Saturday, February 28, 2004

Well, I decided to go see The Passion of The Christ to see what all the hubbub was about. I'm still trying to figure out what all the hubbub was about. As you've certainly heard, there's no shortage of gore in this flick. It gets to the point that it's almost laughable. Particularly creepy is the scene where Mary kisses Jesus' feet while he's hanging on the cross. She comes away like a film vampire, her lips stained with blood. Ew.
If you're going to see TPOTC, I'd strongly recommend that you read the book first. I mean, at least read the gospels so you can get an idea of the whole point, because the movie delivers none. For instance, why did the Jewish priests and leaders hate Jesus and want him dead? Some of the irrelevant flashbacks might have been better used to expose Jesus' history with the priests and how they viewed him as a threat to their authority.
I did like that the film was entirely in Aramaic and Latin, eliminating all the silly accents and King James Bible thee's and thou's. In addition, I thought Satan was a nice touch, if I can say that, along with his little celebratory dance at Jesus' death. He was appropriately icky.
As for anti-Semitism, I can only say that I wish the film had a point as concrete as that. I left the theater with the visions of blood and ripped flesh in my brain without any idea why it was there. Anti-Semitists will still be anti-Semitists after seeing it, and non-anti-Semitists will be no different either. Non-believers and non-Christians will leave the theater knowing no more about Jesus Christ that they did when thay walked in.

Wednesday, February 25, 2004

Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Edition is now a crime. This kid got busted doing what millions of kids have been doing since the Swimsuit Edition first graced Americas shelves. Showing his friends. Big deal. I wonder how many of the teachers and officials at his school did the exact same thing? Only he gets suspended.
The principal said he had never seen the Swimsuit Edition before and was shocked. Yeah, right! Give us all a break! You get racier pop-up ads and spam on the internet. To think that this poor kid has to undergo the hassle of getting suspended (or the alternative - 2 days at the school for bad kids) is ridiculous.
When I was a 12, someone brought a Hustler to class. It made the rounds while the teachers back was turned until someone got busted with it. Were there any suspensions? Sentences to the bad kid's school. Visits to the principal? Scourgings and lashings? No. The magazine was simply taken away by the teacher and never seen again. I'm sure the teacher is still whacking off to Hustler today.
People brought the Swimsuit Edition all the time. It was openly shared. The teachers and coaches would take their turn gazing at the pages and then pass it on to one of us. It was encouraged (probably because I was at an all-boys school)! Be thankful your kid is reading the Swimsuit Edition instead of Modern Satanism. Go out and buy him a new pack of Kleenex.