Film company to add anti-smoking message to DVD releases? WTF?!

[LouCipherr]

I saw this and almost passed out - there's a few things wrong with this: The Weinstein company has agreed to become the first to insert anti-smoking announcements onto DVDs that it produces. This is in response to a September letter to 13 of Hollywood's major motion picture companies and was signed by attorneys general from 41 states. We can expect to see such announcements, at least with the Weinstien company, to begin with "Clerks II". The public service announcements, will be added when the picture you are about to watch, depicts the actors having a smoke. The initiative is apparently the brainchild of one New Hampshire Attorney General-Kelly Ayotte. "We have been trying for years to get Hollywood studios to work with us on what we believe is an important and meaningful protection for our children, and the Weinsteins have taken that all-important first step," Ayotte said. First: Ok, is this Weinstien as in HARVEY Weinstien? The chain-smoker from hell? The same guy who got pissed off at the first viewing of the original Clerks because of the anti-smoking guy at the beginning? The same Harvey Weinstien who owns his own airplane that Kevin Smith has dubbed "THE FLYING ASHTRAY"? WHAT THE HELL!? "We have been trying for years to get Hollywood studios to work with us on what we believe is an important and meaningful protection for our children... Second - exactly how many "children" are going to be watching Clerks II? Third, STFU already! If I want to smoke, then piss off, it's none of your goddamn business, and don't preach to me about the dangers of it. I never once looked at a pack of smokes and said "HOLY SH*T!!! You mean these don't have Vitamin C in them?! OMG! I GOTTA QUIT!" Piss off already! I swear, I hate it when self-righteous companies like this try to interfere with my personal life. Fu*k them and the damn horse they rode in on! This just screams hypocrite. Harvey Weinstien and anti-smoking campaigns. That goes together about as well as oil and water.

[DjfunkmasterG]

The world has gone to hell in a handbag. WTF, now hollyweird is pissing me off. From now on every movie I film will have someone puffing away with an add that says... Quitting is for quitters

[bassman]

That's ridiculous. There are warning labels on the damn packs. Why put them everywhere else? While on the subject of Films and cigarettes......have you guys seen "Thank You For Smoking"? Very funny flick and it's not against smoking. It helps make the point that it's everyone's decision even though it is a bad one. Most of all, it's really funny. Yeah.....I'm tired of all these anti-smoking adds. I may not agree with DJ's "quitting is for quitters" remark , but I quit smoking after six years and I still find these adds to be ridiculous.

[LouCipherr]

bassman - man, I quit for 3 years, then realized it was the worst decision of my life. Of course, this was because I was duped by my wife and 3 other friends that said "we'll quit smoking on new years day" - well, we all did, and they went back to smoking a week later.. I, on the other hand, held out for three years before saying 'screw this' and *I* was the one that said I didn't want to quit, and I'm the only jackass that did! What kind of fool am I?! Yeah, I agree, they need to keep their opinions on smoking to themselves. We all know it's bad for us, we don't need people to keep drilling it in our heads like this. It's also bad for industrial companies to put up huge 15-story smoke-stacks that belch hundreds of pounds of pollution into the air per day too, but you don't see "anti-industrial-pollution" ads at the beginning of movies and on tv, now do you? Sheesh.. This is beyond stupid. It really is. ...and no, I haven't seen "Thank you for smoking" although I'd like to. When I first heard about it, I assumed it was anti-smoking, and anyone who smokes has had enough of that sh*t for a lifetime. Now that I have an idea of what it's about, I might just watch it. Thanks for the tip. LC

[bassman]

It's definitely not anti-smoking. The main character is a lobbyist for a tobacco company. But yeah.....people say it's bad several times in the movie(at one point, the tobacco lobbyist even says "you would be hard pressed to find someone that DOESNT think smoking is bad for your health. We all know this already"), but the main point ends up being that it's down to one's decision. It's got many a good laughs, too. Ivan Reitman's(Ghostbusters, Stripes) son wrote and directed a good one right off the bat.

[Cody]

One word, ready? Retards.

[MinionZombie]

Now, I'm very much against smoking (well, garden variety anyway, I'm "cool" when offered, if you know what I mean) - but this is just retarded. This is as retarded as removing scenes of smoking from old school cartoons. I'm sure your parents smoking when you were a kid will have a much greater effect on whether you end up smoking. Education, education, education - a PSA is retardation however. Put a warning on a fag packet, sure, but on my friggin' DVD!? HELL NO. Now non-smokers, let alone smokers, have to sit through that sh*t. I hope I can skip through that sh*t, like with those anti-piracy promos we get here in the UK. *sigh* As a non-smoker I'm all for being able to go to a public or walk in public without having to avoid and breath shallowly into my hand and then wash my hair, skin and clothes when I get back from the wafting smoke from smokers, smokers should be allowed to smoke - but likewise I should be able to go out in public and not come back smelling of ash and breathing husky with hot lungs. But this sort of crap on a DVD? Geez, what a waste of time and what a stupid load of crap. I will say though, if I'm in someone's home and they're a smoker I respect the fact it's their home and their choice - and of course, if it's a "cool" fag then I'm "cool" with it, hehe. I'll also add (because I'm obsessed with clarifying my stance) that if I was standing around on set, or with friends who smoke, then I'd not mind. I have friends who smoke and if we're hanging outside at a party I'll choose to hang out and chit-the-chat (but like I said, generally in public and when out for a drink, I'd like the choice to come back smelling of nothing more than my own sweat, haha! ... ewww ...) *additional* "Thank You For Smoking" - saw it t'other day. I think it was a tad bit biased, the anti-smoking campaigners were only depicted as pathetic losers who were the smoking equivalent of Jack Thompson (the anti-games twat). The pro-smoking lobbyist dude was more evenly covered. I'd have personally liked it though if there were some decent non-smokers in the movie that were represented. Otherwise it was a pretty good flick, quite funny, rather good - Lou, you should check it out.

[LouCipherr]

Preach on, MZ! I understand what you're saying about smoking in places where you could come back smelling like an ashtray. Even with me being a smoker, I don't mind having to go to another room to puff my lungs into lymphomic nirvana (whoa, some "MZ speak" came outta me for a second there! w00t!). But this garbage of anti-smoking campaigns on DVD's - especially when it's a rated "R" movie here in the states and to go on saying that it's to "protect the children" - uhhh, how about "protecting the children" from seeing Randall talking about going ass-to-mouth, eh? Morons. I also just find it oddly ironic that of ALL people to agree to do this, the Weinstiens are the first to do so... and on a Kevin Smith film no less, who is ALSO a chain-smoker - or at least used to be - and Harvey, who's a walking lit cigar for god's sake..... LC

[MinionZombie]

As far as I know Smith is still a cancer stick puffing fan. Indeed, the irony is steeple-high, but then again a lot of American's don't "get" irony it seems - at least the ones who make decisions like this anyway, hehe. Just goin' on what TV has taught me.

[capncnut]

Could you imagine an anti smoking sign on a Cheech and Chong movie. What a joke! I never once looked at a pack of smokes and said "HOLY SH*T!!! You mean these don't have Vitamin C in them?! Ah Mr Cipherr, you are a Leary fan. You have great taste in comedy my man!

[Danny]

man i hate cig's with a passion and even i think thats dumb, but so is the piracy one, cus who hear hasnt downloaded something illegally. ...AARGH!

[LouCipherr]

Could you imagine an anti smoking sign on a Cheech and Chong movie. What a joke! Ah Mr Cipherr, you are a Leary fan. You have great taste in comedy my man! I love leary, man. Yeah, could you imagine an anti-smoking ad at the beginning of "Up In Smoke" that's comedic genius in and of itself! Indeed, the irony is steeple-high, but then again a lot of American's don't "get" irony it seems - at least the ones who make decisions like this anyway, hehe. Just goin' on what TV has taught me. True, so true. I dunno how it could get lost with these people, 'cause it's glaring to me, but.. I just have to remember who we're talkin' about here.

[MinionZombie]

I downloaded a movie a while ago and they'd included the anti-piracy promo at the beginning of it! haha! All the little L337 h4x0rz stickin' it to the man there.

[LouCipherr]

I've seen that on many a downloaded movie (not that I do such a thing. it was the friend of a friend who did, I swear! ) - I think the guys putting out these movies have a fantastic sense of humor. An anti-piracy message at the beginning of a downloaded bootleg movie? Pure genius!

[Danny]

haha! All the little L337 h4x0rz stickin' it to the man there. .....k......