1. WHAT MOVIE DID YOU SEE?
It was on Hulu. It was the Dick Van Dyke show and Donna Reed.

2. WHAT TRAILER WAS INAPPROPRIATE?
BlueFly Clothes.

3. WHAT WAS INAPPROPRIATE ABOUT IT?
The commercial featured many girls twirling in
sometimes suggestive ways and clothes, and
in text during part of the commercial, is says,
" cover your ( A-word ) with lace! "

4. TELL US WHAT THEATER YOU SAW IT IN
Online. Hulu.

5. WHERE DO YOU LIVE?
Modesto *ahem* area, CA

1. What movie did you go to see? Law Abiding Citizen

2. What trailer was inappropriate? The Crazies

3. What was inappropriate about it? _X__too scary__X__too violent____sexual content__X__language____drinking/drugs/smoking

4. Tell us the name of the theater you saw it in____AMC________

5. Where do you live (city/town/state)___MI_____

We went to a theatre with Bruno and I hated it

My sister (11 but 10 at the time), my brother (7) and I (13 but 12 at the time) are HUUUUGGGGGEEEE so you think you can dance fans. But last season every commercial break they showed an add for final destination 3 or 4 or whatever and my brother had nightmares for weeks! Those images were waaay too disturbing: it was a woman stuck in a car in a car wash with a broken pipe pouring water into her car (it's obvious she's about to drown in her car), a man stuck at the bottom of a pool his swimsuit caught in a vent of some sort, a woman and man screaming about to be sucked into gears at the bottom of an escalator, broken bits of buildings on fire flying towards a woman, something happening to people at a movie theater, and a man being hit by a huge truck ONSCREEN

Firstly, cloudy with a chance of meatballs is a kid's movie. Please just help out the CommonSense media organization by posting the ACTUAL information they request. Some people may disagree, or agree, but that's not what this is about. Thanks.

I think that society is entering an "easy going" time, similar to the late 1960s and early 1970s.

i posted early, but after looking at another post i noticed the thing apout them saying approprite audiences. My thearter doesnt even have those things (green, yellow, red) in front of the trailers anymore

i went to see the 40-year-old virgin and i saw a trailer for cloudy with a chance of meatballs, it has scarred my kids for life

1. What movie did you go to see? CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS (which in itself was highly inappropriate, violent, and scary for an 8 year old)

2. What trailer was inappropriate? Christmas Carol and others.

3. What was inappropriate about it? _x__too scary_x___too violent____sexual content__x__language____drinking/drugs/smoking

4. Tell us the name of the theater you saw it in_Century 16, Mountain View, CA

5. Where do you live (city/town/state)__Palo Alto, CA______

When I was watching District 9, I saw a trailer for Sorority Row and a trailer for Legion. Both of witch were quite unnerving, but were not out of place in an R rated feature. I suppose the "out of place, age inappropriate" award is going to a trailer for Bruno that I saw before Year One. Another one that is a little inappropriate, for a trailer was the Zombieland trailer which had some gory moments, though most were censored a bit and said c--k.

I can't remember what movie it was, but whenever I would turn the tv on, I'd here the commercial for some movie where a man says, "You look like a retired porn star." My little brother asked what a porn star was.

When I was ten, my family and I went to see the new charlie and the chocolate factory movie. I thought that I had outgrown leaving the theatre for the trailers until they showed the trailer for King Kong!

WHAT MOVIE DID YOU GO TO SEE? - Doubt, starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams.

WHAT TRAILER WAS INAPROPRIATE? - The Proposal, starring Sandra Bullock.

WHAT WAS INAPROPRIATE ABOUT IT? Sexual references.

THE NAME OF THEATER: Twin Creek Cinema, Papillion NE (owned by Marcus Theatres)

WHERE DO YOU LIVE: Papillion, NE

COMMENTS: The trailer included references to a blanket being called "the baby maker", morning erections, and nudity (barely off-screen). The trailer wasn't necessarily inapropriate for my kids, who are 14, but the fact that it was green-band was very surprising.

Also, on a side note, there was a trailer for 2012 when my family and I went to see a movie this fall (I don't remember what movie it was...maybe JULIE & JULIA?). The trailer was extremely violent, though not graphic. One shot shows hundreds of people being crushed instantly (a pillar from St. Peter's Square rolls over them). That massive and instantaneous violence alone warrants a PG-13, and that was just the trailer (greenband, I might add).

What movie did you go to see?
1. Terminator Salvation
2. What trailer was inappropriate?
Borat and The Hangover
3. What was inappropriate about it? ___too scary____too violent__x__sexual content_x___language__x__drinking/drugs/smoking

4. Tell us the name of the theater you saw it in Woodbury 10 Theatre.

5. Where do you live (city/town/state) Woodbury, MN

Well your kids see this on the internet all the time,so stop complaining and deal with it.

The trailer for Coraline was horrifying and scared my eight-year-old, who still talks about the scary mother, almost a year later. The trailer was shown before Hotel for Dogs at a Patriots Cinema in Scituate, MA. Others have occurred too but I cannot recall specific details. We usually try to stay outside the theatre until the trailers are over, but this isn't always possible if we want good seats or don't want to miss the beginning of the selected movie.

I also dislike how Comcast On Demand shows scary trailers and promos for violent and scary movies at all times of the day. These ads play while you are pressing the buttons to choose an appropriate program (I mute them but the visuals are still on screen). And, if the Sesame Street or other OnDemand show I've chosen ends and I cannot get to the remote quickly enough, my three-year-old twins and older son may be subjected to those promos as they come on automatically. (I have taught my eight-year-old to turn it off if he is in the room -- he will cover his ears if he doesn't have the remote on hand.) I have called Comcast to complain but did not get anywhere. I would request they save the scary trailers for after 8 p.m.

Thanks for paying attention to these matters. It is frustrating to have to try to be so vigilant to keep inappropriate content from children.

I can't help but think this is all a bit of an overreaction. The fact is, people will see things of this sort, especially kids, if thats what they want to see. If they don't see the trailer there, they'll see it on TV, or it'll be the featured video on youtube. There are too many types of media now to think you can eliminate this problem just by talking to the theater managers. As for things being "Too scary" I find that ridiculous. Kids like to be scared once in a while, it makes the whole story more compelling and draws you in more. And since it's a kids movie, it makes good's win over evil that much more exciting. And anyway if I recall correctly, the tunnel from "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" was _far_ scarier than anything shown in the trailers today.

With so much media, we shouldn't be coddling them as much as educating them.

Here! Here! I TOTALLY agree with you jimbo. Society as a whole has dropped the ball too. Often parents allow their kids to watch & do inappropriate things only because it is easier. The alternative would involve some moral teaching or maybe perhaps to get off the couch themselves. Kids want EVERYTHING they see and/or see others doing. Just because they beg & plead does not mean we have to allow it. Protect your children. Allow them to be kids!!!

I really don't think the MPAA is doing a bad job. I don't remember where i read this but it was:
G: Can play G + PG Trailers
PG: Can play G, PG, and PG-13
PG-13: G, PG, Pg-13, and R
R: Any

So im not sure if thats correct or not. But the only innaproprite trailers ive really seen were Bruno (before Transformers 2), and Forgetting Sarah Marshall (before Semi Pro (which was are so i get why it was shown). My only problem with trailers is how movies like Mission Impossible 3 get rated for the stuff in the trailer (like the make out scene, which was in the trailer). My main concern is TV ads though, because ill be waching The Simpsons and a Saw (or other horror movie) will come up. Or how much i watch Nickolodeon and a PG-13 trailer comes up

Angel7: Switching theatres is honorable - what a great example. Thanks for posting this.

HELLO MPAA.

Hollywood is taking advantage of a mixed audience of kids and adults to market to the adults! You know this is going on.

** It's no different than putting a sports bar in a Chucke Cheese playarea ** (Come meet the mouse and have a cold one while they jump around)

It's comical the MPAA has 'relaxed' - they're in a coma. Without a doubt today's PG-13 was a R rating when I was growing up. No contest, it was. To use "today's culture" as a reason for PG-13 is a smoke screen. Children are born with a clean slate. The slate is stroked with whatever a child is exposed to. This hasn't changed and it will NEVER change. It's time the MPAA wakeup and protect our children - protect the slates of these minds. Ratings based on what is best for children should be made as to what is best for their slate - not what they can 'handle'. You're not conservative and any parent out there would tell you - 'MPAA you've dropped and are continuing to drop the ball'.

Thank you so much for addressing this issue of inappropriate movie trailers. Our family has gone so far as to stop patronizing AMC Theaters because they consistently put non-kid-friendly trailers before G and PG movies. A local theater chain, Harkins, does a much better job of policing this so we always take our kids there. Our son had gotten to the point where he had to close his eyes and cover his ears during the trailer parts or we had to take him out of the theater until they were over. We as parents choose appropriate movies for our kids and DO NOT want overtly sexual or violent trailers shown!

1. What movie did you go to see? Astro Boy on 10/24/09

2. What trailer was inappropriate? The Mountain dew advertisement for an unrated adult thriller called "Circle of 8"

3. What was inappropriate about it? _X_too scary__X__too violent____sexual content____language____drinking/drugs/smoking

4. Tell us the name of the theater you saw it in. Carmike Cinemas

5. Where do you live (city/town/state) DeKalb, IL

Here is the text of the letter I wrote to Carmike Cinemas after our experience. I never heard back from them.

Regarding an experience we had at our local Carmike Cinema on 10/24/09: A number of other parents and I were greatly dismayed at your choice to place the Mountain Dew ad for the adult thriller "Circle of 8" before the new film "Astro Boy". The ad is full of menace, intense peril, threats of violence and imagery too frightening for the target "Astro Boy" audience. Many children in the audience, including one of my own, were visibly uncomfortable with what they were forced to witness before an animated children's film. Several of us parents were turning to each other and asking aloud, "Why would they show this before a kid's movie?" Another huge complaint - when I approached the manager about the situation after the movie, he would not even make eye contact with me, but suggested twice that I needed to register my complaint about the ad with you at you web site. He shirked any responsibility for the theater's display of the ad and did nothing at all to even placate the concerns that I shared. I told the manager that I most certainly would be sharing my complaint with you and that he could expect other parents of young children to be approaching him about this wildly inappropriate ad. My advise to you is to have your theaters pull that ad from before any movie aimed at a young audience and, in the future, to give more thoughtful consideration to where such ads are placed. Thank you for your time and attention.

1. What movie did you go to see?
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

2. What trailer was inappropriate?
The new Jim Carrey (Dicken's) A Christmas Carol

3. What was inappropriate about it?
WAY too scary!!! Our friend's kid was so scared that he had to leave before the movie even started. My son stuck it out, but I was furious and felt terrible with our friends.

4. Tell us the name of the theater you saw it in
Redwood City Downtown Century Cinema 20

5. Where do you live (city/town/state)
Bay Area/CA

I think they shouldn't show allot of the scenes for the horror movies like they do.
Like in my sister's house, they'll be watching a regular show and then they'll show a horror movies trailer (ex. The Orphan, Saw, etc.) and they have a 2 and 4 year-old and sometimes they don't always get the channel changed quick enough before they see a scene from the movie and it scares them to death.

We went to see Monsters vs. Aliens and the trailer for the Land of the Lost. The dinosaur walks right up behind Will Farrell and almost eats him. My son was talking about how scared he was of the dinosaurs for weeks. We live in Alexandria, VA.

Last year I took my ten year old daughter and her friend to see Hotel for Dogs at the UA7 Theaters in Berkeley. I was shocked to see them show an ad for the Marines before the movie. As I recall there were scenes of things blowing up and soldiers with big guns. It was completely inappropriate. I realize that this isn't a movie trailer, but it's along the same lines of showing trailers and ads that are completely inappropriate to children. The movie was geared towards elementary and tween girls, who don't need to be exposed to Marine recruitment ads!

I live in El Cerrito, CA

I took my kids to see "Imagine That" last summer, and was horrified to see a graphic preview for "The Ugly Truth" before it. "Imagine That" was a Nickelodeon production, heavily marketed to kids on their channel. The preview for "Ugly Truth" was extremely sexual, and when I complained to the manager, he told me that it was the chain's policy to show previews for R-rated movies before PG movies, EVEN so-called family movies. I contacted a local news station, who contacted the MPAA, who said that was not appropriate, and said they'd follow up. I don't know if they did. This was at a Regal Cinema, in Syracuse NY.

I took my 11 year old daughter and her friend to see The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry, which is a Christian movie and was treated to the preview for 'It's Complicated" with Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin, wherein they spoke of her being a slut and having sex with her ex and the new fellow too.

Lovely.

We have begun waiting for the movie to come out on DVD instead of supporting the theatres showing these inappropriate trailers.

We just went to A Christmas Carol (which needs its own warning, by the way!) but there was a trailer for "Avatar". I have seen a preview of the movie on TV that was more action and relationship oriented. The trailer, where I was with a group of about 15 8 and 9 year olds, was scary with threatening sounding music and didn't explain any of the story. All of the adults reacted with aversion and the kids were quiet, i.e., scared and didn't know what to think. Shame on AMC or whoever makes these decisions for running such a trailer before a Disney film! None of the other trailers were even close to as bad!

If you are 16 then you are not an "adult contributor".

Forgot to mention that we saw both movies in Redwood City, CA & that we live in Sunnyvale, CA.

I took my kids (now 7 & 9) to see Desperaux (G) and a trailer for Coraline was shown. My kids were pretty upset by the horrible mommy with the malicious, vacant stare and cruel face.

Also, a few years ago we went to see another G movie- I think it was Curious George and there was a trailer for the Golden compass. Take a nice, natural forest and add leaves that turn into monsters that attack and it's enough to scare anyone. I went to complain to a manager about it afterward and was told that they HAVE to show all of the trailers given or risk losing their right to show the film. It is despicable.

I was going to write the same story - that Coraline trailer was very creepy. I took my then-6 year old and he was scared of it!

We took our 3 1/2 year old son to see Despereaux which was rated G. One of the previews was for "Coraline." This movie is PG and the trailer was creepy. Before I could shield his eyes, he was so scared he said, "Mommy. That girl has buttons for eyes." He was scared to death. He is almost 4 1/2 now and still talks about that being scary. Despereaux wasn't the best choice either. I wish I would have known about Common Sense Media then. Movie had some scary moments for little ones. The rats were very scary.

(Edit: Whoops, sorry for the double-post)

"I could not believe it. I went to see an R-rated movie..."

What the heck were you expecting the trailers to be like in an R-rated movie?

When I went to see Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (PG-13) it had a green-band "Funny People" trailer, which contained nothing explicit other than the single word "sex", which isn't really considered explicit. I think their doing their job of separating the trailers for the most part, I haven't noticed anything in most PG trailers that would be too inappropriate (most innuendo goes over kids' heads), perhaps a mistake was made in which it was given a green-band, but then later on a red-band.

2012. I covered my eyes the whole time. I don't like thinking about the end of the world.

Update: Here is the EXACT trailer I saw (with sexual references, f-words, etc.) which was show in a R-rated movie:
http://www.hulu.com/watch/82639/movie-trailers-funny-people---red-band

You'll notice that this is the red-band trailer. However, it was shown as a trailer with a Green band (approved for all audiences)! The theatre was an AMC in Burlington, MA, during the previews for the movie "The Ugly Truth." Has anyone else noticed red-band trailers being advertised as green band ones like this???

Did anyone else see this? I could not believe it. I went to see an R-rated movie, and the trailer for "Funny People" starring Adam Sandler was "approved for all audiences" yet he drops the F-bomb in it. Are they allowed to do that? I was NOT imagining it. Everyone in the theatre heard it as well and were kinda surprised to hear it on a trailer. which, presumabaly, could be shown in non-R rated movies since it was supposedly approved for all audiences. I can't find anything about this on the web...some trailers are different from others and I don't know which one this was, but I think it was Adam Sandler that used the word. Did anyone else remember this?

Bruno is the worst I have ever seen...Even the commercials on TV are crude. I hate it !

Yes, I have seen numerous inappropriate trailers before "family" movies. It is extremely similar to the TV ads for personal, Adult products and issues shown during sporting events and during earlier hours. The "adult situations" are the worst. The intent of the entertainment media to expose our children to these images,situations and language is inexcusable. I, as their parent,should be the person who determines when and if my children are mature enough for any of these. If the trailer isn't truly age, meaning ALL ages, appropriate then it should be shown STRICTLY in R rated movies ONLY!

The preview for the Sherlock Holmes movie had an extremely raunchy innuendo joke in it. Funny - but wildly inappropriate for kids.

I was even freaked out by the poster! That girl is SCARY....

I strongly agree that the PG-13 rating is a joke. What used to be PG-13 is now PG, and what used to be R is now PG-13, etc. So many parents and kids ignore the ratings altogether, and forget that PG means "parental guidance" -- just because your kid is 13, doesn't mean all PG-13 movies are okay for them. (Remember that many PG-13 movies would have been rated R when us parents were kids). And one movie critic noted that movie makers can get away with a lot more raunch in a comedy, for some reason.

I saw it in front of an R-rated movie, but I could not believe the trailer for Halloween 2 was approved for all audiences. It was extremely loud, violent and scary.

Haven't seen any, but because of the trailers I'm afraid to see Harry Potter 6. :(

A few weeks later...

WOW HP6 ROCKS! :)

bruno

Yeah i watched knowing and they had (sorry forgot names) Next Day Air, crank, drag me to hell, and sorority sisters. All of them are horror movies but next day air but that still has violence, drugs, and many other things. My friend never saw a scary movie so she was scared out of her seat before the movie started. Plus our movie was depressing. Transformers 2 had 2012 another depressing trailer.