It's a good show–except one little part!

by Dr. Glen C. Griffin

Don't swim with sharks or crocs

No one with any sense willingly goes swimming in water where there are crocodiles, sharks,

Art by Kimball Warren

harmful bacteria, or parasites. Sometimes water is so murky, it's obvious we should stay out, but sometimes, hazards are not at all obvious. The same is true of movies.

Most of us enjoy forgetting our troubles as we watch an exciting movie, imagining being the hero and doing the things he or she does. During the show, our minds are filled with uplifting thoughts–or ones that may be grossly violent, inappropriately sexual, or otherwise self-destructive. So, it makes sense to take care about the roles we allow ourselves to play.

30-second commercials sell products-and ideas

When someone says, "It's a good show–except for one little part," ask if he or she would eat a pizza that looks good–except for the little part where a mouse is stuck in the cheese.

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Small parts and short messages may make a big difference. 30-second television commercials sell lots of whatever is being offered, or companies wouldn't spend lots of money producing them.

At what age can a mind handle garbage?

Movie ratings imply that

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once someone reaches a certain age, say thirteen, he or she can handle subjects filled with sex and violence–and even more at age seventeen or eighteen. This is absolutely wrong. In fact, the teen years are a terrible time to promote the false notion that sex without marriage is a game everyone plays.

"I can handle it," a teenage daughter told her father.

"I'm not sure I can," he answered. "Some things are inappropriate at any age."

If something is garbage for 8-year-olds, it's garbage for 13-year-olds, 16-year-olds, 18-year-olds, and grown-ups. Ratings systems without this basic understanding are flawed and worthless.

What is discreet sex?

Watching steamy bedroom scenes is never appropriate, even if the on-screen sex is partially obscured or "under the covers," which the industry calls "simulated sex." A little covering does not make wrong behavior right. Stories are also inappropriate if co-habiting is made to seem acceptable–even if there's no sex on the screen. After seeing their movie and television heroes not waiting for marriage to have sex, it's little wonder that many young people don't wait either. It's also no wonder that sexually transmitted diseases are rampant, many of which can't be cured. Condoms do not provide safe sex. The simple fact is that sex is only for marriage. It makes us cringe when reviewers give a pass to shows that contain what they call "brief sex" or "discreet sex," supposedly meaning a little non-married sex isn't all that bad. It is.

What about cutting out scenes with sex & violence?

We applaud producers who create films that don't need filtering, and that qualify for CAMIE awards. When films don't meet these standards, we hope the industry will provide alternative DVD tracks with cleaned-up versions of otherwise good stories. In the meantime, we encourage the use of filtering systems that skip scenes with sex and gross violence–if the rest of the story is wholesome. However, if a story still implies that cohabiting or having sex without marriage is acceptable, filtering out the sex scenes doesn't solve the problem.

Profanity

We wish all films were free of gross language or profanity. Using the names of deity profanely is simply unacceptable. When a film to be shown at home includes gross and disgusting language, we encourage the use of filters that bleep it out.

Gratuitous violence

Another serious problem is more and more on-screen horror, violence, and grossness. Portraying violence as a thrill is deplorable. There is something terribly wrong about making gratuitous violence and horror seem desirable. Sometimes to tell a worthwhile story, recreate important historical events, or show the reality of war, it is necessary to include some unpleasantly violent scenes. If one of these stories is written and edited with enough discretion and good sense to make it on moviepicks.org, our review will include warnings so you can decide who should or shouldn't see it. Since gratuitous violence and horror for horror's sake are completely unacceptable, as is on-screen sex, there are some shows we won't put on moviepicks.org or ask our reviewers to see.

Avoid crocodiles, sharks, mice, and movie trash!

Although it's often easy to know a movie will be inappropriate from a review, trailer, preview, or box description, sometimes there are no clues about offensive

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content. You can find out about the few entertaining and decent new films, and many excellent older ones, on www.moviepicks.org. We hope you will join moviepicks and CAMIE awards in encouraging producers to make more wonderful, decent films by going to see the good ones, skipping the ones that are not, and letting the industry know what you think.

Use this free moviepicks.org service to help you, your friends and family find uplifting and entertaining shows-while avoiding crocodiles, sharks, microscopic creatures, mice-and movie trash-even if it's just one little part.

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Adapted from an article by Dr. Glen C. Griffin published in the August 2000 issue of Marriage & Families. Dr. Griffin is chairman of CAMIE awards, Inc., the non-profit foundation that sponsors www.moviepicks.org and presents CAMIE awards for Character and Morality in Entertainment. Dr. Griffin is a well-known author, editor, and physician who has spoken about sex and morality at the World Congress of Families in Geneva, the International Congress of Families in Moscow, and to audiences in Singapore, France, Great Britain, Malaysia, Indonesia, Mongolia, as well as across the United States.