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It has been a winter of discontent for film critics. As 2002's finer films fade from the screens, the box office has been ruled by mediocrity (at best). This week's new releases are not improving matters. Religious press critics are sorting through the current titles like dirty laundry, and mainstream critics are far more interested in talking about industry scandals, the Oscar ceremony, and the more promising titles of spring. (Curious? Check out this detailed preview by Moira Macdonald of The Seattle Times.)

And speaking of the Oscars, you are invited to join me on Oscar night, March 23, to discuss the films of 2002 and respond as the statues are handed out. We will be looking at the spectacle of the Oscars and discussing what it celebrates. What is it that draws people to these movies? Are any of the nominated efforts truly excellent, artful, and meaningful? Will there be any admirable sentiments divulged by the parade of celebrities? I look forward to hearing from you.

In fact, I'd be glad to hear from you in advance. In an ideal world, would any of this year's nominees be singled out for special honors? Did a movie or a movie star do anything meaningful for you in the last year? Let me know. (I may share some of your responses during the Oscar-cast. Please advise me if you want your comments shared anonymously.)

Mel Gibson's current project, Passion, a film about the last 12 hours of Christ's life, is already provoking heated debate.

Yahoo News reports that Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, asked Gibson "to make certain that his new film … does not portray the Jews as collectively responsible for the crucifixion." Rabbi Hier is quoted as saying, "If the new film seeks to undo Vatican II … it would unleash more of the scurrilous charges of deicide directed against the Jewish people, which took the Catholic Church 20 centuries to finally repudiate."

In a detailed New York Times article about Gibson, his faith, his opinionated father, and this film project, Christopher Noxon draws quotes from various Gibson interviews. In a recent conversation Gibson had with Bill O'Reilly, the superstar was asked if he is worried that his film will upset Jews. He replied, "It's not meant to. I think it's meant to just tell the truth. I want to be as truthful as possible. But when you look at the reasons why Christ came, why he was crucified—he died for all mankind and he suffered for all mankind. So that, really, anyone who transgresses has to look at their own part or look at their own culpability."

You can find Christian film critics shouting in dismay about film immorality any day of the week. Mainstream film critic Lawrence Toppman (Charlotte Observer) took a similar stand this week for discernment by chiding a parent who brought a young child to see the R-rated Cradle 2 the Grave.

He writes, "Your daughter seemed to be about 8 years old, with her white dress and her hair done up in braids. I wonder what she thought when the people in this R-rated movie kidnapped a little girl about her age, duct-taped her mouth shut, and shoved her into a van, planning to kill her later. Of course, you can take comfort in the fact that you weren't alone: I saw more than a dozen kids her age around the theater, all soaking up images that were meant for people about a decade older."

It is heartening to see a mainstream critic who recognizes the important role of parents in the moviegoing experience of young people. Religious press publications devote a lot of time and space attacking that vague body called Hollywood and accusing it of all manner of subversive conspiracies. But Hollywood is a business, providing what sells. Sure, the sellers have moral responsibilities, but so do viewers. If conscientious critics spent as much time teaching viewers how to look at art and how to develop discernment, perhaps Hollywood garbage would not be quite so bankable. And if more parents invested themselves in introducing their children to well-told stories and well-made movies, fewer children would develop appetites for garbage.

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March (Web-only) 2003, Vol. 47