Director Robert Lantos has criticized the Motion Picture Association of America because he expects its ratings arm to give his Kevin Bacon flick “Where the Truth Lies” an NC-17 rating, which would mean no children under 17.
His complaint is that we allow children to see gratuitous violence but not gratuitous sex. (“Where the Truth Lies” apparently contains a menage a trois.)
“The rest of the world has certainly got past this” he says. “This kind of censorship no longer exists anywhere else in the free world.”
The only problem is this isn’t censorship by the government at all. It’s a voluntary ratings system, and he’s free not to get one, just as movie theaters are free not to show unrated movies or those with NC-17 rating.