Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.
hard R en · NOUN
Meanings
(US) A movie that is intentionally produced to be R-rated ("Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian") by the Motion Picture Association (MPA), typically due to its multiple scenes of violence or nudity.
Sugar Cookies would probably rate a 'hard-R' today, but six years ago it got an X, made a brief appearance on the 42nd Street porno circuit, and disappeared without a trace. 1979 January 11, Berkeley Art Museum, Pacific Film Archive, “Sugar Cookies”, in Program archive:
I believe we'll hear later from the movie industry's lobbyist, Mr. Valenti, that not all "R"s are really "R"s. More specifically, and I quote from Mr. Valenti's written testimony: "Some R-rated are hard "R"s and some are soft "R"s." 2003, United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Marketing Violence to Children: Hearing Before the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, United States Senate, One Hundred Sixth Congress, Second Session, September 13, 2000, page 51:
For a "soft R" like "Four Weddings and a Funeral," which features a smattering of profanity, a theater might check identifications only lightly. But it will turn tough for a "hard R" like Oliver Stone's "Natural Born Killers," one of the most violent movies of recent years. 1996 February 18, Trip Gabriel, “The Ratings Game At the Cineplex”, in The New York Times, page Section 2, Page 1:
A HARD R rating would seem to be between “R” — which has meant restricted to adults, because of various elements — and “NC-17.” 2018 July 28, Caitlin Lovinger, “Three in One; Will Nediger’s puzzle breaks it down for us, in a funny way.”, in DAILY CROSSWORD COLUMN, The New York Times: