The Video Game Critic

My only concern about Hillary Clinton is that a lot of countries around the world do not have respect for women.  We do, but many consider them a lower species.  That worries me.

Steerforth, I couldn't agree with you more. But one little problem: Censorship. The U.S. censors too much stuff on television. For example: My favorite film, Back to the Future, censor the word terrorists and cut parts on certain networks. Why can't people listen to their favorite films without it being censored and cut out?

Anyways, in this decade, I have seen Wikipedia tell stuff of the GTA series controversy. Jack Thompson was attorneys for families who's kids have played the games. Two families sought a 246 million dollar lawsuit against Sony, Rockstar and Take-Two. In another bizzare case in 2005, it had Devin Moore who shot two cops and a dispatcher in 2003 in court and Thompson thought excessive playing caused the deaths. The last one involved 14-year old Cody Posey shooting his family in 2004. He was put in jail until he was 21. In 2006, Thompson sought a suit against Sony, Take-Two, and Rockstar for the games  for damages of 600 million dollars.

TV played a role for GTA. 60 Minutes aired an issue of "Do Video Games make you a killer?" There was even a CSI: Miami episode that involved a game being like Grand Theft Auto. What were those shows thinking?

Censorship is a fine line, is it not? I fully believe that people should have the right to express their views and challenge their audience. I just get hung-up on the fact that most  material today is not challenging people, or in any way constructive, just offensive.

For instance, I rented Borat this week, fully expecting it to be somewhat sick, but I was led to believe it would have some tough, clever political satire. And to some extent it does, but its just so hard to find it under all the gross sexual behavior. To me, Borat failed, in that you have to crawl on your hands and knees through raw sewage to get where he is going to take you. I can't give it a review because I gave up after 20 minutes. Maybe it gets better, but what I saw wasn't even funny, and I have an offbeat sense of humor. THis film was up for an Oscar for best screenplay? Give me a break.

I don't want to censor Borat, I just wish he had more to say. I'm nostalgic for well made films and shows from the late 60's and 70's like 'Cool Hand Luke', 'Jerimiah

Johnson', 'The Twilight Zone', and 'All in the Family'. They had messages and takes on society without overloading your senses with cussing and gore. I guess they had class. To me thats the difference with what we get today.

Don't even get me started on classic films that get 'remade', (read destroyed), by contempary film makers and actors. It just exposes their laziness.

Censorship is a fine line, is it not? I fully believe that people should have the right to express their views and challenge their audience. I just get hung-up on the fact that most  material today is not challenging people, or in any way constructive, just offensive.

For instance, I rented Borat this week, fully expecting it to be somewhat sick, but I was led to believe it would have some tough, clever political satire. And to some extent it does, but its just so hard to find it under all the gross sexual behavior. To me, Borat failed, in that you have to crawl on your hands and knees through raw sewage to get where he is going to take you. I can't give it a review because I gave up after 20 minutes. Maybe it gets better, but what I saw wasn't even funny, and I have an offbeat sense of humor. THis film was up for an Oscar for best screenplay? Give me a break.

I don't want to censor Borat, I just wish he had more to say. I'm nostalgic for well made films and shows from the late 60's and 70's like 'Cool Hand Luke', 'Jerimiah

Johnson', 'The Twilight Zone', and 'All in the Family'. They had messages and takes on society without overloading your senses with cussing and gore. I guess they had class. To me thats the difference with what we get today.

Don't even get me started on classic films that get 'remade', (read destroyed), by contempary film makers and actors. It just exposes their laziness.

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I agree with you completely on Borat. I actually like the show it's based on (Da Ali G Show), but a short skit (which was all Borat was on the TV show) was stretched waaaay to far into a feature film. I also agree that you can make smart satire without dragging one through the filth.

-Rob