And my friend was 25 at the time I am speaking of! (he didn't live with his parents either) I made him stop watching so we could watch it in it's entirety at my house. He couldn't follow what was going on and I got tired of explaining it.

"The Passion" really could have used a little less gore but I think it drove home the point. I saw it with my sister (who's 32) at a sneak preview with her church (who rented the whole theatre) and she spent most of the movie with her eyes and ears covered and crying. I liked the fact that when the movie was over not a soul in the theatre said a single word as they left. That's power!

Why not simply not watch the movie until they are old enough to see the
content. Or if you don't want them to see it at all then just not watch it?

What is wrong with taking responsability as a parent yourself? I keep being
suprised by how many parents (not necessarely you Keith) seem to want to
leave the parenting to others (or companies).

I guess you are missing my point Rob. I am a fairly good parent, and I filter what they watch. I don't expect to watch a porno with them, and I don't watch Jay and Silent Bob with them either. But every movie over a G rating seems to have some material in it, that they shouldn't see. This doesn't mean it isn't a good movie, just inappropriate for them.

All I'm saying is, there should be two levels- One appropriate for kids, with a story I can watch, like Indiana Jones. And then one for adults, where they can fill it with whatever content, like Kill Bill. The industry is doing it's best to blur the lines, and I say they should be clearly drawn. I can only watch so many G rated kids movies before my head explodes.

So people ripping hearts out is appropriate for children??

I think the answer is, that if you've ran out of appropriate movies for you to watch with your children, then it's time to stop watching movies - or dig into the vast back catalogue that exists for both TV and movies and find something appropriate there.

Personally, I'm looking forwards to sharing the TV I enjoyed as a youngster with my daughter as she grows up.

Graeme

Ok... You got me there Graeme.

Sorry - couldn't resist the opportunity.

Still, I think there's a wealth of wonderful back catalogue material for kids to watch with their parents, and on the other hand, I'm sure I watched many "18" films ahead of time without ill effects, and indeed, I often find the moral message, ratial stereoptypes and sexism in some "childrens" shows more objectionable than any violence in some more "adult" films.

Basically, I don't think anyone can win this one. The big solution as I see it, is to turn your kids into enlightened, critical viewers by: showing them how TV and films are made (if you're on this forum, then that's a given), educating them about the media, discussing the TV and films that are watched together etc. Then you've given them the mental tools to help them cope with any media they see in the future.

Graeme

One of the sad things about all this, is many times the censored version does more to glorify the material than not. I read where one well meaning Dad editing the opening scene in Saving Private Ryan. Great... 50s style violence that makes war seem more like a game where you just fall down and there is no blood.

It proves most parents don't have the discretionary skills to know the difference between the shower scene in Schindlers list and South Beach Bimbos, equating both to pornography. It sends the wrong message to kids, and it's lazy. Easier to censor than explain what is going on and why.
Of course they get very sanctomonious when reminded of how lazy and stupid they are.