The latest MPA ratings are out, and two of the biggest films of the holiday season are finished.
David Fincher's "The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth" has been rated R for "some strong/disturbing violence, bloody images, pervasive language, sexual content, nudity and drug use."
That's what you get when Tarantino writes your script. The timing is also interesting. "Cliff Booth" opens on November 25, which is just two weeks away. A film can't be rated without a finished cut, so this tells me Fincher locked his edit pretty much at the last possible minute.
Of course, absolutely nobody should be surprised. This is Fincher. He's an obsessive freak and will keep fine-tuning his film until somebody takes it away from him. Netflix seems to have given him as much time as it could, since the film is supposed to have its first screening on Saturday at the DGA.
Yet another unsurprising rating: Robert Eggers' "Werwulf" has also been rated R, for "strong bloody/disturbing violent content, gore, sexual assault, graphic nudity and strong sexual content."
That's actually the most extreme description Eggers has gotten for any of his films. He's been calling this one his darkest yet, and it sounds like he wasn't kidding. Focus Features releases it on Christmas Day, the same slot that turned "Nosferatu" into a surprise hit two years ago.
Finally, "Shrek 5" has been rated PG for "crude/suggestive material, action, some violence, some language and scary images."
Nothing in the description is surprising, but the film doesn't open until June 30, 2027. Remember, this one was supposed to come out December 18, and it would have been ready, but DreamWorks saw "Dunesday" and said, "We're out!" Getting rated more than seven months early means all the creatives involved can now go on vacation until promo begins next summer.
‘Cliff Booth’ has been rated R for "some strong/disturbing violence, bloody images, pervasive language, sexual content, nudity and drug use." That's what you get when Tarantino writes your script