Mel Gibson - Jeffrey Overstreet

The Passion of Screenwriter Benedict Fitzgerald

Mel Gibson is still in trouble for how he handled The Passion of the Christ. Fitzgerald's attorneys claimed Tuesday that his payments were eroded by Gibson's spending habits while filming the movie in Italy, including "tens of thousands" of dollars on his children'

Film Reviews

The Passion of the Christ (2004)

"There is nothing less real than realism. Details are confusing. It is only be selection, by elimination, by emphasis that we get at the real meaning of things." - Georgia O'Keeffe * The words “excruciating” and “crucifixion” are related. It’s easy to see why when you

Looking Elsewhere

Specials: CT Readers Choose Best of '07. The Passion of the Screenwriter. Is Juno Overrated?

Where does Evan Almighty rate higher than No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood? In the Readers' Choice Awards at Christianity Today Movies! (Earlier, the CT Movies Critics Choice awards.) * The Passion of the Screenwriter A screenwriter sued Mel Gibson More at Peter Chattaway's

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"Apocalypto": the reviews are in.

So... what did Mel Gibson do with all of that money he made off of The Passion of the Christ? He made Apocalypto. And here's what Christian film critics are saying... Steven D. Greydanus (Decent Films): Gibson is a consummate filmmaker, and the action is never less than

On Movies & Media

Another Cry of Dismay about "Apocalypto"

From an insightful friend who just saw Apocalypto: ApocalyptoThe PassionApocalyptoVarietyRolling Stone And now this... David Ansen in Newsweek (via GreenCine Daily): Apocalypto

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Reactions to "Apocalypto"

UPDATED: Some friends of mine over at ArtsandFaith.com have just seen Apocalypto, yet another film I couldn't see due to ice and snow this week. Here are a few things they've said: Wow. This is the most violent movie I've ever seen. People

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Mark Shea considers the Mel Gibson debacle

Were we seeing "the real Mel Gibson" when he went on his drunken rampage? In The National Catholic Register, Mark Shea takes this question and runs with it... pointing out all kinds of truth along the way.

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Update: Mel Gibson offers a specific apology to Jews for his comments

BBC News has posted Gibson's full, admirable public apology for his remarks. Here is an excerpt: I know there will be many in that community who will want nothing to do with me, and that would be understandable The tenets of what I profess to believe necessitate that

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Mel Gibson: TIME Magazine gets up close to the director of "Apocalypto"

Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere's Mel, as unpredictable and challenging as usual. This is the larger TIME article, from which that colorful excerpt in a previous post was apparently an early excerpt. It'll be interesting to see what some of the more pious Christian media figures have to say about

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Is Mel Gibson worried about what critics will think of "Apocalypto"?

"After what I experienced with The Passion ... I frankly don’t give a flying f--- about much of what they think..." said Christian hero Mel Gibson. More, in TIME. (Thanks, Mark.)

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"What If" Question of the Day...

As tired as I am of the Brokeback Mountain and Chronicles of Narnia debates, and as uninterested as I am in the Munich debate, I find myself almost nostalgic for The Passion of the Christ. So my question for the day is this... If someone were to pick up where

On Movies & Media

And so the next Mel Gibson debacle begins...

The Washington Post is already stoking the fires of controversy over Mel Gibson's next project, which hasn't even started filming yet. Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles said the project would give "Gibson a chance to redeem himself from

Looking Elsewhere

Looking Elsewhere: November 21, 2005

Monday's specials: Will Your Pastor's Sermon win Narnia Sermon Contest?In other words, can your pastor be bribed into lacing your Sunday morning worship with Hollywood propaganda? What's that? Is that the sound of a whip lashing in the foyer? And who's

On Movies & Media

"The Passion of the Christ" - A Film of Ideas

Found this article via GreenCine. Nice to see some critics still finding some merit in Gibson's work. I’ll admit several reaction shots of a distraught Mary choked me up pretty bad. Still, in the end, I was too caught up in the way the film kept situating

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Mel Gibson on the Oscars

from IMDb.com: The Passion of the Christ Braveheart

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The New, Improved, Less-Violent Passion of the Christ

Mel Gibson has cut five minutes of violence from The Passion of the Christ and is bringing this "special edition" to theatres. So, is this the "Director's Cut"? The "Lacerated Edition"? The "Flogged Version"? Here's the story. My

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'Passion' DVD on the way...

Mel Gibson's Icon Productions plans to unveil the video release of "The Passion of the Christ" on Aug. 31. It'll cost you... ...about $29.98 on DVD and $24.98 on VHS. The funniest idea for a DVD extra wins... uh... a bold-print highlight

Film Reviews

The Patriot (2000)

This is an archive of one of the earliest Looking Closer reviews. I keep it as a souvenir of the early days (although I hope I've learned a thing or two about writing since then). • The Patriot is an ambitious epic, exhausting more for the emotional toll than