Interesting article by Charles Taylor on how Bernado Bertolucci's new movie "The Dreamers" will be forced into cutting to get an "R" rating from the MPAA. Taylor makes some great points: Movie studios, searching for the widest possible audience, have forced directors into gutting their movies so they can get "R" or "PG-13" ratings, violence is much more acceptable than sex in an American movie, and the of the boneheaded decisions made by the MPAA Ratings Board. Let's also remember that the Bertolucci movie is strictly aimed at adults - how many teenagers are going to see a movie directed by a guy they've never heard of? Teens will more likely be going to go see something like "Bad Boys II" or "Jeepers Creepers" or some other crap.
Actually, I think this is why DVDs are a good thing. While the theater experience is more of an actual "event" (i.e., you have to go to the theater and be a part of an audience), the DVD allows for more variety. A studio could release a "unrated" DVD and bypass the worry about filling up theater seats. A good DVD release can actually generate a good deal of "word of mouth" these days, especially since there are message boards and online discussion areas strictly for discussing new releases.
So what if Bill Maher thinks that DVDs are for the infantile - he's not right in every case. DVD has been a godsend to lovers of classic cinema. Take a look at the DVD release of "Citizen Kane." Not only does it have a lovingly restored animorphic widescreen transfer, but it also has a load of extras, including separate audio commentary tracks from Peter Bogdanovich and Roger Ebert, a PBS documentary on the battle between Orson Welles and William Randolph Hearst, and other goodies. I also got my sweetie to buy me the fantastic Criterion Collection version of "Spartacus." I guess Bill does have a point when he says that Hollywood doesn't make movies like they used to - the whole time I was watching "Gladiator," (besides the part where I actually fell asleep during the movie) I thought "This is a complete rip-off of "Spartacus" - somebody call Kurt Douglas!"
1:02:06 PM 
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