Entertainment
Consumer Guide

Movie Ratings are Buyer Beware

Are movie ratings useless? Maybe. They may even create more problems than they solve. The rating system that was initiated back in 1968 was intended as a tool for parents to monitor what their children saw. Moviemakers wanted to uphold their obligation to parents by providing heads-up information. That admirable "it takes a village" attitude has all but vanished, overcome by Hollywood's profit-hunger. The theory now seems to be "buyer beware." Still, unreliable ratings are only part of the problem. Movie theatres are not required to keep your kids out of R rated movies, though 65% do refuse to sell such tickets to kids under 17. So in most theatres, your underage kids can't get into R rated movies, right?

Classic Television Shows: Sharing Some of Our Childhood Pleasures

About a year ago, I came across a rerun of the 1960’s sitcom "Leave it to Beaver" while watching the TV Land cable network. As I was watching the show, my 7 year-old daughter walked into the room and joined me. Within a few minutes, she was hooked. "Leave it to Beaver" is now one of her favorite television shows. Prior to that evening, it had been years since I was able to follow the adventures of Beaver, Wally and the rest of the folks in Mayfield. And, while TV Land does have a pretty good line-up, there are some classic television shows that will probably never again be broadcast. Fortunately for me and anyone else with fond memories of 1960’s and 1970’s television, recent advances in digital technology have brought many of these beloved classics back to life.

HBO: To Pay or Not to Pay?

I’ve been an HBO convert ever since my family first got cable back when I was in high school. You know how some people are Ford people and others are GM people?  Well, I’ve always been an HBO guy.  I’ve never paid for any other channel except as part of a package that had HBO, and I’ve always had HBO as part of my cable line-up.  Now, though, I’m starting to waver.