Miscellaneous Movie Musings

[Moonliner]

Originally Posted by Gemini Cricket

My family was one of the first people in Hawai'i to test out cable in our homes. We moved to a condo when I was 5 or so and had cable installed. Oceanic Cablevision.
My sister and I watched it non-stop. We had WTCG (now TBS) and HBO (which showed porn late at night) and others. My parents were never around so we figured out a lot about things by watching TV. We watched movies ('Suspiria', 'Play Misty for Me', 'The Island of Dr. Moreau' etc.) that went unexplained which in hindsight probably wasn't good for us.
(Now that I think of it, I may have seen my first X rated film before my first rated R film. IN fact, 'Conan' may not have been my first R film, it may have just been my first R film in the theatre...)

HBO NEVER showed X-rated porn. Just the slightly naughty soft-core R-rated Immanuel type stuff. I remember the first time I went to a real x-rated theater. The part of the leading man was being played by a cucumber.

[Gemini Cricket]

Originally Posted by Moonliner

HBO NEVER showed X-rated porn. Just the slightly naughty soft-core R-rated Immanuel type stuff. I remember the first time I went to a real x-rated theater. The part of the leading man was being played by a cucumber.

The one I still remember seemed to exceed R by a fingerbang and an oral examination... so to speak. But I'll take your word for it. Back then, I thought any prolonged nudity = X. ???

[Moonliner]

Originally Posted by Gemini Cricket

The one I still remember seemed to exceed R by a fingerbang and an oral examination... so to speak. But I'll take your word for it. Back then, I thought any prolonged nudity = X. ???

NSFW

Spoiler:

Did you REALLY see the finger thrusting in and out of the vagina? The moisture dripping out as the finger repeatedly plunged up to the third knuckle? Or did you see the hand making the motion with the view obscured by a leg or some other body part?

To be an X you need the P's - Penis and penetration. Up close and personal.

[Gemini Cricket]

Originally Posted by Moonliner

Spoiler:

Did you REALLY see the finger thrusting in and out of the vagina? The moisture dripping out as the finger repeatedly plunged up to the third knuckle? Or did you see the hand making the motion with the view obscured by a leg or some other body part?

To be an X you need the P's - Penis and penetration. Up close and personal.

Spoiler:

I wished I remembered the name of it. For a long time I remembered it because I told all of my friends in grade school and they were all 'Ooooh!' Anyway, she was on her back spread eagle at a doctor's office and he put his two fingers up. It wasn't a close up shot, it was a full shot. But I don't know if that matters or not. Anyway, she looked like she was enjoying it. Talk about a doctor's bedside manner!
I feel like I'm recounting a vivid childhood trauma to a therapist. "It was horrible. So very straight! Not a penis in sight..."

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Originally Posted by Moonliner

But what kind of access did you really have to media? With Netflix, blockbusters, Internet, cable and Tivo I think my kids have access to a lot more mature material than kids of your generation. Plus the content has changed. When I was a kid the only thing I was "forbidden" to watch was the three stooges. There was no nip-tuck or WWF coming into your home on a daily basis. TV, even basic cable was for the most part not too bad for kids but I do think the relentless violence, hate and adult issues you see on shows like the Shield or SVU is not something kids need to see.

I watched WWF for as long as I can remember. We got cable when I was 5, and my dad would watch softcore stuff on Cinemax and not mind if I watched with him. We were allowed as much TV as we wanted - we were allowed to stay up as late as we wanted on weekends - and my parents had no idea what we watched. None of this was questioned. I watched plenty of MTV and I believe I did ask my parents what a virgin was after seeing the Madonna video. My dad loves super violent and super scary movies and I watched everything with them. Don't tell me there weren't any violent, gory movies before 1990 - I've seen most of them! They never had babysitters, and we always went to bed late, so it's not like they saved anything to watch when we weren't around.

I'm not advocating this "parenting style" as I disagree with much of it now, but I still maintain that kids can handle a whole lot more than people realize. I also maintain that it's up to individuals to parent as they see fit.

[DreadPirateRoberts]

Originally Posted by Cadaverous Pallor

I'm not advocating this "parenting style" as I disagree with much of it now, but I still maintain that kids can handle a whole lot more than people realize.

CP, what do you disagree with? I'm grappling with this right now. We let our 4 year old (at the time) watch Pirates I, and I was concerned about the scary scenes, but he had no problem with them. At his age, I wasn't allowed to go on the ride. I haven't seen Pirates II yet, and I'm not sure if he should or not, I guess I'll need to decide after I've seen it.

[scaeagles]

I don't think there is any sort of formula. I have three kids with differing personalities and it must be a bit taylored to each of them.

As an example with DL attractions, my 12 year old, when 6, was afraid of the unknown (still is), but the attractions genuinely did not scare her. She'd go on something freaking out about it, get off and say something like "wow, that wasn't bad, it was cool" and want to go on it over and over. My current 6 year old isn't afriad of the unknown so much as he is genuinely scared when he gets off something and then doesn't want to go again. So with the elder, it is make her try it. With the younger it is think real hard if it will genuinely freak him out. My four year old fears nothing.

That translates into TV viewing as well wihin our family, within certain limits, of course.

[Not Afraid]

Rides, attractions, experiences - I wasn't shielded, but I was fearless. Nudity and violence......I was SHOCKED the first time I saw at nipple on the big screen. I thought people were arrested if they showed that. (The film was Ryan's Daughter.)

[Alex]

Just watched Fitzcarraldo without knowing anything about it other than being directed by Werner Herzog (which is why I've had it from Netflix for about 3 months and am only now watching it).

There are a couple visually interesting scenes that they actually did rather than using models. Which is a waste since I just assumed they were models anyway.

Kinski is always interesting to watch work. In looking it up I see that Jason Robards was originally supposed to play the role and boy would that have been a different result.

[Not Afraid]

I love Fitzcaraldo. It was filmed in the jungles of Peru and in the town of Iquitos. I visited Iquitos few years after Fitzcarraldo was made, so I have a bond with it. I also love Klaus Kinsky (but that's more of a Nosferatu thing).

This film also heightened my appreciation of white linen suits.