have some random profanity or needless violence in them.

One example, from a friend, is "The Road to El Dorado". My understanding is that it is a good movie overall, but marred by some mild profanity. Using a language-blocker device cuts out pointless, needless language, without impacting an otherwise good movie.

So, for what it's worth, caring, attentive, intelligent, thoughtful parents do actually use such things. They are trying to find the best compromise in what they let their kids watch. Not everyone's approach, but at least they're trying, and isn't that what everyone says we need more of?

 

[Joe Schwartz]

Cool, maybe this device could remove the masks from the orgy in Eyes Wide Shut...

 

[Tom-G]

Dad can watch his porno with the kids in the room now.

Heck yeah! That's a great idea. Now even kids can see the great method acting of Jenna Jameson. Not to mention the kiddies can experience the masterfully composed musical scores. Just think, with all of the graphic sex edited out, the kiddies will be much more cultured than their parents were when the parents were growing up.
In all seriousness, what ever happened to parents doing their jobs of deciding what is right and what is wrong for their children? At least until those children have reached a certain maturity level. People have to face the facts that there are certain things--in this case movies--that are for adults only and should be left at that.
When I was a kid, I was not permitted to see "R" rated movies. End of story. I don't remember my parents ever whining that someone else should be making this world kid-friendly. :rolleyes

 

[Jon_Are]

I like it. I remember watching 'Beetlejuice' with my girls, who fully enjoyed it. At one point in this otherwise fairly mild movie, Beetlejuice turns to the camera, grabs his crotch, and says "Nice fucking model!" A baffling and gratuitious use of profanity. No, no one was harmed by the event, and if you knew me you'd know that I ain't no fuckin' prude. However...now we can't watch Beetlejuice as a family, which I view as a loss.

To throw your arms up over a parent (not you) making decisions about what his (not your) child should watch in his (not your) own home is being self-righteous and needlessly dramatic. And to anyone squealing 'censorship', you're damn straight. I censor what my kids are exposed to every day, whether it's firearms, the TV news, or Rosie O'Donnell. That's called parenting.

And it affects you not at all.

Jon

 

[Travis D]

May I quote a few films from their list? ahem...
Aliens
American Beauty
Braveheart
Fight Club
Matrix
Memento (WTF?!?!!?! I'm sure all 7 year olds are dying to see that!)
Saving Private Ryan
Scary Movie
Traffic
The Usual Suspects
Kid's films? Family entertainment? Dumbass?
EDIT: I'm going to see if they'll take my submission of "Salo" for editing.

 

[Bill J]

I hate censoring more than anything, even more than pan and scan. You should not mess with art.

It all really depends on the parent. If a movie is not appropriate for children, they should prevent them from watching it. Some parents are stricter than others, and some children are more sensitive than others.

 

[Nick Graham]

What is there to remove in Life Is Beautiful? It is on the "masked" list.

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

Suggestive eye movements...

 

[Ian_H]

Hey Phantom Menance is on the list too. Maybe you can mask Jar Jar!! It may have its benefits yet!

-Ian

 

[Ryan Spaight]

Well, hey, if they replaced the swords in Princess Bride with lightsabers, what will they replace the lightsabers in Phantom Menace with?

Lightsabers in Princess Bride.... sheesh. A kid-friendly Matrix or Scary Movie.... double sheesh. Since when did kids have the automatic God-given right to watch every movie ever made? I sure didn't when I was a kid.

But, having said that, what would be impressive is if the software let you choose what blocks you wanted. In other words, access a list of all the masks for a particular movie and select which ones you want applied and which you don't. That would be a useful tool in some circumstances.

Otherwise, you're trading the director's value system for some faceless censor's value system, which is no improvement at all in my book.

Ryan