So ended up going to see the Passion of the Christ again with a friend of mine who hadn't seen it yet. Fascinating movie that holds up as remarkable on a second viewing. So many levels, so many things of interest.

Mel Gibson, through showing the last day of Jesus' life and interweaving the scenes with flashbacks of his life and key events, manages to bring the New Testament to life vividly as its never been done before to the same extent.

What struck me as personally interesting was how Mel portrayed Jesus exactly as I'd always seen him, as a human figure with a divine destiny who was more than mortal but still born and raised by humans to change a society he was a part of.

Gibson's message in the movie seems, to me, to be less a preachy in your face approach and more of a present the facts, get it as close as possible to an authentic presentation of the events ( language, clothes, setting, ethnic actors) and let people make their own decisions and have their own relationship with the events depicted therein.

Some people walked out of last night's showings. Some people complained about the language. Some people complained about the portrayal of the jews. All of which says more about the complainers than it does what they were complaining about.It's too gory, a lot of people said. Gibson overdoes the scourging, some protested. I think they're 'completely missing the point if they're focusing in on trivialities like the gore. To me, Mel Gibson wanted to show the central message of Christianity, that God sent his only begotten son to Earth to try to show us a better way and then to atone for our sins and give people a chance to start over again with a new hope and a clean slate. I know there is a lot more to it than that but thats a summation, in my opinion.

Every step of the way in the movie, Gibson lets the events unfold themselves without forcing judgements or being overly heavy-handed. The ones who arrest Jesus, who try him in a joke trial in the Pharisee's temple, who bay for his blood, who spit on him, beat him, kick him and finally kill him are all shown as people who are so consumed with hatred and self-importance and seen as possessing so desperate a need to cling to their tired outmoded beliefs that they would destroy anything that threatens to change their way of life,regardless of whether or not its true ( which most of them seem to have realized in their hearts anyway). Those who stand by not taking sides are similarly shown as lost, such as Pontius Pilate washing his hands or the crowds who do nothing but stand and stare as the whole farrago of a trial occurs. Then there are the betrayers, such as Judas who shows the futility of materialism and his downward spiral after being the one to initiate the final series of events that leas to Jesus' crucifixion. Peter is similarly shown as weak and scared in the face of the pressure. It is the supporters and ones who stand up and make the difficult choice who are shown as the truly heroic in the film; Simon Of Cyrene stands out as one who stands up to the soldiers and shares the Lord's burden, begrudgingly at first but admirably by the end.

More on this to come.

And you need to stop watching it. Being pro-active means doing something about it. Instead of moaning abotu tv being shit, first thing you do is avoid the bad shows and second thing is watch the good ones. You moan for twenty minutes abotu reality tv. Fine. Don't watch it. Next, click. Don't watch ten minutes of it then switch over out of lazy curiosity. You have a brain, use it. If you watch ten minutes of some dreadful shit like HELP GET ME OFF OF HERE THIS IS A HORRIBLE IDEA then you deserve to have it continue being shown. You're encouraging it. You are the enemy. You become the problem. Don't be. Be a solution instead.

Reality tv is becoming increasingly desperate. It's gimmicks and hooks are becoming increasingly elaborate and ridiculous. Transexual suitors, Midget millionaires, witches in a house with vampires...it's the spastic who dresses up in a glittery outfit and dances on your front lawn to attract your attention. Don't look at him. Don't encourage him.

Good tv is there, buried under the shit. Watch it. Cherish it. Spread the word. You like THE SOPRANOS. Good. Tell your friends. Especially the ones who watch E! You like THE DEAD ZONE. Great. Don't flick onto some stupidity during the break. MTV is there for that.

The world is reactive. Especially the world of popular entertainment. If everyone stopped reading John Grisham over-night, he wouldn't write any more books. Or at least not ones that would be published. Don't give in. Give out. Fight with your greatest weapon, your choice to make an active desicion.