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A service to His little ones (which includes at-home teens) through you, their parents and grandparents, in His name by His Word MAR23012  (2003), RAnalysis Date: January 31, 2003 CAP Score: 21 CAP Influence Density: 2.74 MinMax: -84 |
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 (2003), R -- Yup. It's R alright. Cast/Crew Details Courtesy imdb.com Production: New Line Cinema, Zide-Perry Productions Distribution: New Line Cinema Director(s): David R. Ellis Producer(s): Richard Brener, Toby Emmerich, Justis Greene, Sheila Hanahan, Matt Moore, Craig Perry, Jeffrey Reddick, Warren Zide Written by/Screenplay: Characters: Jeffrey Reddick, Story: J. Mackye Gruber, Eric Bress, Jeffrey Reddick. Screenplay: J. Mackye Gruber, Eric Bress Cinematography/Camera: Gary Capo Music: Shirley Walker Film Editing: Eric A. Sears Casting: Heike Brandstatter, Coreen Mayrs, John Papsidera Production Design: Michael S. Bolton Art Direction: James Steuart Viewed At: Driftwod Theater 6, Fort Worth, TX No more Mr. Nice Guy. G. Reaper (Death) has had it with everybody cheating him and making things hard for him to get his due. So, he comes out of the closet and takes control. The entire show is based on the idea that Death is sentient and is in control of when we die: that death can decide when you die. Strange that God says differently. But then, in today's atmosphere of human supremacy, who is God to argue with us? Who does He think He is anyway? Since you've asked, I'll tell you. God is in control. Of Life and of death [Ps. 116:15, Ps. 118:18]. If somebody has a premonition that prevents the deaths of those he has chosen, it cheats Death of his feast. Somebody had a premonition about a plane crash that killed some friends. Except one. Death was cheated out of his due. There is more. Kimberly Corman (A.J. Cook) and her friend embarked on a fling. With their boyfriends, I think - they were boys anyway. One of them was carrying plenty of illegal drugs, of course. And Kimberly left with her father's approval, of course. The loving father is tokenly concerned for her safety but not for her purity, of course. After she drives away, he notices the transmission in her SUV was leaking. That leads her to stop for repair. And that starts the "wheels of Death" in motion. One year ago that day was when the plane crash took the lives of many with one survivor named Clear Rivers (Ali Larter). As Corman approached an entrance ramp to highway 189, she had a premonition that many would die very soon on that highway. No expense was spared on the scenes of carnage. Several people were seen as they were killed by a vast number of events in a multi-vehicle pile-up. One was incinerated by a car fire when he could not get his seat belt unfastened. A log from the log truck that caused it all bounded through the windshield of a State Trooper, Thomas Burke (Michael Landes) and took parts of him with it. After the premonition visions ended, Corman stopped her SUV on the on-ramp sideways to prevent anyone from getting on the highway. As irate drivers were shown, they were the victims in Corman's premonition. She saved them all from Death's banquet of the day. Now Death has some catching up to do. And he does. One by one most of the would-be victims of the highway disaster fell to Death's embrace. Even Rivers who cheated Death's grip last year eventually submits to Grim's grasp. Corman and the intended victim Trooper Burke enlist the aid of Rivers to visit the Candyman (Tony Todd) better known as Mortician William 'Bill' Bludworth, a dark recluse with a place of business as dark and his clients. Bill possessed knowledge of Death and his ways. One of the ways to cheat Death's plans was for a new life to come into the world. One of the draftees into this dying spree was [conveniently] pregnant lady, Isabella (Justina Machado) whose newborn gave a reprieve to a would-be victim -- for a while. A sample of the caliber of this flick was given by Mr. Bludworth as he yanked a nipple ring off a dead body, readying it for cremation. Skeptic Eugene Dix (Terrence 'T.C.' Carson) finds he is an intended victim of Death, too. But not fatally. Not yet. Dix managed to wrestle Trooper Burke's sidearm from Burke and, in desperation and fear of the inevitable, held the gun to his head and pulled the trigger. Nothing. Again he pulls the trigger. Nothing still. Three times. Four times. Five times. Six. Nothing. Each of the six rounds of .357 ammo failed to fire ... all because of Death's design. (This is one case, maybe the only case of good attention to detail - all six rounds were shown with the primer dimpled indicating the firing pin had struck each.) Dix was not going to get out of Death's design by his own hand. Death was hungry and was going to have his Dix-meal one way or the other. But Dix is safe ... for a while and only for a while. There are a wide variety of methods Death does his dirty work. One woman is decapitated by an elevator. A man's brain is impaled with the bottom of a fire escape ladder. Two are incinerated by a hospital room filled with oxygen which is one of the blunders of details since oxygen does not burn. One woman is killed by impalement through the brain from a 2 inch diameter pole stabbed from a wreck through the back of Corman's seat who had gotten out earlier, pushed into it by an air bag. The real nice guy drug addict, Rory (Jonathan Cherry) is sliced into parts. Another supposed survivor of Death's dastardly deeds, Evan (David Paetkau) is blown to smithereens as a gas barbecue grill explodes and places parts of him in his mother's dinner plate. Moulage and cinematography are dazzling and creative, but performances and dialogue are suitable for checking your brain at the door. One of the features of this movie which disturbed me was, as usual, the audience. There were definitely many in the audience several years under 17 ... several with definitely over 17 escorts. Several were definitely under 13. Some under ten. One of the under-13 attendees shouted "Sweet!" at nearly every drop of blood splattered and every body part that bounced. I couldn't figure out what he said when the biker's woman opened her jacket to bare her chest to the viewer. Also, that so many could find laughter in death and carnage was disturbing. And some of them which laughed at the spillage of blood and evisceration of body parts were looking up at they who appeared to be their fathers who were laughing, looking at dad to make sure he was looking at them to see that they, too, were laughing: nervously, seeking dad's approval. A lot of kids who might not otherwise have a perspective of death under God's control now have a perversion of His Control with which to do battle. And a lot of kids who might not otherwise know now know what their mother's chest looks like ... without any clothes. "What an ugly thing to say!" Yes, it is. But not as ugly as parents teaching their kids to find pleasure in sin [Luke 17:2]. I did not write the Rules. If you do not like me telling you that some of the things we do are sins, talk to the Author. By the way, I can find nothing in the Author's Word that makes sinful entertainment become no longer sinful at 17. The bottom line: it is your call as a parent when and how you teach your kids about the sins of the world. If you use such as this entertainment to teach them, I'm certain there will be a Final Destination 3. Thirty-four uses of the three/four letter word vocabulary. Nineteen uses of the most foul of the foul words [Col. 3:8, Prov. 22:11, Titus 2:6-8]. Two uses of God's name in vain with the four letter expletive and 13 without [Deut. 5:11]. Upper female nudity [**]. Illegal drug possession and consumption [Eph. 5:18]. Gore. Bloody death and dying with flashbacks to drive it in deep [Ps. 101:3]. Unholy control of inanimate objects [Deut. 18:10 - 12]. Yup. It's R alright. SCRIPTURAL APPLICATION(S) If needed to focus or fortify, applicable text is underlined or bracketed [ ]. 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. ***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. |
 Wanton Violence/Crime (W): Impudence/Hate (I)(1): Sex/Homosexuality (S): Drugs/Alcohol (D): Offense to God (O)(2): Murder/Suicide (M)(3): |
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| NOTE: While the Summary/Commentary section of these reports is precisely that -- a summary in commentary format which can be and sometimes is subjective, the actual CAP Analysis Model (the Findings/Scoring section) makes no scoring allowances for trumped-up "messages" to excuse, for manufacture of justification for, or camouflaging of ignominious content or aberrant behavior or imagery with "redeeming" programming. Disguising sinful behavior in a theme/plot does not excuse the sinful behavior of either the one who is drawing pleasure or example of behavior or thought from the sinful display or of the practitioners demonstrating the sinful behavior. We make no attempt to quantify the "artistic" or "entertainment" value of a movie -- whether a movie has any positive value or "entertainment" value is up to mom/dad. The CAP analysis model is the only known set of tools available to parents and grandparents which give them the control they need, bypassing the opinion-based assessment of movies by others and defeating the deceit of those who would say anything to convince their parents otherwise. The model is completely objective to His Word. Our investigation standards are founded in the teachings and expectations of Jesus Christ. If a sinful behavior is portrayed, it is called sinful whether Hollywood tries to make it otherwise. That the sinful behavior is "justified" by some manufactured conditions does not soften nor erase the price of sin. Whether there is application of fantasy "justification" or "redemption" is up to mom/dad. |
| "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 more than eight 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. |
