Ebert Calls Kick-Ass Movie "Morally Reprehensible"

[ninjajoeman]

Big Daddy? Can i just call him 'Mr Bubbles'?

in part two big daddy dies...

Hit girl: MR. BUBB I mean BIG DADDY!!!!

 

[ohellynot]

An old man who reviews films and then posts them on the internet, "doesn't understand the purpose for [it]".
Anyone else seeing the trony.

 

[Jennacide]

Ebert is one of these people the expects every movie to have a moral, social impact, or be artsy. Movies just for the sake of fun or entertainment are a no-no. Who the hell still cares what he thinks?

And then I realize how many people evangelize Yahtzee's reviews. Nevermind, people need to be led around by the nose, forgot how independant opinions are dying out.

 

[Jennacide]

More whiny conservative D-bags. I really hate when people complain "that a (insert entertainment media here) is corrupting our youth!", it's called Kick-ass (emphasis on the ass) for christ's sake, no self respecting parent would buy this movie for their 5 year old kid. I personally respect this movie in the fact that it does what it sets out to do, that is, of course, to give us a movie thats true to it's name, IT KICKS ASS!

I love this movie, if ebert is so damn sensitive to violence perhaps he shouldnt watch movies that contain violence?

I agree so much with whoever it was that said it's just old people hating modern culture.

except that he's a professional film critic and rated kill bill extremely well, liked hot tub time machine, loved watchmen and and rated grindhouse (planet terror and deathproof) well.

he specifically has a problem with an aspect of kick-ass' production. to emphasise, he has no problem with violence, he liked kill bill and planet terror. he just thinks graphic fight scenes involving children are morally and aesthetically wrong. this is his opinion, an opinion he expresses and that no one minded until it clashed with their opinion.

this site never ceases to amaze me, we respect opinions that back up what we think but the second someone disagrees he's an outdated and closed minded idiot? he's a professional critic who's seen more films in a wider range than almost all of us and he criticised one film that geek culture buys in to in a big way, so therefore he's no longer culturally relevant and has suddenly turned into evil bizarro-ebert?

As I previously stated, welcome to the internet where independant thought has died. People back the popular source of opinion that agrees with thier own, villify opposing ones, and make no claim at thier own opinion out of fear. It's easier to hide behind a bigger name than argue your own beliefs and opinions.

 

[TheRightToArmBears]

He really doesn't get the film. The point is that it's very violent, because if superhero's existed it would be very violent, and picking out how it's so smoothed over in most superhero films (except for Watchmen).

At least that's what I thought.

 

[archvile93]

Human's enjoy violence.

And thats been criticized since the Roman Colosseum.

Your point?

That criticizing the human love of violence is nothing new? That the argument "ITS WHAT PPLS WANT TO SEE" is a slippery slope that can be used to justify anything?

What's that have to do with fictional violence?

 

[archvile93]

Human's enjoy violence.

And thats been criticized since the Roman Colosseum.

Your point?

That criticizing the human love of violence is nothing new? That the argument "ITS WHAT PPLS WANT TO SEE" is a slippery slope that can be used to justify anything?

What's that have to do with fictional violence?

You can't justify anything with "its what people want to see."

That is true, but are you saying that all entertaiment that involves violence should be banned even though nobody is getting hurt so everyone one is forced to follow your defination of how things should be? If yes, Then you are an incredibly arrogant and narrow minded individual.

 

[McNinja]

Somehow has to bring up video games! Even when video games are not involved they still bring them up to make them out to be the bad guy. Seems like video games are the pariah of this generation and anything "morally reprehensible" will be automatically linked to video games.

You missed the point. He's saying that in video games, you aren't actually killing people. In Kick-Ass, the teenagers (and pre-teens) are killing people with the abandon of a gamer in a game like GTA.

 

[Treefingers]

This site never ceases to amaze me, we respect opinions that back up what we think but the second someone disagrees he's an outdated and closed minded idiot? he's a professional critic who's seen more films in a wider range than almost all of us and he criticised one film that geek culture buys in to in a big way, so therefore he's no longer culturally relevant and has suddenly turned into evil bizarro-ebert?

This.

Seriously, too many kicking up such a fuss and missing the point that Ebert was really trying to make.

 

[Break]

Somehow has to bring up video games! Even when video games are not involved they still bring them up to make them out to be the bad guy. Seems like video games are the pariah of this generation and anything "morally reprehensible" will be automatically linked to video games.

You missed the point. He's saying that in video games, you aren't actually killing people. In Kick-Ass, the teenagers (and pre-teens) are killing people with the abandon of a gamer in a game like GTA.

But they're not? They're characters in a movie. They aren't people. They're mooks. Grunts. Passers-by. NPCs. It's all the same thing, really - facsimiles of people you're allowed to not care about. Sure, they might look more like people, but they remain entities who do not exist outside of the scene. That the audience sees a man or a man-shaped pile of geometry is inconsequential. Their deaths are "acceptable" to anyone who's familiar with the process of watching a movie. They can be ignored. It's why a certain series of Austin Powers jokes were so effective.

 

[Elesar]

Context and reason behind violence matter quite a bit. A Clockwork Orange is brutally and unrelentingly violent, but it's still considered an extremely intelligent and important film BECAUSE that violence was put into context and used/shown for a reason.
I have not read, nor seen Kick-Ass, so I have no comments on the actual film, but I understand Ebert's point.
Also, just to make the point to nerds, so this doesn't become a thing: When someone attacks something related to geek-culture, we don't need to circle the wagons or attack him. He's a critic, it's his job to voice his opinion, let's try to be mature about this.

Oh good, we've decided to ignore me.

Look, people, this is not something huge, this is not some attack on our culture. He did not randomly post this, he shared his opinion on a movie he'd seen. He is a MOVIE CRITIC, it is his fucking JOB to share his opinion on movies. WE are the one making a big deal out of this, making it more than a simple review. Leave it alone, next week, no one'll remember it.

 

[crazyjay321]

Trusting a man that look's older than Yoda with This kind of movie is just plain stupid.

Ofcourse he is not going to like it he probably think's people who have sex before marriage are Morally Reprehensible too.

 

[Baldr]

Ebert is a fat fart who's had it out for video games since they took the top spot in media away from the movie industry. You think this review is bad, you should read what he says about video games.
"I did indeed consider video games inherently inferior to film and literature."
"video games could not be art"
"(Games)Something may be excellent as itself, and yet be ultimately worthless. A bowel movement, for example."
"video games represent a loss of those precious hours we have available to make ourselves more cultured, civilized and empathetic"

 

[quiet_samurai]

Hah, who cares what that guy thinks.

I hope he gets face cancer..... what?

 

[dls182]

Morally reprehensible? Sounds like it's right up my ally. Wanna see reprehensible Ebert? Why don't you watch Troma's Unspeakable. Now that is fucked up.

I think you mean 'Any Troma movie ever'. Or at least any movie Lloyd Kaufman has had a hand in =)

 

[slowpoke999]

Oh well some people have balls bigger then raisins to enjoy fake violence and politically incorrect humour while other's don't it's k.