Posted on 09/24/2006 8:40:30 PM PDT by paltz
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Mel Gibson has returned to the spotlight to promote his upcoming movie "Apocalypto," and to criticize the war in Iraq, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Almost two months after he railed against Jews when he was arrested for driving drunk in Malibu, the actor made a surprise appearance Friday at Fantastic Fest, an event in Austin, Texas, devoted to new science fiction, horror and fantasy films, the trade paper said in its Monday edition.
He presented a work-in-progress screening of his Mayan adventure tale, and then took questions. About one-third of the full house gathered for the film gave him a standing ovation. The film is scheduled for a December 8 release via Disney.
In describing its portrait of a civilization in decline, Gibson said, "The precursors to a civilization that's going under are the same, time and time again," drawing parallels between the Mayan civilization on the brink of collapse and America's present situation. "What's human sacrifice," he asked, "if not sending guys off to Iraq for no reason?"
Appearing alongside Rudy Youngblood, one of the film's actors who hails from the Austin area, Gibson said he plans to make further trims in the film, which ran more than two hours. The print shown did not include sound effects and score, and some visual effects have not yet been added.
Gibson's appearance at the festival, co-founded by Harry Knowles, was reminiscent of a similar appearance he made at Knowles' Butt-Numb-a-Thon, which offered one of the first public previews of "The Passion of the Christ."
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
LOL! Maybe we can find a more subtle way of writing that word and use it as a "codeword" for Buchananites.
OTOH, you don't spout the filth that came out of his mouth and don't pay the price. Over and over and over.
Dear fellow freepers,
It is very small minded to only appreciate someone when they are in lockstep with you.
Mel Gibson is an artist. I realize that that this a term whose meaning has been under intense fire by all those whanna bes, but Mel is an artist who has produces successfully, many times, on the grandest of scales. He has the internal strength to not only risk huge amounts of money but to manage the people and organization that it take to produce the beautiful, creative, morally informed, and vastly entertaining movies which he has so graciously given us.
Please allow him his own opinions and foibles. With out people like him we would be that much poorer.
~ Antonia
ROTFLMAO.....
Mel is hollywood vomit..... He's got to sell the movie... Time to suckup to all the "I hate American" libs in Hollywood..
I'll say one good thing about the guy. His mug shot was impressive. My photos don't come out that well when I'm sober.
Him Again ??,,,The other day his daughter married a kid named Kinney,,from rite up the road in Benton,LA.
The film crews,,companies and mess that Katrina blew out of N.O. have moved in here,,:0(....(crap)
I hope he don't come here..Grrrrrr,,!
LOL! Tell us now. I'm on pins and needles.
Seriously, I think old Mel has gone around the bend. He's lost it.
(If he ever had it to lose, that is)
Or might it be more accurate to say?
...choice?
He should keep his stupid mouth shut. I won't go see his movies now.....idiot.
With respect to child sacrifice, the more obvious parallel is to our abortion industry. Mel seems to have been excessively glib; maybe he did want to say something to the media to indicate he wasn't a knee jerk conservative.
Remember the other GW----George Washington--counseled strongly against foreign entanglements. Was our first president a bigot also? True times change, but the advice is still good; actually invading with ground forces a nation 5000 miles away seems to be a creative way to observe such advice.
Regarding our invasion of Iraq, I realize at this time it is some ways counterproductive to debate the war as we have committed to it. And we have to stay the course at this point.
More damage has been done to this country, more freedoms have been lost in this country and more lives lost in this country as result of our very fellow "Americans" in the "Supreme Court" than Al-Qada.
I for one will be quite pissed if W can't nominate a Janice Rogers Brown to SC and instead we have to settle for another Souter just because W took some very poor advice and invaded Iraq. There is only so much political capital and the SC is Job #1.
Excellent Post.....
""I have come to the conclusion that Gibson has a bizarre fascination with torture and violent death, and that was a big attraction of his making of "The Passion of the Christ." ""
I totally agree with you, Miss Maple. I did not see "The Passion of the Christ", for the very reason you sited. From what I heard, it was mostly just two hours of horrible violence. Not something I wanted to see.
He also used two (2) actresses who were porn stars in the movie. There were website that accused Gibson of using occult symbolism in the movie too. Not sure if they were right about the symbolism. I know what Jesus did for us on the cross, without going to Gibson's questionable movie.
I suppose some people would think I am hypersensitive, but movies make a visual and emotional impression on me, so I avoid things that I know are too violent, and The Passion was one.
For 2000 years people have accepted and been grateful for the suffering of Christ on the Cross without a blow-by-blow of every detail. I just didnt't need to see it, no matter how great that movie was artistically.
The Maya sacrificed children to their rain god, and considered it especially auspicious when the child would cry as it was being taken to its death, and because they felt it signified more rain. I don't know about you, but I think a civilization like that is best gone.
Didn't see the arrogant denials. Did see the apologies and the statement that he didn't mean what he said.
I personally like to be taken at my word when I tell someone that I'm sorry and that I didn't mean what I said. I realize that there are people who never say something they didn't really mean, and those are the ones who feel comfortable not taking Gibson at his word. They should share their secret with the rest of us.
So are you thinking that Mel would be treated with love and open arms if he had said, "yup, folks, I hate Jews. Always have. Been living a lie with my Jewish friends in Hollywood that I hang out with and work with. But now I want to change" ??
Gibson is an actor. An actor. In an earlier era, his political and religious views would have been treated as the meaningless drivel that all actors' views are. His views are of no more interest to me than are those of Tim Robbins. I do care if they do work that I enjoy (e.g. The Patriot and Shawshank Redemption) and will patronize it regardless of whether I hate their politics. And if I don't like their work, I'm not going to patronize their work even if I like their politics.
Ok fine. One man's opinion. Big whoop.
"The guy is sick, sick, sick~!
(later, I will tell you what I really think of him!)"
LOL!
Ok, pins and needles....LOL!
Mel is similar to Clinton: Both are sociopaths...smooth, charming, narcissistic and a lot of rage beneath the surface if someone criticizes them. Scairy people.
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