Weekly Movie Ratings

(CU) Completely Unacceptable

- Film contains levels of Sex, Violence, Profane Language and/or other objectionable content that are gratuitous to the degree that the film has absolutely no redeeming value either as a work of social commentary or as an entertaining diversion.

Examples: Fatal Attraction, Basic Instinct, Eyes Wide Shut, Eddie Murphy: Raw

(RU) Rather Unacceptable

- Film contains levels of Sex, Violence, Profane Language and/or other objectionable content that are extreme. As such only through extreme rationalization could someone consider the film fit for consumption. The only reason to see it would be as a study of the current state of Western culture.

Examples: American Beauty

(SA) Somewhat Acceptable

- Aspects of objectionable Sex, Violence and Profane Language and/or other questionable content exist, but either a) Not in a gratuitous manner, b) Not in great frequency or c) With specific redeeming intent. But be very careful.

Examples: Malcolm X, American History X, The Matrix

(RA) Rather Acceptable

- Overall, the film is suitable for general consumption with some concerns over thematic issues or minor objectionable content. But be on the lookout for more subtle Western themes that are of concern to Muslims such as romance and dating.

Examples: Shrek, Atlantis

(CA) Completely Acceptable

- Film content is either tame or fully socially redeeming in nature.

Examples: Jinnah, The Battle of Algiers, Bambi

Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (CA)

Summary: Thank goodness for animated film features. Without this genre of film, there might be no movies for kids and families to go see together without worrying about unacceptable content. Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron isn’t without its faults, but we’ll get to those minor things in a minute. First, the good news.

This film is a heart-warming, genuine tale of a horse’s life in the American West circa the late 1800s. At a time when wild herds of Mustangs still roamed the plains and tribes of Native Americans hadn’t been completely exterminated by the U.S. government, a remarkable horse was born: Spirit. In the film audiences see him grow into maturity and learn what it is like to interact with humans.

Of special note in the film is Spirit’s relationship with a Lakota native named Little Creek. The two meet as mutual captives of the U.S. Cavalry. Spirit is being held because the soldiers want to break him in and use him as a beast of burden. Little Creek is being held basically because he’s Native American. The two make a daring escape and become fast friends. The friendship is abruptly ended however when a raid on the Little Creek’s village lands Spirit a captive once again.

The audience follows Spirit as he goes from being a free stallion to a broken horse to a steed in search of his a life lost to modernization. This film reminds us of what the West used to be like and recalls a time when freedom meant something much different than it does now.

Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron does have a brief, minor romantic subplot that deals with Spirit falling for another horse. But that is short and quite innocuous. In general this film is something that parents and children alike can feel comfortable seeing.

Insomnia (RU-Adult)

Summary: Who would have ever thought that Robin Williams could be so convincingly evil on screen. Known far and wide for his strange sense of humor and often colorful performances in his films, Williams has almost been typecast as a funny man. Therefore Insomnia is a drastic departure for him, as he plays a deranged murder suspect.

Starring opposite Williams is fan favorite Al Pacino. Pacino’s character, a veteran police officer named Will Dormer, finds himself stuck in Alaska investigating a murder. Isolated and plagued by the persistent “Midnight Sun” of the Alaskan summer, Dormer begins to lose sleep. To make matters worse, the chief suspect in the murder case (Williams) plays a psychological game of “cat and mouse” with Dormer that eventually leads him to a certain detachment from reality.

This film would be considered a thriller or a crime suspense drama. As such it explores the darker side of the human psyche, a topic quite en vogue these days. There is a scene of brief nudity in this film along with some violence and foul language. The themes are very adult in nature, thus Insomnia is definitely not a film for kids. It is also most likely not a film for the more discerning Muslim moviegoer.

Enough (SA-Adult)

Summary: Domestic violence is a crime that plagues America. However, with all the attention on burqas and so-called “honor killings” in the Muslim world, one would think that women in the United States have it good. That’s simply not the case.

Enough deals with one woman’s struggle to escape a physically and emotionally abusive husband. Jennifer Lopez plays the protagonist who, after enduring as much abuse as she can bear, musters the courage to leave her husband taking her young daughter with her. Unfortunately the story does not end there, as the husband doggedly pursues Lopez’s character leaving her always on edge and always on the run.

Knowing that she may eventually have to confront her spouse, Lopez’s characters bones up on her self-defense techniques and fortifies herself for the worst.

This film has some fairly strong scenes of domestic violence, some foul language and a little sensuality. Additionally the subject matter of the film is very adult in nature and therefore it disqualifies as a kids’ film. But Enough does deal with an important societal issue that is often glossed over, and Muslims might want to see the movie for the commentary it makes. However moviegoers should be very wary of the aforementioned questionable material.