Popcorn and Passion

The Weekly Standard ^ | March 7, 2004 | Matt Labash

[GeronL]

But there are other important concerns in the Avalon Theatre on opening night, such as what to eat? Attending what is perhaps the most violent non-snuff film ever made, it seems inappropriate to down a greasy tub of popcorn while watching our Lord and Savior get tortured for two hours

UGH!! Compare the violence to other films and this is not the most violent.

[Heatseeker]

Great piece - thanks for the post!

[Hugin]

But there are other important concerns in the Avalon Theatre on opening night, such as what to eat?

Why loaves and fishes of course. And a large bottle of water. With any luck it will be wine by the end of the movie.

Sorry, I couldn't help myself.

[Aggressive Calvinist]

On MSNBC tonight, Chris Matthews asked Peggy Noonan on "Hardball" if she thought Mel Gibson would make another film soon.

Peggy Noonan replied that she had talked to people close to Mel Gibson and there is discussion about making a movie "about the good and bad characters of The Reformation".

Stop the presses!

Who would be the good guys in this film, and who would be the "bad" characters?

[xJones]

The ADL's Abe Foxman has said, hyperbolically, that Gibson's telling of Christianity's central narrative is a "setback to more than 40 years of Jewish-Christian relations."

That idiot Foxman has been the biggest setback, and he's too stupid to know it. If he had set up nights for years trying to set back Jewish-Christian relations, he couldn't have done a better job of it.

[supercat]

Peggy Noonan replied that she had talked to people close to Mel Gibson and there is discussion about making a movie "about the good and bad characters of The Reformation".

Hmm... that'd be a hard one, since there's probably more active controversy between Protestants and Catholics than between Jews and Christians, and I don't see any worthwhile movie on the subject managing to avoid offending half the audience.

To my mind, the logical next movie would take events from the evening of Good Friday through to the ascention of Christ. Perhaps a little harder to stretch out to two hours than the Passion, but still a story very much worth telling. And I think Mel has the storytelling ability to pull it off even though the story would come across a bit segmented (the disciple's confusion and distress after Christ's could be dramatically effective, but I don't know if it would feel 'unified' with the part of the film following).

Still amazing to my mind the way reviewers have thought this movie would end Mel's career. Though in a way they may be right: he might never get anyone to finance another movie again--he may just decide to finance them himself since he'll now have the money to do so.

[Fenris6]

That idiot Foxman has been the biggest setback

Yeppers. The more I hear the Jewish left screech about anti-semistism, the more I sense they doth protest to much. :)

[Tangerine Time Machine]

Whoa, if Mel's doing the Reformation, he's likely to highlight Luthor's anti-Semitism. Hope he paints Henry VIII as the former theologian he was, and not just a fat guy gnawing on a turkey leg while his wife gets axed.

Of course, what I find most encouraging and "true" about Christianity is that its role models are far from perfect people. When Moses, David, Peter, and Saul fail, fall, or falter, the Bible does not attempt to whitewash or cover up. It just shows us that God uses real people with real failings, and not simply marble saints who Do No Wrong.

Um, what were we talking about?

[NYCVirago]

On MSNBC tonight, Chris Matthews asked Peggy Noonan on "Hardball" if she thought Mel Gibson would make another film soon.

I caught a bit of that tonight. Chris Matthews is really getting on my nerves -- he asked the most ridiculous questions. He's itching so badly for there to be a riot at one of these movie showings, it's not even funny.

[txzman]

None of these people has a clue what the Bible says in the Hebrew or Greek. Shells of religiousity, like the movie. And no I have not seen it, nor do I plan to.

[Dialup Llama]

Foxman wants to place a wedge between the alliance between conservative Jews and the more right-wing Christians. He sees cooperation between these two as dangerous. He prefers cooperation bet Jews and Christians based on the liberal interfaith model- the Jesus Seminar types- who agree that Jesus was a good teacher and thats it.

[Taiwan Bocks]

Mel Gibson achieved a revolution in man's thinking of Jesus.

Glory to God it was Him working through Gibson.

I believe this is partially to prepare true believers for the tribulation shortly ahead.

[texasflower]

Really good article. Thank you for posting it.

[DentsRun]

If the ADL board of directors wants to do something to improve Jewish-Christian relations they can start by firing Abe Foxman. If they don't, it can only be because he's scared elderly Jews so badly cash is pouring in over the transom.

[DentsRun]

Chris Matthews is really getting on my nerves -- he asked the most ridiculous questions. He's itching so badly for there to be a riot at one of these movie showings, it's not even funny.

You're right. And sooner or later there will be some incident, if only someone accidently stepping on someone else's toes. And when that happens the media will be pointing fingers till their knuckles crack--"See what happened. This movie causes pain!"

[Dr. Scarpetta]

Chris Matthews is really getting on my nerves -- he asked the most ridiculous questions.

I watched that show and Joe Scarborough's, and I've decided that most non-Christians will never like this movie. Lawrence O'Donnell said it's a "weak" movie. Others said it's anti-semitic. Their problem is with the bible, not Mel Gibson.

[mlmr]

Norm understands that I believe that Messiah-wise, he is waiting for a train that has already left the station. And that when the Messiah comes round again, it's not going to be to conduct nerf-bat interfaith dialogues. I understand that Norm believes that I believe in Santa Claus, albeit, one with nail-prints in His hands.

A gentle funny way of understanding.

[Mamzelle]

Matt Labash is an EVANGELICAL? He's allowed to write for a major neocon publication?

gasp

[Mamzelle]

re: That idiot Foxman has been the biggest setback, and he's too stupid to know it. )))

He's not stupid, he knows full well what he does, and he does it with full intent.