Movie News

Downton Abbey is a 2019 UK period drama by Michael Engler.
Starring Michelle Dockery, Maggie Smith and Tuppence Middleton.

Adapted from the hit TV series Downton Abbey that tells the story of the Crawley family, a wealthy owner of a large estate in the English countryside in the early 20th century.

The Downton Abbey movie may seem family-friendly, but gay references have caused a stir for the Irish film censor. The Irish Film Classification Office (IFCO) revealed that the film was initially given a 12A rating due to several offensive references to the sexuality of a gay butler, Thomas Barrow. A subplot in which Barrow visits a gay club in York sees the bar raided by police who are verbally abusive towards the gay men, describing them as 'perverts' and 'queers'.

In fact filmmakers had consulted a historical adviser who said that Barrow's experiences are an accurate depiction of gay life in interwar Britain. The plot was also praised by LGBT+ activists.

So the movie's distributor Universal were no doubt confident in appealing IFCO's decision, seeking a PG rating. The appeal was duly won and the film has now been re-rated to PG for brief homophobic reference.

The appeals board felt an audience familiar with its characters and setting would have been aware of the storyline about a gay character, so they changed the rating to a PG.

Ger Connolly, the director of IFCO, told The Times that the 12A classification had been a margin call. He said:

My decision came down to the use of words like 'pervert' in the context of a character's sexuality. For me, that moved it into the 12A rating.

Connolly was clearly a lone voice in deciding on a 12A rating and received no support in the UK where the film was always rated PG uncut by the BBFC for mild threat, language.

Three families of those killed while watching a Batman film in 2012 have written to Warner Bros complaining about the new Joker film and urging the studio to join action against gun violence.

Twelve people died in a cinema showing The Dark Knight Rises in Colorado. They included Jessica Ghawi, 24, whose mother Sandy Phillips told BBC News she was horrified by the Joker trailers. Speaking to BBC News, Phillips said:

When I first saw the trailers of the movie, I was absolutely horrified. And then when I dug a little deeper and found out that it had such unnecessary violence in the movie, it just chilled me to my bones. It just makes me angry that a major motion picture company isn't taking responsibility and doesn't have the concern of the public at all.

A letter from the 3 families asked the studio to lobby for gun reform, help fund survivor funds and gun violence intervention schemes, and end political contributions to candidates who take money from the National Rifle Association.

Warner Bros responded that the latest film Joker was not an endorsement of real-world violence and said that the studio has a long history of donating to victims of violence, including the 2012 cinema shooting in Aurora, Colorado. It added:

Make no mistake: neither the fictional character Joker, nor the film, is an endorsement of real-world violence of any kind. It is not the intention of the film, the filmmakers or the studio to hold this character up as a hero.

John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum is a 2019 USA action crime thriller by Chad Stahelski.
Starring Keanu Reeves, Halle Berry and Ian McShane.

In this third installment of the adrenaline-fueled action franchise, skilled assassin John Wick (Keanu Reeves) returns with a $14 million price tag on his head and an army of bounty-hunting killers on his trail. After killing a member of the shadowy international assassin's guild, the High Table, John Wick is excommunicado, but the world's most ruthless hit men and women await his every turn.

The film was uncut in the US and UK, with MPAA R and BBFC 15 ratings respectively.

However the film did not fare so well in Australia where it suffered category cuts for am MA15+ cinema release. The reported cuts are:

• After a protracted knife fight John Wick stabs one of his opponents in the eye. But the details of this have been obscure by reframing.
• Edits to a fight with the French guy in the library.
• Edits to a head shot using a shotgun towards the end.

The Australian Censorship Board reveals that the film will be uncut and R18+ for 4K Blu-ray but details for DVD and standard Blu-ray have not yet been published.

Meanwhile IMDb notes that the film has been cut in India for an adults only 'A' rating. The cuts were:

• Cuts to strong violence

• to remove middle finger gestures

• to remove an expletive

• A Smoking kills caption was also included in scenes featuring characters smoking.

Midsommar is a 2019 USA horror mystery thriller by Ari Aster.
Starring Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor and William Jackson Harper.

Dani and Christian are a young American couple with a relationship on the brink of falling apart. But after a family tragedy keeps them together, a grieving Dani invites herself to join Christian and his friends on a trip to a once-in-a-lifetime midsummer festival in a remote Swedish village. What begins as a carefree summer holiday in a land of eternal sunlight takes a sinister turn when the insular villagers invite their guests to partake in festivities that render the pastoral paradise increasingly unnerving and viscerally disturbing. From the visionary mind of Ari Aster comes a dread-soaked cinematic fairytale where a world of darkness unfolds in broad daylight.

There was a little hype about cuts in the US for an MPAA R rating. A Director's Cut has now been produced but it seems more about adding an extra scene favoured by Ari Aster rather than anything related to censorship.

Apple has grabbed the US rights to the Director's Cut. It will therefore be an exclusive to Apple's store and Apple TV. The Director's Cut will be released on Blu-ray in Europe though.

Update: But Apple hasn't got the worldwide exclusive rights though

Thanks to Clameur Du Cinéma
21st September 2019. See article from amazon.fr

The UK Blu-ray artwork has now been released and it shows that the Director's Cut will be included in the Blu-ray release.

UK: The Theatrical Version was passed 18 uncut for strong gory images:
UK: The Directors Cut details have not yet been published by the BBFC:

• 2019 Entertainment in Video [Theatrical Version + Director's Cut] (RB) Blu-ray at UK Amazon released on 28th October 2019
• 2019 Entertainment in Video [Theatrical Version only] R2 DVD at UK Amazon released on 28th October 2019

The Long Version of Midsommar will also be released on Blu-ray in France. The Collector's Edition from Metropolitan will be released on 2nd December 2019 with both the Theatrical Version and the Long Version.

It is Region B and has English language audio.

Howling III: The Marsupials is a 1987 Australia comedy horror by Philippe Mora.
Starring William Yang, Deby Wightman and Christopher Pate.

There are no censorship issues with this release. There is a little bit of discrepancy in age ratings though. The BBFC claim that it should be 18 rated, whilst the MPAA have decided on a PG-13 rating.

The 2019 Blu-ray release was passed 18 uncut by the BBFC for strong gory images for:

• 2019 Screenbound Pictures (RB) Blu-ray at UK Amazon released on 7th October 2019

The 1987 rating from the MPAA pre-dates rating reasons, but PG-13 has the generic warning: Parents Strongly Cautioned - Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

And by way of a tie break, IMDb's parental guidance seems to side with the MPAA's opinion:

Violence & Gore Edit

Mild. Lots of werewolves attacks are obscured and off camera, but some blood and bite marks are shown.

Frightening & Intense Scenes Edit

Mild. Some werewolf transformations may appear frightening to young children.

I've never heard of any alternative versions of the film that would explain this apparent discrepancy.

Promotional Material

Barry Otto (Strictly Ballroom) is maverick Professor Harry Beckmeyer who learns to understand the torment of a freak species when he experiments on a captured "Werewolf" in his lab. When the goverments wants the experiments stopped and all traces of the species wiped out Harry (who's now fallen in love with the marsupial girl, Jerboa - Imogen Annesley) is determined to protect her no matter what.

Hustlers is a 2019 USA crime comedy thriller by Lorene Scafaria.
Starring Constance Wu, Jennifer Lopez and Julia Stiles.

Inspired by the viral New York Magazine article, Hustlers follows a crew of savvy former strip club employees who band together to turn the tables on their Wall Street clients.

Hustlers was banned by Malaysia's film censors of the LPF because of its excessive obscene content. The board said naked breasts, erotic dances and scenes featuring drugs made it not suitable for public screening.

And for comparison the film was uncut and BBFC 15 rated in the UK for sexualised nudity, strong sex references, language, drug misuse.

The organisation that was previously well known as the MPAA has changed its name a little. The Motion Picture Association of America has become The Motion Picture Association.

The trade group, representing Hollywood's major studios + Netflix, then adds a regional identify to this generic name. So in the US the organisation will be known as MPA America whilst in the far east it will be known as MPA Asia Pacific.

The MPA name has been used outside of the US for sometime, so that will be familiar already.

The updated version of the iconic globe and reel logo that is so familiar to American moviegoers will now be used by all regional offices. Previously used versions of the logo will be phased out in the coming weeks and months.

The MPA writes:

Unifying the Motion Picture Association brand is the latest initiative under Chairman Rivkin's leadership, which has also included the addition of Netflix as a member studio earlier this year and the elevation of Gail MacKinnon to Senior Executive Vice President of Global Policy and Government Affairs, overseeing all government affairs functions around the world. This month, the Motion Picture Association returned to its newly renovated headquarters in Washington and will begin hosting screenings and other events this fall.

Marighella is a 2019 Brazil action historical thriller by Wagner Moura.
Starring Ana Paula Bouzas, Bella Camero and Herson Capri.

1969. Marighella had no time for fear. On the one hand, a violent military dictatorship. On the other, an intimidated left. Alongside, revolutionaries 30 years younger than him and willing to fight, the revolutionary leader opted for action. In Wagner Moura's,"Marighella," Brazil's number one enemy attempts to articulate a resistance all the while ousting the heinous crimes of torture and the infamous censorship instituted by the oppressive regime. In a radical face off, he fights for a people whose support is uncertain - all the while trying to a keep the promise of reuniting with his son - who he distanced himself from in order to protect.

The Bazilain film Marighella has had its Premiere Canceled.

The political film had been scheduled for its premiere on a notable date marking both the fiftieth anniversary of Carlos Marighella's murder and the Black Awareness Day.

In a statement, producer O2 Filmes reported that the film's premiere, initially scheduled for November 20th, was canceled because the directors were unable to comply with the procedures required by the National Cinema Agency.

Rambo: Last Blood is a 2019 USA action adventure by Adrian Grunberg.
Starring Sylvester Stallone, Paz Vega and Yvette Monreal.

Almost four decades after they drew first blood, Sylvester Stallone is back as one of the greatest action heroes of all time, John Rambo. Now, Rambo must confront his past and unearth his ruthless combat skills to exact revenge in a final mission. A deadly journey of vengeance, RAMBO: LAST BLOOD marks the last chapter of the legendary series.

The cinema release has just been passed 18 uncut by the BBFC for strong bloody violence, gory images.

The film was also passed IFCO 18 uncut in Ireland for extremely graphic gory violence.

For comparison the film was Rated R in the US for strong graphic violence, grisly images, drug use and language.

Its good to have the occasional opportunity to watch a Hollywood action film that does not have to tone the action down for the kids. Presumably it is a long way from being trimable for a lower rating else we would now be discussing cuts for a 15 rating.

India's Central Board Of Film Certification (CBFC) now has a new logo.

Chairperson Prasoon Joshi went on to unveil the new logo at an event on Saturday. Along with the logo, Joshi also revealed the new certificate identity of the board.

The event, hosted in Mumbai, was attended by Minister of Information and Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar.

The new film certificate will be based on the template below.

The Hunt is a 2019 USA action horror thriller by Craig Zobel.
Starring Betty Gilpin, Hilary Swank and Emma Roberts.

Twelve strangers wake up in a clearing. They don't know where they are, or how they got there. They don't know they've been chosen - for a very specific purpose - The Hunt.

The film was also originally titled Red State vs Blue State.

The film had earlier been MPAA R rated for crude and sexual content, nudity, language throughout, comic violence and drug use.

The movie The Hunt has been withdrawn prior to release by the US distributors after two US shooter incidents echoed the politically charged allegory of elites vs red caps underpinning this film.

Hollywood studio Universal distributing an action satire depicting a dozen supposedly red state Americans who wake up in a clearing and realize they are being stalked for sport by elite liberals, is to scrap the movie's release. The company had already announced that it would not promote or market the film.

The Hunt, produced by Blumhouse, the independent film house known mostly for low-budget horror films such as Paranormal Activity and The Purge as well as also the Oscar winner BlacKkKlansman, was due to come out on 27 September. But gun massacres in Ohio, Texas and California which resulted in more than 30 deaths has reignited a debate about gun control legislation. Blumhouse and distributor Universal Pictures have now said it would no longer release the movie.

Donald Trump inevitably had his say and tweeted about Hollywood liberals:

They like to call themselves 'Elite,' but they are not Elite. In fact, it is often the people that they so strongly oppose that are actually the Elite. The movie coming out is made in order to inflame and cause chaos. They create their own violence, and then try to blame others. They are the true Racists, and are very bad for our Country!

Universal said in a statement.

We stand by our film-makers and will continue to distribute films in partnership with bold and visionary creators, like those associated with this satirical social thriller, but we understand that now is not the right time to release this film.

Update: More details on story of the cancelled release of The Hunt

17th August 2019. See article from hollywoodreporter.com

On the evening of Aug. 6, Universal Pictures held a test screening of its thriller-satire The Hunt at a crowded theater in the San Fernando Valley. It was the second such screening, and some test audience members were again expressing discomfort with the politics of the Jason Blum-produced film, a source familiar with the feedback tells The Hollywood Reporter.

Hunt, directed by Craig Zobel, chronicles a dozen deplorables trying to outlast a group of private jet-flying elites bent on killing their anti-choice, gun-loving targets. Following a THR story earlier that day on the altering of the film's marketing plan in the wake of a trio of mass shootings, Universal executives and the filmmakers began receiving death threats via email and on social media and immediately paused the campaign altogether.

...Read the full article from hollywoodreporter.com

Batman: Hush is a 2019 film by Justin Copeland.
Starring Jason O'Mara, Jennifer Morrison and Stuart Allan.

A mysterious villain puppeteering Gotham's most dangerous forces leads the Dark Knight into uncharted waters in Batman: Hush, the next entry in the popular series of DC Universe Movies. An adaptation of the seminal DC classic tale, Batman: Hush centres on a shadowy new villain known only as Hush, who uses Gotham's Rogues Gallery to destroy Batman's crime-fighting career, as well as Bruce Wayne's personal life--which has already been complicated by a relationship with Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman.

UK: Passed 15 uncut for strong violence, bloody images:

• 2019 Warner Bros RB Blu-ray at UK Amazon released on 12th August 2019
• 2019 Warner Bros R2 DVD at UK Amazon released on 12th August 2019
• 2019 Warner Bros Amazon Prime VoD [UK only] at UK Amazon

US: Rated MPAA PG-13 for violence and action, suggestive material, and language.

Offsite Comment: Batman: Hush is Rated 15 by the BBFC -- How Come??

See article from bleedingcool.com by Rich Johnston

Flummoxed by a 15 rating for the Batman cartoon Hush.

Could it be that the batarang was interpreted as a ninja throwing star?

...Read the full article from bleedingcool.com