The Nightingale is a 2018 Australia adventure thriller by Jennifer Kent.
Starring Sam Claflin, Damon Herriman and Aisling Franciosi.
Set in 1825, Clare, a young Irish convict woman, chases a British officer through the rugged Tasmanian wilderness, bent on revenge for a terrible act of violence he committed against her family. On the way she enlists the services of an
Aboriginal tracker named Billy, who is also marked by trauma from his own violence-filled past.
The director of a brutal historical drama -- containing numerous visceral rape scenes that prompted cinemagoers to walk out of a Sydney screening on Sunday -- has defended her film, saying it's historically accurate.
Aussie film The Nightingale, directed by Jennifer Kent, was screened as part of the Sydney Film Festival to a sold-out audience of more than 1000 people.
Some audience members were so distressed by the on-screen violence, that they yelled out in protest and walked out.
However, Kent responded saying that the unflinching rape-revenge story, set in 1825, contains historically accurate depictions of colonial violence and racism towards our indigenous people:
We've made this film in collaboration with Tasmanian Aboriginal elders, and they feel it's an honest and necessary depiction of their history and a story that needs to be told, she said. I remain enormously proud of the film.
However, it was clear some in Sydney on Sunday didn't feel the level of sexual violence was warranted in telling the story of Clare, tweeting:
The Nightingale made me do something I thought I would never do. I walked out. There was a point when I just needed to take myself away from that brutal space. But I recognised that this is an important film so I walked back in and watched the
rest of the movie.
Viewers also walked out during later scenes in the film that showed horrific levels of violence towards babies, children and mainly indigenous people -- with close-up shots of faces being mashed up, brutal stabbings and even more drawn-out rapes.
Despite the criticism, The Nightingale received a sustained round of applause as the credits rolled at the Ritz last night.
The Iron-Fisted Monk is a 1977 Hong Kong action comedy drama by Sammo Kam-Bo Hung.
Starring Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, Sing Chen and James Tien.
Cut by the BBFC for 18 rated DVD in 2001. Uncut and 18 rated since 2019 Blu-ray. Uncut and MPAA R rated in the US.
The 2001 cuts of 1:16s were for sexual violence. The BBFC commented at the time:
Cuts were required to remove eroticising shots of the forced exposure and groping of breasts, and of volume of nudity of victim during a rape scene under the Board's guidelines and sexual violence policy.
93:01s
UK: Passed 18 uncut for sexual violence with previous BBFC cuts waived:
2019 Eureka video
Summary Review: Good Addition
Here is yet another excellent kung fu movie done by Sammo Hung. The fighting is outstanding consisting of multiple kung fu styles facing off against each other, all done with superior speed and precision. Also sword and
other weapons battles round out the action. There are still a ton of fight scenes but not quite as many as some of his other films, probably short by just a couple. The story is good and has decent acting. It is done well enough to keep your
interest throughout and contains some scenes not normally seen in these type of films (nude, rape, a whore house). I was quite surprised with the amount of nudity shown (female). This movie is definitely not for children.
The Iron Fisted Monk is definitely a good addition to any kung fu collection.
Rocketman is a 2019 UK / USA musical music biography by Dexter Fletcher.
Starring Bryce Dallas Howard, Taron Egerton and Richard Madden.
A musical fantasy about the fantastical human story of Elton John's breakthrough years.
The Elton John biopic Rocketman was banned by Samoa's film censor last week due to its depiction of homosexuality onscreen. Film censor Leiataua Niuapu Faaui said:
We're concerned with the cultural values and also the Christian beliefs here in Samoa -- it's not appropriate for public viewing,
Samoa recently also edited scenes from a screening of the Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody n the same grounds.
In Samoa, sodomy is illegal and is punishable by up to seven years in prison.
Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw is a 2019 USA action adventure by David Leitch.
Starring Dwayne Johnson, Idris Elba and Eiza González.
Lawman Luke Hobbs and outcast Deckard Shaw form an unlikely alliance when a cyber-genetically enhanced villain threatens the future of humanity.
In this Fast and Furious spinoff, Dwayne The Rock Johnson and Jason Statham's characters find themselves having to stop Idris Elba s Brixton Lore from unleashing a deadly virus on humanity.
One of the big fights will unfold when Luke Hobbs, Deckard Shaw and Vanessa Kirby's Hattie Shaw team up with Hobbs family to clash with Brixton Lore and his goons in Samoa. Johnson shared how it was initially planned for him to bite and spit out
his opponent's eye. He claimed:
Unfortunately the scene where I bite the bad guy's eye out and spit it on the dirt didn't make it. MPAA ratings board forbid us to show it because it was too violent.
PG-13 movies are granted a fair amount of leeway when it comes to action and violence, but naturally there are some things that are off limits within that rating. Luke Hobbs removing a man's eye from his socket would have been shocking, brutal
and badass, but the MPAA wasn't having it, so we'll have to make due with Johnson's character simply tossing his adversary to the ground and bludgeoning him senseless.
IFCO has published its annual report covering 2018.
It notes that teh number of cinema films passed is about the same as the previous year with 448 releases in 2018. However it reports that video DVD submissions (presumably including Blu-ray) has declined by 15% to 2621 submission in 2018.
IFCO reports on 2 appeals in 2018, both appeals were rejected and the rating remained unaltered. The two films were the 18 rated The First Purge , and the 12A rated Bumblebee.
The number of complaints received by IFCO has always been minimal. IFCO writes:
During 2018, IFCO received 18 complaints from the public which related specifically to classifications awarded. The most received in respect of any one title was 6 in the case of SHOW DOGS, a comedy classified PG for Mild violence, language and
rude humour. Of these, two were from people who had not seen the film.
IFCO has also just upgraded its website to make it a bit smarter. IFCO acknowledged that it needs to up its game in interacting with the public. IFCO wrote in the report:
It is to be hoped that the updated website will be more visited and perhaps encourage people to contact IFCO. All constructive input, whether positive or negative is very welcome and informs as to people's expectations of IFCO service
The Irish Film Classification Office (Ifco) is suffering a rapid decline in revenue as a result of the collapse of DVD sales. The state censor has experienced a 23% drop in income over two years.
In its recently published 2018 report Ifco said the slump in DVDs being submitted for classification meant its financial situation would have to be closely monitored.
Rocketman is a 2019 UK / USA musical music biography by Dexter Fletcher.
Starring Bryce Dallas Howard, Taron Egerton and Richard Madden.
A musical fantasy about the fantastical human story of Elton John's breakthrough years.
During the Russian premiere of Rocketman on 30th May in Moscow, film goers noticed the 40s gay male sex scene between Elton John (Taron Egerton) and manager, John Reid (Richard Madden) was missing.
Film critic Anton Dolin saw the original version in Cannes and remarked the Russian edit cut out scenes of kissing, sex and oral sex between men. This included a photo of Elton John and his husband David Furnish in the closing credits. It also
didn't show scenes featuring drug and alcohol use. Around five minutes in total was missing from the Russian cut of Rocketman.
Maybe the 5 minutes may be an exaggeration. Not also that there are Russian laws banning the 'promotion' of gay sex so such censorship may be a legal necessity rather than a morality decision by the film censor.
Update: Russian distributors blasted by Elton John
Elton John has hit out at Russian film distributors for editing out gay sex scenes from his biopic Rocketman, adding that it was a sad reflection of the divided world we still live in.
The local film distributor, Central Partnership company told news agency TASS that it cut the scenes to comply with Russian legislation
The decision to remove the scenes was made solely by the distributor, Russia's Culture Ministry told TASS, adding that it issued no recommendations concerning the scenes.
Film critic Dolin said the grossest thing about the Russian edit was that the final caption had been removed from the closing credits. In the original, it says that Elton John found the love of his life and is raising children with the man he
loves (there is a dramatic moment in the film when his mother says to him 'you are doomed to be lonely'). In the Russian version it says the musician set up a foundation to fight AIDS and is still working with a long-time co-author.
Mektoub, My Love: Intermezzo is a 2019 France comedy romance by Abdellatif Kechiche.
Starring Shaïn Boumedine, Ophélie Bau and Salim Kechiouche.
It's the end of summer vacation for Amin. The young photographer spends cozy evenings with Charlotte, the ex-girlfriend of his Casanova cousin. She talks to him about literature, he photographs her.
Mektoub, My Love: Intermezzo has made a splash at the Cannes Film Festival 2019 sparking 'outrage' amongst feminists. The film is directed by Abdellatif Kechiche, who had a hit with Blue Is the Warmest Color , infuriated a few
viewers who claimed it was rife with objectification and voyeurism.
The film featured what Indie Wire said appeared to be an un-simulated oral sex scene and gratuitous close-ups of women's butts. Apparently the that while the sex seemed consensual, feminists warned it drips with the male gaze. Producer Patricia
Hetherington tweeted:
I just walked out of Mektoub My Love: Intermezzo. The most lacivicious [sic] leery trash I've seen. Eurgh! Talk about objectification and voyeurism.
The Daily Mail adds
An almost unwatchable lech fest of a film by one of France's top directors that includes some two and a half hours of twerking and pole dancing was savaged at the Cannes film festival Friday. Critic Boyd van Hoeij from the Hollywood Reporter
wrote:
Mektoub, My Love: Intermezzo consists of three-hours-plus of jiggling female butts. Oral-sex intermezzo aside, this is basically 'Twerking Female Fannies: The Movie,' said Boyd van Hoeij. Sitting through it was its own kind of hell. If only one
could unsee and unhear it.'
The BBFC reports on its complaints received in its annual report. And 2018 saw a bumper crop (relative to previous years. The BBFC wrote:
In 2018 we received 364 complaints covering 101 films and 67 complaints covering 24 trailers. The majority of these were from people who had attended the cinema or viewed films at home. However, we also received a number of complaints inspired
by news reports, online blogs and organised campaigns.
The top films attracting complaints were:
Red Sparrow
Red Sparrow attracted 64 complaints. All correspondents felt that we should have classified the film at 18 instead of 15 because of elements of violence and sexual violence in the film.
Peter Rabbit
Fifty people contacted us about Peter Rabbit, a film featuring animated rabbits and based on the stories of Beatrix Potter. Four people complained about violence and upsetting scenes but the majority complained about a scene in which the rabbits
pelt their adversary, an adult man, with fruit in order to defend themselves from his attack and provoke an allergic reaction. Complainants felt that this was unacceptable at PG because it might be emulated by children.
We received complaints about the allergic reaction before the film was released in the UK in response to press coverage that started in the US. We received no complaints about this scene after the film was released.
A Northern Soul
We classified the film 15 because of around 20 uses of strong language. While the language in the film is not used aggressively or sexually, our research suggests that a significant proportion of parents are concerned about the normalisation of
such language in films. The language in A Northern Soul, is used casually in conversations, across a relatively short feature (75 minutes), with no particular justification.
Three people wrote to us complaining about the 15 rating for A Northern Soul feeling a 12A would be more appropriate. We received 45 postcards protesting the 15 rating; however, these had been created and handed out to cinema goers by the
filmmakers at screenings and do not provide an accurate representation of broad public opinion.
Kaala
Kaala is a Tamil-language drama which we classified 12A. 43 people emailed us to complain about the film's release. The complaints were not about the rating of the film itself but seemed to object to the actions of the film makers. They were all
worded identically and were clearly part of an organised online campaign.
Show Dogs
A police Rottweiler goes undercover at a dog show. As part of the operation he is required to let the judges inspect his genitals in a manner that is not uncommon in dog shows. The character is reluctant but is encouraged to go to his happy
place to get through the experience.
Thirty-one people wrote in to us echoing claims made in blogs that the scene might lower children's resistance to predators who wish to inappropriately touch them.
However, the scene is comic, innocent and non-sexual in nature and occurs within the fantastical context of a film about anthropomorphised canines.
In a similar vein to Peter Rabbit the complaints regarding Show Dogs predominantly stopped once the film had been released in cinemas.
Love Simon trailer
We received 18 complaints about a PG-rated trailer for the film Love, Simon. The trailer covers teenage relationships and features some implied kissing and references to being in love. All complainants took issue with the discussion of sex and
teenage relationships in the trailer but 11 took particular issue with the fact that the character is gay, believing the depiction of gay relationships to be inappropriate at the PG level.
Ready Player One
Ready Player One received ten complaints with correspondents focusing on infrequent strong language at 12A and some moments of horror.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom received six complaints, chiefly regarding very young children being brought to the 12A screenings.
Venom
Six people complained about Venom, which is rated 15. Complainants were disappointed they or their children would be unable to see the film.
Rocketman is a 2019 UK / USA musical music biography by Dexter Fletcher.
Starring Bryce Dallas Howard, Taron Egerton and Richard Madden.
A musical fantasy about the fantastical human story of Elton John's breakthrough years.
Rocketman follows in the footsteps of the similarly gay themed Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsod y. Perhaps with an eye on repeating the successful formula of the earlier sanitised and PG-13 rated biopic, Hollywood producers
Paramount seemed to have been pushing for Rocketman to get a PG-13 rating.
Paramount demanded that Rocketman director Dexter Fletcher and producer Matthew Vaughn cut a 40-second scene that depicts Elton John and one-time lover and manager John Reid, writhing on a bed. Fully exposed white derrieres are on display, but
the nude escapade is tastefully done.
However it seems that the film makers won the argument as the film ended up with an R rating that confirms the sexual content.
In the UK, the film was passed 15 uncut for drug misuse, sex, very strong language.
Australia's Review Board has overturned the Classification Board's MA15+ uncut for strong coarse language in favour of M for mature themes, drug use, sex scene and frequent coarse language'.
The Review Board explained that previous confusion about a cut version was down to information being embargoed at the request of the film distributor. Two version were submitted but one of these was an unfinished version rather than a censored
versions. The Review Board has now supplied a more complete account of the decision process.
Initially the Classification Board passed the film MA15+ uncut for strong coarse language.
The issues requiring an MA15+ over an M rating were related to strong language rather than the gay themes, and in particular the a single use of the word 'cunt'.
The distributors appealed the MA15+ rating and won their case as the Review Board reduced the rating to M for mature themes, drug use, sex scene and frequent coarse language'. The Review Board explained its decision:
It is the view of the Classification Review Board that the dramatic biographical context does mitigate the impact of the language, and specifically, the one instance of the use of strong coarse language.
Films classified M are considered suitable for mature audiences. It is for the above reasons, that the Review Board has decided that the contextual singular use of a strong coarse word can be accommodated at the M classification on this
occasion.
The other frequently used coarse words are routinely accommodated at the M classification level.
India's Most Wanted is a 2019 India action thriller by Raj Kumar Gupta (as Rajkumar Gupta)
Starring Arjun Kapoor, Rajesh Sharma and Gaurav Mishra.
India's Most Wanted is an upcoming Bollywood action thriller film directed by Raj Kumar Gupta starring Arjun Kapoor and Amrita Puri. The film is about tracking a terrorist in a secret mission and arresting him without firing bullets. It pays
tribute to unsung heroes of our society.
Film censors in UAE banned India's Most Wanted when the producers declined to delete a line of dialogue saying that most terrorists are based either in Pakistan or Dubai,
The director, Raj Kumar Gupta, explained:
Yes the film will not release in Dubai. There were some issues which could not be sorted and hence this decision. Yes the said dialogue is there in the film and it is a factual one based on the research that has been conducted. So we did not
want to do away with the dialogue and decided on retaining it in the film even if it entailed a non-release in Dubai.
When Bruce Lee was handed his first pair of nunchucks in the mid-1960s, he called the weapon a piece of junk, his training partner, Dan Inosanto, recalled recently.
Lee said the nunchucks were not as effective as sticks -- too fancy and too showy. Then he goes, This might be good for the movies.
And indeed they were good for the movies. But their popularity alarmed the authorities, in what many now see as a hysteria that echoed other racist fears of Asians. The police began arresting people for carrying what some called deadly weapons.
In four states, lawmakers banned them.
This month, after more than 40 years on the books, Arizona's ban, which one lawmaker called antiquated, was repealed. In December, a federal judge struck down New York's decades-long ban , saying it violated the Second Amendment, despite
arguments from officials that the weapons were dangerous and unusual.
The remaining state bans are in Massachusetts and California.
Rocketman is a 2019 UK / USA musical music biography by Dexter Fletcher. 
Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw is a 2019 USA action adventure by David Leitch. 
Mektoub, My Love: Intermezzo is a 2019 France comedy romance by Abdellatif Kechiche. 
