'Banglasia', 'The Raid 2' And Other Hollywood Movies We Weren't Allowed To See This Year
If you're wondering why some of the movies you've been waiting for never made it to the cinemas, they were probably banned or dropped from local distributors' lineup due to censorship concerns.
By Samantha Khor — 22 Dec 2014, 11:57 AM — Updated about 10 years ago
1. Namewee's 'Banglasia' received 31 official notes and was given orders to reshoot approximately 90% the movie before it was declared banned
Originally scheduled for a 30 January 2014 release, the controversial filmmaker's Chinese New Year feature 'Banglasia' was been banned by the National Censorship Board (LPF) and Home Ministry (KDN) during the approval process.
"'Banglasia' was heavily criticised by LPF and KDN, and we have received 31 official notes and orders to re-shoot the movie. Obviously we cannot afford to re-do the filming process as all 31 notes issued by LPF are 90% of the film itself," Namewee said in a statement on his Facebook page.
In a response video, Namewee added that his fourth film could not be shown in Malaysia and the authorities have also issued a strict order that "Banglasia" could not be uploaded on YouTube, a series of webpage network or even sold in the market legally or illegally. Those suspected to show the film in private or public places will face legal actions.
He also apologised to the investors who suffer big losses following the censorship, and also to the production crews and fans who waited for the movie screening.
malaysiandigest.com
2. Hollywood epic 'Noah' was not passed for screening in Malaysia due to the movie's visual depiction of a prophet, which is prohibited in Islam
LPF chairman Datuk Abdul Halim Abdul Hamid said in a statement today the ban was to protect the sensitivity and harmony of the multi-racial and multi-religious community in the country.
The main reason for the ban, according to Abdul Halim, was Noah's depiction by Hollywood actor Russell Crowe. Islam forbids visual depictions of any prophet.
“It is un-Islamic for anyone to act out any characters of a prophet. If it is an issue to draw pictures of a prophet, what more a movie? Of course this is prohibited, it is prohibited in Islam,” said the LPF head.
The film is said to be based on the biblical story of Noah's Ark and already been reported banned by several Islamic countries including Egypt, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Indonesia.
themalaymailonline.com
3. The highly-anticipated Indonesian film 'The Raid 2: Berandal' was banned due to excessive violence contained within the film
Fans of 'The Raid: Redemption' were left disappointed when it was announced that the sequel to the critically-acclaimed Indonesian film was banned in Malaysia for containing too many violent scenes.
Film Censorship Board (LPF) Chairman Dato' Abdul Halim Abdul Hamid said, "LPF banned the screening of 'The Raid 2' because it has too many violent scenes shown in the film which is not suitable for approval. We have already seen the movie with two LPF communities and the report on the ban on the film has already been given to the distributors in Malaysia. They (dealers) have our report."
4. With its explicit portrayal of profanity, nudity and sex, it's no wonder that the Oscars' Best Picture nominee 'The Wolf of Wall Street' did not make it past our censorship board
Martin Scorsese's 'The Wolf of Wall Street' has been banned altogether in Malaysia and Nepal (ironically, Red Granite CEO Riza Aziz is the stepson of Malaysia's prime minister).
Sources within Malaysia's government film office told THR that the distributor of the film realized upon screening it that it would face huge problems with the censorship board because of its profanity, nudity and sex.
The film has also been banned in Nepal, whereas India allowed the movie to be screened only after three scenes were cut from the original including the movie's gay orgy, Jonah Hill masturbating and Leonardo DiCaprio blowing cocaine up a woman's bottom with a straw.
5. Much like 'Noah', biblical epic 'Son of God' was not released here due to its religious content and the visual depiction of Jesus
The conundrum bears a resemblance to that faced by 2004's "The Passion of the Christ", which found itself initially banned in Malaysia before finding a limited release restricted to Christian audiences.
It was also denied release in Kuwait and Bahrain, based on two religious clauses: Islamic faith accepts Jesus as a divine prophet, but not as the Son of God, as he is depicted on both films. Islam also forbids artistic depiction of the prophets.
6. If the title isn't indicative enough, 'Sex Tape' was banned here due to its strong sexual content and nudity
'Sex Tape' stars Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel as a couple who tried to reignite the spark in their relationship by making a video of themselves trying out every position in The Joy of Sex in one marathon three-hour session. It seems like a great idea - until they discover that their most private video is no longer private.
The movie is rated R as per MPAA ratings for strong sexual content, nudity, language and some drug use.
The Examining Committee of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) in India rejected its first version of the film. After some changes, they accepted the film and it was released in the country on August 29, 2014
imdb.com
7. Although not outrightly banned, the local distributor for 'Sin City: A Dame to Kill For' decided to drop the movie from its line-up, presumably due to its gratuitous violence and nudity
Looks like Malaysians will not be able to watch the long-awaited sequel to 2005' neo-noir thriller "Sin City" in the cinemas. Planned for release on 16 October 2014, the local distributor for the movie has recently decided to drop the movie from their upcoming movie lineup.
Adapted from comic books, the "Sin City" series boast visually stylized shots, part of the reason why the films are highly-anticipated by moviegoers.
8. It's not an Eli Roth if there's no excess of explicit carnage, so it's no wonder that 'The Green Inferno' did not receive a release pass here due to its high impact gore, violence and torture scenes
'The Green Inferno' is rated R in the United States due to for aberrant violence and torture, grisly disturbing images, brief graphic nudity, sexual content, language and some drug use.
While the movie has been declared banned in Malaysia, IMDb indicates that the movie has been submitted for re-rating after edits were made.
imdb.com
BONUS: It is possible that 'Exodus: Gods and Kings' has not gone pass the censorship board due to its biblically-inspired imagery
'Exodus: Gods and Kings' stars Christian Bale as biblical prophet Moses, who rises up against the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses to set free 600,000 slaves on a monumental journey of escape from Egypt and its terrifying cycle of deadly plagues.
Originally scheduled for a 11 December release in Malaysia, the Ridley Scott-directed epic has yet to make an appearance in any Malaysian cinemas.
