What was the last Mel Gibson film that you saw?

[Orrex]

What was your opinion of it at the time?

And what is your opinion of it now?

[Bucky]

1. The Patriot. I thought it was a little silly, but a lot of fun. Made a few good points, actually.

But overall it kind of "turned" me on Gibson. I'd really liked most of his movies up till then--Road Warrior, Hamlet, that kidnapping movie that Ron Howard directed. But I thought it was bending history a little too much.

My opinion of his movies hasn't changed a bit. I like what I like and, except for Woody Allen, I don't let my knowledge of celebrities' idiotic personal lives interfere in my enjoyment of their art. I have yet to see a Charlton Heston movie I didn't love. I regularly tell my students "Get your stinking paws off of me, you damn dirty apes!" just because it's so fun to say. (Try it!)

[Aristus]

20. Heston is a dicey call, if one is looking at politics.

Before his hard right-turn to the Dark Side, he was an outspoken advocate in favor of civil rights. The activism of his twilight years makes one shake the head sadly.

And I don't think Heston ever gave a better performance than as Cardinal Richelieu in "The Three Musketeers". He was brilliant, engaging, subtle, and simply fantastic.

And Mel Gibson? The last flick of his I watched was either "The Patriot", or "What Women Want", whichever came out first. I'm done with him...

[Little Star]

2. Braveheart. Liked it then & still like it now.

[RZM]

3. Saw Braveheart a few months ago late at night on HBO

Hadn't seen it since 1995. Still good.

I've never really been much of a Mel Gibson fan otherwise.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

4. Ransom. His daughter gets kidnapped. It was excellent and he

is a great actor. But I would never seek out another film since he's a racist
nutcase

[Nailzberg]

12. Son.

[AsahinaKimi]

5. The Patriot

I thought it was okay. I think I enjoyed him best in Maverick. The scene with Danny Glover was funny as hell.

[MrScorpio]

6. Thunderdome

I still fucks wit it

[ohiosmith]

7. Edge of Darkness.

Not his best.
Not his best.

[UTUSN]

8. Apocalypto, which was doomed to debut with his implosion

It is an indescribably magnificent movie, then and now, and really, listening to him in interviews I just don't get how such an idiot can be accomplished. It makes me wonder whether somebody else does his creating for him or just that movie-making really is all smoke and mirrors. Another thing is that I have NOT seen the Lethal Weapon ones, but Gallipoli, Hamlet, The Patriot, Braveheart... only the first Mad Max. I saw The Passion mainly because of the political whoopdedoo and it was all just totally famiiar Cathoic dogma, nothing extraordinary for me, just a torture flick.

The last scene in Apocalypto, which some critics panned, is one of the most natural-AND-shocking ever.

Even before his Russian girlfriend fracas, his wingnut form of Catholicism had rubbed me wrong, but I've probably seen more of his movies than those of any one actor except for NICHOLSON, whose almost all I've seen, and not because I personally like NICHOLSON, just that he chooses movies that I end up wanting to see.

[lunatica]

24. I loved Apocalypto

I resisted seeing it because of his racism but when I finally saw it on HBO I loved it. It's an amazing movie and beautifully shot. I watched Braveheart recenty and thoroughly enjoyed it again. Gibson is quite the creative artist in his work, and like so many he suffers with his demons.

[Luciferous]

30. I really enjoyed Apocalypto.

[Kaleva]

35. Apocalypto is a very good movie.

[PassingFair]

39. That was the last one I saw, too. I loved it. Very suspenseful.

My mind plays games with me sometimes, and one of its
tricks is to say, internally, when watching a protagonist
on screen, "Oh well, at least they don't have to get up
in the morning at go to work at ________ (insert MY workplace here)"

This movie's protagonist DEFINITELY has it worse than me!

WIN!!

I was seriously on the edge of my seat the whole time.

[Iggo]

9. Last weekend I saw The Road Warrior for the umpteenth time.

I love it now more than ever.

[bluesbassman]

14. Same here.

Love the whole trilogy.

[Forkboy]

10. Chicken Run (well, he did a voice in it anyways).

Thought it was fairly amusing then (love Wallace and Gromit, and it's the same people doing it). I'd probably still like it today. I'm pretty good at separating the art from the artist, so even though he's a douchebag I could still watch a movie with him, or one directed by him. A friend said I'd like Apocalypto, I just haven't gotten around to it yet. I'll watch pretty much anything.

[NewJeffCT]

11. In the theaters?

The last movie of his I saw in the theaters was "The Patriot" - I thought it was pretty good, but thought they went over the top with the tragedy in the movie. Haven't really changed my opinion of it, other than now seeing Lucius Malfoy in the Tavington role now and thinking "I bet he wishes he could just cast Avada Kadavra right about now"

[grasswire]

13. which is the one where he's a captive.....

...and they tape his eyes open, and he escapes down a flight of stairs in a wheelchair?

[CBGLuthier]

15. Apocalypto

He is a sick torture loving fuck who is making the argument that native cultures were more hostile to each other than the evil ol' white man ever was to them.

[lunatica]

25. they were

The Maya and the Aztecs sacrificed people to their gods. As a matter of fact they actually went to wars with other tribes for the sole purpose of getting people to sacrifice. Apocalypto is based on that.

[UTUSN]

26. We're the only 2 here who saw it and we disagree?!1

1) The only Whites in it would be a spoiler. There was no reference of comparision between the indigenous cruelty and the White cruelty.

2) I think everybody in existance would agree on the physical, horrific, terrific brutality of cutting out hearts and wearing human skin suits.

3) In Braveheart, The Passion, and The Patriot, for starters, he fully documents White cruelty. Thinking about, it, actually, several more of his movies depict incredible violence from past (Gallipoli) to future (Mad Max? I haven't seen the Thunderdome ones, so I'm guessing here).


If anything, it's more disturbing to wonder what draws GIBSON to violence and the extreme depiction.

[S_E_Fudd]

33. I didn't get that at all...

There is some debate about the balance in the movie, depicting the violent side of Mayan culture and not showing the scientific advances etc...but he never said the movie was a comprehensive look at Mayan culture and never represented it that way. I thought it was an excellent movie

[kimi]

16. "The Patriot"

I liked it a lot, but man, was it kind of a downer.

Now, I hate to say, but it's hard to look at the man without thinking of what he's said about other people, and the way he's said it. Even under the influence, that s&*t was too creepy. Coupled with his epic about the passion of Christ (which I didn't see, I'm a Christian but that violence was not something I wanted to see), I just don't care for his vision.

[pokerfan]

17. We Were Soldiers (2002)

concerning the Battle of Ia Drang. I thought it was excellent and actually told the story from both sides which I found refreshing.

[bigwillq]

18. Signs (2002)

Thought it was ok. Haven't seen it since so my opinion is the same.

Never really cared for him, even before he got the case of the crazies.

[frogmarch]

19. Signs. I still get a kick

out of watching it whenever it comes on TV, just as I did when I first saw it.

I like Mel Gibson as an actor and have always liked his movies too.

[sakabatou]

37. Mel Gibson as a person, though, is an asshole

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

21. Signs.

I still kind of like that movie. He was in a couple of my all-time favorite movies: "The Year of Living Dangerously" and "Gallipoli." Gibson is a loon and an asshole, but he was a first-rate actor all those years ago.

[frogmarch]

23. Gallipoli was the first movie

I saw Mel in. What a movie!

This song sung by Liam Clancy always reminds me of it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFCekeoSTwg

[femmocrat]

22. Signs.

Total waste of time.

[Orrex]

27. I should reveal that his last film that I saw was "Million Dollar Hotel"

He didn't direct, but he was one of the lead roles, and it was something of a departure for him.

Can't say that I cared very much for the film overall, but his performance was entirely adequate.


And like others in this thread, I find Apocalypto to be a remarkably good film.

[Ohio Joe]

28. Payback: Straight Up

The theatrical release sucked but they got it mostly back in order with this DVD edition. Excellent flick.

[fishwax]

29. I guess it was Signs

At the time I thought it was okay--nothing great. I haven't watched it since and haven't missed it, so I guess my opinion remains about the same.

I did think his performance in it was good.

[FloridaJudy]

31. That I watched all the way through? Hamlet.

Twasn't bad, but that was before his screaming nutjob phase.

Caught one scene of "The Patriot" while doing my laundry in one of those laundromats that try to attract you with entertainment. They'd advertised "Free Internet", which proved to be a ten-year-old PC with dial-up, and which was monopolized by a bunch of kids. They also had a videotape playing on a TV. So I watched the movie: it was the scene in which the British burn, the plantation, and all the slaves watch weeping. I said to myself "He's got to be kidding! In their shoes I'd be throwing a fucking party!"

I went outside and read a book. Never went back to that laundromat again. Nor did I watch any Mel Gibson movies.

[S_E_Fudd]

32. Edge of Darkness...

Not bad...not his best...but pretty good!

[solara]

34. Conspiracy Theory with Julia Roberts

I thought it was pretty good, actually. I was a big Mel Gibson fan.

[alphafemale]

36. When he handcuffs himself to the guy. "Do you wanna jump? Do you really really wanna?!"

That was pretty funny. Beyond that 30 year ago thing....meh.

[Broken_Hero]

38. Apocolypto(sp)

My opinion of the movie is that it was good. My opinion of it now, is that its still good.