Zach and Miri make a BANNEDDD!!!

[Dimmauk]

http://l.yimg.com/img.movies.yahoo.c...eryposter2.jpg

Zack and Miri' Banned in Utah
by Jonathan Crow | October 30, 2008

Zack and Miri Make a Porno If you're looking forward to seeing Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks in director Kevin Smith's new R-rated comedy "Zack and Miri Make a Porno" this weekend and you live in Salt Lake City, you might be out of luck. Utah Jazz and Megaplex Theaters owner Larry Miller has refused to book the film. The chain's spokesman Cal Gunderson expressed concerns about the film with The New York Post, citing the film's "graphic nudity and graphic sex" and that it was "too close to an NC-17."

The company's standards seem a little odd considering that the chain had no problems screening ultra-violent fare like "Saw V," which features beheadings and explicit self-mutilation. When asked why Megaplex Theaters did not object to the gory horror sequel, Gunderson had no comment.

Furthermore, the company's decision might make sense if "Zack and Miri Make a Porno" were in fact pornographic. Instead, Kevin Smith's surprisingly tame and sentimental movie has a few flashes of nudity, a handful of love scenes played mostly for laughs, and a whole lot of foul language. In fact, the film's raunchiness level is comparable to that of "The 40-Year-Old Virgin", "Knocked Up" and "Sex Drive," all of which screened at Megaplex theaters.

It has been a difficult road for Kevin Smith's film, but it is not the first time he has encountered resistance to his frank and bawdy sense of humor. His first film "Clerks" was originally rated NC-17 for language, and his religious comedy "Dogma" sparked protests from Catholic groups. For "Zack and Miri," he again was forced to appeal an NC-17 rating with the MPAA, a teaser trailer had to be removed from his website, and the battle over the poster resulted in a design where the stars only appear as stick figures.

So what's the problem with this movie? The word "Porno" in the title. Aside from Larry Miller's theater chain, fifteen newspapers along with several TV stations and billboard owners have been refusing to promote the flick across the country because of that word. As Philadelphia deputy mayor Rina Cutler said in a phone interview with The Wall Street Journal, "If they want to call the movie 'Zack and Miri,' that's fine, but Zack and Miri cannot make a porno on my bus shelters."

This isn't the first time Miller's company caused controversy by banning a movie. In early 2006, Miller pulled Oscar-nominated movie "Brokeback Mountain" from the screens when he learned that the film was a gay love story between two cowboys. He later stated that he regretted that decision.

As a footnote to this story, this past weekend an audience full of children and pre-teens expecting to see the G-rated "High School Musical 3" at one of Miller's theaters in South Jordan, UT were surprised when the beginning of the R-rated "Sex Drive," which features nudity and swearing, was shown accidentally. But at least they didn't see Seth Rogen in his underwear.

"Zack and Miri Make a Porno" opens everywhere (almost) on Friday.

[Boyiee]

They took the "Make a porno" out of it here in commercials.

Now it's "Zack and Miri" which is misleading if people don't know what it's about.

[Epical]

Pretty sure they did this because of the "...make a porno" in the title. That being said, I'm seeing it tomorrow night. =D

[Mizango]

lolutah.

Will see it regardless.

[Charla]

lolcensorship.

[Xno Kappa]

Seriously, lolcensorship. We in fucking North Korea or some shit? Utah is retarded.

[Charla]

Of course not. North Korea wasn't founded by religious fundamentalists.

[Lebzile]

lolFCC

[Bagel]

I'm so thankful we have Utah around to make Texas seem almost sane

[Furionstormrage]

I'm not surpised that this happened, but I just got back from watching the movie and I think it was great. I really enjoyed it, it was a solid 2 hours of entertainment.

[0ni0n]

LOL at your religious conservatism.

[Sythe]

Man i wish the MPPA would go away.

[Sesar]

What they fail to mention are the other half dozen theaters in Salt Lake valley that will likely screen the movie when it opens. Larry Miller doesn't own a monopoly on films here. I'm surprised he could muster enough breath to object since he practically has one foot in the grave already.

[Vandalhart]

I find it rather disturbing that people can watch 1-2 hours of people beating the shit out of each other in a public place, but throwing a pair of naked titties/ball-sack up on a screen is a worse offense.

[Furionstormrage]

Kevin Smith also protested his own film, "Dogma", when the Catholics were in an uproar despite never actually seeing the film.

[Furionstormrage]

I find it rather disturbing that people can watch 1-2 hours of people beating the shit out of each other in a public place, but throwing a pair of naked titties/ball-sack up on a screen is a worse offense.

Agreed.

I fail to see the problem with some nudity and profanity when nobody puts up nearly as much of an uproar over films like the "Saw" series or Ultimate Fighter.

I'm not one to care, but honestly, what's more disturbing, some boobs and ass or someone getting brutally tortured and beaten.

[0ni0n]

Do people honestly think on judgment day, they are gonna be judged by the number of tits they have seen in their life time? Or do they think anything remotely resembled porn is a gateway drug for a lusty life style? I thought they already practice polygamy in Utah.

[Dimmauk]

I'm so thankful we have Utah around to make Texas seem almost sane

A University of Texas poll to be released today shows Republican presidential candidate John McCain and GOP Sen. John Cornyn leading by comfortable margins in Texas, as expected. But the statewide survey of 550 registered voters has one very surprising finding: 23 percent of Texans are convinced that Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama is a Muslim.

Obama is a Christian who was embroiled in a controversy earlier this year about his two-decade membership in Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ. Yet just 45 percent of those polled identified the Illinois senator as a Protestant.



I was ashamed to be from Texas when I read that.

[HAcoreRD]

Parents don't care about violence if there's something sex related going on.

GG Parents, and LOLutah

[Kaliden]

Parents don't care about violence if there's something sex related going on.

GG Parents, and LOLutah

Beat me to it, I was just about to pull up the South Park quote.