Entertainment Weekly's 25 Most Controversial Films

Hobo-Ou

I saw this at a bookstore yesterday, and I don't know if anybody else has seen it yet. I thought it was an interesting selection.

25 ALADDIN
DIRECTED BY RON CLEMENTS AND JOHN MUSKER (1992)

24 CALIGULA
DIRECTED BY TINTO BRASS (1980)

23 KIDS
DIRECTED BY LARRY CLARK (1995)

22 DO THE RIGHT THING
DIRECTED BY SPIKE LEE (1989)

21 BONNIE AND CLYDE
DIRECTED BY ARTHUR PENN (1967)

20 CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST
DIRECTED BY RUGGERO DEODATO (1985)

19 BASIC INSTINCT
DIRECTED BY PAUL VERHOEVEN (1992)

18 I AM CURIOUS (YELLOW)
DIRECTED BY VILGOT SJÖMAN (1969)

17 FREAKS
DIRECTED BY TOD BROWNING (1932)

16 UNITED 93
DIRECTED BY PAUL GREENGRASS (2006)

15 TRIUMPH OF THE WILL
Directed by LENI RIEFENSTAHL (1935)

14 THE WARRIORS
DIRECTED BY WALTER HILL (1979)

13 THE DA VINCI CODE
DIRECTED BY RON HOWARD (2006)

12 THE DEER HUNTER
DIRECTED BY MICHAEL CIMINO (1978)

11 THE MESSAGE
DIRECTED BY MOUSTAPHA AKKAD (1977)

10 BABY DOLL
DIRECTED BY ELIA KAZAN (1956)

9 LAST TANGO IN PARIS
DIRECTED BY BERNARDO BERTOLUCCI (1972)

8 NATURAL BORN KILLERS
DIRECTED BY OLIVER STONE (1994)

7 THE BIRTH OF A NATION
DIRECTED BY D.W. GRIFFITH (1915)

6 THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST
DIRECTED BY MARTIN SCORSESE (1988)

5 JFK
DIRECTED BY OLIVER STONE (1991)

4 DEEP THROAT
DIRECTED BY GERARD DAMIANO (1972)

3 FAHRENHEIT 9/11
DIRECTED BY Michael Moore (2004)

2 A CLOCKWORK ORANGE
DIRECTED BY STANLEY KUBRICK (1971)

1 THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST
DIRECTED BY MEL GIBSON (2004)

http://community.livejournal.com/ohnotheydidnt/7108558.html
Check the link for more details about the selections.

Any thoughts?

Anime Master

Wait…Aladdin...as in Disneys Aladdin? Why is that there?!
Id have thought Last Temptation would have been higher.

Greg

Aladdin next to Caligula????????????????????

Akumashogun

@Anime:

Wait…Aladdin...as in Disneys Aladdin? Why is that there?!

One lyric from the opening song had to be changed because it was offensive to Arabs.

Megadoomer

I'm pretty sure that there are movies out there that are more controversial than Aladdin. (Aside from the other 24 that were listed.)

joekido the Second

Polls always upset people. Well there should be movies better then Aladdin.

COWMAKAZE

Alladin? What the Hell?

Very happy to see that Cannibal Holocaust made it on the list. Easily the goriest and most disturbing movie of all time. However, it is very good if you can stomach it. Also if you don't mind not sleeping for a week.

GoAnderson

So they put Aladdin one behind Caligula. Uh-huh. That makes perfect sense… About as much as Kimimaro from Naruto beating a mecha that can split a planet in half, anyway.

himemiya

Anyone else notice how skewed it was to the past 20 years? I can think of several possible explanations:
-Hollywood more active now (I think this is not true)
-More daring films coming out now (somehow I doubt this is true)
-Modern media loves controversy more (this seems highly likely– Da Vinci Code used it for marketing for Chrissake!)

What think you?

Cap'n Carter

I did hear that Aladdin really pissed off the arab community when it first came out.

The top 5 aren't that surprising at all.

My problem with the Da Vinci Code is it isn't really the movie that's controversial, it's the book. Like, the book laid down the groundwork for being really controversial and the movie kind of swooped in and took credit. Or something.

Green Hair

A list of most controversial movies without Pasolini's Salo in it? Bah.

Hobo-Ou

More daring films coming out now (somehow I doubt this is true)

This one I have to disagree with. With a few exceptions, there are no real movies today that one could consider daring. For the most part, they're tireless and trite sequels and unessecary remakes. There is nothing bold, or daring about that.

You also have to understand the time period or setting that many of the films were released. Many simply shook the very fabric of the movie industry like nothing else had.

A list of most controversial movies without Pasolini's Salo in it? Bah.

That was my intial reaction. The absence of Salo in the top 3 was terribly suprising. The film is infamous for both its content and the fact it may have gotten its director murdered.
I also questioned why The Exorcist, Pink Flamingos, Night of the Living Dead, Ai no Corrida, and other films and why several other movies made the list. I mean seriously, Bonnie and Clyde? The Warriors? Da Vinci Code?

Taleran

WHERE THE FUCK IS BATTLE ROYALE?

but I agree with Clockwork Orange

Akumashogun

I would think that Song of the South or the Lion King would be more controversial than Aladdin.

KrnxAJa

Why is Fahrenheit 9/11 there and not Bowling for Columbine?

I thought Bowling was better than Fahrenheit, more controversial.

And a heck of a lot funnier too.

nguyen

reads thread

Not going to get involved…

Sandai Mera

One lyric from the opening song had to be changed because it was offensive to Arabs.

Still stupid though, it should be noted that a couple of songs from the movie's soundtrack had to be remove one because it was too cruel.

14 THE WARRIORS

A movie about gangs controversial
stares curiously at West Side Story.

A few movies that should've been put on that list

Pulp Fiction
Kill Bill Vol.1
Man Bites Dog
Resevoir Dogs
Training Day (really don't know why)
The Godfather
Scarface

Mr. All Sunday

Alladin being on the top 25 most controversial films is laughable. Still though, The Passion, Da Vinci, and a few others were pretty controversial. I haven't seen half of them; I never really thought of as Fahrenheit 9/11 as being controversial. More offending to our dear President then anything else. Ah, how I love that movie.

King Calamari

Disney flat out refuses to ever release Song of the South while Aladdin got a deluxe DVD set a year or so back. Then again EW is a pretty moronic magazine to begin with.

COWMAKAZE

Yeah, Song of the South is a very good point. How the hell did that not make it there? It's possibly one of the most racist movies of all time. So strange.

captain usopp

I don't really remember song of the south from my childhood, and anything racist would have been lost on me anyways, since there's no cultural diversity back home.

I had to look up why Aladin was offensive. I get it now. I didn't even know what Arab's or Muslims were when I was young. (this is why I like living out east in the big city now)

Greg

How the hell did that not make it there? It's possibly one of the most racist movies of all time.

I'd have to disagree. I don't really see anything racist about it. There's nothing putting down any race. They talk like Southerners, it's not a big deal. Does that mean Man With the Golden Gun is racist for having that Louisiana guy in it? Of course not.

If you wanna see REAL racist cartoons, go check out some of the wartime cartoons made about the Japanese on You Tube. My personal favorite, Tokio Jokio.

Just do me a favor, watch that and dare to compare it to Songs of the South. You just can't. I can understand why some disgruntled people might think it was, but as far as portraying how people REALLY did and still do speak, is that really racist?

Cap'n Carter

Haha, I love the old racist WWII cartoons.

Other good watches are "Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips," "Herr meets Hare," Disney's "Commando Duck" and "Der Fuhrer's Face," and Popeye cartoons "Seein Red, White, and Blue," "You're a Sap, Mr. Jap," and "Spinach Fer Britain."

Carly

Those cartoons are classic. I think Disney actually won an Emmy for one of their WWII cartoons, if I'm thinking right o_oa And IMSC Song of the South is going to be released on DVD, unless I've been following Bob Iger totally wrong. Which I could be. I dunno.

But Aladdin seems an awfully strange film to have on there. It's like putting Soul Plane on there 'cause they make jokes about crackers. :p
Maybe if Thief and the Cobbler had actually gotten a non-bastardized release that would've made more sense if it'd gotten on there. I mean, a princess named Yum-yum ?

Cap'n Carter

The theme song for "Der Fuhrer's Face" won an Oscar.

The interesting thing is Disney was actually commissioned by the US Department of Treasury to make their propaganda shorts, in order to drum up support for the war effort.

Disney released all of their wartime cartoons in a DVD set. I think Warner Bros. is still trying to sweep theirs under the rug.

The Dude

Actually, I'm surprised Aladdin didn't get more guff than it did when it came out. Especially considering the use of "Allah", and the fact that Jafar is super chauvinistic.

King Calamari

@Cap'n:

The theme song for "Der Fuhrer's Face" won an Oscar.

The interesting thing is Disney was actually commissioned by the US Department of Treasury to make their propaganda shorts, in order to drum up support for the war effort.

Disney released all of their wartime cartoons in a DVD set. I think Warner Bros. is still trying to sweep theirs under the rug.

I bought that DVD the moment it came out and Education for Death is the most grim piece of animation on there. As for the WB shorts I hear they are showcased on the third Looney Tunes Golden Collection but I doubt they have plans to release them all like Disney did.

Anime Master

Song of the South took place after the War. It isnt one of the most rasist movies, its one of the most misunderstood.
You want rasism look up The Censored 11.
One in particular is Coal Black And the Sebben Dwarfs-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal_Black_and_de_Sebben_Dwarfs

Greg

It isnt one of the most rasist movies, its one of the most misunderstood.

Yeah I'll second that. I can see how people can be offended but there's no need to call it racist. I mean…people really do talk like that to this day. If that's racist then are the Black or White people who talk like that racist against themselves? O_o

Disney really wussed outta that.

Taleran

hmmmm no American History X or Boondock Saints either

COWMAKAZE

@Anime:

Song of the South took place after the War. It isnt one of the most rasist movies, its one of the most misunderstood.
You want rasism look up The Censored 11.
One in particular is Coal Black And the Sebben Dwarfs-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal_Black_and_de_Sebben_Dwarfs

Alright, thank you for the information - I will admit I did not know what I was talking about and was using information I had heard. However, I believe this actually makes me more suprised by the fac tthat Song of the South didn't make it - if it's so infamous for being racist, even if wrongfully so, why didn't it make the list? Still very odd.

Oh, and I find those propaganda cartoons to be hilarious. Education for Death is a great one, just because of how obvious it is that it's propaganda.

paptschik

We've got DaVinci Code and Passion of the Christ, both with good positions…so the total lack of either Dogma or Life of Brian surprises me.

Taleran

Life of Brian is even more factual than the passion

Greg

if it's so infamous for being racist, even if wrongfully so, why didn't it make the list?

I agree. By virtue of the fact that it really isn't that bad but caused such an uproar, it should have been on the list.

I dunno guys. Sometimes you can see how or why a list is created a certain way and even accept some of the 'dimmer' choices, but this list is a controversy in and of itself.

Daz

…Wheres' life of Brian? And Team America or South Park the movie? I mean, Michael Moore is there.
And wheres' all the foreign splatters like Ichi the killer, or heartbreaking European teenage junkie prostitute dramas like "13?"

But I don't see why Tarantino movies should be there?

Sandai Mera

Pulp Fiction

The movie was moderately controversial at the time of its release, partly due to the graphic violence and partly due to its perceived racism, as Jackson and Travolta played moderately sympathetic characters, the former of which freely used the words "motherfucker" and "nigger" (along with variations of the respective words).
Kill Bill

Scalping
Decapitations
Mutilations
A Pregnant woman getting beaten and shot in the head.
A child watching her mother & father being murdered.
A child watching her mother being gunned down in front of her eyes.
A Woman slaughtering a bunch of Asian gang members
(refer to the first three)

Resevoir Dogs

Only thing that makes this movie controversial is the infamous torture sequence.

Cap'n Carter

There's a difference between "violence" and "controversy."

DeadJustice

@Cap'n:

There's a difference between "violence" and "controversy."

I was just about to post that. Controversy is more how the public views the movie, and how its talked about. Its not just being violent or offensive in a sense. A movie doesn't have to be neither to neccesarily be controversial. You could have a convicted child molester star in a movie for children and there's your controversy.

With that being said, the list isn't really that bad in my eyes.

Cap'n Carter

I mean, when Kill Bill came out, the most controversial thought about it was "wow, this movie's pretty violent." But no one really cared.

Sandai Mera

@Cap'n:

There's a difference between "violence" and "controversy."

Well violence among other things tends to equal controversy.

Greg

I'm still trying to comprehend why Gone With the Wind isn't on there.

Hobo-Ou

Well violence among other things tends to equal controversy.

Then Tarintino's movies still shouldn't be on the list because they're not that violent or controvsersial. Kill Bill's violence is far more comical than than the other movies listed, you really don't see anything terribly graphic in Resevoir Dogs, and people got over the language and word usages of Pulp Fiction.

Sandai Mera

I really don't see what's so funny about a guy having his eye pulled right out of it's socket or another guy get his tounge pulled out his mouth (could be wrong about this scene.)Ironically the only time I can think of a death or maiming scene that made me laugh was during The Matrix Reloaded when a guy got maced in the face.

and people got over the language and word usages of Pulp Fiction.

Yeah and they've gotten over everything else [the movies on the list]
more or less

Cap'n Carter

I dunno if "comical" is the right word, but Kill Bill's violence was too over-the-top and stylish to be taken seriously, imo.

Hobo-Ou

I really don't see what's so funny about a guy having his eye pulled right out of it's socket or another guy get his tounge pulled out his mouth (could be wrong about this scene.)Ironically the only time I can think of a death or maiming scene that made me laugh was during The Matrix Reloaded when a guy got maced in the face.

How can you take them seriously? The violence is so over-the-top ridiculous (i.e. gallons of blood gushing out added to the scenes) to be taken as gritty, unsettling or controversial. I mean, the audience in my showing laughed during the entire House of Blue Leaves scene. They're homages and references to old kung-fu and samurai films, where are equally as comical.

Yeah and they've gotten over everything else [the movies on the list]more or less

Yet people mention them more than a few bad words in Pulp Fiction…

Sandai Mera

@Hobo-Ou:

How can you take them seriously? The violence is so over-the-top ridiculous (i.e. gallons of blood gushing out added to the scenes) to be taken as gritty, unsettling or controversial. I mean, the audience in my showing laughed during the entire House of Blue Leaves scene. They're homages and references to old kung-fu and samurai films, where are equally as comical.

While the violence isn't real that doesn't mean that it'd be impossible to pull off in in real life. And even if people fun that scene funny that doesn't mean everybody else will.

@Hobu-Ou:

Yet people mention them more than a few bad words in Pulp Fiction…

Well somethings diehard Controversy being one of them.

captain usopp

just to add to the comment about not needing violence for controvercy;
I think it was Dogma, that was controvercial, cause some people didn't like that the movie portrayed God as a woman.

Vanessa

I always thought Flowers in the Attic would've ended up on there. You know, since it deals with the whole incest thing.

Cap'n Carter

@captain:

just to add to the comment about not needing violence for controvercy;
I think it was Dogma, that was controvercial, cause some people didn't like that the movie portrayed God as a woman.

There was a lot of different controversy involving Dogma, especially from the Catholic League. I liked how the idiot in charge of the CL accused the film of all these things, when (I believe) he went on the record to admit he's never seen the film.

captain usopp

I'm catholic, and I have never seen the movie, and I could give a rats ass if god was a man or a woman, as long as he/she is nice.
(trying to promote the image that all catholics arn't extremist phychos)