So now I've seen The Passion of the Christ, and my reaction might surprise you. During the weeks leading up to the film, anticipation in the midst of all the controversy increased exponentially for me. I watched interviews with Mel Gibson, saw all the crap that people were slinging at him, and I got to the point where I began to believe that this was the film to see. The one movie that I needed to take in. Yeah, I might've believed this truly was The Greatest Story Ever Told. I was wrong. Okay, before you start to criticize me, hear me out. Or...well, read me out. I didn't hate the movie. I didn't love it either. It's not The Greatest Story Ever Told. It's more like The Greatest Two Hour Torture Scene Ever Put on Film. For any of you who know me, know of my deep faith and love for Jesus Christ. My acknowledgement of His sacrifice has been unshakeable. I'm thankful eternally for it, and will never, ever deny the purpose behind the crucifixion. But for me, as a film critic, I have to set my faith aside and look at this film from a film critic's point of view. Well, not so much set my faith aside, but look at this through eyes of faith with a film critics mind. It's a good movie, don't get me wrong. Is it a great movie? No. It's very artsy, very well crafted - there is no doubt in my mind that Mel Gibson is a talented and creative filmmaker. But this movie is not phenomenal. It's not stunning. It's not anything but a prolonged vision of brutality. I don't doubt the realism of the approach, I don't doubt that the film itself will prove a powerful tool to bring people to the question of why Christ would do that and why God would allow it. But I just can't bring myself to say this is one of the greatest movies I've ever seen. Some of it is done quite well. I think the depiction of Satan as a frighteningly beautiful woman was the best depiction of pure evil that I've ever seen. The performances were good all around, and the style of the film is wonderful. But it left me feeling...unfulfilled. Part of it might have been my devouring of information for weeks leading up to the film. I knew more about it than I wanted. But my biggest problem is the minimal exposition of the Resurrection in the end. It's there, but there's not enough of it. Maybe I'm in a minority here, but as much as Christ's Death on the cross was and is important, I believe that it's the Resurrection that serves an even larger purpose. Without sufficient coverage of that in the film, it feels like the first two hours, nine minutes and thirty seconds of the film were for naught. I guess it just seemed out of balance. Bottom Line - Go see the film, but don't blame me if it makes you feel upset in the stomach. And no, I didn't cry my eyes out entirely. Grade: *** out of ***** (3/5)

A long awaited update.... Took a while. Twelve days is probably the longest sabbatical I've taken from here in a long time. I guess the biggest problem is that I'm hard up for material, or really not looking for much. Or I've been so busy that I haven't really been able to think enough funny thoughts. Either way, if you're a loyal reader, I'm sorry. I was given a gift certificate for Christmas for one free CD from the BMG Music Group. I'm a music guy, so this is the perfect gift for a guy like me. But, I'm a music snob, so it makes for a hard decision. What is a music snob, you ask? Simply put, it's a person who appreciates generally original music with poignant lyrics and a talented approach to composition. Sure, I've had my share of Vanilla Ice moments (don't laugh -- you know you bobbed your head to "Ice, Ice, Baby" at least once), but in recent years, I've gotten, well, picky. Music has to fit a criteria for me. It has to be like something I've never heard before. While there are exceptions (Jacob's Trouble does sound a lot like U2, but that doesn't make them rock any less in my mind...)I generally look for good songwriters more than people who are radio friendly. So my love for Daniel Amos, The 77's and The Danielson Famile leaves me wanting when I have to look for a CD in a catalogue full of bands that I wouldn't be caught dead listening too. (well, with one exception being the afforementioned Vanilla Ice, but I won't talk about that right now...) Finally, after searching for what seemed like hours (okay, it was probably 45 minutes), I settled for The Joshua Tree by U2. It's a classic, a surefire hit for me, and I won't be dissappointed. But whatever happened to good music? Did video really kill the radio star? Did MTV kill it all softly with it's song? Maybe. And that's sad.

Good News From This Website Well, it's somewhat good news - we're finally getting the holy trilogy on DVD, but at what cost? We get Greedo shooting first (a travesty!), an animated Jabba at the hangar next to the Falcon (lame!) and the oft shagrined animated desert creatures throughout Mos Eisley (cheesy!). I'm psyched to get the greatest films of my younger years in beautifully restored digital editions, but why did George have to go and screw around with them for? Oh well, who am I kidding? I'll be buying them the day they come out. September 21st, here we come!! ~ Jeremy

I didn't realize until tonight just how much "free money" I had sitting around the house. No, I didn't find a stash of hundred dollar bills behind the pipes to the kitchen sink, nor was there treasure in the back yard. (well, if I could find the back yard through the snow, I assure you, there is no treasure there) And the money, although available in large sums, was not free, due to interest rates. Yep, I had me a ton of credit cards - and I only use two of them. So, in an effort to tighten up the ship around here, Michelle and I decided to call and cancel all 16 open accounts that we weren't using. It wasn't long until I realized that EVERY company we were going to call was going to try to keep our business. And EVERY time we'd shut them down. It got to the point where I was making up stuff. "Yeah, I live in a bad neighborhood, and I don't want my credit to end up in the wrong hands." "I have about fifty grand worth of credit sitting in front of me" (it was only about 30, I think...) Michelle offered that I mention she had died, but I shot that down strictly because I know they'd just wanna send me more crap under the guise of sympathy cards. So anyway, sixteen cards and ninety minutes later, it was done. The blood had been shed, and it felt (and still feels) good. ~ Jeremy Soundtrack: Daniel Amos - When Everyone Wore Hats

I wanna write something meaningful, but I'd rather keep talking to my wife as she drives home.

I'm really tired of the Jackson family. Today, I was partaking of Entertainment Tonight - not for anything but some kind of background noise. I really don't like ET - but for some reason it's like a sick drug that you can't go without for weeks unless you want to go through the shakes, the vomiting, the withdrawal. Worse than heroin, I swear. Anyway, so it's on as background noise, and for the millionth time, ET is going to cover "Shocking News About the Jackson Family", and Jermaine is shown saying "It's pick on the Jacksons week." In case you think you read it wrong, Jermaine Jackson said "It's pick on the Jacksons week." What????? It's official, Jermaine is as crazy as his other siblings, and I held out hope that he and Tito would actually be normal. There's still hope for Tito. But "It's pick on the Jacksons week"???? I just don't get it. How is it picking on the Jacksons when they bring it on themselves? Michael is a freak who's been accused of child molestation not only once, but twice. Granted, the trial has yet to begin, but there's something sick about a guy being accused of the same crime twice. And he's being picked on? I'm sorry, but it's his own fault for being a total whackjob. And then Janet gives a vastly unneeded lesson on the female anatomy - not without the help of Justin Timberlake, mind you - on Sunday. At the Superbowl. The holy day of football was tarnished by Janet's "wardrobe malfunction". Give me a break. A wardrobe malfunction is when my fly won't stay up, not wearing a dominatrix outfit and acting surprised when part of it is removable. "Pick on the Jackson's week."??? How about this one Jermaine - You're a complete and total moron. What's next? Latoya streaking at the NHL All Star Game this weekend? But, like I said, there's always hope for Tito.

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