EW: Most Controversial Films

[K'Nort]

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/commentary/0,6115,1202224_1_0_,00.html

Details in article:

25. Aladdin (yes, the Disney one)
24. Caligula
23. Kids
22. Do The Right Thing
21. Bonnie & Clyde
20. Cannibal Holocaust
19. Basic Instinct
18. I Am Curious (Yellow)
17. Freaks
16. United 93
15. Triumph of the Will
14. The Warriors
13. The DaVinci Code
12. The Deer Hunter
11. The Message
10. Baby Doll
9. Last Tango in Paris
8. Natural Born Killers
7. Birth of a Nation
6. Last Temptation of Christ
5. JFK
4. Deep Throat
3. Fahrenheit 9/11
2. A Clockwork Orange
1. The Passion of the Christ (the Mel Gibson one)

[CaptainAwesome]

That lis was BULL!

I got the issue and whe I was reading it and saw THe Davinci Code and Aladin on there I knew they were only pandering to recent film watchers. Of course, Birth of an Nation and Triumph of the Will should have been there, but Basic Instinct? Wrong!

[K'Nort]

Wrong how? It was very controversial at the time. They're not saying there was something wrong with the films. They're saying they generated a lot of squawking. And no question Basic Instinct got squawking.

[CaptainAwesome]

Ok, fine, maybe BI should be there, but can you look at that list and seriously tell me Aladdin should be there? Aladdin! And the Da Vinci code? Yeah the book was contraversial, but the only contraversy around the movie was if it sucked or not. Sure there were super right wing christians that complained, but they also complained about Harry Potter.

[Legato]

How in the hell Aladdin is a controversial film compared to the other mevies listed?

[K'Nort]

How in the hell Aladdin is a controversial film compared to the other movies listed?

THE CONTROVERSY The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee balked at a lyric describing the film's Arabian setting as a land ''where they cut off your ear if they don't like your face.'' Result? The studio dubbed out the lyric for subsequent releases.

It did get ranked the least-controversial of the bunch. But anything that leads to the studio bowing to pressure and making changes does seem to qualify as controversial.

[Ontir]

How about Peeping Tom a film that was so reviled by critics in Britain, that Hitchcock, a few months later, refused pre-release critic screenings for fear of similar reactions to Psycho?

the Gods Must be Crazy should be up there! Cinemas had windows smashed by protestors, due to the treatment of the Bushman who played the lead.

I am Curious Yellow & Blue were amazingly controversial in their day, but it's amazing how gentile, and even timid they seem now. Also, more than a little boring!

Bob Guccione once said, that he sent an assistant out to find men with the largest penises for the orgies in Caligula and that as a result, men were put off/made to feel inferior by the overly large men, while women enjoyed the film, and this is why it didn't do nearly as well with men as he'd anticipated.

[Legato]

It did get ranked the least-controversial of the bunch. But anything that leads to the studio bowing to pressure and making changes does seem to qualify as controversial.

Yeah but the argument behind it seemed meaningless for it to be controversial compared to The Passion, A Clockwork Orange, and The Warriors.

[FroggieBKT]

the fact that this list has Aladdin but not the original Scarface is proof enough of pandering to me. Seriously, what about She Done Him Wrong, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Salt of the Earth, and Angel Heart? Maybe I have an older film bias but all those seem WAY more controversial and seem to have had a larger impact on film in general than many of the ones on this list.

[Expletive Deleted]

Wait . . . they're saying Passion more controversial than Last Temptation.

Did I miss something?

[Legato]

Wait . . . they're saying Passion more controversial than Last Temptation.

Did I miss something?

Since I haven't seen Last Temptation what about that film made it so controversial?

Last House on The Left, Original Hills Have Eyes, and even Deliverence are worthy contenders than Aladdin.

[Corky]

Hey! where's "Men Behind The Sun"? it's the infamous 1988 Hong Kong made WWII horror war drama video nasty that has the scene where a real cat is thrown into a pit of live rats as the starving rats rip the cat apart, a naked dead man is in a decompression room as suddenly he craps out his intestines and where a real dead corpse is actually having a autopsy.

Very powerful and hard to watch stuff here this movie be!

[Ryan K]

I saw this in my mailbox this morning and laughed all the way home. it should have been called the 25 Most Controversial Movies that are also Popular.

Aladdin? The Da Vinci Code? More than half the list is BS.

Where's The Brown Bunny? Oral sex .

Battle Royale? Hell, it'll never get an American release.

I Spit on Your Grave? Peeping Tom? Priest?

[Buzz Dixon]

Legator -- THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST has Satan showing Christ the happy, normal, humdrum existence he could have instead of dying on the Christ if only he would renounce being the Savior; this includes a scene where he imagines being married to Mary Magdelene and having sex with her. A lot of people who otherwise would have enjoyed THE LAST TEMPTATION wee offended by it.

Expletive Deleted -- the controversy surrounding THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST was that to some people it seemed to blame the Jews for the death of Christ (that and the incredibly savage scourging and crucifixion).

[Cyke]

I'm actually surprised that 'Kids' wasn't higher on the list.

That movie made me SOOOO friggin' pissed off. But then I realized, if the movie is purposely trying to evoke that emotion out of you, then it must be doing its job very well.

[Weapon Ick]

Actually, a lot of Disney movies around the time of Aladdin turned out to be controverisal when they got released on video because of the reports of subliminal artwork and audio occuring in the films. The Little Mermaid had penises popping up everywhere. The Lion King had the word "sex" spelled out in various scenes. And in Aladdin the main character whispers "All good teenagers take off your clothes". Those are the ones I remember watching.

This list is about movies that caused controversey. Wether you think they have any controversial material now is irrelevant. The list just ranks films that attracted a lot of debate on unsettled issues. Just sayin.

[Ontir]

I'm actually surprised that 'Kids' wasn't higher on the list.

That movie made me SOOOO friggin' pissed off. But then I realized, if the movie is purposely trying to evoke that emotion out of you, then it must be doing its job very well.

A friend/former co-worker views Kids as the Reefer Madness of that generation. An intentional shock-fest, that condenses real events into an improbably time-frame and among very few characters in an irresponsible manner, for no reason other than to demonize. As a result, he won't even consider seeing any other Larry Clark films.

[TheBatGotHim]

I expected Brokeback Mountain to make that list.

[Cactusakic]

A friend/former co-worker views Kids as the Reefer Madness of that generation. An intentional shock-fest, that condenses real events into an improbably time-frame and among very few characters in an irresponsible manner, for no reason other than to demonize. As a result, he won't even consider seeing any other Larry Clark films.

I'm the polar opposite of this.
I go out of my way to see Larry Clark films.
I travelled half the country to get to a cinema that was showing Bully when it was released and I had to go against my own no-downloading policy in order to obtain a copy of Ken Park.

[Ontir]

I've not seen Ken Park, but loved Bully. I'm mixed on Kids but was intrigued by his teensex, sci-fi thing. I don't recall it's title, and I only got to see a bit of it, though. I am going to see Wassup Rockers. For me, the issue seems to be whether there's a point to his exploitation style or not? I think Michael Cuesta has done a far more impactful job with L.I.E. and 12 & Holding than Clark, and his are no less shocking, but I don't feel like I'm watching kiddie porn.

[Cactusakic]

Clarks work does seem to make some people uncomfortable with the way he borders on child porn.
L.I.E was far tamer visually while being just as good but I didn't feel there was any flair to it. It didn't bore me but it didn't grip me either.

[LtMarvel]

Actually, a lot of Disney movies around the time of Aladdin turned out to be controverisal when they got released on video because of the reports of subliminal artwork and audio occuring in the films. The Little Mermaid had penises popping up everywhere. The Lion King had the word "sex" spelled out in various scenes. And in Aladdin the main character whispers "All good teenagers take off your clothes". Those are the ones I remember watching.

This list is about movies that caused controversey. Wether you think they have any controversial material now is irrelevant. The list just ranks films that attracted a lot of debate on unsettled issues. Just sayin.
I believe all of those are urban legends...

[meethraa]

I believe all of those are urban legends...
http://minimata.50webs.com/page/merm.html

[hoffmandu]

I'm actually surprised that 'Kids' wasn't higher on the list.

That movie made me SOOOO friggin' pissed off. But then I realized, if the movie is purposely trying to evoke that emotion out of you, then it must be doing its job very well.

I thought Kids was quite shocking, and I was a little repulsed, but angry? Why?

[KenK]

I'm actually surprised that 'Kids' wasn't higher on the list.

That movie made me SOOOO friggin' pissed off. But then I realized, if the movie is purposely trying to evoke that emotion out of you, then it must be doing its job very well.

Between hearing teenage actors' characters speaking so graphically about sex, and the question of whether or not some of these kids were just acting or actually partaking in drugs in alcohol, and of course the plight of Chloe Sevigny's character, it really pushed the envelope, IMO.

[Cyke]

A friend/former co-worker views Kids as the Reefer Madness of that generation. An intentional shock-fest, that condenses real events into an improbably time-frame and among very few characters in an irresponsible manner, for no reason other than to demonize. As a result, he won't even consider seeing any other Larry Clark films.

I'm the polar opposite of this.
I go out of my way to see Larry Clark films.
I travelled half the country to get to a cinema that was showing Bully when it was released and I had to go against my own no-downloading policy in order to obtain a copy of Ken Park.

I thought Kids was quite shocking, and I was a little repulsed, but angry? Why?

Between hearing teenage actors' characters speaking so graphically about sex, and the question of whether or not some of these kids were just acting or actually partaking in drugs in alcohol, and of course the plight of Chloe Sevigny's character, it really pushed the envelope, IMO.

See, now it's this kind of discussion that made me wonder why 'Kids' wasn't higher on this list in the first place :)

[Cyke]

I thought Kids was quite shocking, and I was a little repulsed, but angry? Why?

Angry because the majority of the characters had no sense of responsibility, no sense of ethics or loyalty, and would go out of their way to cause others pain and suffering. Seeing them revel in such behavior outright pissed me off.

But then the film does make you ask if this is all these kids have to live for, if they were 'nurtured' into acting this way, or if they choose to act the way they do. You kind of wonder if there's anything more to their existance than petty carnal pleasure.

It's been a while since I've seen the movie, but I do remember how I felt after viewing it. Whether you like the film because of what it does or you hate it is kind of irrelevant, when you compare your emotions to, say, the discussion of themes on the film itself.

I myself like the movie. I'd give it a thumbs up. There are those who'll give it a thumbs down, and honestly, I can see where they're coming from, and I can't blame them for not liking the movie, either.

[Expletive Deleted]

Expletive Deleted -- the controversy surrounding THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST was that to some people it seemed to blame the Jews for the death of Christ (that and the incredibly savage scourging and crucifixion).Oh, I get that. I just thought that LAST TEMPTATION'S protests were quite a bit larger and more fervent than PASSION's.

[Legato]

I thought Dogma deserved a nod on that list. From what I recall Kevin Smith got alot of angry letters from Catholics about the offensive content of that movie.

If your gonna have The Last Temptation of Christ and Passion then you should have atleast put Dogma up thare.

With all the accusations of Harry Potter promoting Witchcraft Im actually surprised neither of the films were not on the list.

[Buzz Dixon]

Oh, I get that. I just thought that LAST TEMPTATION'S protests were quite a bit larger and more fervent than PASSION's.
THE LAST TEMPTATION and THE PASSION are good examples of the cultural gap in this country. THE LAST TEMPTATION was led by a few very vocal church leaders (not all Christians, even those who didn't like the film in general or the scene in particular, opted to protest; most shrugged it off as yet another example of Hollywood Not Getting It). The bulk of the protest was picked up and carried along by individual Christians at the grass roots level who wrote, called, and otherwise protested the film once the aforementioned leaders made public the studio and director's mailing addresses.

Virtually no one in the mainstream media criticized the film for the imagined sexual relationship between Christ and Mary Magdalene; those that did note the protests almost universally reported them as examples of blue-nose fundamentalists trying to stifle artistic freedom, none of them said the film might be genuinely offensive to some people and that those people had a right to express their displeasure.

Conversely, THE PASSION was decried by many in the mainstream media as inciting hatred between Jews and Christians and furthering anti-Semitism (in fact, follow up surveys conducted by the Barna Group revealed it made Christians and other non-Jews more sensitive to bias and antimosity towards Jews). Unlike THE TEMPTATION, there were those in the mainstream media who were willing to engage the con side in open debate as to what the intent and effect of the film was. There were virtually no grass roots protests again THE PASSION.

[K'Nort]

Wait . . . they're saying Passion more controversial than Last Temptation.

Did I miss something?

That confused me too. I understand the different reasons each was controversial, but I remember Last Temptation getting more press and more threats.

[Weapon Ick]

I'm really suprised anyone was shocked by Kids. When I saw that movie I was convinved someone must have follwed me around in high school with a camera.

[Buzz Dixon]

That confused me too. I understand the different reasons each was controversial, but I remember Last Temptation getting more press and more threats.
See above. THE TEMPTATION's protestors were mere hoi polloi, while THE PASSION's opponents were part of the mainstream media elite; hence the reportage is that THE PASSION is more controversial.

Again, this explains the cultural divide in this country about as well as anything.

[the_big_billbowski]

I disagree with the list. Most of these Film lists always add things that dont belong or leave out stuff that is a no brainer.

What is Kids about exactly? I recognize the name but nothign about the plot.

[meethraa]

What is Kids about exactly? I recognize the name but nothign about the plot.
Young americans being rebellious and spreading HIV around.

[Jared]

THE LAST TEMPTATION and THE PASSION are good examples of the cultural gap in this country. THE LAST TEMPTATION was led by a few very vocal church leaders (not all Christians, even those who didn't like the film in general or the scene in particular, opted to protest; most shrugged it off as yet another example of Hollywood Not Getting It). The bulk of the protest was picked up and carried along by individual Christians at the grass roots level who wrote, called, and otherwise protested the film once the aforementioned leaders made public the studio and director's mailing addresses.

Virtually no one in the mainstream media criticized the film for the imagined sexual relationship between Christ and Mary Magdalene; those that did note the protests almost universally reported them as examples of blue-nose fundamentalists trying to stifle artistic freedom, none of them said the film might be genuinely offensive to some people and that those people had a right to express their displeasure.

Conversely, THE PASSION was decried by many in the mainstream media as inciting hatred between Jews and Christians and furthering anti-Semitism (in fact, follow up surveys conducted by the Barna Group revealed it made Christians and other non-Jews more sensitive to bias and antimosity towards Jews). .

Mel Gibson's father being a public anti-semite probably had more to do with the pre-release controversey than the subject itself. IIRC, there were Jewish groups that protested, or at least threatened too before seeing screenings.

Wasn't Temptation also controversial for portrayal of Judas as not a traitor, but the most trusted disciple?

[Jared]

I've not seen Ken Park, but loved Bully. I'm mixed on Kids but was intrigued by his teensex, sci-fi thing. I don't recall it's title, and I only got to see a bit of it, though. .


Teenage Caveman. I thought it was awful. Bully was good though.