Odd Couple Gibson, Moore Exchange Praise (Say It Ain't So Mel!

Yahoo! News (AP) ^ | 1/10/2005 | n/a

[Pyro7480]

Odd Couple Gibson, Moore Exchange Praise

PASADENA, Calif. - Mel Gibson and Michael Moore have been used as shorthand for cultural and political divisions among Americans, but how do the filmmakers feel about each other? Cue the Hollywood ending — it's hugs all around.

"I saw the film. I liked it," Gibson told AP Radio Sunday at the 31st Annual People's Choice Awards, countering the contention that "Fahrenheit 9/11" fans and "The Passion of the Christ" enthusiasts are mutually exclusive groups.

Moore's critique of President Bush's policies since the Sept. 11 attacks and Gibson's film about Jesus Christ's final hours were huge hits at the box office in 2004, and both won People's Choice awards Sunday. "Fahrenheit 9/11" was named favorite movie and "The Passion of the Christ" was the favorite drama.

"I feel a kind of strange kinship with Michael," Gibson said. I mean, they're trying to pit us against each other in the press, but this is all just a hologram, you know. They've really got nothing to do with one another. They were used as some kind of divisive left-right thing."

Moore said he saw Gibson's film twice, and even took his father to see it.

"I thought it was a powerful piece of filmmaking," Moore told AP Radio Sunday. "I'm a practicing Catholic, and you know I think Mel and I may be from different wings of the Catholic Church. My film might have been called 'The Compassion of the Christ.'"

[Eva]

Gibson opposed the war in Iraq.

[bjcoop]

At least we have Bruce Willis.

[spetznaz]

Of course, this could mean he's a science fiction fan. He was in 'Signs' after all.

That was hilarious! LOL. Thanks for adding an extra smile to my day.

Freep on.

[Jenya]

He "might" disagree with with some points. I hope both films are nominated or Oscars and Moore wins.

Take that Gibson!

[Amanda75]

WHEN are you people in here going to get over Gibson, he is a Catholic,nothing less, nothing more, he is deep in the Hollyweird culture and if you don't believe, then you yourselves are in deep LaLa Land, he is no more a conservative than Julie Roberts who just bought land from Rummy, please, most of the time, as a whole, most are reasonable in here, but in the Gibson case most lose all reason.

[cyncooper]

"you people"?

oh, brother

Address a specific post and leave your inane generalizations out of it.

[Hildy]

What the hell does Mel's FATHER have to do with anything about Mel. It's broken record time. The problem with some of you is that you expect people to have the same exact views as you on 100% of the issues or else their considered traitors, enemies, POS's. Life isn't like that. No expectations...no disappointments. Especially when it comes to celebrities. WHO CARES??? He made a movie about Christ, he's not the second coming.

[MikefromOhio]

thats fine....he is allowed to have an opinion....

[Borges]

I made a mistake by mentioning Mel's father since it was Moore's father who was mentioned in the article. already said sorry once and will again...Sorry. Oh and I don't hold any of the views you describe.

[Primetimedonna]

"I'm a practicing Catholic
Practicing what?

Guess he's going to practice till he gets it right?!?!

[Johnny Allright]

Does anybody know if "Team America" won the award they were nominated for.

[Eva]

I agree, I only offered that fact as an explanation of his opinion on Moore's movie.

[MikefromOhio]

oh ok....

Yeah it's no biggie whether you were for the war or against it...so long as you have a well-reasoned opinion who's to judge?

Iwould be willing to bet that if Mel voted (I am not sure if he can or not) he probably voted for the President....

[F16Fighter]

"People can make exuses or rationalize this all they want. Gibson liked F911. Nuff said. A conservative would never praise that POS or the fat turd who made it."

Worth repeating.

Though IF Gibson was merely "acting," one could argue the ferocious psychlogical pounding Gibson took for months from Liberals during the making of 'Passion,' AND it's release have made him a belated victim of the 'Stockholm Syndrome.'

[Eva]

I'm not sure that Mel was a Bush supporter. The only political statements that I recall reading from Gibson were that he was against the war in Iraq. I don't automaticly lose respect for a person because he disagrees with me. I had no respect for Michael Moore because of the deceptive means that he used to promote his political beliefs. Evidently Gibson doesn't find Moore's methods to be deceptive.

[notigar]

I don't know why you are addressing me.

[clyde asbury]

I haven't seen The Passion of the Christ because I remember this controversy the last time it happened with a film release, in 1988. But the debates are interesting, to say the least.

Here's Christopher Hitchens last year:

"Invited by Peggy Noonan - a sympathetic conservative interviewer - in Reader's Digest to say what he thought of the Holocaust, Gibson replied with extreme cold-ness that a lot of people were killed in the Second World War and no doubt some of them were Jews. Shit happens, in other words. He doesn't seem to grasp the point that the war was started by a political party which believed in a Jewish world conspiracy."

"He doesn't go as far as his father, who says that the Holocaust story is "mostly fiction" and that there were more Jews at the end of the war than there were at the beginning, but he does say that his old man has 'never told me a lie'".

...

"HE showed the film at the Vatican, and then claimed that the Pope had endorsed it - a claim that the Vatican has flatly denied, but then every little helps."

[Recovering Ex-hippie]

Gibson is one very angry man. I know I'll get flamed for this, but the gratuitous violence coming from Gibson's history of violent films put his film in the class of snuff films. I just don't believe Gibson's sincerity. He and Moore have something in common: making money.

[emanon]

Anyone who's curious about why Gibson could have reservations about the war in Iraq might want to try googling "seamless garment"

[The Ghost of FReepers Past]

Some if not all of those charges were unfair. Still, even if Mel is an imperfect messenger, his movie was INCREDIBLE. The story he told was not His story. It was just his artistic touch, and WOW!!!!!!!!