January 26, 2007 Vol. 35 Issue 7

Editorial: Rating system questioned
By Dustin Corban, sr.
For the Editorial Board

Movies are a popular source of entertainment for many students. While older students can go to virtually any movie no matter what the rating, younger students are kept from viewing some films in theaters and at home because of the ratings.

The Motion Picture Association of America has been doing the ratings of movies for
several years.

We editors have noticed an increase of obscene language, violence and sexual content in movies of the same rating. What used to earn a higher rating now is accessible to younger audiences and can be inappropriate.


Cartoon by Haley Huffman

The standards for what rating a movie earns are becoming more lenient toward how much negative content is in a movie rated for younger audiences.

Movies now show more graphic details than in the past, and we have noticed that many movies do not fall under what we believe would be a correct rating.

We do not believe that all movies are correctly rated, although some are. More and more of the movies have been more explicit not only in violence, but also in language. Many of the movies in theaters today are extremely violent for younger to children to watch.

Many PG-13 movies have too much sexual content and violence for their rating. A rating of PG-13 allows the children over the age of 13 to view these images without their parents in a theater. Sometimes the content of a PG-13 should not be watched by a 13-year-old.

Not only are PG-13 movies showing too much violence, they are also allowing too much profanity. Even some PG movies have a lot of obscenities that should not be heard by children that young.

With all the violence going on around the world, those who are rating movies need to be careful about what movie viewers watch. The MPAA needs to be more strict on what can be shown in each category of ratings.

Movies better in theater (Pro)
By Yuliya Mosley, so.
Reporter/Photographer

Clearly it is better to go to the movie theater to watch a movie than to stay at home and watch it. Going to the theater will get students out of the house and allow them to spend quality time with others. Students can bond with family or friends while at the theater, or they can go there on a date.

Besides being a good chance to spend time with others, going to the theater to watch a new release is usually cheaper than buying a DVD after the movie has been out for a while. People can spend about seven dollars to see a movie while it is still in theaters, but if that person were to buy the movie after it comes out on DVD, the amount would raise to about 20 dollars.

Another advantage to going to the movies is being able to view the movie before people who are waiting for the movie to be released on DVD and VHS. It is much more exciting for people to watch a movie before they have heard everything about it from others. Seeing a movie while it is still in theaters makes that possible.

Besides the advantage of checking out a movie before it hits the stores, one can meet new people in public areas at the movie theater, such as the arcade. The arcade is another thing that makes going to the theater special, especially for those who do not want to go home right after they watch a movie. Instead, they can go to the arcade where many prizes can be won and students can have fun just by using their gaming skills.

If people still feel they must buy a DVD or video, then they should at least watch the movie at the theater before they buy it. This will allow them to decide if they really like it or not.

Enjoy movies at home(Con)
By Christy Spelchter, fr.
Reporter

Although a night out can be fun, I believe that, at least when it comes to movies, it is better to stay at home. There are several reasons to a buy a DVD or video tape instead of going to a theater to watch a movie.


First of all, people do not need to go to the theater just to wait in line before they actually see the movie.

Instead, they can buy or rent the movie and watch it at home. Then, they can pause the movie or stop it if they need to leave the room or get something to eat, and then resume the movie when they get back. This possibility would not even be an option if the person had gone to the theater. If a person wants more popcorn at the theater, he or she has to leave the theater to walk to the concession area and miss several minutes. This can be especially annoying if something important happens while a person is out of the theater.


Another advantage of watching a movie at home is that a person can lie down or cover up with blankets if they are cold instead of sitting in the theater freezing and uncomfortable.


Watching a movie at home can be cheaper than going to the theater. If people stay home to watch a movie, they do not have to worry about going to the theater and spending money, not only to see the movie, but also to be able to eat the overpriced snacks.


For people that do want to get out of the house, they can go to a friend’s house to watch a movie. This would be a more cost-effective solution than going to the theater.

Review: Wax figures come to life at night in new movie
By Haley Huffman, jr.
Feature Editor/Cartoonist

Last weekend, Night at the Museum was second-highest grossing movie at the box office. Ben Stiller stars in this comedy as Larry Daley.


His ex-wife tells him he needs to find a steady job and quit moving around in order to keep seeing his son.


He finds a job, but it is the night watch shift at New York’s Museum of Natural History.


However, when he starts work, he learns that an old Egyptian tablet makes all the wax creations in the museum to come to life at sunset. Everything goes back to normal at sunrise, but if anything is out of the building when the sun rises, it turns to dust.


There is a T-rex that likes to play fetch, a capuchin monkey that likes to take Daley’s keys, and a big statue that is obsessed with gum. So, the first couple nights are a disaster and he is nearly fired.


A cowboy, played by Owen Wilson, and a Roman emperor, Octavius, played by Steve Coogan, fight throughout the first half of the movie, before they learn to get along and work together.


Teddy Roosevelt, played by Robin Williams, is very helpful in Daley’s adventure. Teddy also has a crush on Sacajawea, and Daley helps him overcome the fear of talking to her throughout the film.


The three old men that had worked there before Daley found that they too had restored lives after sunset from the tablet just as the wax figures did.


They became selfish, so they tried to steal the tablet and the plan was to blame it on Daley for missing.


Daley takes his son with him to show him the fantasies of the museum but then Daley, his son, and the creations have to work together to restore order at the museum, and get the tablet and everyone back in place before sunrise.


Night at the Museum was an amazingly good movie. It was on the top charts in the box office for a very long time. I would recommend that students go see it.

Cub Voices
Do you think rating systems are a fair judge
of the levels of violence in movies?

Hilary Bartlett, sr., “I definitely think that today’s world has become less conservative, especially considering violence is pushed to the limit within the movie ratings.”
Michael Barker, jr., “Yes, because many people have to agree on the ratings before they are set. It is a very long precess from what I have heard from my boss at the Roxy 4 Cinema in Chanute.”
   
Thad Wells, so., “Yes, I think most of the movie ratings are fair but for the younger children it is the parent’s responsibility to monitor where they go.”
Danielle Shelton, fr., “The movie ratings are fair to a certain point; but once they start showing blood and guts it is too violent, so I cannot really say yes or no.”
   

Paula Kovacic, secretary, “I think the movie ratings are fine; if the parent or guardian has any concerns about the content of the movie, they should preview it first.”

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