Enter Stage Right hands out its awards...

The Earth is Flat Award

A celebration of the inane, insipid and asinine...

Check back soon for a new Earth is Flat Award!

The Vinegar in Freedom Award

There is an old Serbian proverb that says vinegar in freedom tastes better than honey in slavery. This award is meant for events and people Enter Stage Right considers to be positive.

Mel Gibson, right, directs Jim Caviezel on the set of Gibson's movie 'The Passion of The Christ,' in this undated publicity photo
Mel Gibson, right, directs Jim Caviezel on the set of Gibson's movie 'The Passion of The Christ,' in this undated publicity photo

It's a dedicated artist that ignores the criticisms -- and praise -- in favor of devoting himself entirely to a labor of love. Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, which opened across North America this past Wednesday, is the result of that kind of devotion.

The Passion of the Christ defies its critics by being among the most powerful movies released in the last decade. Although some have decried it as 'religious pornography' for its violent depiction of the scourging and crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the movie merely tells the story as the Gospels have documented. The fate that Christ suffered was violent and the movie does not shy away from representing the reality presented in The Bible.

Gibson has suffered, unfairly in this magazine's opinion, many slings and arrows because of the movie's perceived anti-Semitism. Based on this writer's viewing of the film, those charges are unwarranted and the movie does not encourage hatred of Jews. He should instead be congratulated for crafting a beautiful and deeply moving movie that has succeeded in capturing the public's imagination. In this day and age, to have a blockbuster movie that is religious in nature, is nothing short of a miracle. On artistic merit alone, Mel Gibson and the entire cast of The Passion of the Christ should be thanked for their contribution to culture.

Have someone you want considered for the Earth is Flat Award or the Vinegar in Freedom Award? E-mail ESR with your candidates!

 

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