Reel News: Passion Recut, Gospel of John Abbreviated, Star Wars Previewed
Gibson presents new Passion, criticizes Oscars. Plus: Gospel of John shorter, Star Wars more violent, The Hobbit will have to wait, and much more.
by Jeffrey Overstreet | posted 3/14/05

The Passion Recut arrived in theatres on Friday. Did you go see it again?

If not, you may be receiving an invitation from a friend who visited PassionInvite.com, which, according to a press release, "was launched to help individuals schedule a time to see the movie with their friends. It is now effortless to invite as many friends and family as you want and then let the invitation system take care of keeping track of the responses." (When you think about how much time and energy you were going to spend inviting your friends and relatives, this news must come as an enormous relief.)

At any rate, it may be difficult to find a theatre for your Recut experience. The Hollywood Reporter says some movie chains have refused to host the film's re-release because the original is already out on DVD. The film opened in 952 theaters.

Meanwhile, Mel Gibson said he didn't expect his film to win anything at the Academy Awards. In an interview for the Catholic cable network EWTN (Eternal World Television Network), he called the Oscars "ludicrous �?a marketing exercise �?a celebration of mediocrity." He added, "My film is not right-wing or political, but [Academy members] made it so."

Gibson accepted the Best Director Oscar for Braveheart in 1995.

Gibson, who has reportedly purchased a South Pacific island, also pointed out that Oscar-candidate promoters spent "15 or 20 million dollars to market their films. That's a lot of money for a little gold statue."

Meanwhile, another recent film about Jesus, The Gospel of John, directed by Philip Saville, has been released in a new DVD edition that includes not only the original three-hour version, but also a 129-minute cut of the movie.

While Gibson's Passion Recut is less violent, Star Wars is getting more violent. George Lucas says Star Wars, Episode Three: Revenge of the Sith will earn the franchise's first PG-13 rating. On Sunday's 60 Minutes, Lucas talked in-depth about the film, revealed some footage, and encouraged parents to think twice before taking their kids to see it. "I don't think I would take a five- or a six-year-old to this," he said. "It's way too strong."

Meanwhile, online, Star Wars fans are ogling the new poster and looking for downloadable versions of the sneak preview that appeared on last week's episode of The O.C.