Movie Stuff

Jim and I have been avid movie goers for much of our life together--that is until recent years when we have been busier than ever and the movies have been less worth seeing. Some time ago (so long that I can't remember how long ago) we determined to eliminate R rated movies as entertainment possibilities. This we did in order to be good examples for our kids and to improve our own lives.
We've come close to even doing away with PG-13 movies! I get so tired of hearing how good a movie is except for this or that offensive thing. Why should I spend my hard earned money to see or hear things that shouldn't be for public consumption? The human imagination is a great thing, but movie makers have decided that we need everything graphically displayed instead of letting our minds fill in the blanks. We recently saw True Grit and thought it was a good movie except for the very graphic violence. There's that "except for" thing again!
A few weeks ago I read an article in the newspaper by Richard and Linda Eyre about Hollywood's movie rating system. Their idea was that we shouldn't determine what movies we see by their rating from a system that doesn't much match our family values. They pointed out that many excellent movies had received ratings that would keep us from seeing them. They also felt that parents should read reviews and see movies first before determining whether they are family fare or not.
Now I'm not sure whether I am in the position of justifying or not, but this weekend for the first time in ages we went to an R rated film, The King's Speech. It was one of the best movies we have seen in a long, long time--rated R for the king's use of curse words in order to cure a lifelong problem with stuttering. Don't get me wrong--I hate language like that, even though it is pretty commonplace now days, but I don't see how they could have left it out. I loved the historical value of the movie, the insight to life as a royal, the story of a friendship thriving despite class differences, and did I mention Colin Firth?
It pains me some to confess this to our children after preaching the "no R movies" sermon for so long, but I have given my recommendation without hesitation and they can decide for themselves. I expect that we will continue to remain extremely choosy about the movies we see and always make sure that it is worth our while and money.
Okay I'm off my soapbox now.