Watched "Looper" last night and was not impressed by the violence. We almost had to change the channel.
 
It's almost like films are trying to compete with cell phone filmed atrocities or replicating them even- "Savages" with South African necklacing eg.
 
I seem to have a real problem accepting deliberate cruelty.
 

backwoods
I seem to have a real problem accepting deliberate cruelty.

Gee, how human of you!

Most people accept sadism in their movies just fine. Things like Saw make alot of money. Probably I'm being sexist saying it but I'm always surprised when girls like that kind of stuff. Growing up I thought they would have an attack of the vapors or something if exposed to extreme cruelty. Not so!
 
This movie Looper is rated R in NZ- which I think is 15 years or older. Blue Velvet was R18 I think and about a tenth as horrible.

You're not going to go all vegan on us, are you? ;)
 

BTW, I agree w/ you.
 

To be honest, I found the "violence" in Saw to be very appropriate and an interesting look into human behavior.  That can't be said for the 100's of other movies where Hollywood must think that the first option available in any situation is violence.
 
 

backwoods
Watched "Looper" last night and was not impressed by the violence. We almost had to change the channel.
 
It's almost like films are trying to compete with cell phone filmed atrocities or replicating them even- "Savages" with South African necklacing eg.
 
I seem to have a real problem accepting deliberate cruelty.
 

Why didn't you change the channel?
Lot of things that others may enjoy that I don't.
What others, outside of my family, feel or think about such
things isn't much concern to me.
It is somewhat strange to me that you'll spend time watching
something that is unfavorable to you and yours rather than change the channel.

 
We watched John Ford's StageCoach the other week.
 
We were amazed to be reminded that actors used to act... and that some of them were very, very good at it.
 
 
Now, that's a movie. ;-)

I agree with you about Looper.  I stayed with it, against my better judgement, hoping that the story would develop.  In the end, it didn't.  There was no character development, no internal consistency, and no point in having Bruce Willis in this movie.
 
I know.  You're completely shocked.  "Bubba has some better judgement?"  I do.  I keep it in a jar next to the Good Intentions.

I really like John Ford's movies and other films from that era--particularly some by Mervyn LeRoy like Mr. Roberts and No Time For Sergeants.  Two military movies without violence.  Nor am I a fan of the Saw franchise.  The first one was unique and original--but how many sequels do we need to tell that story over and over again.  
 
I liked Looper.  There were one or to points where the violence was over-the-top, but I think a lot of it was required by the story and not so gory that it was a problem for me.  The plot was very inventive for the time-travel genre and the acting was pretty good.  They also did a good job of making Joseph Gordon-Levitt look like a younger Bruce Willis.