What helps you determine what movies/tv you watch?

[DancesWithWife]

I am not looking for recommendations for movies or shows. And I am not here to tell you what to watch. My wife and I use two different filters before watching a movie or television shows. We use IMDB (International Movie Data Base) Parent guide, even though we have no children at home. They break it down into categories as to why the movie is rated a certain way. 

 

The other one we use is a Christian based company called Dove.org. Years ago, the Dove Seal was referred to by the late entertainment legend, Steve Allen as “the Good Housekeeping seal for family entertainment.” We honor that legacy and we’re excited to carry it forward for a new generation of families.

 

Do you have another source, other than the obvious ratings that the world gives its entertainment. And those vary from country to country. I would like to know the content and the rating. We don't go to movie theaters and neither my wife nor I can sit for long periods of time. 

 

[NW2020]

Thank you for the recommendation of the Dove.org.  I find it horribly difficult to find decent entertainment for ourselves - let alone when I would like to spend some quality time with our 11 year old grandson who is not being raised in the truth.  I dont rely on this website but I too give imdb a looksee and commonsense.org.  Sadly, it is definitely  a minefield when it comes to entertainment.

[DancesWithWife]

19 minutes ago, NW2020 said:

Sadly, it is definitely  a minefield when it comes to entertainment.

Even kids' cartoon has gay/transgender themes making them normal to children. Our oldest daughter who is not a JW censors her three-year-olds programs and tells us some of things that are shown. It is difficult to pick acceptable entertainment even with a media guide. I was in a video store looking a video, when another witness came in and asked why this movie was rated "R" was it for sex or violence. Upon learning it was for violence, she found it acceptable. They were not strong spiritually and most of her children left the Truth. 

 

It's even harder with the ability to watch programs in your own home. Many of the "MA" rated shows are really bad in many areas. I will stop, I am not here to tell others what they should or should not be watching. Thanks for the suggestion to commonsense.org.

[NW2020]

My husband and I are relatively "new to the truth" - so many a movie that we once felt was fine we are now seeing very differently.  Our children were grown with children of their own when we started studying so this is all very new to them but they are coming to appreciate what we are seeing as not pleasing.  Even non-christians are finding it difficult to navigate through what is appropriate so I always appreciate where I can learn more so we can make decisions on where to spend our entertainment time. 

[computerwiz]

Some streaming services have an option to filter out "R" or "MA" shows from the get-go, so you don't even get to see them.

 

Another option is to use VidAngel to censor the shows yourself.  It describes in detail many of the things that we would find objectionable.  Even separates hetero from homosexual situations.  And you can set default filters for certain categories, so you don't even have to check every single detail for every single show.

 

Beyond that, your safest bet would be to stick with anything created about 2010 or earlier.  Not saying that specific year for any specific reason, just guessing that's about when things started getting from bad to much worse.

[DancesWithWife]

11 minutes ago, computerwiz said:

VidAngel

Could you explain what this is? My wife and I have gone back and watched movies that we saw in the theater only to be shocked at what was being presented. It's interesting the inuendo or implied sexuality into some entertainment. Sometimes it's very subtle.

[computerwiz]

33 minutes ago, DancesWithWife said:

Could you explain what this is? My wife and I have gone back and watched movies that we saw in the theater only to be shocked at what was being presented. It's interesting the inuendo or implied sexuality into some entertainment. Sometimes it's very subtle.

 

It's a filtering service that ties into your streaming services.  For example, first you have to have something like Netflix, then you have to subscribe to VidAngel and tie your Netflix account to it.  Once you do, you can watch many different Netflix shows (not all of them) on Vidangel instead of on Netflix.  The ones that they have filtered are available for you to pick from.

 

You have TONS of filters to choose from.  As an example, here's what you might see:

 

 

 

And you can drill down to details:

 

 

 

They are so detailed, you could turn an "R" movie into a "G" movie.  Not sure how much you'll get to see & hear after doing that....but it's possible.  😁

 

I wish their movie/show selection was larger....but they've had to spend a lot of time/money fighting the big companies that don't appreciate censorship...

 

https://www.vidangel.com/

[DancesWithWife]

37 minutes ago, computerwiz said:

Not sure how much you'll get to see & hear after doing

I remember when the movie Annie had to add a profanity to get the PG rating as a G rating was not desirable. 

[Skyler]

Another great option is DoesTheDogDie.com. It’s for people sensitive to violence/sexual themes or who have phobias to get content warnings about the movies they choose. I use it to see whether the film I’m about to watch is appropriate or not. 😊