Free Republic

Michael Medved - Conservative film critic, will give his views on this year's Academy Awards & their cultural implication. He will discuss why The Passion of the Christ was not nominated. To submit a question to Mr. Medved, follow this link: SUBMIT A QUESTION

Hollywood mogul Mel Gibson will release a new, low-violence version of his 2004 surprise mega-hit "The Passion of Christ" next month.The star, dubbed Hollywood's most powerful figure since the huge success of the low-budget, graphically gory film, is trimming five to six minutes of violent scenes ahead of the film's March 11 reappearance on US screens, Daily Variety reported Thursday..The original film raked in 370.2 million dollars in its North American run that began on Ash Wednesday one year ago, but Gibson noted that many people had avoided the film because of its grisly portrayal of Jesus Christ being tortured...

On March 8, within two weeks of the release of The Passion of the Christ, ABC will air Judas, a made-for-TV movie about the disciple who betrayed Jesus. The latter film will not be served by its proximity to Mel Gibson's work. The effect is tempering: Those who hope the success of The Passion will produce more Hollywood movies examining the life of Christ should have second thoughts after watching the embarrassing Judas. Or, better yet, take the advice of WORLD and don't watch it. If nothing else, Judas reveals Mel Gibson to be an artistic genius. The two films...

Boxofficemojo is reporting a gross take on Monday of slightly over $10 miilion. This is still an estimate...

5:00, 6:30, 7:00, 8:15, 9:25, 9:55 all sold out hours ago, and this is the Washington DC area. I was talking the manager of the theater. This is no organized thing, just regular people buying tickets. He said the theater feels like a church.

The Passion of the Christ is the most violent R-rated film I have ever seen. It's also an emotional, deeply touching movie-going event. Based on the New Testament Gospel accounts of the last 12 hours of the life of Jesus Christ, Mel Gibson's film is presented in Latin and Aramaic with subtitles, and it works. Jim Caviezel plays Jesus with depth and astounding emotional range, from the Garden of Gethsemane all the way up the hill to the cross. His intense, humble Jesus has never been captured quite like this on film: a man who freely gives up his life...