'R' isn't what the people want

'R' isn't what the people want

Chris Woodward and Bill Bumpas - OneNewsNow - 1/6/2012 4:00:00 AM

A noted critic and media pundit says he knows why 2011 was not a good year for Hollywood.

Hollywood took in 4.5 percent less revenue in 2011 than in 2010, selling the least amount of tickets since 1995. Are consumers simply fed up with what Tinseltown has to offer? Dr. Ted Baehr of MovieGuide says it depends on the film in question.

"The spin is that people want more R-rated films, but the actual truth of the matter is that there were more R-rated films last year than there were the year before, and there were more than the year before that," he explains.

Two years ago, 44 percent of the films were rated R. Now, 51 percent of films carry that rating. At the same time, however, films that are rated G, PG, and even PG-13 are outperforming the movies for restricted audiences.

"There was a study out from the Los Angeles Times that 74 percent of the young women [and 58 percent of the young boys] don't want to see sex, violence, nudity, [or] profanity in films," Baehr cites. Since "consumers don't want to see R-rated films," he wonders who filmmakers are making them for.

He is quick to point out that Hollywood is a big place with many different people, and several of the major studios are putting out films like Courageous and The Chronicles of Narnia, the series made by Fox-owned Walden Media. Most of the R-rated films come from independent operations and filmmakers who think they have to make something gruesome to break into the industry.

"The church has to show up and show off," the critic contends. "If the filmmakers are the ones coming out of the Sundance Film Festival, we're going to continue to slide into the abyss. If the filmmakers are people of faith and values, we're going to do better."

On that note, as Hollywood continues to make more faith-based movies, a veteran actor says the public must do its part by supporting such films at the box office. (Listen to audio report)

Actor Kevin Sorbo is best known for starring in the Hercules TV series, but he also played a role in the recent hit movie Soul Surfer. With Hollywood studios opening faith-based divisions, he tells OneNewsNow the film industry is no longer ignoring the faith community. However, fans frequently ask him why there are not more family-friendly movies.

"Well, the reality is if people would support the movies that come out like Soul Surfer and the movie called What If that's on DVD now that deals with these same things and it's a great story, Hollywood will make more. But the people just have to get out and do it," he says. "They all complain about it, but they've got to support these movies. If they support them, Hollywood will make them -- trust me."

And Sorbo shares that he enjoys starring in family and faith-based films.

"Lately it's ... Soul Surfer and … What If, and I just finished a move called Abel's Field. I've got another one coming out called Grace Unplugged," he lists. "Those are certainly family movies, and I think having three small children myself has certainly changed the way I want to represent myself."

The 53-year-old actor recalls rejecting a role in a horror film because it did not fit his value system.

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