In the oversaturated Superhero content market, it is rare for heroes to go against the epitomized image of squeaky-clean role models with godlike powers who save us from menacing villains justin the nick of time. Enter "The Boys." Amazon's hit show takes this notion and turns it on its head. In the series, Vought International presents to the world, "The Seven." These corporate Supes(short for superheroes), polished tip to toe are not dissimilar from carefully designed happy meals that conformists consume on a nice platter. Unlike Marvel Studio's "The Avengers," these Supes are radically damaged characters created in secret labs, pumped with illicit Vought chemicals to achieve unbelievable abilities.
In the oceanic depths of online content, there was a tiny litigious rodent named Mickey Mouse that consumed corporate giants to monopolize its stronghold on streaming platforms. When Mickey isn't floating around on his corporate steamboat Willieenjoying the excesses of his luxurious frugal billionaire lifestyle, this chauvinistic rat is pedaling G-rated content to millions of children all across the world with his new streaming service Disney+. Children's parents religiously subscribe to monthly subscription fees to keep their children glued to the TV for as long as possible. It's hard to ignore the amount of content available on Disney+, which signed up 10 million subscribers on its November 2019 launch, and the promise of more original content still on the way . While the children melt their brains with reruns of "Ducktales" or "Kim Possible" downstairs, what adult content (if any) do the parents get to watch on Disney+?
Disney’s new film “Mulan” has become a worldwide sensation, but not for the reasons one might think. The live-action film has generated an unusual amount of political debate. “Mulan,” directed by Niki Caro, is Disney’s remake of its 1998 animated film, based on the classic Chinese ballad. Due to the pandemic, the studio released the film on its streaming service Disney+, with plans to screen the film theatrically in countries where cinemas are open.
Netflix released the popular historical drama series “Vikings” in India in May 2020. However, to viewer’s shock it was a censored version. The show, released uncensored in US and Italy, comes with several cuts and blurs as reported by users. The scenes censored depict nudity, violence and even meat!
HBO Max, the newest incarnation of the channel’s popular streaming platform, has removed “Gone with the Wind” (1939). This, the company claims, is because it portrays “ethnic and racial prejudices” that “were wrong then and are wrong today.” The film, based on the Margaret Mitchell novel set during the American Civil War, is about a slave-owning family who retain the loyalty of their slaves after the war has ended and slaves are freed. It was first released to streaming in March 2020.
“The movie had the very best talents in Hollywood at that time working together to sentimentalize a history that never was,” said John Ridley, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of “12 Years A Slave.”
Hatti McDaniel, who played Mammy in the film, was the first black actress to be nominated for and win an Academy Award for her role. The movie won 10 Oscars and was one of the highest grossing films of its time.
But does that make it a staple of American filmmaking, or is it time to take a long, hard look at what is allowed on streaming platforms? “Gone with the Wind” stands high on the
Rotten Tomatoes
scale at 91%, and has a G rating. This means it has been deemed acceptable for audiences of any age. By removing it from their streaming platform, HBO Max is not only calling out a film that “glorifies the antebellum south,” but is raising an important question about how films are rated.
In his
Los Angeles Times op-ed
, John Ridley asserts, “I would just ask, after a respectful amount of time has passed that the film be re-introduced to the HBO Max platform along with other films that give a more broad-based and complete picture of what slavery and the Confederacy truly were.”
“At a moment when we are all considering what more we can do to fight bigotry and intolerance, I ask all content providers review their libraries and make a good-faith effort to separate programming that might be lacking in its representation from that which is blatant in its demonization.”
Some have strongly protested HBO’s actions and proclaimed their support for the film by propelling its DVD edition to the
top spot
on the Amazon’s online sales charts. Megan McCain, TV host,
expressed shock
and dismay at HBO’s decision, tweeting, “Are we going to pull all of the movies in which women are treated as sex objects too? Guess how many films we’ll have left? Where does this end??”
According to Forbes, “Gone with the Wind” is not retired from HBO Max forever, but instead “temporarily removed…with the intent on returning it alongside contextual content.” The film is expected to return to the streaming service at a future date with an introduction from Jacqueline Stewart, a Turner Classic Movies host and professor in the Department of Cinema and Media Studies at the University of Chicago.
According to PWC's M&E outlook for 2018-2023, the U.S. entertainment marketplace is expected to reach more than $825 billion. The report includes revenues from a wide range of sources, including global content creators (Disney, Warner Bros., Starz, CBS, AMC, etc.), multichannel video programming distributors (Comcast, AT&T, Verizon, etc.), digital stores (Apple iTunes, Amazon Prime, Google Play, etc.), and streaming platforms (Netflix, Amazon Prime, YouTube, etc.). In total, these segments represent approximately one third of global revenue in this category. This also considers increasing adoption of various access options, like AVOD, DTC subscription-channels, and SVOD. Given the paradigm shift away from traditional programming forms and access methods, it's hard not to wonder if there is such a thing as "nontraditional" anymore.
Flying DeLoreans, stolen plutonium, and pornographic magazines might seem like classic tropes from an episode of the adult animated science fiction sitcom , "Rick and Morty." But those images are from the 1985 film, "Back to the Future." The 1980s was an interesting time, particularly for movie goers. Are you hungry? You can have bowls of monkey brains for lunch in "Indiana Jones And the Temple of Doom." Do you enjoy animated musicals? Check out Jessica Rabbit's sensual performance in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" Are you looking for love? I hear ghosts are giving oral sex in "Ghostbusters." By today's age ratings standards, it's shocking these films were featured in theaters with a PG rating. Back then, audiences had a much different perspective on what they considered lewd and offensive.
