SmokeScreeners Rating:

Year of Release: 1998

MPAA Rating: R

Director: Richard Donner

Distributor: Warner Bros.

This film was reviewed by Dr. Barry Hummel of QDREF on 9/17/2011.

Additional Comments:  "It appears that Martin Riggs's (Mel Gibson) attempt to quit smoking in Lethal Weapon 3 was successful!  This is the first smoke-free entry in the Lethal Weapon franchise, and it shows how unnecessary onscreen smoking is to plot and characterization."

SmokeScreeners Rating:  

Year of Release: 1994

MPAA Rating: R

Director: James Cameron

Distributor: 20th Century Fox

In this film 7 smoking incidents occured, 4 of which were inside and 3 of which were outside.

The film was reviewed by Dr. Barry Hummel of QDREF on 3/15/2009.

Dr. Hummel posted the following additional comments: "True Lies is a fun-filled action picture that makes you wonder what the great James Cameron could do if he was ever given the keys to the James Bond franchise.  Unfortunately, like the Bond films, the super-spy played by Arnold Schwarzenegger was seen using tobacco in a couple of key scenes.

The first occurs early in the film, when Schwarzenegger uses a silver cigarette case to detonate explosives to create a diversion:

Later, Schwarzenegger's partner (played by Tom Arnold) tests a piece of equipment on Schwarzenegger's unsuspecting daughter.  Note the clever product placement for Lucky Strike cigarettes:  

But, the highlight of smoking scenes occurs while Schwarzenegger and Arnold are being tailed by several terrorists.  Schwarzenegger whips out the Lucky Strike pack to keep an eye on the terrorists, puffing away as he enters a mall. 

Meanwhile, the head terrorist (Art Malik) clouds up his car with tobacco smoke:

In all of these scenes, attention is drawn to the tobacco because it has become an integral part of each of these scenes.  I suspect a director as creative as James Cameron could have come up with an alternative, instead of taking the easy way out.

By the way, I would like to thank 2oth Century Fox for not acknowledging my right to use clips from this film for educational purposes under current Fair Use Laws, forcing me to remove the clips from YouTube and using still frames from the film."

SmokeScreeners Rating:  

SmokeScreeners Rating:  

Year of Release: 1963

MPAA Rating: G

Director: Wolfgang Reitherman

Distributor: Buena Vista

In this film 3 smoking incidents occured, all of which were inside.

The film was reviewed by Zachary H. from Westglades Middle School on 3/7/2009.

 

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SmokeScreeners Rating:  

Year of Release: 1953

MPAA Rating: G

Director: Byron Haskin

Distributor: Paramount

In this film 17 smoking incidents occured, 7 of which were inside and 10 of which were outside.

The film was reviewed by Dr. Barry Hummel on 3/2/2009

Dr. Hummel posted the following additional comments:  "The original War of the Worlds is an old-school, 1950s sci-fi film.  It is part melodrama and part disaster movie, and, to be honest with you, neither part works very well.

As with most films from the era, there is a ton of tobacco use.  There are 17 different smoking incidents by 16 different characters.  All but one of these occur in the first 24 minutes of the movie; after the Martians attack, nobody seems to have time to smoke anymore.

Here is the opening scene of the movie:
 

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In that brief 30 seconds, three characters were smoking... the sheriff playing cards at the station, and two adults in the crowd outside the theater.  Also note that the two adults smoking in the crowd are smoking aorund children!

After the ship lands, the sheriff locates a group of scientists that just happen to be camping in the area:

 

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Look at the focus on tobacco in this scene.  One of the scientists is smoking a pipe.  One of the other scientists grabs a cigarette from a pack in his pocket.  And the sheriff?  He simply takes one to smoke later.

And what about the other scientist?  Turns out he is not a smoker, as he explains in this scene in which he meets his love interest:

 
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Shortly after this, the Martians reveal themselves and begin their attack, giving the locals little opportunity to smoke as they run and dodge laser beams and crumbling buildings.

Steven Spielberg remade War of the Worlds in 2005, and he told the story much more effectively... and without the appearance of tobacco!"

SmokeScreeners Rating:  

Year of Release: 1951

MPAA Rating: Unrated

Director: Robert Wise

Distributor: 20th Century Fox

In this film 17 smoking incidents occured, 14 of which were inside and 3 of which were outside.

The film was reviewed by Dr. Barry Hummel on 3/1/2009.

Dr. Hummel posted the following additional comments:  "The original sci-fi classic The Day the Earth Stood Still is an efficiently told story about man's violent nature.  The film begins with the arrival of an alien space-craft that lands in the middle of Washington, DC.  A humanoid alien emerges bearing a gift for the President, and he is immediately shot.  The alien's robot protector responds by melting the weapons of the local police and military until the alien stops him.

Realizing their mistake, the humans rush the alien to a nearby hospital.  Meanwhile the silent robot stands guard over the ship.  Of course, the humans cannot resist the chance to peek inside the ship:

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At the hospital, the doctors are amazed at the recuperative powers of the alien:

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It turns out the alien's life expectancy is 130.  'How does he explain that?" asks one of the perplexed doctors.  'Says their medicine is that much more advanced,' replies the other doctor as he shares a cigarette with his colleague. 'He was very nice about it,' continued the tobacco-loving doctor, 'but he made me feel lie a third class witch doctor.'  Neither of these students of modern medicine recognizes the irony; they are fascinated by the alien's longevity even as they smoke a drug that is shortens human life expectancy by an average of 15 years!

The alien quietly slips out of the hospital to hide among humans as a way of studying their behavior.  He ends up renting a room in a boarding house here he befriends a widow and her young son.  Here, the alien (reading the newspaper) shares a meal, and a little secondhand smoke, with the other boarders:

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At least the young boy isn't sitting at the table while that lone boarder shares his smoke with the rest of the group.

This great sci-fi drama was made in an era when smoking was more socially acceptable.  I understand that.  But timeless classics like The Day The Earth Stood Still are still being watched, and we should at least point out how time has changed our understanding of the dangers of tobacco... especially to children and teenagers.

SmokeScreeners Rating:  

Year of Release: 1953

MPAA Rating: G

Director: Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson

Distributor:  RKO/Buena Vista

In this film 4 smoking incidents occured, all of which were outside.

The smoking related message from the film was balanced.

The film was reviewed by Dr. Barry Hummel on 2/25/2009.

Dr. Hummel posted the following additional comments:  "The Disney classic Peter Pan is one of those animated features that actually shows youth tobacco use.

Early in the movie, Captain Hook is seen smoking not one but two cigars at the same time!

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The majority of the tobacco use, however, is in this classic scene when Peter Pan shares a peace pipe with Tiger Lily's father:

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One the one hand, this scene shows a balanced depiction of tobacco; Wendy makes a face because of the smell, and John turns green after smoking the pipe.  However, the scene also depicts peer pressure!  Both John and Michael are willing to try the pipe because they watched Peter Pan smoking with such ease.  This is the type of movie message that is particularly dangerous to young people."

Year of Release: 1958

MPAA Rating: Unrated

Director: Nathan Juran

Distributor: Allied Artists Pictures

In this film 12 smoking incidents occured, 9 of which were inside and 3 of which were outside.

The film was reviewed by Dr. Barry Hummel on 2/22/2009.

SmokeScreeners Rating:  

Year of Release: 1954

MPAA Rating: G

Director: Jack Arnold

Distributor: Universal 

In this film 26 smoking incidents occured, 5 of which were inside and 21 of which were outside.

The film was reviewed by Dr. Barry Hummel on 2/21/2009.

Dr. Hummel posted the following additional comments: "Creature from the Black Lagoon has a small cast of actors, but boy do they know how to smoke! 4 of the movie's stars smoke during the film, including cigarettes, cigars, and pipes.

The party gets started early in the movie, when most of the cast is discussing the discovery of a partial skeleton in the Amazon Rain Forest.  Two of the films stars were apparently unable to make it through this important discussion without smoking: 

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The scientists undertake an expedition to solve the riddle of the skeleton, only to discover a living creature in the Black Lagoon.  They decide to poison the previously pristine lagoon with a paralytic agent to try and bring the creature to the surface.  As long as they are polluting the area, Kay Lawrence (Julia Adams) makes the following contribution: 

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The paralytic agent actually works, and the scientists are able to capture the creature.  The pipe-smoking Dr. Thompson (Whit Bissell) lights up while standing watch over the creature:  

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Please note the incredible risk that Dr. Thompson takes by falling asleep!  Not only does he takes his eyes of the creature, but he falls asleep holding a smoldering pipe!  The expedition would come to a tragic end for sure if the boat caught fire in the middle of the Black Lagoon!" 

SmokeScreeners Rating:  

Year of Release: 1997

MPAA Rating: G

Director: Ron Clements, John Musker

Distributor:  Buena Vista

The film was reviewed by Dr. Barry Hummel on 2/18/2009.