[beaversmom]

Cultural Crusader ping. Anyone want on or off this low volume ping list for Michael Medved (mainly articles/movie reviews), please send me an FR mail.


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[Dallas59]

When did we start offering enemy hearts to the Sun God?????

[word_warrior_bob]

I think he's against the Iraq war because he has a deep hatred and or distrust of Jews.

His father is one of those Old Testament, fire and brimstone fundamentalist preachers, and overtly anti-Jew. When that controversy broke, Mel stood behind his father, it seems they share the same views.

That being said I really like a lot of his movies and it's disappointing to see this side of him.

[donna]

The spectacle of enslaving primitive tribesmen, binding them with ropes and sticks, marching them to your capital and then slashing open their chests to rip their hearts out in human sacrifice can’t rightly be described as “political corruption”—nor does this pagan savagery connect in any way with current controversies in our society.

Abortion, abortion compares nicely.

[Blind Eye Jones]

Why does Gibson have to lie about his film? Are liberal critics, the "the-all-and-be-all" art elite that he has to pander up to by lying? What a crock! Mel is no conservative, and certainly not a principled one. He has made some ugly, immature remarks and, frankly, I don't buy into his late blooming artistic vision. I think somebody else made the film and he bought it and claimed it his own. I have no proof for this but, if he can't talk sensibly about it or doesn't know it or lies about it... well?

[Irishgirl]

Hmmm, I am almost starting to think Mel is suffering from a bit from alcohol related dementia. I know a number of brilliant people who are former or current alcoholics and who are very functional in their careers but have a huge disconnect when it comes to discussing politics and issues. Even the sober ones tend to rant or make irrational connections. Reason and facts go out the window with them. I am starting to think that maybe Mel is not making these statements to kiss up to Hollywood liberals, but rather that there is a part of his brain that is in "disconnect."

[primatreat]

Screw the politics. It was an amazzzzing visual and visceral movie. The sound track was a real wallop to ones senses.. Go see it. Don't take the kiddies or the wife......

[Caipirabob]

Aw man, I was hoping this was going to be about a new "Mel Brooks" movie.

[Brilliant]

Mel is not a good speaker.

[Zeon Cowboy]

I would like to watch and enjoy this film, as I enjoyed Passion, but Gibson is doing a pretty good job pushing me away. His comments are making me want to avoid this film, even though it looks great.

[Mel Gibson]

What’s human sacrifice if not sending guys off to Iraq for no reason?”

As a diversion, while our Saudi "allies" escape unscathed.

Terrorism Financing: Roots and Trends of Saudi terrorism financing

When the Jews return to Zion. And a comet rips the sky And the Holy Roman Empire rises, Then You and I must die. From the eternal sea he rises, Creating armies on either shore, Turning man against his brother. 'Til man exists no more

You must go and find, Bugenhagen.

[shekkian]

I saw it. I thought it was an okay movie, although I did notice a couple of obvious blunders. First, a full moon does not appear the same night as a solar eclipse, and second, you see the characters cross what I assume is the same river twice, right bank to left. It looked like Mel Gibson didn't think these things all the way through.

As for the Mayan city, I was wondering if Mel was trying to make an allegory about industrialization and capitalism, pillaging the earth and exploiting the little man. I haven't been to very many movies in the last couple of years, and I was just looking for some entertainment.

[pjd]

What is conspicuously lacking in all of these analogies with the fall af the Mayan civilization is the arrival of the Spaniards.

When some fleet of ships carrying beings of very obviously advanced and unimaginable technology lands on our shores, then we can compare notes.

[beezdotcom]

I'm waiting to see if some good conservative historian somewhere will discover that a contributing factor towards the downfall of the Roman and Mayan empires was the hyperbole of their pundits ABOUT the impending downfall of their respective empires...

[Jo Nuvark]

[...What’s human sacrifice if not sending guys off to Iraq
for no reason?...]

While any dumb culture can go to war "for not reason", how
did Mel miss the point that we sacrifice a million babies to the
altars of baal every year?

[TexasRepublic]

This movie stands on its own as a cinema masterpiece. Take it at face value and enjoy. It is ridiculous to over-analyze it. It is a shame when real artistry is overshadowed by controversy about the personal viewpoints of whoever created it. If the artists and producers were really smart, they would "just shut up and sing".

[GSWarrior]

So why would a brilliant artist like Mel Gibson insist on ludicrously describing his masterpiece as a commentary on today’s social, cultural, political problems, when no sane viewer of his picture would note or even suspect those messages?

Because he is full of himself!

Gibson's mug even pops up on the TV trailer where he explains that the movie is a tale of one man's journey to free his family or something. Even the title is telling...Mel Gibson's Apocalypto.

[Henchster]

The cruel, sadistic, masochistic, deeply demented culture of the Mayas, with its self-destructive emphasis on mutilation and mysticism, slavery and superstition, emerges with conviction and flair on the screen but will cause no one to think, “Oh, wow, that really reminds me of New York and LA!”

Oh really?.....

The cruel, sadistic, masochistic, deeply demented culture of the "Inner City", with its self-destructive emphasis on mutilation and mysticism, slavery and superstition,...

[Silly]

I completely agree. Gibson's attempt to connect this story to current day events is ludicrous.

[montag813]

Medved needs to separate the artist and the ego. We don'r care what Susan Sarandon says about politics. We just want to see her crooked eyes, sexy smile and tits on the big screen. Likewise who gives a damn what Mel Gibson does or says offscreen. It is his films that we go and see. And I have seen "Apocalypto" and it is spectacular.