What does this say about Mel Gibson?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Friar_David_O.Carm
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
It seems to me that we are critiques without substance. Has anyone seen the movie?

What struck me immediately was another movie: much could be said about West Side Story to make it sound terribly salacious. No one has to go to a movie. There can be many reasons to go; and they can range from Art as an expression of Reality, to mind candy. Neither is necessarily good or bad. It is entirley possible that the movie has a great moral to teach. Christ hung around with thieves and tax cheats and prostitutes. Maybe we should know if the movie has a point to make before we condemn it? And maybe all movies don’t have to be Snow White?
 
40.png
ByzCath:
Paparazzi is a movie opening this weekend. Mel Gibson is one of the producers of this film.

Here is a synopsis of the film.

When an overzealous group of four paparazzi photographers cause a car accident that injures his wife (Tunney) and son, a hot young (and very angry) movie star named Bo Laramie (Hauser) concocts a revenge plot against them.

The rating is PG-13 for intense violent sequences, sexual content and language.

How does this express Mr Gibson’s faith?

Ploting revenge? Intense violence, sexual content?

Very strange timing also. It comes out so close to the release of the Passion of the Christ on DVD.
Click to expand...
his day job is movie producer/director/actor, i see nothing wrong in his making a normal everyday movie, even after he made a cinematic masterpeice such as passion. The passion was a masterpeice, the other movies are just his occupation.
 
Here is my reasoning for bring this up

It seems that a little while ago some people on this forum were posting comment that made Mr Gibson appear as “God”. That is that he was so good and perfect. If this is so, then what about this new movie?

Yes I know his past work. But with the Passion some could say that he has reached a turing point and left the past behind. This new movie shows that he hasn’t.

Personally, I do not care for much of Mel’s movies. I have only really liked a handful of his stuff and I wouldn’t say that I would really miss them if I couldn’t see them again.

I just wanted to put into perspective his body of work.

I would add, that for me personally, with the release of this movie so close to the Passion on DVD, I question some of the motives.

To me, it appears that this is about nothing more than money.
 
40.png
ByzCath:
I would add, that for me personally, with the release of this movie so close to the Passion on DVD, I question some of the motives.

To me, it appears that this is about nothing more than money.
Click to expand...
Gibson invested his own money, endured criticism beyond what normal people would take to make the Passion.

He is a man, just like any one of us who does not deserve to be judged by any one of us.

Now he has slipped back into his career to make some money. But as someone else pointed out, Mel stopped this from becoming an “R” rated movie - and in his industry, I am sure that takes some bold decisions also.

Maybe Gibson will use this next stack of money to produce “the Resurection?”
 
I want to say that I would probably like Mr. Gibson personally if I ever got the chance to know him.

However I’m not really a ‘fan’ of his professionally. I honestly never cared for many of his movies (maybe Gallopoli (sp?) one of his earliest) but I think the only movie of his I saw in the theater was "The Patriot’ and that was just because there was nothing else playing. All his other movies I have seen free on tv.

I haven’t even see the Passion.

I just wanted to assure ByzCath that he/she is not alone. I don’t worship the man (and in all honestly I don’t think anyone else here does either) although if I ever got to meet him socially I suppose we would find a lot to talk about. 😉

He can make any kind of movie he likes. I doubt if I will be seeing them.

dream wanderer
 
What’s wrong with entertainment for the sake of entertainment?

As long as we are not distracted from our duties, we can take time to be entertained, why do you think God made us? He wanted to be entertained! 😛
 
Dear ByzCath:
I agree with you…I have seen The Passion and will be buying it.
However, I also thought that Mel would not resort back to making these types of movies…I would like to hear what his reasons are.

PLEASE don’t anyone say he made it to support his family…
Just like sooo many out there…How much money do you need to survive???
I also thought that Mel was stepping out in his faith…and would never look back…However I’d like to hear his reasons for making this movie.
Jeanette
 
The thing that troubles me the most is that some people will see it becuase his name is attached to it.
Click to expand...
Believe it or not, that was the reason many people went to see The Passion of the Christ - and they were converted because of it.

I know little about the new film, but maybe the outcome has a higher moral ground that what the reviews show. Maybe there is a message less obvious than that of the Passion.

I’ll have to see the movie to decide or make any comments on the movie itself.
 
40.png
catholiclady:
Believe it or not, that was the reason many people went to see The Passion of the Christ - and they were converted because of it.
Click to expand...
I have not seen any hard numbers as to how many were “converted” after seeing The Passion of the Christ.

I would also add that the movie did not convert anyone, Christ did, that is if there were any conversions after seeing it/

I would find it very interesting if “many” non-christians saw the movie in the first place.
 
40.png
cestusdei:
He dislikes these leeches. I think he wants to make the point of how vicious they are. Why should someones family be exposed to that kind of intrusion? Remember they chased Diana to her death. Granted they shouldn’t have been speeding, but they were trying to get away from herds of jackals with cameras. I say the families should be left alone. The actor is certainly going to have to endure some of this stuff, but he gets paid for it. But stalking their family is just evil. I never buy magazines or papers or watch programs that do this to other people. I don’t necessarily think paparazzi should be killed, but they should be penalized for violating the families of others.
Click to expand...
Maybe he does dislike these leeches, but he is an actor. And just like any other profession, a person’s family may be affected by it. The paparazzi are making a living too. Actors and actresses and anyone who chooses a profession in the “spotlight” of the general public should know that they will be followed around and photographed. Their family should also know this. When you marry someone, you are a part of their life, their WHOLE life. I will admit that sometimes the paparazzi are kind of extreme, but judging the entire group by a handful is wrong.
 
40.png
ByzCath:
Yes I know this and I think its funny. It does not mock Christianity at all, it is a play on words. The bash shell is a modification of the bourne shell, so it is the bourne again shell. No mocking intent involved.
Click to expand...
As yet another software engineer, I agree. Program names such as this and using “yet another” are very common in Linux.
 
40.png
ByzCath:
Here is my reasoning for bring this up

It seems that a little while ago some people on this forum were posting comment that made Mr Gibson appear as “God”. That is that he was so good and perfect. If this is so, then what about this new movie?

Yes I know his past work. But with the Passion some could say that he has reached a turing point and left the past behind. This new movie shows that he hasn’t.

Personally, I do not care for much of Mel’s movies. I have only really liked a handful of his stuff and I wouldn’t say that I would really miss them if I couldn’t see them again.

I just wanted to put into perspective his body of work.

I would add, that for me personally, with the release of this movie so close to the Passion on DVD, I question some of the motives.

To me, it appears that this is about nothing more than money.
Click to expand...
Are you saying that the reason you really asked this was becuse people had such a high opinion of this man, that you dislike him and now you are seeking to show that his good reputation is undeserved?

That sounds really horrible… I am not sure if that is what you are meaning to say or if I am just missunderstanding you… could you please clarify?

Was your intent in posting this detraction?

-D
 
40.png
darcee:
Are you saying that the reason you really asked this was becuse people had such a high opinion of this man, that you dislike him and now you are seeking to show that his good reputation is undeserved?

That sounds really horrible… I am not sure if that is what you are meaning to say or if I am just missunderstanding you… could you please clarify?

Was your intent in posting this detraction?
Click to expand...
Truthfully I do not feel that your comment deserves a reply at all but I guess I am feeling weak today.

No, my intent was to show that Mr Gibson is a person like everyone else, no better and no worse. To raise him up so high, as was done by some people here, was wrong. I brought it up then and was blown off.

Everyone comments on how much money the Passion made but now one of the “excuses” raised for this movie is “he needs to support his family”. How much does one family need?

And yes I think the “good” reputation he had here was undeserved, he is part of Hollywoood, like it or not.
 
Darcee - I ask the same questions and additionally would change the thread to say What Does this Say About ByzCath

Byz you say
No, my intent was to show that Mr Gibson is a person like everyone else, no better and no worse. To raise him up so high, as was done by some people here, was wrong. I brought it up then and was blown off.
Click to expand...
I suggest that your intent is to show that you were right and they (whomever they may be) were wrong.

Of course he is a man just as we are and of course we are all capable of sin but it is not necessary for you to point his out on a forum where he has no chance to reply - how charitable is that?
 
40.png
catholiclady:
Darcee - I ask the same questions and additionally would change the thread to say What Does this Say About ByzCath

Of course he is a man just as we are and of course we are all capable of sin but it is not necessary for you to point his out on a forum where he has no chance to reply - how charitable is that?
Click to expand...
It is about as charitable as personal attacks against me for posting something you don’t like. Rather than talk about the merits of what was raised you seem to wish to attack me.

I will pray for you.
 
40.png
ByzCath:
Truthfully I do not feel that your comment deserves a reply at all but I guess I am feeling weak today.
Click to expand...
:confused: What an odd thing to say… My question was only asked to clarrify what your intent was. Thank you for doing so.

-D
 
40.png
ByzCath:
It is about as charitable as personal attacks against me for posting something you don’t like. Rather than talk about the merits of what was raised you seem to wish to attack me.

I will pray for you.
Click to expand...
It was not an attack, it was an observation based on what you yourself said and a question and thank you for the prayers, we all need them and I will pray for you as well.
 
darcee said:
:confused: What an odd thing to say… My question was only asked to clarrify what your intent was. Thank you for doing so.
Click to expand...

Darcee,
If that was your intent, which you say it was so I will take your word on it. I will apologize for my first comment.

But as you can see after my clarifing I was still personally attacked, this was what I assumed your intent was. Which again, I apologize for.
 
PS: The way you quoted my posts look as if I directed my remarks all to Darcee - this is not the case nor my style to talk about you but only to you.

I am very sorry you feel attacked.

I am also sorry we can’t agree on this as we have on many, many other issues and for this reason I withdraw all further comment from this thread.
 
Underlying all of this conversation seem to be the implications that making any movie, other than a religious movie is somehow sinful or wrong, or if not outright sinfull, at least tainted (My, he makes so much money! Isn’t there something wrong with that?) and that making a movie which is not religious is also somehow sinful if it is anything other than a “G” rated movie. I find that rather curious, to say the least.

I haven’t see a lot of his movies, but some of them seem to be of the “mind candy” category, specifically Lethal Weapon and following. I thought Brave Heart was well done as a history genre. Why are we picking at him? Are we all so truly “above” the mundane that we expect him to dweel with us in the heights?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top