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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 MAR2011.088  (2011), PG-13 [Hard R-13*] (1hr 37.7min) 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 1300 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): Relativity Media, Virgin Produced, Rogue, Many Rivers Productions, Boy of the Year, Intermedia Distribution (US): Relativity Media, Rogue Director(s): Neil Burger Producer(s): Bradley Cooper, Ricardo Del Río, Leslie Dixon, Jason Felts, Adam Fields, Ken Halsband, Ryan Kavanaugh, Scott Kroopf, Patty Long, Patrick Peach, Tucker Tooley Screenplay by: Leslie Dixon Novel: (The Dark Fields) Alan Glynn Cinematography/Camera: Jo Willems Music: Paul Leonard-Morgan Film Editing: Tracy Adams Casting: Douglas Aibel Production Design: Patrizia von Brandenstein Viewed on Fox Home Entertainment DVD  LIMITLESS is a somewhat complex story and I don't have the time it would take to prepare a satisfying summary. It is a story of drug addiction and rationalization of the addiction to achieve the chemical benefits of the drug. We've all heard the story but this time it targets a different somatic focus. Eddie Morra (Bradely Coopper) is introduced to Vernon (Johnny Whitworth), his drug-dealer ex brother-in-law in Eddie's very brief marriage to Melissa (Anna Friel). The new drug Vernon gave Eddie was NZT48. It was not a hallucinogen or narcotic but it was not an FDA approved drug. Rather than getting the consumer high NZT enhanced the human brain to full capacity. The unfortunate property of the drug was that it wore off and the user needed more to achieve the same enhancement. The effect of the drug on the rattle-brained Eddie made him super genius, focused, a neatnik and "together." Enough so he became an "overnight" millionaire in the stocks world. But he had to deal with a street loan shark to get seed money to make his millions. Eventually the load shark also used the NZT, became addicted to the NZT and extorted Eddie for more. One of the graphic items of violent nature was Eddie became so addicted to the NZT that, after a defensive killing of the load shark, Eddie drank the blood of the load shark to get the NZT in the loan shark's system into his own. Wall street mogul Carl Van Loon (Robert DeNiro) got wind of Eddie's marketing genius and drafted Eddie into his fold ... until Van Loon became professionally subordinate to Eddie. At a hefty cost. That provides a snapshot of the caliber of this PG-13 film ... er ... rather this hard R-13 film. It earned R-equivalent area scores in three of the CAP investigation areas (W, I, D), Pg-13 in two (S, M) and PG in one (O). Wanton Violence/Crime (W) - Zero out of 100 In addition to Eddie drinking the blood of a man he just killed, the violence/crime content of this film included contemplating suicide, dead bodies (including with gore), fighting, assault and more as revealed in the Findings section. God warns us of violence in many verses throughout the Old Testament and the New Testament. One example is in Prov. 16:29 where he warns that violence is "catching" and may lead one into a "way that is not good." Man has echoed God, probably unknowingly, by warning that viewing violence "may lead to real life violence" and can "lead to emotional desensitization towards violence in real life." But do you think we would listen? Impudence/Hate (I) - Zero out of 100 Twenty two uses of profanity were found plus one use of the most foul of the foul words. [Eph. 5:4, Eph: 4:29, Col. 3:8] "Who does God think He is to tell me it is a sin to cuss?" Since you've asked, I'll tell you. Not only did He write the Rules and not only does He decide whether we spend eternity in Heaven or Hell, He spent three days in Hell so you and I would not have to spend one moment there. He is entitled. Eternity. I wonder if anyone has ever really wondered how long is eternity. I'll share with you my perception of eternity. Imagine you have made it to Heaven and are basking in Paradise knowing you will do so for all eternity. After a few thousand years in Paradise, you become curious and ask Jesus just how long you have left in Heaven. In His infinite wisdom and sense of humor, Jesus gives you a job that will answer your concern in no uncertain terms. You are to count every grain of sand on the Sahara Desert, one grain at a time. And you are to take 1000 years to count each grain, one at a time. By the "time" you have finished counting every grain of sand, one grain each 1000 years, your "time" in eternity will have just gotten started. And on the flip side, eternity in the searing but never consuming flames of Hell will be just as long. There are other examples of impudent and/or criminal demonstrations of behavior in this film but I ask you to look to the listing in the Findings section to discover al of them. Sexual Immorality (S) - 56 out of 100 This film is a PG-13 so that means there is sexually immoral behavioral demonstrations in it, including intercourse. Though no gender-specific parts are seen, nude bouncing legs are. And sometimes suggestion is more powerful than explicit display. There is also cohabitation for sex, admission of sexually immoral behaviors, a man on a toilet, a make-out frenzy and adult in underwear. Although there are many verses in the Bible admonishing us against sexually immoral matters, sight and sound and contact, I will use 1 Thess. 4:1 - 7 to make His point. I hope you heed His point to enable you to become (or stay) master of your body rather than slave to it. In summary, any sexual contact (including visual and audible), conduct or activity outside of a monogamous heterosexual marriage is sinful. Drugs/Alcohol (D) - Zero out of 100 A film about an illegal drug is going to have a lot of drug related content. And Limitless does. Possession. Consumption. Dealing and more. Not to mention quite a bit of alcohol. And smoking. Just no prescription drug abuse. God's admonition about our bodies is that we are not to get them drunk. [Eph. 5:18] Ephesians 5:18 says we are not to get drunk on wine. "Drunk" is translated from Methusko which means to knowingly and freely intoxicate. So, the focus in Eph. 5:18 is not intoxicating your body with anything: alcohol or drugs. God further advises us to take good care of our bodies because the body is the Temple of Christ. [1 Cor. 6:19] Further, a 2002 study by the American College of Physicians (ACP) revealed that adolescent exposure to drinking in and as entertainment undeniably leads to abuse of alcohol among underage viewers. 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% of the youths were under fourteen years old) only 16% were completely restricted in their entertainment diets. Within the ACP study population, the prevalence of having tried alcohol without parental knowledge was There is nothing to say that smoking in and as entertainment does not carry the same danger of influence as drinking. Offense to God (O) - 73 out of 100 Six times God's name is abused. And that is violation of one of the very Ten Commandments. [Exod. 20:7] God is so serious about using His name in vain that He repeats His warning in Deuteronomy 5:11. Murder/Suicide (M) - 62 out of 100 At least Hollywood gets one aspect of the drug world correct: that murder and illegal drugs go hand-in-hand. There are two gunfire murders and two knife murders demonstrated in this PG-13 movie. Four professional public health agencies, the same four which warn that violence in and as entertainment may lead to real life violence and may desensitize the young viewer towards violence, also warn that violence in and as entertainment may lead the young viewer to believe that violence is an acceptable way to settle conflict. When are we going to listen? How many ways do we have to hear it to believe it? Are we so dull as to think there is no harm from murder portrayed in and as entertainment? No culpability? Some people are dead because we have been sticking our heads in the sand about entertainment violence (and a plethora of other behavioral aberrations in and as entertainment). 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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(The objective heart of the CAP Analysis Model, independent of and insulated from the Summary / Commentary section.)  Wanton Violence/Crime (W) - Zero out of 100 Impudence/Hate (I) - Zero out of 100 Sexual Immorality (S) - 56 out of 100 Drugs/Alcohol (D) - Zero out of 100 Offense to God (O) - 73 out of 100 Murder/Suicide (M) - 62 out of 100 |
| 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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| For G rated Films with G equivalence: G PG equivalence: PG-G PG-13 equivalence: 13-G R equivalence: R-G< | For PG rated Films with G equivalence: G-PG PG equivalence: PG PG-13 equivalence: 13-PG R equivalence: R-PG | For PG-13 rated Films with G equivalence: G-13 PG equivalence: PG(13) PG-13 equivalence: PG-13 R equivalence: R-13 | For R rated Films with G equivalence: G-R PG equivalence: PG-R PG-13 equivalence: 13-R R equivalence: R | For NR rated Films with G equivalence: G-NR PG equivalence: PG-NR PG-13 equivalence: 13-NR R equivalence: R-NR |