Kudos to Roger Ebert for speaking out against gratuitous (and funny?) violence

I scanned over the movie reviews in the Oregonian today and then spied this article on the Web: Chicago movie critic Roger Ebert has panned a recent movie (which the Oregonian rated highly), "Kick-Ass," a super-hero action adventure based on a comic book. Ebert's review has started a minor web controversy, as hardcore comic book fans are weighing in.

Ebert writes: "Will I seem hopelessly square if I find 'Kick-Ass' morally reprehensible and will I appear to have missed the point? Let's say you're a big fan of the original comic book, and you think the movie does it justice. You know what? You inhabit a world I am so very not interested in."

Ebert raises the legitimate concern that although the film is rated "R," many children will be interested in seeing it (and will probably be taken to see it) because it features a child and is about a comic book character.

I deliberately choose to stay away from excessively violent movies, and like Ebert, must be "hopelessly square." I too am not interested in inhabiting a world where an 11-year-old girl stars as a violent killer lacking in any remorse--and this is supposed to be funny.

The arguments circulating on the Web right now remind me of the debates about excessively violent video games...and how the hardcore gamers insist they have no effect on kids' brains and aggressive tendencies. A load of codswallop.

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