Even in this modern world, where a glut of unsavory movies seems to open every week, there are still films worth seeking out. But they don't come from the major studios and they don't have the kind of advertising that lets you know they're around.
Everyone knows that sex sells. Twas ever thus. Even in the first half of the 20th century — right through the 1950s and into the '60s — when mainstream advertising and entertainment were coy and hesitant on the subject, sexuality was hot.
That iconic photo of Marilyn Monroe's white skirt being blown upward as she stands on a sidewalk grate above the subway? Photographed in 1955. (I don't want to think about what a 2011 reboot might be like.)
Today, sex still sells and it's anything but coy or hesitant. These days it's everywhere, it's constant, it's too much — whether with vulgar double-entendres or graphic sleaziness. No descriptive slang is left unspoken, no matter how coarse, and no aspect of sex is off limits, no matter how disturbing.
Of course, it's not just sex. It's also bodily functions, crass behavior, profane language, gory violence, you name it. Everything in today's entertainment has gone over the top.
TV, the music business, advertising, books — all have forgotten that a little goes a long way. And especially movies, where everything is literal and 40 feet high.
Gore that goes too far can undermine a thriller, as demonstrated by the horror-level violence in "Drive." Too much profane language can mute the value of an expletive uttered during a tense moment, as in "The Rum Diary." And sex and nudity, especially in the crass, raunchy manner it is used in modern comedies, is a distraction that undermines the humor, as in … well, too many to name.
Sexuality is so prevalent I sometimes wonder if modern screenwriters think about anything else. Most PG-13 movies have so much sex they deserve R ratings and most R-rated comedies are so raunchy they'd make the Marquis de Sade blush. And romantic comedies? No thanks. Not until Hollywood learns to distinguish between romance and sex.
What about PG-rated movies? Well, they're few and far between, although "The Big Year" manages to keep it surprisingly clean, even as it touches on adult themes. On the other hand, the PG-rated "Johnny English Reborn" is surprisingly vulgar, going much further than one would expect from that rating. (Although the first "Johnny English," also rated PG, was much worse.)
Even so-called "family films" — movies aimed at families and/or children — are often troubling. Many parents are so desensitized that they reason, "Oh, there are only a few bad jokes," or "The jokes go over the kids' heads." But the real question is, why put jokes like these in a family picture?
The recent "Winnie the Pooh" from Disney illustrates how rare it is to see a theatrical film aimed at kids that is completely free of such material. Even national critics — who don't seem to notice anything offensive anymore — used words like "throwback" and "innocent" in their reviews, suggesting they were surprised that it was so clean.
Have you seen the trailer for "The Muppets"? There are two moments that made me wince: First comes Fozzie Bear bragging about his "fart shoes," which make the expected noise as he moves his feet, and then a scene where several Muppets head into a large restroom with open toilets.
You may think I'm overreacting to a couple of cheap gags, and it is, after all, only the trailer — but, hey, it's the Muppets! When have they ever stooped to crass, vulgar gags? (This new PG-rated movie is the first theatrical film starring the Muppets that is not rated G.)
Aside from "The Big Year," the only movies my wife and I have seen lately that don't take the low road are a trio of faith-based dramas that have been playing locally: "Courageous," about three cops and their construction-worker buddy who take an oath to be better husbands and fathers (from the folks who made "Fireproof"); "The Mighty Macs," with Carla Gugino as a real-life women's basketball coach at a Catholic college (with Ellen Burstyn as the Reverend Mother); and the Emilio Estevez drama "The Way," about a father (Martin Sheen) finishing a pilgrimage in the Pyrenees for his adult son, who died on the trek.
I've never been one to suggest that simply because a movie is clean, it's good. There are lots of lousy family films, however well intentioned. But the three listed above are both clean and worth a look (even though "Courageous" and "The Way" are rated PG-13; "The Mighty Macs" is rated G).
Even in this modern world, where a glut of unsavory movies seems to open every week, there are still films worth seeking out. But they don't come from the major studios and they don't have the kind of advertising that lets you know they're around.
You have to look a bit harder, but it can be worth it.
EMAIL: hicks@desnews.com