By Chris Kavan - 03/15/17 at 09:49 AM CT
The ratings gods have once again blessed me with a reasonable update - which means I can bless y'all with a reasonable blog. In any case, it looks like the upcoming Baywatch movie is going to be a bit more raunchy than the cheesy TV show, as it earns an R rating. We also get a rating for the next big war movie with Dunkirk and, just in the nick of time (because it comes out on the 24th of this month) the horror/sci-fi Life earns its rating. I may decide to highlight something else - but you'll have to read and see!
Holy Dwayne Johnson (and Zac Efron and Alexandra Daddario and Priyanka Chopra) it looks like the upcoming Baywatch isn't playing anything safe. Based on the TV series (which, to my surprise, ran for a surprisingly long time - 1989-2001), the film follows a group of lifeguards who patrol a popular beach. In this case, head and devoted lifeguard Mitch Buchanan (Johnson) butts head with a brash, new recruit (Efron) while uncovering a criminal plot that threatens their beach. Now I doubt I'll see this in theaters, but the films has been given an R rating (language throughout, crude sexual content, and graphic nudity), which means this is definitely going to be a lot more interesting than the rather cheesy TV show. Plus, for those who are nostalgic, it looks like Pamela Anderson and David Hasselhoff are scheduled for some kind of cameo appearance. It's tough to say how serious the film is going to play it - or how raunchy it will really get, but at least they're taking a chance on pushing some buttons.
My dad is a huge war movie fan, and I have no doubt that one of his most anticipated movies of this year will be Dunkirk. The film follows a joint allied group of soldiers from Belgium, the UK, Canada and France who find themselves surrounded by German forces in Dunkirk during the Battle of France in WWII. Thinking they are all but dead, what follows is one of the most daring rescues undertaken during the war. It's also a fierce battle to save and survive - and the previews make this one evoke memories of Saving Private Ryan (still one of the gold standards for modern war films). With Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Mark Rylance, Kenneth Branagh, James D'Arcy and uh... Harry Styles? on board, there is a lot of talent involved and if anyone can make a guy from One Direction compelling on screen, it is Christopher Nolan. Nolan can do dark, serious and is really good about defining characters - and I have faith in him - even if this is his first war film. Rated PG-13 for intense war experience and some language.
Somehow Life made it nearly to the end before finally getting its rating. Starring Ryan Reynolds, Rebecca Ferguson, Jake Gyllenhaal, Hiroyuki Sanada, Olga Dihovichnaya and Naoko Mori the film follows an international crew aboard a space station, they make one of the most important discoveries of mankind: life outside our planet. But the lifeform from Mars turns out to be much more dangerous then they could have imagined and soon things turn to a fight for survival. Now, the previews mad me think this was shooting for PG-13, but, alas it has been handed an R (for language throughout, some sci-fi violence and terror). It's hard to say whether this is a good or bad thing - if it's going for more horror than sci-fi, I think it's good, but if it's trying to be more dramatic maybe not. In any case, it's going to have its hands full dealing with Beauty and the Beast, no matter its rating.
For my surprise entry, I'm choosing a film that doesn't yet have a release date, but I have to highlight it based on the cast and story. That would be Battle of the Sexes. Starring Oscar-winner Emma Stone as Billie Jean King and Oscar nominee Steve Carrell as Bobby Riggs, the film follows the 1973 landmark tennis match between the two. There have been plenty of documentaries covering this story but other than a 2001 made-for-TV, a film version has never been made. Considering the caliber of actors involved (Elisabeth Shue, Andrea Riseborough, Alan Cumming, Natalie Morales and Sarah Silverman are also on the roster), this should see a wide release at some point this year. As for now, it doesn't have a date, but I'll be keeping my eye out for it. Rated PG-13 for some sexual content and partial nudity.
Those are the big films for the week, but be sure the check out the full MPAA Ratings Bulletin below:
1040 NOT SO EZ
Rated R for language, brief sexual material and drug use.
3 IDIOTAS
Rated PG-13 for some rude humor and brief strong language.
BATTLE OF THE SEXES
Rated PG-13 for some sexual content and partial nudity.
BAYWATCH
Rated R for language throughout, crude sexual content, and graphic nudity.
BRIGSBY BEAR
Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, brief sexuality, drug material and teen partying.
CAGE DIVE
Rated R for language and some bloody images.
CHURCHILL
Rated PG for thematic elements, brief war images, historical smoking throughout, and some language.
DISCONNECTED
Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, some drug material and suggestive content.
DUNKIRK
Rated PG-13 for intense war experience and some language.
LIFE
Rated R for language throughout, some sci-fi violence and terror.
THE MAGICIAN'S SON
Rated PG for thematic elements and brief language.
THIS IS YOUR DEATH
Rated R for disturbing and violent content involving suicides, language throughout and brief drug use.
WONDERSTRUCK
Rated PG for thematic elements and smoking.
WOODSHOCK
Rated R for drug use, language and a scene of violence.
YOU WERE NEVER HERE
Rated R for language and some sexuality.
