This Film Is not Yet Rated: CHRISTINA JOHNSTON
This film is not yet rated was a very sneaky-type of documentary highlighted by the INF. It exposed the corruption and hypocrisy that occurs within the Hollywood rating system and the in consistent rating criteria standing being held against preferred films and conglomerates. Kirby Dick essentially stalked filmmakers of large films, to find out the ins and outs of the filmmaking and subsequent film rating industries. I found in interesting when the interviewed the makers of “Boys Don’t Cry “to find that homosexuality in film was increasingly scrutinized against in terms of ratings strictness and obtaining an NC-17, R, Pg-13, etc. this film shows the exploitation of independent films as they become even pickier with independent films in order to be more lenient on larger, less controversial, bigger box office films. When Independent films tend to have more controversial plotlines anyway, it becomes an outlet for false justification of unfair rating practices.
In all outlets of media that we have studied, we see the ways in which politics interplay with censorship in order to drive a consumerist, marketed ideal. Unfortunately the portrayals put forth by the media have been proven to be damaging to the countercultures as they are shown biasedly and continually pushed towards the conservative mainstream’s level of comfort. The problem with this is that society misses out the truly unique and potentially progressive, fairly represented countercultural lifestyles, in exchange for a fabricated, profit driven, censored, “give them what they want to hear� version of popular culture.