Weekend Newsreel: December 9, 2005

Compiled by the FilmBuffOnLine Staff

     Rating The Raters: Documentarian Kirby Dick’s latest feature This Film Has Not Been Rated, which examines the Motion Picture Association of America’s secretive board that applies the age-appropriate ratings to all released films, has been branded with an NC-17 rating from the very same board. The movie features filmmakers such as Kevin Smith, Matt Stone, John Waters and Mary Harron discussing their own run-ins with the ratings board and the compromises they needed to make to earn their films a rating which would allow their film to be still economically viable. The NC-17 rating stipulates that no one under the age of 17 should be admitted to see the film. However, many theater chains will not screen NC-17 films and many newspapers will not carry advertisements for them, thus diminishing these films’ potential audience and business. According to the MPAA’s website, the rating for This Film Has Not Been Rated is currently under review. The film is scheduled to screen at next month’s Sundance film festival.

In Remembrance-

Gregg Hoffman- The independent film producer behind the recent horror hit Saw (2004) has passed away at age 42.

Opening This Week-

December 9

·         Brokeback Mountain (NY, LA, SF)

·         The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe

·         Ek Ajnabee (limited)

·         Isn't This A Time

·         Marebito (limited)

·         Memoirs Of A Geisha

·         Mrs. Henderson Presents (NY, LA)

·         Syriana (wider)

December 14

·         The Grace Lee Project (NY)

·         King Kong

·         The Three Burials Of Melquiades Estrada (Academy Awards qualifying run)