Apocalypto

[Gemini Cricket]

I'm not going to pay to see it.
Mel Gibson's a anti-Semitic, homophobic jerk.
I hope it bombs.

Am I wrong to think this way?

What I may do, is pay to see 'Happy Feet' again and sneak into 'Apocalypto'. This way Mel gets none of my money. The last time I pad to see a Gibson flick was 'Braveheart'.

Opinions?

[Ghoulish Delight]

I think may basic feeling is, I'm not going to avoid all Gibson movies, but my desire to see movies by him that have to do with historical and cultural events is pretty much zilch seeing as I have no faith in his perspective on historical and cultural events.

[LSPoorEeyorick]

From IMdB:

Some descendants of the Maya tribes depicted in Mel Gibson's Apocalypto have denounced the movie as racist and not representative of their ancient culture. In an interview with Reuters, Ignacio Ochoa, director of the Nahual Foundation, said, "Gibson replays, in glorious big budget Technicolor, an offensive and racist notion that Maya people were brutal to one another long before the arrival of Europeans and thus they deserved, in fact, needed, rescue." Lucio Yaxon, described by Reuters as a 23-year-old Mayan human rights activist, added, "Basically, the director is saying the Mayans are savages." Today's (Thursday) Los Angeles Times noted that archaeologist Richard Hansen was on hand throughout the shooting of the film, lending his advice to the production team. Production designer Tom Sanders told the newspaper, "It was really fun to say [to Hansen], 'Is there any proof they didn't do this?' When he said, 'There is no proof they didn't do that, ' that gives you some license to play."

Because, you know, when you're making a movie about historical events, it's so good to focus on what there isn't proof for. Is there any evidence they didn't have tupperware parties? No? Well, there's a two-for-one special on the rock-n-serve bowls today if you're Mayan!

[Gemini Cricket]

A Mayan tupperware party. Now there's a movie I'd go see.

[Alex]

The personal lives of the people involved really don't affect my interest in seeing their product.

Are you wrong to feel that way? No. Though I don't feel the same.

Roman Polanski did things he shouldn't have and is a horrible person who has evaded taking responsibility for decades and still (sometimes) makes good movies.

David Lynch is a fervent proponent of one of the silliest new age psychobabble phenomenons to ever gain traction (TM) and still (sometimes) makes good movies.

John Ford was a homophobe and made many great movies.

Cecil B. DeMille made one of the great racist movies in history and still made many great movies.

O.J. Simpson killed his wife without impacting my interest in watching The Towering Inferno.

Walt Disney was a jerk and testified before HUAC and I still enjoy his theme park and many of his movies.

Half of Hollywood (hyperbole) has engaged in what I consider one of the most personally abhorrent actions (non-consensual adultery) and I still watch a few hundred movies every year.

Their personal lives may inform my interpretation of their art but it doesn't impact my interest in seeing it. However, if you feel strongly that what Gibson did means you can't give him any money then I say stand by the courage of your convictions and don't see the movie. "Stealing" the movie isn't right just because you don't like him.

[Moonliner]

I'm agnostic on Gibson. I really do think too much was made of one drunken tirade. When you are drunk and pissed you say words you know will hurt not ones you necessarily believe.

However I won't see any films by Woodie Allen or Tom Cruise based their moral standing.

[Gemini Cricket]

Originally Posted by Alex Stroup

"Stealing" the movie isn't right just because you don't like him.

Sure it is. Two wrongs make a right.



I hear what you're saying but 3 of the people on your list are dead. I'm not worried that money I give them is going towards anti-gay or anti-Jewish causes. Mel's trying to build a church for an extremely fundamentalist sect of Catholicism. That's not something I want to support.

Also, isn't not paying to see a film a good way for studios to know who they should and shouldn't be green-lighting and supporting? Mel's a freak.

I mean, were John Ford and Cecil B out in the media preaching and trying to convince others how to think their way? Were they actively trying to get people to be bigots? I don't know the answer to that, but Mel does. He also uses his movies to get that point across. 'Braveheart' is chocked full of homophobic crap but yet it's embraced by a lot of my friends of mine as one of the great films of all time. Yow!

If I had lived in Cecil B's time and knew about his racism, I wouldn't watch his films. (Not that I was ever a big fan of his.) Same goes for Ford.

[Prudence]

I won't see Tom Cruise films because I think he's a lousy actor. That he's apparently cuckoo is just gravy. A local review called Gibson "an angry, unstable, self-destructive artist guided by pure instinct." The jist of the review was that it was a response to the prevailing trend in Hollywood to glorify pre-western contact tribal cultures as uniformly civilized cultures that were corrupted by the evil West - but that Gibson didn't necessarily intended the movie that way.

I see about 1 movie a year, and this isn't likely to be it.

[mousepod]

Originally Posted by Alex Stroup

...Cecil B. DeMille made one of the great racist movies in history...

Which one? The Crusades or The Greatest Show on Earth?

Seriously though, while I mostly agree with Alex, I think that when someone's objectionable morals informs their work, it should be a valid reason for judging said work. While I've yet to see a Polanski movie that has a pro-"sex with minors" message (well, maybe Tess), and David Lynch doesn't preach the TM gospel in his movies, there's plenty of evidence that Gibson's hateful world view is certainly present in the films he directs - from homophobia (Braveheart) to anti-semitism (the PotC without Johnny Depp). I'll see Apocalypto when it comes to HBO, but I won't contribute to Mel's big box office opening weekend.

[Bornieo: Fully Loaded]

Should I get the chance to see it I would. I'm just not running out to see it because it looks boring and I've no interest in the subject matter.

I enjoy Gibson's films. Year of Living Dangerously is fantastic. The Lethal Weapon films are very entertaining. I thought BRaveheart was a well done film from top to bottom. I didn't think it was anymore homophobic than Schindler's List was anti-German. IMHO. I know alot of people were turned off by Passion of the Christ, but I thought it was a beautiful film.

I think anyone going into a historical film looking for accuracy is in for a rude awakening. I don't think there has ever been a 100% accurate portraial of historical events ever. I didn't expect Passion to be, or even Schindler's List - as an example.