Movieweb made a list of the best films released this past decade and The Passion made the cut. Here’s an excerpt:

Aught Blog Critic’s Pick for 2004? The Passion of the Christ. Directed by Mel Gibson, this look at the final hours of Jesus Christ’s life went on to earn $370 million at the box office. Each and every frame of film has been meticulously constructed by cinematographer Caleb Deschanel, giving it an artistic aura not seen in any other thematic work this decade. Beautiful and violently raw, Gibson showed the true and realistic plight of Christ without ever flinching from its harsh visuals. Gibson’s modern day masterpiece is a brutal experience, and a powerful one that has connected with people of all religions. Here at the end of this decade, it remains the best religious film ever constructed for mainstream audiences.

Source: Movieweb

Mel Gibson may be about to write the writer of the Passion of the Christ a big check — because the lawsuit the guy filed against Mel and pals is set to be settled.

Benedict Fitzgerald sued Mel and others back in April, claiming he was duped into taking a small paycheck for writing the flick.

According to the papers, filed Friday in L.A. County Superior Court, both sides have reached an agreement to settle up.

Calls to their attorneys have not been returned.

Source: TMZ

Angels & Demons star Tom Hanks received zero critical questions or challenges when he appeared on Monday’s Good Morning America to promote a movie that features the Catholic Church ordering a brutal massacre in order to silence a secret society. Instead, Sawyer referred to the film, a prequel to The Da Vinci Code, as a “scary, spiritual scavenger hunt.” After playing a clip of Hanks’ character in the film asserting that he has no religious beliefs, she moved on to talking about how the movie star still gets nervous when he acts.

It’s not as though Hanks didn’t open himself up to questions about the film’s validity. He admitted to Sawyer that in a few years, this movie, like every one he’s made, will be subject to wondering “if moments are proper or authentic. Or if it actually, really, has some purpose in its reflection of, like, the human zeitgeist and that’s where you find out whether or not you were telling the truth or not.” Wouldn’t this have been a good point to jump in and debate some of the assertions made in the book and movie? Sadly, Sawyer remained silent.

Contrast the gentle way that the ABC host treated Hanks with the grilling of Mel Gibson in a 2003 Primetime special on The Passion of the Christ. Regarding accuracy and his film about Jesus Christ, Sawyer pressed for specifics: “What about the historians who say that the Gospels were written long after Jesus died, and are not merely fact, but political points of views and metaphors? Historians, you know, have argued that in fact it was not written at the time [of Christ]. These [gospel writers] were not eyewitnesses.”

Source: News Busters

Yeah, news is slow.

The writer of Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ claims Mel and his people are playing a shell game with him, trying to avoid paying him his just due on the movie.

Benedict Fitzgerald had sued Mel and others, claiming he was lied to when they said the movie would carry a $4-7 million production budget. Fitzgerald says he accepted a low fee after being told the budget was so low.

But during the case, Mel and his peeps produced accounting records, and the true budget was millions more. In fact, Mel’s own calculations put the budget at around $30 million.

But Fitzgerald thinks the amount is even higher, and he’s now asking the judge to force a more thorough accounting.

Fitzgerald wants what he considers a fair writer’s fee based on the true cost of the movie.

Watch out Robyn — it’s half your money, too.

Source: TMZ

In what is sure to be one of the most controversial releases ever to hit Blu-ray, Fox has announced a February street date The Passion of the Christ.

Mel Gibson’s violent depiction of the crucifixion of Christ, ‘Passion’ generated reams of controversy upon its original theatrical release and grossed over $600 million worldwide.

Fox will issue The Passion of the Christ: The Definitive Edition on Blu-ray February 17, day-and-date with a new standard DVD re-issue.

Newly-produced extras boast four audio commentaries (with Gibson, technical crew, a theological track with noted religious scholars, and a scene-specific composer commentary), the “Passion Recut” featurette, a “Footnotes” feature, and all of the materials found on the previous DVD release.

Tech specs will feature a BD-50 dual-layer presentation with 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 video, English DTS-HD Lossless Master Audio 5.1 Surround, and optional French and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround dubs and subtitles.

Suggested retail price for the Blu-ray has been set at $39.98.

You’ll find the latest specs for ‘The Passion of the Christ: The Definitive Edition’ linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it’s indexed under February 17.

Source: High-Def Digest

Can’t blame a guy for trying! (O_o)

If a higher power asks for a rewrite, what are you gonna do?

The scribe suing Mel Gibson for fraud over a royalty dispute related to The Passion of the Christ filed an amended lawsuit Monday after being told his original complaint “lacked specificity” and was taking a “chain letter” approach.

Benedict Fitzgerald, who with Gibson penned the Passion screenplay, sued the filmmaker in February for $10 million, claiming he was more or less screwed into accepting a lower-than-normal fee for working on the script after Gibson told him the budget for the film was very small and that he himself would not be taking any proceeds until he had compensated his crew.

Of course, the film went on to gross more than $600 million worldwide—seemingly more than enough to go around.

Meanwhile, Gibson’s camp is looking to have six of the nine allegations leveled at him—including all mentions of fraud—excised from Fitzgerald’s suit.

A judge ruled in May that all of the financial records pertaining to the Passion’s budget and box office will be kept sealed and only made available to each side’s counsel.

Source: E! Online

Mel Gibson has appealed to a Los Angeles judge to grant a privacy motion in his legal battle with the co-screenwriter of The Passion of the Christ, in a bid to keep financial records about the 2004 film secret.

Benedict Fitzgerald is suing Gibson, who directed the controversial religious epic, over accusations he cheated the screenwriter out of millions of dollars in potential earnings.

He claims Gibson engaged in a “chronic and conspiratorial pattern of deceit” by telling him he was working on a project with a budget of between $4 million and $7 million.

Fitzgerald alleges he was only paid $75,000 and that he had to borrow $200,000 from Gibson to cover expenses. The Passion of the Christ went on to gross an estimated $600 million worldwide.

In a court motion filed on Tuesday, lawyers working for Gibson and his Icon Productions company–which is also named as a defendant–are seeking to seal the movie’s financial information, and only allow Fitzgerald’s attorneys access to them.

Gibson’s appeal comes just days after he filed papers asking a judge to dismiss the fraud allegations filed against him by Fitzgerald.

The two parties are due to meet in court for a hearing on June 20.

Source: Hollywood

Britons have named Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ as the most controversial religious movie.

The Passion topped a poll carried out ahead of the Easter weekend by UK DVD rental website LoveFilm.com of more than 1,000 film fans to find the movies that have caused the biggest religious backlash.

Fliss White, its head of brand marketing, said: “Film is a powerful medium and when mixed with religion inevitably causes huge controversy. From the detailed Biblical epic of The Passion Of The Christ to the irreverently satirical Life of Brian, film engages all of us and sparks widespread debate amongst its viewers.”

The top ten are:
1. The Passion of the Christ (2004) – 30 percent
2. Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979) – 21 percent
3. The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) – 14 percent
4. The Da Vinci Code (2006) – 11 percent
5. The Exorcist (1973) – 10 percent
6. Dogma (1999) – 6 percent
7. Battlefield Earth (2000) – 3 percent
8. Stigmata (1999) – 3 percent
9. The Omen (1976) – 1 percent
10. The Pope Must Die (1991) – 1 percent

Source: Contact Music

Mel Gibson has filed legal papers asking a judge to dismiss a fraud allegation filed in a recent lawsuit by the co-screenwriter of his religious epic The Passion of the Christ.

In his lawsuit, Benedict Fitzgerald claimed Gibson, who directed the controversial 2004 film, engaged in a “chronic and conspiratorial pattern of deceit” by telling him he was working on a project with a budget of between $4 million and $7 million (GBP2 million and GBP3.5 million).

Fitzgerald claims he was only paid $75,000 (GBP37,500) and that he had to borrow $200,000 (GBP100,000) from Gibson to cover expenses. The Passion Of The Christ went on to gross an estimated $600 million (GBP300 million) worldwide. However, in legal documents filed on Tuesday, Gibson claims Fitzgerald had to know The Passion Of The Christ’s budget due to the extensive publicity the film attracted.

The actor/director, who is named as a defendant alongside his Icon Productions company, also claims Fitzgerald waited too long to file his suit and hasn’t offered an adequate explanation for the delay. A hearing is set for 20 June (08).

Source: Contact Music

The man who wrote the movie The Passion of the Christ is suing Mel Gibson, claiming the director short-changed him by saying it would be a small film — and not the big budget, big bucks flick it turned out to be.

According to papers filed today in Los Angeles Superior Court, Benedict Fitzgerald claims that Gibson’s “personal gift to his faith” was to have a budget in the $4-7 million range — and there wouldn’t be a lot of money in the budget for the writer. He was also told several times by Gibson, he claims, that Gibson didn’t plan to make any money from the film.

Instead, according to court documents, the flick cost almost $30 mil and Gibson made a fortune. The film grossed over $600 mil worldwide. Fitzgerald is suing for fraud and asking for damages in excess of $25,000.

Reps for the Mel’s production company, Icon Productions, say the suit is “frivolous” and that Fitzgerald was “handsomely compensated.”

Source: TMZ