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A ministry of the ChildCare Action Project: Christian Analysis of American Culture (CAP Ministry) A 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Christian Ministry. www.capalert.com/ Entertainment Media Analysis Report A service to His little ones through you in His name by His Word MAR27023  (2007), PG-13 [Hard R-13*] (1hr 25min) The #1 Christian entertainment media analysis service on the Internet. We give you OBJECTIVE tools NO ONE ELSE CAN to help YOU make an informed decision for yourself whether a film is fit for your family. Over 1100 analyses for parents, grandparents, pastors, youth leaders and more. |
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(While the Scriptural references are certainly not subjective, my commentary may be and sometimes is somewhat subjective.)
 Cast/Crew Details Courtesy Internet Movie Database Production (US): Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks SKG, Eyetronics USA, First Entertainment, MTV Films, Red Hour Films, Smart Entertainment Distribution (US): DreamWorks SKG, Paramount Pictures Corporation Director(s): Josh Gordon, Will Speck Producer(s): Lara Breay, Stuart Cornfeld, Patrick Esposito, Marty P. Ewing, John Jacobs, Peter Kohn, Jeremy Kramer, Colin O'Reilly, Ben Stiller Story by: Busy Philipps, Craig Cox, Jeff Cox Screenplay: John Altschuler, Dave Krinsky Cinematography/Camera: Stefan Czapsky Music: Theodore Shapiro Film Editing: Richard Pearson Casting: Juel Bestrop, Seth Yanklewitz Production Design: Stephen J. Lineweaver Art Direction: Seth Reed Viewed At: Driftwood Theater 6 A lot of folks seem to like this sort of entertainment. That much is obvious by the box office receipts. But I just cannot bring myself to enjoy such "R-13" entertainment as Blades of Glory (PG-13) because of what it does to the shaping and corrupting of the moral values of the kids in the audience. Especially since most of them did not even come up to my shoulders. And that is not to say such entertainment is "fit" for adults by the standards of the One who wrote the Standards. I guess that so many folks like this sort of entertainment goes hand in hand with what seems to be that most award-winning films are rated R and that most successful advertisements include skin and/or an attitude. A sign of the times. [Jer. 37:9, Ps. 12, 2, 2 Tim. 3:1 - 5] If you are looking to find some kind of good word about Blades of Glory in our report, look no further. You won't find it here. The talents and skills are drowned in assaults on decency and morality. By the way, I am not the One who decides what is immoral. Singles ice skaters Chazz Michael Michaels (Will Ferrell) and Jimmy MacElroy (John Heder) vie for the gold. Jimmy is the more subdued and caring personality with seemingly feminine characteristics though nothing is said or done to identify him as one who chooses to practice homosexuality. The only things that might suggest MacElroy being "gay" is his hair and his choice of skating outfits which are more likely simple film making devices to magnify his contrast against Michaels. Michaels, at the opposite end of the personality spectrum., is quite uninhibited, is "redneck" aggressive and is an admitted sex addict and talks like one might expect a crude sex addict to talk. Both are quite adept at the art of figure skating. In fact, they are equal. So equal they tie. After an on-the-ice altercation that sets afire the mascot and bruises the image of professional ice skating, the National Skating Federation bans the two forever from competing in men's singles ice skating. Then along comes a new Coach (Craig Nelson) with an idea. Coach's idea flies in the face of tradition but no rule can be found that says two men cannot skate in the pairs category. And that is what they do. In doing so, they perform a potentially fatal piece that nearly costs the life of Michaels. Between the foreground and the background are current pairs skating champions, the brother-sister pair of Stranz (Will Arnett) and Fairchild (Amy Poehler) Van Waldenberg. To them, the very idea of two men competing in pairs is an affront to the art of figure skating but more than that the Van Waldenburgs see Michaels and MacElroy as a threat to their reign as king and queen of the ice. The Van Waldenbergs launch an all-out battle to oust the skating odd couple from competition. Stranz and Fairchild even extort their humble sister Katie (Jenna Fischer), attractive inside and out, whom with very thin rationale they blame for the death of their parents, to do underhanded and dastardly things to derail the Michaels-MacElroy pair as a romance begins amidst it all. Wanton Violence/Crime (W) Matters of violence and/or criminal behaviors are varied to include such as fighting, threat to kill and threats of harm to extort. Assaults, attempted murder, pursuit to kill, kidnapping (two counts), false imprisonment (two counts), a beheading and portrayal of suicide add to the point loss in Wanton Violence/Crime. Slapstick violence adds seasoning to the mix. [Prov. 16:29] Impudence/Hate (I) Thirty-five uses of the three/four letter word vocabulary cause the loss of a great deal of the starting 100 points in this investigation area. A father disowning his adopted son because of failure in sports, an adult defecating, cruelty, tattoos, coaching to lie, lying and rudeness with a child and a few other matters of impudence and/or hateful behavior and talk erased the remainder of the starting 100 points. [Isa. 13:11] Sexual Immorality (S) The matters of sexually immoral behavior and talk are so many it would be counterproductive to summarize them here since they are itemized in the Findings/Scoring section. So many are there that they evaporated all the starting 100 points in Sexual Immorality. Highlights of sexually immoral behaviors include self grabbing, face licking, licking kissing, a man kissing a woman's chest, repeated inappropriate touch both male-to-male and male-to-female including a man jostling a woman's breasts, vulgar humor and talk plus a great deal of other matters of attention to sexual behaviors. Please let the listing in the Findings/Scoring section tell you what our analysis model found regarding sexual immorality content. [Prov. 30:20, 1Ths. 4:7, Eph. 5:4] Drugs/Alcohol (D) There are episodes of drinking and drunkenness plus smoking in this film. Repeatedly. I am going to make a big deal (a long "sermon") of this because of the gravity of the matter which so few seem to grasp. The drinking and drunkenness in this film suggested by the MPAA as being fit for the middle school age stratum are of significant danger to the target audience. A study by the American College of Physicians (ACP) revealed that adolescent exposure to drinking and smoking in and as entertainment leads to undeniable abuse of alcohol among underage kids. The finding entitled Relation Between Parental Restrictions on Movies and Adolescent Use of Tobacco and Alcohol reports that of 4544 youths from grades 5 through 8 of fifteen Vermont and New Hampshire middle schools (90% were under fourteen years old) only 16% were completely restricted from viewing R-rated movies. The researchers selected R-rated movies because they assumed R-rated movies typically present more drinking than movies of other classifications. This assumption is no longer true. Note however that though the assumption is no longer true it is not fatal to the finding. The researchers were not aware of the matter of "R-13" proven by this ministry (see R-13) and four years later by Harvard University scientists (see Harvard Agrees With Us. The bottom line? The focus is the influence of adolescent exposure to drinking (and smoking) in and as entertainment is undeniable regardless of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) classification. Within the ACP study population, the prevalence of having tried alcohol without parental knowledge was Rather revealing of the influences of the entertainment industry wouldn't you say? And emboldening children to sin with drink in and as entertainment screams of violating Luke 17:2. Even the University of Connecticut corroborates our finding and that of the ACP. [Eph. 5:18] I can add to the ACP study. I submit that it is not so much the presence of alcohol and tobacco in R-rated films that embolden youth to abuse substances, but is rather the attitude typically portrayed heavily in R-rated movies and even more severely in many PG-13 movies. Our report on this, ATTITUDE: In Perspective -- Investigation Area Scoring and Trend in CAP Entertainment Industry Investigations, Special Report-001, may provide more understanding of the point. Offense to God (O) God's name is used in vain both with and without the four letter expletive. Either way, it is a sin to abuse the name of our Lord. [Deut. 5:11] There is also one instance of blaming God for our miseries. When we look deeply into our miseries we can likely find that they are caused somewhere along the line by someone's freedom of choice, not by God "allowing" it. God will not tempt us or cause us to sin. If we submit to temptation or if we otherwise sin, it is our own choice to do so. Every single non-autonomic action or inaction by the human body, including speech, is a choice. No exceptions. No debate. Granted, God could prevent anything He so chooses to prevent, but He will not take away the freedom of choice He gave us. He doesn't want puppets. [Luke 4:12, James 1:13 - 14] Murder/Suicide (M) No murders or suicides were noted. SCRIPTURAL APPLICATION(S) If needed to focus or fortify, applicable text is underlined or bracketed [ ] or bold. If you wish to have full context available, the Blue Letter Bible is a convenient source. If you use the Blue Letter Bible, a new window will open. Close it to return here or use "Window" in your browser's menu bar to alternate between the CAP page and the Blue Letter Bible page. CHAPTER/VERSE ***Selected Scriptures of Armour against the influence of the entertainment industry*** As always, it is best to refer to the Findings/Scoring section -- the heart of the CAP analysis model -- for the most complete assessment possible of this movie. |
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 Wanton Violence/Crime (W) Impudence/Hate (I) Sexual Immorality (S) Drugs/Alcohol (D): Offense to God (O) NOTE: On the Unicorn horn and the Yin-Yang, see Back to School Special. Murder/Suicide (M) |
| There are some in the entertainment industry who maintain that 1) violent programming is harmless because no studies exist that prove a connection between violent entertainment and aggressive behavior in children, and 2) young people know that television, movies, and video games are simply fantasy. Unfortunately, they are wrong on both accounts." And "Viewing violence may lead to real life violence." I applaud these associations for fortifying 1 Cor. 15:33. Read the rest of the story. From our years of study, I contend that other aberrant behaviors, attitudes, and expressions can be inserted in place of "violence" in that statement. Our Director - Child Psychology Support, a licensed psychologist and certified school psychologist concurs. For example, "Viewing arrogance against fair authority may lead to your kids defying you in real life." Or "Viewing sex may lead to sex in real life." Likewise and especially with impudence, hate and foul language. I further contend that any positive behavior can be inserted in place of "violence" with the same chance or likelihood of being a behavior template for the observer; of being incorporated into the behavior mechanics and/or coping skills of the observer. In choosing your entertainment, please consider carefully the "rest of the story" and our findings. |
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