Posted on 10/19/2006 4:01:14 PM PDT by flixxx
Never before had I made an intercontinental flight to see a movie. But that's what I did this month when I accepted Mel Gibson's invitation to preview and critique his new film Apocalypto, scheduled to appear in theaters on December 8th.
I didn't make the trek across the ocean for entertainment value. My work as a consultant on and off the set of Gibson's Passion of the Christ, gave me a new appreciation of the power of well-made, serious, and widely-distributed movies. They influence culture. They affect the way we think about the story they tell. Sometimes they warp our view of history or of humanity. Other times they inform, inspire, and challenge. But they always leave a mark.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Coming soon if conservatives sit out elections over the next few years.
Nor will I. In fact, I offer a public apology to anyone here that I offended when I supported him for his stupid drunken rant
Agreed 100%. His others did nothing for me.
That's drunk in my book. It's also very racially and religiously insulting and incendiary -- which, since as I gather he had ascertained the that officer was Jewish, it is clear he intended.
The real patriots are the quiet, real men who rise to the occasion when their countrymen need them. I suppose Mel just played one in the movies.
Human sacrifice is more accurately described as what the jihadists practice in their barbaric torturings and beheadings of innocent people.
I thought that was a Paris Hilton line?
" And that comment is so lame."
Posted on 10/14/2006 6:50:10 PM PDT by familyop
Hollywood superstar tells Good Morning America last summers anti-Semitic outburst grew out of his concerns over violence raging between Israel, Hizbullah
Actor Mel Gibson says his drunken, anti-Semitic outburst at police this past summer may have stemmed in part from lingering resentment he harbored over the barrage of Jewish criticism leveled at his 2004 film The Passion of the Christ.
In an interview aired Friday on ABCs Good Morning America, Gibson also suggested that his statement to police that Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world grew out of his concerns over the violence raging between Israel and Hizbullah in Lebanon at the time.
But the 50-year-old star told interviewer Diane Sawyer he was ashamed of the things he said during his July 28 arrest for driving while intoxicated.
Asked by Sawyer, What are the Jews responsible for?, Gibson replied, Theyre not blameless in the (Mideast) conflict, then added: Now when youre loaded ... the balance of how you see things comes out the wrong way.
Let me be real clear, here. In sobriety here, in front of you, national television ... that I dont believe that Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world, Gibson told Sawyer. I mean, thats an outrageous, drunken statement.
And he denied being influenced by the views of his father, Hutton Gibson, a Holocaust skeptic who has said publicly he doubts 6 million Jews were murdered by the Nazis.
The interview, run over two days, concluded with Gibson saying he needed to heal myself and to allay the fears of others and heal them if they had any wounds from something I may have said.
'Thin line between explanation and excuses'
Two years ago, Gibson fought off charges of anti-Semitism surrounding his film The Passion, a blood-soaked portrait of Jesus crucifixion that Jewish leaders claimed would incite hatred and even violence toward Jews.
I was subjected to a pretty brutal public beating, Gibson recalled. The film came out and, you could have heard a pin drop. Not even the crickets werent chirping. But the other thing I never heard was one single word of apology.
I thought I dealt with that stuff. But the human heart can bear the scars of resentment, and it will come out when youre overwrought and you take a few drinks, he said.
Reaction from Jewish leaders to Gibsons TV appearance was mixed, with some saying they felt his explanations for his conduct rang hollow.
Kenneth Jacobson, deputy national director of the Anti-Defamation League, said he was heartened by Gibsons closing statement, and particularly touched when the actor said, The last thing I want to be is that kind of monster.
But I felt that when Diane Sawyer was probing about why he did it, there was a problem because there is a thin line between explanation and excuses, and some of it came close to excuses, Jacobson said.
The following was sardonically funny (and sad, given the number of hits beyond what serious defense posts get). Joan Rivers is a voting, contributing Republican. ...ironic, no?
Rivers: 'Gibson should die'
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1719567/posts
There was a time when I was, too.
The line was Mel Gibson's, not mine! :-)
Again, the words were Mel Gibson's, not mine.
Amen Mike... He is no longer in existence to me.
LLS
yeah, the headline made me think he'd pulled another drunken anti-semitic escapade.
I am pretty cynical about most of the entertainment industry...from the article:
The interview, run over two days, concluded with Gibson saying he needed to heal myself and to allay the fears of others and heal them if they had any wounds from something I may have said.
I think he only want to 'allay the fears' of his distributors for the movie, press and critics, and the public who will go to see his movie...ie he is worried about $$$$$. Again, it seems that 'Apocalypto' could be a pretty good movie with some nice themes. Like most any piece of art (book, film, poem, music) one can look for underlying themes and hidden meanings.
Maybe Gibson really is worried about Global Warming and the Bush administration ruining the U.S. and world...and those are the key themes he meant to convey in the movie...if he made a good film then it should be able to be viewed on various levels and so long as he does not beat me over the head with his opinions (as so many less talented filmmakers and writers do) then the movie still can be enjoyed and I can disagree with its meaning.
The way it looks, his film could really be a bust, however as he has alienated many on this website and certainly is not going to get an overwhelming number of viewers from New York or the Blue states to attend his movie.
Its probably a good movie, and I probably won't see it.
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