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
oh yeah. End Rant :-)
Isolationists believe the only wars that are justified are defensive ones. This meshes fully with his two movies, "The Patriot" and "Braveheart". If it turns out he does make Bodicca, then it would be further proof of his philosophy.
Wars are treated as loathsome, foreign entanglements to be avoided at all costs ('I have seen the price of war' speech in PAtriot) but the soldiers are given all due respect (excellent portrayal of HAl Moore and US troops in We Were Soldiers).
Even on this site, some FReepers advises pulling out instead of losing AMerican boys over some "Muslims". Some have adopted the isolationist tac advocatedby Buchanan. Why should Gibson's comments be any less surprising?
A very good point that I believe applies to many Presidents from Reagan forward and probably even including Clinton although by his time the attacks were hitting here at home as well as our embassies and military. I believe Presidents were given very poor advice from the so called "realists" primarily at the State Dept. Unfortunately for whatever reasons, those presidents took that poor advice.
He wasn't under the influence when he came out against the Iraq War. Furthermore, the Iraq War is a hot issue in the upcoming elections.
We don't need to be defending those who would have us cut and run. Let the DU do it.
sw
Somehow I left out the "per year" part of that ... over one million per year. And you're quite right, it has added up to well in excess of 40mil since 1973. I'm sure Stalin, Mao, Hitler, Pol Pot, Idi Amin, etc. are green with envy.
I took an enormous amount of inspiration from that movie.
I will throw my copy of it in the trash today.
Go to hell Mel.
You are right - his comparison of the war in Iraq - whatever one might think of that war - with Mayan sacrifice is simply ignorant. It is a foolish and improper analogy. We did not send soldiers to Iraq to placate an angry god or to manipulate the forces of nature, but to accomplish specific political objectives.
The isolationists made sense in the 19th century...now it is an absurd and not even logical argument. Ultimately the Germans and Japs would have come to our shores. And the terrorist Islamic scum already have.
You are right that even some Freepers "don't get it."
We may be noble in freeing Iraq, but the real reason is to protect us, bottom line.!
Terrorism is a threat, exacerbated by some of our own foreign policies.
Carpet bombing Baghdad and any other site of possible WMD is fair game, but a prolonged ground war and nation building is becoming an exercise in futility, drenching Iraqi soil with American blood for too many nutty Muslims of whom if there are any moderates can't stand up to their own criminal element.
I would support refusing no more entry from Islamic countries and I would seriously consider deportation of many/all here on visas. I am not soft on terror but I think they way we are fighting it is ill-advised. But having said that, we have made a commitment and we have to keep it.
Though you disagreed with me, thanks for not the posting the too often ad hominem " DUmmy troll" response I see on FR
Agreed. Isos are much better than Demos, becausetheir beliefs are based in misguided patriotism. We all know about he leftist pacifists' true colors.
But then Clint wanted an Oscar. So he made UNFORGIVEN and he made it an appology for all those Dirty Harry flicks and he made the apology very public. Bingo! He got his Oscar. Then another. Then he became Mayor of a very leftist town. Carmel is full of rich guilty white folks who define the term liberalism. They feel guilty for being rich and white.
So here comes Mel. Mel the BRAVE (heart). Mel the LETHAL (weapon). Mel the WARRIOR (road) and Mel the PASSION. The Hollywood leftists have always villified him. Especially for the Passion. Now he's jumping on the new Liberal Bandwagon about Iraq. I wonder if they know that he used to be (maybe still is) a member of the (gasp!) John Birch Society?
Nope. Ran for mayor in 1986; Unforgiven 1992.
Mel wants to follow up his successful "Once We Were Soldiers" with a new movie, "Once We Were Traitors".
Really? Damn. So this is what it feels like to have a senior moment. Nonetheless, a flip in attitude got him the job as HIZZONER the Mayor. And the public apology got him the Oscar. I remember that well.
LOL!! Join the club, man...
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