[SandyEgo]

hmmm - opening on Ash Wednesday was just a fluke?

Personally, I see this movie/promotion as a masive marketing ploy to put Jesus believers/non-believers ~ Jewish/Jew Haters head to head - while bringing in millions of dollars to the producers/studio, while we fight it out.

I know I'm going against the grain here, but I have no intention of seeing this movie in the theater - it sounds to me like the taking of the most beautiful story ever told, and turning it into a "slasher/bloody/gore" horror flick movie - and the more comments it generates, the bigger the profit.

And Mel Gibson is almost giddy each time I see him on tv, promoting this. What is wrong with him?

I haven't seen the movie - perhaps it's fantastic. I just know that when something is hyped as much as this was - it's usually not worth it.

[teresat]

The movie was not just a marketing ploy it was beautiful. After suffering through countless numbers of Hollywierd movies there was nothing I have ever seen to compare with this. Mel Gibson is truly courageous...

[marajade]

" ... while bringing in millions of dollars to the producers/studio ..."

The movie was entirely financed by Mel Gibson. So any monetary benefit would go to Gibson himself.

[Northern Yankee]

You're missing something that is truly special if you don't go to see it.

Forget about everything other than the story.

And perhaps the reason that Mel is "giddy" is that many devout Christians have ignored the savage attacks, and are clinging to something that is under constant assault as of late.

I too am usually very reserved in my faith, but I do believe if you choose not to go, you will miss something quite remarkable.

Opening of Ash Wednesday obviously coincides with Lent. Don't misunderstand the marketing ploy, but rather look upon it as a man's devotion to his faith.

God Bless!

[Future Snake Eater]

I know I'm going against the grain here, but I have no intention of seeing this movie in the theater - it sounds to me like the taking of the most beautiful story ever told, and turning it into a "slasher/bloody/gore" horror flick movie - and the more comments it generates, the bigger the profit.

Because he accurately portrays crucifixion and scourging, that makes it a slasher pic? Go see a "Friday the 13th" movie and get back to us on that one.

And Mel Gibson is almost giddy each time I see him on tv, promoting this. What is wrong with him?

What is wrong with that guy? I mean, it's almost like he's very passionate about his beliefs and the sharing of his faith with the world! What is it with that moneygrubbing weirdo?

I haven't seen the movie - perhaps it's fantastic.

Given the amazing reviews and the tremendous word-of-mouth it has generated, it most likely is fantastic. Damn shame you're just gonna sit there and "sumbitch" the whole thing due to some unfounded suspicions on your part.

[Arkinsaw]

Personally, I see this movie/promotion as a

Bah! Humbug! I shall eat a loaf of bitterness before ever allowing myself to see this movie. But not having seen it, I shall still trash it and make whining noises as if I had seen it and actually knew something about it.

[truthandlife]

Have you ever thought that this was God's plan all along?

God gave a famous actor a yearning to seek him again and brought a vision of a movie of the Resurection of Jesus Christ. Mel Gibson faithfully went along with this vision and made the film the way God gave it to him. God gave Mel the resources ($$$), gave him the idea, gave him every graphic detail. He went ahead and made the film and made it in Aramaic (a dead language). The Hollywood elite were laughing at Mel and said he had gone nuts. He was making a religious movie about Jesus Christ in a dead language with subtitles. He was also using $25 million of his own money. The Hollywood left was laughing and could not wait for it to fail. First, Gibson couldn't find a distributor because Satan had started to put up many roadblocks. The first roadblock was that the movie was so called, "anti-semitic." The ADL comes out and tries to torpoedo the movie. As this happens, it creates great buzz. Gibson decides to distribute the movie himself (as an act of faith) because none of the big distributors would touch this movie. Gibson goes to the evangelical Christian community to get their opinion about the movie and starts showing the movie to over 20,000 evangelicals. This kind of marketing is unheard of. What is Gibson doing? ("With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26).

Satan tries to torpoedo the movie again with leftist anti-Christian movie critics saying this movie has too much gore, blood and is just awful for children. This even creates more buzz and people become even more curious.
Now the movie is finally out and many people get to see who Jesus is ("The Savior of the World") and gets to see to the ultimate in sacrificial love. It is not pretty to see but it shows how much God truly loves us.

If I was Gibson, I would be pretty giddy myself because he took a true faithful walk with God and it was quite an unorthodoxed walk but look where it got him. Gibson was able to produce the biggest grossing Christian movie of all times as well as sharing what Jesus did for us on the Cross. True sacrificial love.

"Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends"

John 15:13

[walden]

"And Mel Gibson is almost giddy each time I see him on tv, promoting this. What is wrong with him? "

Have you ever done a MAJOR project, and reached the drop-dead date, when it's show-time? I have-- used to lead project teams building systems, and by the time you go live on a big one, you're usually running purely on caffeine and adreneline-- haven't had a real night's sleep in weeks. Mel has that look about him these days. Give him a week, a chance to crash and sleep for a day or two and he'll be fine.

[ptrey]

SANDYEGO...Just got home from seeing the movie. The movie was awesome. I understand it being touted as gruesome and violent, but for people who has studied the crucifiction it isn't...at least to me and my family it wasn't...when studying Isaiah 53, I expect it wasn't as graphic in the movie as the real crucifiction was.

I saw no anti-semitism in the movie or from the people viewing the movie...on the contrary.

Hope this helps you.

[Sloth]

it sounds to me like the taking of the most beautiful story ever told, and turning it into a "slasher/bloody/gore" horror flick movie

I saw it tonight. That is NOT the case. It was not nearly as violent as some of the articles have made it out to be. It simply looked like a realistic scourging & crucifixion.

[Trailerpark Badass]

Cynicism will kill your soul, if you let it.

[polemikos]

Sandy,

Are you having a bad day?

Go see the movie. </irony>

Peace,

[Jeff Chandler]

opening on Ash Wednesday was just a fluke?

Ash Wednesday is the perfect day for this movie to open for a devout Catholic. Opening on Ash Wednesday adds to the poignancy of the solemn season of Lent.

It sounds to me like the taking of the most beautiful story ever told, and turning it into a "slasher/bloody/gore" horror flick

It is not the story of the life of Jesus, it is The Passion. It is the story of the Blood of the Lamb being spilled to redeem man. (That's also why Catholic crosses have the Corpus Cristi attached).

perhaps it's fantastic.

Without question.

[Psycho_Bunny]

I'm not religious.  Normally, I probably would never have watched this film.  

But after all the liberal venom and vitriol over it, I'm going to go buy a ticket and watch it in the theatre.

Funny thing is, I was talking to my mother and she mentioned she was going to see it tomorrow with my step-father.....for the same reason....only she would have waited for the video.

I wonder how many people are similarly motivated.