ThePassionOfTheChrist Tagged Articles at Cinematical

I was inspired by the new Cinematical series, Movies I Will Never See, but I had a hard time coming up with a movie I will absolutely, categorically never see, given the chance. So here's my take on a movie I wish I'd never seen...

I have seen bad movies that wasted my time, my money, and valuable real estate in my brainpan. Some of the movies I've seen were so bad they actually made me angry with their crappiness. (This summer's The Informers and The Mysteries of Pittsburgh both land in that category.) I've seen plenty of "bad" or "weird" movies that were gross or generally nuts -- Nekromantik (both the first and the second, thanks), Crispin Glover's labor of love What Is It?, Begotten, Salo, and Shivers, to name a few. And then I've seen bad movies. Movies I wish I could un-see. That made me feel like scrubbing the insides of my eyelids. That made me feel, well, icky.

The number one offender on my list is The Passion of the Christ. I had no intention of seeing it, but there were extenuating circumstances – all, in fact, were somehow related to Judaism, no less! A friend who is a talented linguist and more or less fluent in Hebrew was very interested in the fact that it was in Aramaic and he convinced me to go. The first yahrzeit of my father was approaching quickly, and so I was just like, "Eh, okay, let's go see this damn movie." (According to About.com, which is where I've gotten most of my religious education, the yahrzeit "is a commemoration of the death of a Jew by a mourner (the child, sibling, spouse or parent of the deceased).")

Many people think that a movie needs to avoid an R-rating in order to become a blockbuster. Most recent top earners have followed that dictum, with only four R-rated movies among last year's top 25 at the box office. Zack Snyder's 300 was a defiant exception in 2007, earning more than $456 million worldwide, and clearing the way for Snyder's R-rated dream project, Watchmen. Its content advisory warns / promises: "Strong graphic violence, sexuality, nudity and language." Can such an R-rated superhero movie become a blockbuster today, especially in the wake of PG-13 smashes like The Dark Knight and Iron Man?

If the history of the movies has taught us anything, it's that people will flock to see films that they really, really want to see, no matter the rating. As evidence, here are seven R-rated films with strong, adult content that may have made some folks blanch -- but it didn't keep the flicks from becoming blockbusters.

Basic Instinct
Paul Verhoeven's thriller has it all: sex, violence, profanity, and very adult themes. The most notorious shot features Sharon Stone's, er, legs, but the flick also includes male and female nudity, intense sex scenes, stabbing, blood spattering, dozens of profanities, and relentless sexual innuendos. But it's not just a sensationalist button-pusher. Indeed, Basic Instinct lives up to its title in its dogged, sometimes earnest exploration of the basest desires known to man or woman. It may have tittilated, but it also made you think long after the credits rolled.

Even though we were just treated to a movie about the birth of Jesus, there is another one in the works. This, in spite of the fact that The Nativity Story didn't do very well. MGM apparently thinks it can do better with Myriam, Mother of Christ. Here are some things this one has going for it: a screenplay by Benedict Fitzgerald, who co-wrote The Passion of the Christ; a title that sounds more like The Passion of the Christ; the same release date (Easter) as The Passion of the Christ. Now all it needs is for Mel Gibson to direct and for Jim Caviezel's head to be planted on baby Jesus' body, Little Man style.

Ever since The Passion made tons and tons and tons of money, Hollywood has been interested in the religious film market. Unfortunately, The Nativity Story wasn't the only attempt to attract a Passion-size audience that failed. But obviously the studios are going to keep on trying, because nobody wants to believe The Passion was a one-time occurrence.

There aren't any plans for an official sequel to The Passion of the Christ (unofficial is another story), but one Bible publisher is producing what seems to be a related product. This October, Nelson Bibles will release a 25-hour audiobook of the New King James Version complete with a star-studded cast, including Jim Caviezel as the voice of Jesus.

The rest of the Passion cast has been substituted with other big names, and there doesn't seem to be any affiliation with Newmarket Films or Mel Gibson, but obviously Nelson is using the connection to its advantage. Otherwise the real appeal of the audiobook, entitled The Word of Promise: New Testament, should be Terrence Stamp, who provides the voice of God, and Richard Dreyfuss, who plays Moses.

There will be a follow-up (or, should I say prequel?) to the audiobook that will be based on the Old Testament, and Stamp and Dreyfuss will return in their respective parts. Unfortunately, Caviezel's role will not be included. Neither will the parts played by Marisa Tomei, Lou Diamond Phillips, Kimberly Williams, Ernie Hudson, John Heard or Luke Perry (try to imagine Judas with Dylan McKay's sideburns).

I'm getting ready to interview Todd Field -- one of those deals where the professional in you has to fight the movie-nerd: I'm gonna meet someone who worked with frickin' Kubrick! -- so I'm a little nervy about that. I also dealt with recompression last night -- after a week on Hawaii's Big Island, walking down Market to the Metreon (or, rather, Metreon) to go see Flags of Our Fathers, and the change from tree-lined lava paths to conventioneer-lined city boulevards is a little nervy as well: Where did all these people come from? And, to quote The Old 97's, how soon can they leave? So today I'm sort of mulling over the Eastwood in preparation to write it, and that's a little nervy too -- it's one of those deals where, like The Passion of the Christ or World Trade Center, judging the film is not connected to judging the events it covers, and yet it feels like there's that correlation. And speaking of Jesus, how did I miss the story about Keisha Castle-Hughes, star of The Nativty, getting pregnant? I mean, you can make your own joke here -- Talk about method acting! Or Wow, that's some immaculate promotion! -- but then you realize you're talking about, like, a human being. And that realization makes you nervy. And that you need to cut down on coffee and irony in equal measure.

What's getting you nervy?

J.

20th Century Fox is soon going to have so many specialty divisions that their brand is going to be completely meaningless. Of course, it makes sense for a studio named for a century long past to have a bit of identity trouble, but with Fox 2000, Fox Searchlight, Fox Atomic and now FoxFaith, there's definitely room for confusion. At least FoxFaith, their newest, Christian-themed division has an easily distinguishable name. In fact, it is so literal and appropriate in its name, it sounds more like a new TV channel.

FoxFaith will be producing* 12 films a year, with 6 of these released in theaters under a partnership with the AMC and Carmike cinema chains. While Fox has said they will be marketing the films specifically to evangelical Christians, it isn't clear whether or not the films will be sappy family films dealing with good moral values -- perhaps in conjunction with newly acquired production company Walden Media, which produced Fox's Because of Winn-Dixie -- or if they'll also include violent Bible films like The Passion of the Christ, which was released in theaters by Newmarket but on DVD by Fox. All that is known is that the division's first release will be Love's Abiding Joy, part of the Western series based on the novels of Janette Oke. I doubt this film will capture the huge audience that Passion and other blockbuster religious films have, as it is basically a made-for-TV movie, but otherwise Fox is likely to make some big bucks with this venture, which some might see as purely exploitative. ...

*Correction: Fox has stated that they will not be making any of the 12 films. They will only be distributing them on home video under the FoxFaith banner.

Early this morning, Mel Gibson was arrested on suspicion of DUI by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department in Malibu. There isn't much to report just yet, as the incident is still being investigated, but Gibson was released on bail, which was set at $5,000. All that is known at this time is that Gibson was pulled over while driving on the Pacific Coast Highway and he was administered a Breathalyzer test. He was arrested at 2:36am and booked an hour-and-a-half later.

It isn't being said what he was doing at the time the police decided to pull him over, but I imagine that when Mel is drunk, he likes to pretend he's Mad Max and go crazy out on the highway. And if he still has that ridiculously long beard he grew while shooting Apocalypto, then he probably looked even more like a nut to the cops.

Anyway, I'm not going to bother with the whole "He should know better, being an upstanding representative of Christianity" (you know, because he directed The Passion of the Christ, and all) thing, because it's not as if one has anything to do with the other. But I'm sure there are some of you who are going to point this out, so I figured I'd beat you to it and smash it. Besides, everyone should know better, regardless of profession or religious background, right? Right.

One of the greatest things about a controversial film is that it sparks debate. It shocks us. Scares us. Changes us. And helps us to look at the world differently. Be it about war, religion, politics or pop-culture, a good controversy will often lead to a colorful discussion. However, Hollywood doesn't really care about discussion or debate -- to them, controversy equals big box office numbers ... some of the time.

Take, for example, recent films like The Da Vinci Code and United 93. One was controversial for its belief that Jesus Christ was married and fathered a child -- an idea that goes against what many feel is a proven truth. The other was about a horrific event that took place only five years ago, and raised questions over whether or not it was too soon to come out with a commercial film about what actually took place. While The Da Vinci Code took in millions at the box office, United 93 didn't do as well. However, both were engulfed in controversy. What does this tell us? Well, for starters, Jesus will always be Hollywood's number one superstar.

This week's Entertainment Weekly ranks the 25 most controversial films of all time. Not surprisingly, Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ came in at number one. Also on the list are JFK, A Clockwork Orange, Natural Born Killers, Basic Instinct and Fahrenheit 9/11, among others. Some of these films are controversial because of only one or two scenes. I mean, Clockwork is number 2 on the list, mainly because of its one violent scene. Does it belong there? On a list that spans the entire history of film?

So, I ask you: How should we rate controversial films on a list like this? Also, what makes one stand out from the next. Oh, and for fun, what are some of your favorite controversial films of all time?