I think the movie looks kind of entertaining. But Mark Millar, who wrote the comic book on which it's based, is an asshole who gets off on shock value. It's controversy for the sake of controversy, and the sad thing is it's working.

There are so many much better comic books out there that don't need to stoop down to these boring shock tactics. But people eat this up.

Also: Yeah, maybe people would be a little less shocked if it were a boy instead of a girl, although personally I don't think it would make it right. In fact, I don't care about the character's age or gender. The controversy is mostly about her use of the C word, which in North America is extremely offensive (more so than in the UK). But Millar's work is filled with offensive (racist, homophobic and misogynist) material. This is just one example of many.

josephk wrote on 18. Apr 2010 at 07:01:

Maybe if society didn't arbitrarily decide that certain words are magical swear words then they wouldn't be shocking, I dont find them shocking words are just words and this is just a movie, both are form of communicating and expressing oneself, other people like to censor stuff so they can feel safe in their little cocoons they've made for themselves rather than listening to what people are saying, they also like to create controversy where none exists, so whether or not this Mark Millar is doing it for shock value is irrelevant imo, the real issue is the prudes that need to get over it.

As for if it was a boy or not I dont think it matters neither is shocking to me, but I'm sure it would make a difference to the wowsers out there.

Have either of you even seen this film or encountered any of Mark Millar's work?

It's not about "prudes" complaining about swear words or nudity and trying to "censor" him. That's not what I'm talking about at all.

"Adds a touch of realism"? Really? We're talking about a character of a 10-year-old girl who goes out dressed in a costume and beats up criminals. You think "realism" is the reason Mark Millar writes the word "thingy" into her dialogue?

I am definitely not a prude. I'm extremely liberal-minded and anti-censorship. I think anybody who has followed some of my posts here for the past several years should be able to tell that.

But Mark Millar's work is offensive to me, because he's cashing in on the basest urges of the audience and he does so unapologetically. There's really not a lot of excuses for racism, homophobia and misogyny. I guess if you believe in the romanticized American fantasy version of "freedom of speech" then you will fight for Mark Millar's right to write racist, homophobic, misogynist comics and make millions of dollars from it. And I guess in your mind that makes you a liberal.

Yeah, people are stupid. (I'll let you guess which people I'm thinking about.)

EDIT: HAHAHA. This forum is so liberal minded and anti-censorship. But it edits my "c-word" into "thingy".

FAIL.

No.

What annoys me is that people can't seem to make a distinction between criticizing something and censoring it.

I think one of the biggest problems with our society is that audiences no longer engage in any kind of critical thinking about the entertainment that they consume. And the moment someone tries to do that, they are either dismissed as pretentious pseudo-intellectuals who "read too much into it" ("It's just a movie," "It's just a comic book," etc.), or told "if you don't like it, don't read it."

I think having a critical discourse about culture is vitally important, and what bothers me a lot more than Mark Millar's actual work is the fact that people read it without this critical filtering. People eat that shit up and think it's awesome, and don't think about any of the implications. That bothers me.

Then on the other end of the spectrum, you have people getting all upset about the use of a swear word, which I agree is stupid. These people are completely missing the point. I mean, did you guys read the article I linked to? It's about "the failure of criticism" to address these issues. It's about how people like Roger Ebert getting all uptight about the "morally reprehensible" content of the film are actually missing the point.

Quote:


I don't even know how to respond to that. Where did I ever say that stories can't include themes like homophobia or racism. I have no problem with that. The problem with Mark Millar's work is not that it "includes these themes."

I believe that stories (or movies, books, art, whatever) are vehicles for certain ideologies. Whether the creator does it on purpose or not, I think that most stories actually convey a message. The complexity of that message varies greatly. Great works of art usually have subtle and complex ideas, whereas most Hollywood films or TV shows tend to be vehicles for much more simplistic ideology.

I believe that this is something people should be aware of and encouraged to think about when they "consume" entertainment. When you have a story that depicts black people and homosexuals as the bad guys, and that seems to be designed to make you cheer and laugh when these undesirables get their ass kicked, I simply believe that an audience should be critical of this. That instead of consuming this entertainment and absorbing it without an ounce of critical thought, they should pause and reflect on what it is that they've just seen or read, and ask themselves what it means.

That's all I'm saying. I'm not trying to censor him or take away anyone's precious freedom of speech. I'm just asking people to think about the entertainment they consume, instead of eating it up like mindless idiots.

josephk wrote on 18. Apr 2010 at 16:31:

You dont want to be dismissed as pretentious pseudo-intellectual then you go and say something like this, you think you're the only one who thinks about the entertainment they consume? yes josephk you are special. See heres the thing I'm not watching this movie not becasue it contains the so scary c-word (for shock value or otherwise) I'm not watching it because it sounds like crap I'm not interested in, so the point of THIS debate becomes one about the prudes. So while you might not want to censor it criticising it for such a trivial thing like a few swear words instead of focusing on more important things like the storyline for example one could mistake you for a prude.

Well, one thing for certain, 'Kick Ass' gets the controversy flowing and the posts posted because, believe me, that's what this Board needs! I have been noting that some days there is only one post and others no posts at all. You would think with all the up to date boy films around there would be more contributions. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see 'Kick Ass'. Normally I wouldn't even be interested where there is a girl in it but this kid, with her costume and mask, I find rather kinky and attractive.
'cal' made a good point when he remarked about how people get so hung up about nudity but don't show the same revulsion about people being slaughtered.
Okay, so an 11 year old girl swears on screen that, I'm afraid, is the way of things today. Always trying to find something more shocking or controversial. You can rest assured that where society's attitude to children is concerned, it won't get too out of hand. After all what are the censors going to do about the DVD when it comes out? Leave in all the swearing for other little ears to hear?
One thing you can count on for sure and that is, while the girl might be cussing and violent, there won't be any sex involved. That's the great taboo. After all, officially the child nude is 'indecent' and cannot be displayed on film. So there, according to this mucked up society, is an end to it.
I'd like the plot to have shown her meeting a masked BOY hero whom she rather likes .... a lot .... not on your life!
PS Anyway, where are the reviews and pics about this film?

I don't mind controversy at all. Unfortunately some people get their knickers in a twist anytime people disagree with them.

All I've done is comment on 'swearing in movies'. I've not seen this film so I can't comment on it, but, as this 'swearing' theme or 'swearing in movies' or '10 year old girls swearing in movies' interests me enough to the extent of expressing my general thoughts as to whether I'm offended by such things or not. I'm not, simple answer. I've got plenty of important things to be offend by.


TEST: "You mother crappity smacking thingy!"