Movie Hype: To See Or Not To See?

For weeks there has been so much hype about the release of "Sex In The City". The trailers make it look like so much fun. I have to admit I only watched it once or twice on HBO and did not see what the hub-bub was all about. But thought I would just look at the reviews to see about the movie. There are several different sites I look at that give a movie review from a Christian perspective.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/movies/
Language/Profanity: Multiple profanities, mostly involving the “f” word.
Sex/Nudity: Be forewarned: This is definitely the HBO, not the edited TBS version of “Sex and the City,” so there’s plenty of push-the-envelope sexual content. Not only do these ladies pontificate extensively about their sex lives, (and graphically so), but we see Miranda and her husband Steve (who are married, incidentally) go at it in one scene (with both male and female nudity with breasts shown). In what’s an ongoing joke through the movie, Samantha watches a neighborhood couple have sex several times, complete with male and female nudity and plenty of leave-nothing-to-the-imagination vocal hysterics. Samantha’s neighbor apparently showers in public, and there’s a lingering close-up of his rear. Later, Samantha lies naked on the kitchen table with only sushi covering her in the appropriate spots. Her boyfriend Smith’s backside is shown in a couple of different scenes, along with their sexual encounters. There’s a kiss between two men at a party. There’s another ongoing joke about Samantha’s recently fixed dog who is always humping anything it deems worthy. And basically, the list could go on and on, meaning there’s no shortage of graphic sex—featuring marrieds and singles— in this city.

http://www.crosswalk.com/movies/
Craft-wise, SEX AND THE CITY is well written, well performed and well directed. No matter how much heart and sincerity this movie may have, however (including some moral, redemptive themes of forgiveness), SEX AND THE CITY is a movie that any media-wise person should want to avoid. The movie’s content is abhorrent. It contains an over-abundance of sexual content, including several scenes of depicted sex and even one scene of group sex. Along with the strong sexual content, of course, comes a lot of unnecessary nudity, including partial full frontal nudity. There is also lying, adultery, drunkenness, and a further normalization of homosexual and transsexual perversion.

http://preview.gospelcom.net/
Never having seen the TV series, I am what is known as a SATC virgin. Indeed, I kept looking for Teri Hatcher, suddenly realizing she’s in that other TV series about women behaving badly. I knew it was going to be bawdy, but honestly had no clue as to just how raunchy the material would become, with its humor ranging from less than subtle sexual references to sight gags concerning pubic hair and diarrhea. Even more disturbing than the several sexual situations, which were played out like a porno film, was the attitude toward the priorities of life. The Sarah Jessica Parker character is rich and lives to shop. (She has shoes that cost over $500.) Watching this film you’d have no idea that there was poverty in the world or that anyone cared about spiritual matters. It’s downright decadent.

I won't be going to see it based on the reviews. And I won't ask if you are or not. But I do have a question, these people that write the Christian reviews. Does the end justify the means? Is it okay for them to go see such movies in order to warn me why I shouldn't go see them? I am glad they exist because I used to just go to movies blindly without educating myself first. It helps me to make better decisions (since the rating system doesn't always work, I've seen some PG-13 movies that were worse than R rated). Anyway...when you look at the decline of morality in movies from when the country was up in arms for Rhett Butler saying "damn" in Gone with the Wind to now where there is multiple use of the"f" word and nudity and sex and nobody flinches?? Why is it not considered pornography when there is sexual intercourse with nudity at a movie, but it is on the computer? I wonder where our morality will be in another 25 years? I can only pray the Lord comes before then.