Terminator Dark Fate, 1917, The Grudge, Black and Blue and More in This Week's MPAA Ratings Bulletin

By Chris Kavan - 10/15/19 at 10:19 PM CT

Treats BEFORE Halloween!? The MPAA Ratings Board is being extremely generous this week as a whopping five wide release films are getting their ratings added. Leading the pack is the next (and hopefully better than the last few) Terminator film - Dark Fate, with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton and Edward Furlong all reprising their roles. Joining the machines uprising includes two war films - 1917, based on an important mission during WWI and The Last Full Measure - about a long-due honor for an overlooked hero. There is also a remake of the Japanese horror classic, The Grudge as well as Black and Blue - a film that explores both race and the power of the badge in a most relevant time. There's a lot of ground to cover, so let's get to it already.

MPAA Official Logo

One could argue that there hasn't been a good Terminator film since Terminator 2: Judgement Day back in 1991. Which is why I guess director Tim Miller is ignoring all the attempts to make Terminator relevant and rebooting the franchise (again) with some familiar faces. That's right, forget the third entry, Salvation and the weirdly-spelled Genisys - we're going back to when things were good and, hopefully, things will be good again. Miller's Terminator: Dark Fate takes 27 years after the events of T2 (with the rest of the films, as well as the TV series The Sarah Connor Chronicles relegated to an "alternate timeline" version of events). Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) is still in the business of saving the future from Skynet and reluctantly seeks out the help of an aging T-800 model, "Carl" (Arnold Schwarzenegger), one of the original units sent to kill John Connor (Edward Furlong). It seems there is a new target, Dani Ramos (Natalia Reyes) with a new model, Rev-9 (Gabriel Luna) sent back to kill her. But Sarah isn't alone, as a cyborg/human hybrid, Grace (Mackenzie Davis) has also been sent back to protect her. I'm on board - if only because while some of the original cast has been in previous films (like Schwarzenegger), this is the first time we're getting everyone back on board - with James Cameron even on board as a writer. It looks great - the new, evil terminator can even split himself in two - with similar abilities to the T-X from T3 for good measure. Look, if anything is going to save the Terminator franchise from the death spiral it has been in recently, it's this group of people, so I'm willing to give it a shot. Rated R for violence throughout, language and brief nudity.

We're getting a two-for-one deal on war films this week, and I'll start by highlighting 1917, which, if the title didn't give it away, takes place during WWI. While most American war films seem to focus on Vietnam or WWII, WWI should not be overlooked. Sam Mendes no stranger to war (Jarhead) or drama (Revolutionary Road) or action (Skyfall, Spectre) focuses this story on two, young British privates, Schofield (George MacKay) and Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) who are given a seemingly impossible mission - to deliver a message across enemy lines in order to warn a battalion of 1600 soldiers, including Blake's brother (played by Game of Thrones vet Richard Madden), that they are walking into a trap. The film features the cream of the crop among British actors: Benedict Cumberbatch, Colin Firth and Mark Strong are all on board. I can get behind a good war film and, as I stated, the first World War is too often overlooked, thus based on the strong cast and intriguing story - I think this will be worth a watch. Rated R for violence, some disturbing images, and language.

Another common element of war films is the unsung hero - which comes up again and again, but when that story is based on fact, it makes the film all the more powerful. That is why The Last Full Measure should do well among fans of true stories. The film follows the story of the Frank Pitsenbarger (Christopher Plummer) father of Vietnam airman William "Pits" Pitsenbarger (Jeremy Irvine) as he works alongside the men her served with in Vietnam, in hopes of securing the nations highest military honor for the sacrifice he made. The film features a large and distinguished cast - Bradley Whitford, Sebastian Stan, Ed Harris, Alison Sudol, Diane Ladd, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Imperioli and, in his final film role, the late Peter Fonda. This reminds me a bit of Mel Gibson's Hacksaw Ridge - and we'll see if audiences treat it as kindly. Rated R for war violence and
language.

Development hell is not a place you ever want your film to be in - as it often means the finished project is going to be underappreciated and ignored because, well, it missed the boat. Such is my fear for The Grudge, NOT a remake, but rather a continuation of the story presented in The Grudge and The Grudge 2 (which came out in 2004 and 2006) - that actually takes place, story-wise, between the events of those two films. Plans to release this film started in 2013 - and we're finally going to get a release with Andrea Riseborough, Lin Shaye, Betty Gilpin, John Cho, William Sadler, Jacki Weaver, Demián Bichir and Frankie Faison all set to appear, with Junko Bailey taking on the role of everyone's favorite long-haired Japanese horror icon. Now, Japanese horror (J-horror if you will), has long peaked, and I have a feeling so has any anticipation of a new Grudge film. Granted, the cast looks great and I truly did enjoy the Grudge films back in the day, but I don't know if this is going to generate any kind of excitement. This is solid streaming option for me, but nothing more. Rated R for disturbing violence and bloody images, terror and some language.

The last entry takes a hard look at a tough subject - the relationship between race and the police - in Black and Blue. The film follows a rookie female police officer, Alicia West (Naomi Harris) in New Orleans who finds herself torn between her community and her sense of duty when she witnesses the murder of a young drug dealer by fellow officers - which she inadvertently captures on her body cam. But she finds herself caught in the middle, as the criminals seek revenge for the killing while corrupt officers will do anything to destroy the incriminating evidence. Her only ally is Milo 'Mouse' Jackson (Tyrese Gibson) as they two attempt to right a wrong and survive in the process. There are so many high-profile cases that have come out recently involving the police and excessive force - often leading to deaths - that Black and Blue, while not based on a true crime, could still be hitting close to home for many audiences. The cast also includes Mike Colter, Frank Grillo, Beau Knapp, Reid Scott and Mike Whaley among others. I'm hoping the film doesn't completely demonize law enforcement - but finding a good balance may be hard to come by. Still, based on the subject matter, it could find a decent audience out there. Rated R for violence and language.

That was a hefty MPAA Ratings Bulletin this week, but there is always more to enjoy, so be sure to check out the full list below:

1917

Rated R for violence, some disturbing images, and language.


BLACK AND BLUE

Rated R for violence and language.


THE CLIMB

Rated R for language, sexual content, some nudity and brief drug use.


CLOWN FEAR

Rated R for bloody violence, sexual content, nudity, drug use and language throughout.


ELSEWHERE

Rated R for language, some sexual references and brief drug use.


THE GRUDGE

Rated R for disturbing violence and bloody images, terror and some language.


HELL ON THE BORDER

Rated R for violence and language.


THE KINGMAKER

Rated R for some disturbing violent content.


THE LAST FULL MEASURE

Rated R for war violence, and language.


MOB TOWN

Rated R for language throughout and some violence.


RUN THIS TOWN

Rated R for language and sexual references.


TAKE HOME PAY

Rated PG for some thematic elements and mild violence.


TERMINATOR: DARK FATE

Rated R for violence throughout, language and brief nudity.

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