Boycott Mel Gibson

As if to top his own worst moment, Mel Gibson (or is that Gibbon? No, monkeys have more dignity...) is being a jerk again. It's time for everyone to boycott Mel Gibson, particularly his new film (The Edge of Darkness) coming out this week. It's time to send a message to the money people in Hollywood, to tell them that hate speech, hypocrisy and discrimination are bad business, that these actions have consequences, and that decent people of all religions or no religion won't tolerate Gibson's behavior.

He's been a jerk before, and now the trend continues. In a disgusting interview (here's the video), he won't even take responsibility for his own actions. As the reporter says, Gibson has never actually apologized in a meaningful way for his anti-Semitic remarks, and his weird religious views, combined with his hypocrisy, are offensive to just about everyone.

We all make mistakes, but the true test of a moral person is admitting it, and trying to make it right. I'd actually have more respect for him if he just came out and said he hates Jews. By worming away from these accusations (but note the failure to deny them, which speaks louder than words...), Gibson not only looks guilty of anti-Semitism, but also looks like a weasely coward.

There are lots of other good movies. Go see Avatar again! But skip Gibson's new one.

Vatican Slams Avatar? HaHaHaHa!

You'd think the Vatican, with its long history of being on the wrong side of the facts (not to mention its reputation as a bastion of illogical thinking), would have the good sense to keep quiet when a SciFi pro-environment movie is rapidly climbing into the all-time number one slot as the highest-grossing movie in history. But then, why should the Roman Catholic Church break its two-thousand-year record of being wrong?

According to a report on Huffington Post, the Vatican news organizations claim Avatar is "flirting with the idea that worship of nature can replace religion – a notion the pope has warned against." Apparently the Pope is pro-environmentalism, but is afraid of it turning into some sort of neo-paganism. You know, where people worship some of the other of the 16,000 to 20,000 gods that humans have invented over the millenia rather than picking the right one. (In case you're confused, the right god to worship is the one called Jehova, Yahweh, Allah, El and a couple other names. Or maybe those were different gods, but we got confused. I don't know, ask the Pope, he's the expert.)

I don't know about you, but I'm not a guy who turns to the Vatican for advice when I'm deciding whether to see a SciFi movie.

In case you haven't seen it yet, Avatar is GREAT. We're going to see it again soon while it's still in 3D theaters. And see it in IMax if you can!

Star Trek: Great Movie, but Why Inject Religion?

Ok, it was subtle reference, and didn't detract from the movie, but why is there any reference to God in a Star Trek movie?

If you're a Trekkie, and haven't seen the new movie yet, you'd better go soon, or you'll be the last person on the planet, and maybe off-planet too, who hasn't seen it yet.

Even with with modern filmmaking techniques and great special effects, it is amazingly true to the original concept. I thought the new actors for the most part did a fabulous job recreating the original roles. Zachary Quinto (Spock), Karl Urban ("Bones" McCoy), and Anton Yelchin (Chekov) were remarkably true to the original characters, yet brought fresh blood to the concept. But Chris Pine (Kirk) was the star, he was true to Shatner's original character, but without the over-the-top Shatnerisms that we know and love.

And the screenwriting was great, special effects and editing, all marvelous. I was a happy Trekkie!

But they had to throw in that one little line, "Godspeed." I can't even imagine why. Why not "Good Luck," or "Take care of yourself"? I suppose it's because the writers, actors, and director, unlike the advanced, highly-scientific civilization they portray, are not themselves scientists. Good writing and good directing are not related to good science or a rational view of the universe.

It was no big deal, but it was completely out of place in a movie about a future that has moved past illogic and superstition.