Follow the Money

About 5 years ago, former liberal and talk radio personality Michael Medved wrote a book about the profitability of PG and PG-13 rated movies compared with R rated movies. When you look down the list of the most profitable movies in history, Passion of the Christ is the only one in the top 10. Matrix Reloaded, Beverly Hills Cop, The Exorcist and Saving Private Ryan make 5 in the top 50.

It appears that the free market is working. Hollywood is making less R rated films. It seems they've decided that putting butts in seats is more important than making movies that meet their definition of art. Could the opinion of the consumer be more important than that of the producers and directors?

Can you imagine the crass commercialism of it? To make movies that people want to see instead of art? I'm so disappointed. Those scurvy corporate sellouts. How will we live without 50 movies a year that have the F-word as the centerpiece of dialogue? How will we continue to procreate without graphic portrayals to show us how? And how will we sleep at night without bloody visions of gratuitous violence to tuck us in?

Over 30 years, the complaints from politicians, social scientists, religious leaders and parents didn't make a dent. But leave a trail of dollars and these swine will follow like vultures after roadkill. (Oops! mixing metaphores) Those principles of artistic integrity go down the tubes to satisfy the corporate greed they publicly disdain.

You hear me? I'm talking to YOU! You've taken your first step. Now admit it to yourself that you are capitalists. Stop spouting that socialist crap and become part of the solution.