This column is for mature audiences only

Film is a complex thing. It can be entertaining or dull, poignant or pointless. It's the ultimate form of storytelling, utilizing sight and sound as a sensory canvas on which a two-dimensional picture is painted. \nThis picture has the ability to evoke realistic responses from the audience through an artificially constructed fictitious narrative. Film is beautiful and has power. In a word, it's art. And like all art, it can be controversial, and it can be rated. In the case of film, it MUST be rated in order to be made widely available to the public. \nEvery day the infamous Motion Picture Association of America brands films with a rating of G, PG, PG-13, R or NC-17. The Ratings Board consists of eight to 13 individuals who hold no specific term of office. \nWhat does it take to be on the board, you ask? According to the MPAA Web site, nothing except that each member must have a "shared parenthood experience, [and] must be possessed of an intelligent maturity." Basically, it's all opinion-based.\nThe problem is ratings aren't consistent. Kevin Smith submitted Clerks for rating and got an NC-17. Without making any changes, he submitted it again and got an R. \nIn 1984, the PG-rated Sixteen Candles contained gratuitous T&A shots of a girl showering. But nowadays George Clooney's butt is enough to get Solaris an initial R rating?\nGo back and watch Raiders of the Lost Ark or Jaws and notice how bloody they are, despite being PG. Then watch The Matrix and notice how bloody it isn't despite being R.\nDid you think Kill Bill, Vol. 1 was violent? Did you know it was intentionally watered down for its U.S. release? A more violent, edgier cut was distributed in Asia and Europe because the producers felt they could "handle more" than American audiences.\nFurthermore, ratings heavily restrict some very good films from being released in their original form, if at all. Kinji Fukasaku's Battle Royale is one of the best movies in recent years. It's about a class of kids that are taken to a deserted island and given weapons with three days to kill each other. It's got more balls than 99 percent of all things cinema in the U.S., but because of ratings and the touchy subject matter, it's not readily available here. \nPeople need to wake up. A mature adult market can handle, and is even entertained by, material that society deems "inappropriate." When someone's head explodes and brains whoosh into an actor's eye, not everyone is grossed out. Some people laugh. Granted, there will always be individuals who are too sensitive to handle such material in an acceptable context, but the inability of few should not prevent others from possibly appreciating something. The ratings system needs to be rethought. \nAbout now someone usually brings up kids being corrupted by the movies. Well, it's not a film's responsibility to raise children -- that's what parents are for. Just monitor your spawn. True, this is coming from a guy whose mother told him not to watch Species or Basic Instinct, which only made him sneak downstairs late at night to catch them on Skin-e-max, but that's beside the point. \nYes, content can get extreme. But there's usually something of relevance beneath the surface. Gasper Noe's Irreversible disturbed the hell out of even me (but if you can sit through a nine-minute, continuous-take rape scene and not be disgusted, there's something very wrong with you), but it was my choice to watch it, and I'm glad I did; beyond the grotesque surface there is a profound message about protecting the ones you love, and the dire consequences acting on impulse can have. \nFilmgoers need to remember no one is putting a gun to their head saying they have to watch. Filmmakers have the right to put out whatever they want. You have the right to choose to view their work or not. But no one has the right to censor it. If your panties get in a twist, take a deep breath and remember: IT'S NOT REAL. If it still bothers you, don't watch it. \nI realize this whiny bitchfest of a rant may offend some readers. Like with film, this is actually a good thing. Everyone needs a good kick in the butt from time to time. It reminds us that we're human and can still be affected by something. In this sense, I'd say we're not half as desensitized as we think we are.