[brigada]

By Joel C. Rosenberg

After writing and directing the most brilliant and controversial motion picture of 2004, and turning an investment of some $35 million of his own money into a $700 million worldwide box office take -- plus an additional $245 million in DVD and video rentals and sales -- Mel Gibson was not nominated for a "Best Director" Oscar. Nor was The Passion of the Christ nominated for "Best Picture."

Did you catch that?

Create the first film in a generation based on the "greatest story ever told" that actually gets people thinking and talking about the things that matter most in life and it's not even worthy of an Academy Award nomination.

Turn thirty-five million into a billion and you're not even the same lofty category as Mike Leigh.

Mike who? Oh, the guy that directed Vera Drake. Vera who????

The Passion did receive three nominations (makeup, music and cinematography). But that is a snub by any definition.

It seems the Oscar this year goes to....religious bigotry.

Hollywood is so repulsed by people of faith it can't even bring itself to consider -- forget reward, just consider -- a powerful, provocative film about the most influential person in the history of mankind.

It's sad to see the world's greatest entertainers so hostile to faith in general, and to Jesus Christ in particular. With all the separations, divorces, affairs, alcohol abuse, drug abuse, and suicides going on in Tinsel Town these days, Jesus is the special effect that city needs most.

Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.

[LauraleeBraswell]

Was it that good of a movie? Really? Would it have been enjoyable and or meaningful to non Christian me?

[silent_jonny]

This isn't a surprise.

[hoosiermama]

According to the AP, the film did get three nominations....M. Moore got NONE!

Mel Gibson's religious blockbuster "The Passion of the Christ" missed out on main categories, but did pick up nominations for cinematography, makeup and original score.

Michael Moore's gamble to hold his hit film "Fahrenheit 9/11" out of the documentary category - to boost its best-picture prospects - backfired. The movie was shut out across the board.

[atomicpossum]

If Mel was expecting accolades, he was mistaken. Hollywood sent him away, claiming it wouldn't work, and he proved them wrong. He hit them both in their arrogance AND their philosophy. They will never give him a single inch on this.

[afnamvet]

Liberal controlled Hollywood.

[pillbox_girl]

Big deal.

I don't give a democRat's A** what the academy thinks. I don't watch the "Oscars", and I don't pay any attention when a DVD has "Academy Award Winner" printed on its cover (probably less). An academy award has no more relevance to me than a razzie. It's just the hollywood nutballs patting themselves on the back, and that's all it is.

[Yo-Yo]

At least Hollywood was fair and balanced. They snubbed Michael Mooreon too.

[My2Cents]

Do you think Mel cares, or was surprised? I don't. In fact, I would consider a snub by the Academy to be a badge of honor.

[Lil'freeper]

Turn thirty-five million into a billion and you're not even the same lofty category as Mike Leigh.

Argh! Box office sales are no measure of a movie. Plenty of *great* films fly under the radar and never make much money. The reverse is true, too - take Fahrenheit 9/11.

Besides, The Passion got three nominations for technical categories. That's three more than Moore got.

[Peace will be here soon]

I haven`t seen this movie, I will say that straight off. But why do people need to see The Passion of the Christ receive an oscar ( in any category )? Would it make the movie more meaningful to you? I just don`t get it.

I don`t care what hollywood does, says, thinks, or whatever. I guess that is why I am not offended by their actions. Just snub their movies, you will feel a whole lot better.

Stop worrying about hollywood and their silly oscar awards, and put your efforts in more important things.

[xJones]

Hey, Gibson approached Hollywood for backing, and they turned him down flat. He got up though, invested $35 million of his own cash, and then approached Hollywood distibuters to get the movie shown in a lot of theaters. He was turned down by every major Hollywood distributer, and had to go to the little known New Market Films, based in Britain.

Needless to say, New Market made a fortune from marketing The Passion, and all the Hollywood distributors realized that they hadn't shut the movie down, instead they'd lost a golden opportunity. And I just read from the New Market Films website that The Passion has been nominated for three academy awards!!!!!!

"January 25, 2005 The Academy Awards® have nominated Mel Gibson's THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST in the categories of Best Cinematography, Best Makeup, and Best Original Score."

YEE HAW!

[af_vet_rr]

I don't know that it's any kind of bigotry on Hollywood's part - I think it's more along the lines of ignorance. What film critics prefer, the rest of America doesn't. Remember Saving Private Ryan? It was beaten out by some artsy fartsy romance. There are plenty of other examples over the past thirty years or so. You have people who want to be in these types of movies, who vote for the awards, and so of course they are going to vote for the artsy fartsy movies so they keep getting made.

[Vicki]

Mel doesn't care he's been snubbed by Hollyweird. He's happy how many people turned out to see the film.

[The Sons of Liberty]

I think Mel's award will come from a higher power.

[Rosary]

this comes after the tv Oscars. Mel Gibson won the PEOPLEs CHOICE AWARDS,for The Passion of the Christ, THE PEOPLE choose!
But Hollywood did not even had the decencey- to give it at least ONE award! So they say ,'Who cares what the people are saying we just won't care- and so snubbed any type of acknowledgement. How about, we the people, just turn off all those tvs and stop going to the movies and then when, we the people- snub Hollywood maybe they will learn, not to be sooooo
unfair and down right childish -they could have given it a least one award!!!!