“South Park” did indeed do a “Passion” episode. Guess I should have realized that Cartman wouldn’t be horrified, but instead validated, and that Kenny and Stan would just be annoyed because it’s about two hours of a guy getting pummeled. And the “real” Jesus didn’t show up. However, I was right about Mel Gibson enjoying the prospect of being tortured. So that’s something, I guess…although it was something I frankly think we all suspect by this point. And the line about Kenny and Stan wanting to get their money back for seeing a crappy movie just like when they saw “Baseketball” was hysterical.
PAD
• 
I’m just shocked they didn’t give Mel the same voice they gave Russel Crowe.
Does anybody know what the German chants were? I haven’t found a translation anywhere yet.
I liked BASEKETBALL. Fun movie. And a great soundtrack.
Yeah, the BASEKETBALL line was priceless. I also liked the way no one could grasp that someone might not actually have loved THE PASSION, and the sick humor of the people at the synagogue saying that it’s no big deal, then seeing the people of South Park goosestepping and chanting German through the town.
And kudos to Trey and Matt for pointing out that the message of Christianity isn’t about Jesus’ last few hours, but about helping each other and being good people — something I think that been overshadowed in THE PASSIOn by the graphic violence (“a two-hour snuff film” indeed).
I’m pretty sure Jesus sacrificed himself to save Santa in the ep “Red Sleigh Down,” and hasn’t been seen on the show since.
Perhaps Parker & Stone have something in mind for His “Second Coming…?”
Oh, and I’ll second the motion about BASEketball. I laughed more than I thought I would, and I thought it would be good for at least a few laughs going in.
While I never saw BASEketball, I did get a chance to see Trey and Matt’s other film, “Cannibal: The Musical” and can testify that it’s actually quite amusing. Not as hysterical as the “South Park” flick, mind you, but amusing nevertheless. As for last night’s ep, probably the funniest since Cartman started his Christian rock band. (Apparently you just can’t go wrong mocking religion!) And Stan and Kenny were right, “The Passion” is a boring, repetitive movie. I only paid $4.75 to see the thing, and I want MY money back, too! Unfortunately, I’m not clever enough to figure out where Mel Gibson lives and sneak past his security system. However, I might just try to track down his Jew-hating Daddy…
My favorite moment in BASEKETBALL was when Jenny McCarthy suddenly pulled her beautiful head up into frame and her mouth was covered in silver paint.
They were saying, basically, “Get rid of the Jews” (or “The Jews have to go.”)
And kudos to Trey and Matt for pointing out that the message of Christianity isn’t about Jesus’ last few hours, but about helping each other and being good people — something I think that been overshadowed in THE PASSIOn by the graphic violence (“a two-hour snuff film” indeed).
“The message of Christianity” is a little more involved than “be excellent to each other”. And Trey and Matt could be missing the point just as much as anyone else, you know. Other wise, the only sermon that would ever need to be preached would be “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
Of course, we could do like France, which is often held up as being more open-minded than the US:
The movie, which is showing in more than 500 theaters across France, carries a ban on ticket sales to children under 12.
Then, of course, Stan and Kenny would be bìŧçhìņg about how they should be able to spend their money to see a crappy movie if they want.
[as per new rules imposed on me by some, I am now required to post my link sources so that they may be approved or dismissed as credible and free from bias, depending upon their interpretation of those words]
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,9164018%255E1702,00.html
The line I thought was best was when they compared The Passion to a snuff film.
Then, of course, Stan and Kenny would be bìŧçhìņg about how they should be able to spend their money to see a crappy movie if they want.
Age restrictions certainly didn’t stop them from seeing the R-rated Terrance and Philip: Úšëš of Fire! (They just got a homeless guy to buy the tickets for them.)
The moral of the story is, nothing can stand between an 8-year old and his intended viewing.
Actually, the same lisping movie theater ticket seller was the one who wouldn’t let them into ÃSSÊS OF FIRE because it was R, but he let them into THE PASSION. I think it’s another nice touch — the religious people/groups who’ve always objected to violence in movies more than ignore it in THE PASSION, they sometimes encourage people to take their little kids! (I’ve heard of some churches organizing trips for whole families, including little kids, to see THE PASSION.)
And for the record, my Trey and Matt movies, from worst to best, are BASEKETBALL (pretty weak), CANNIBAL: THE MUSICAL (needed more musical #s), ORGAZMO (finally — a movie brave enough to show the link between pørņ and Mormons!) and SOUTH PARK; BIGGER, LONGER & UNCUT (for doing far more for musicals than MOULIN ROUGE ever did).
James Lynch: Actually, the same lisping movie theater ticket seller was the one who wouldn’t let them into ÃSSÊS OF FIRE because it was R, but he let them into THE PASSION. I think it’s another nice touch — the religious people/groups who’ve always objected to violence in movies more than ignore it in THE PASSION…
Luigi Novi: Actually, it wasn’t violence that the parents objected to in Úšëš of Fire, it was the profanity. The satire of the movie was that the parents cared more about profanity than violence because they were wiling to execute two innocent people and incite a bloody war over it.
I was greatly disapointed in this episode of South Park. I kept kept thinking to myself, “WTF?” There were some funny moments, but I just think Trey and Matt blew it and missed a golden opportunity to create a truly spectacular episode.
>
And, if neccesery, do it first…
Hey, Dee, if the part about Mel being a crazy man didn’t make sense to you, then you haven’t seen any of the 500 million interviews that he’s conducted since last Tuesday. Whenever the guy starts talking religion his voice goes into a flat, scary cadence and his eyes tend to glaze over. The guy has obviously been trained by his Mengele-loving papa never to question Divine Authority. He’s always seemed a little wacky even before “The Passion”; sort of like a less-charming version of his “Lethal Weapon” character. (“I’m getting too old for this s**t, Riggs.”) For one thing the guy’s procreated something like…what?…17 billion times. I mean, enough already, you’re virile, we get it! And he has a reputation for being a “practical joker” on the set, but once, when Janine Garafolo (sp?) played a practical joke on him, he had a hissy fit like a spoiled brat. I think it’s fairly obvious that the guy is a couple Divine Entities short of a Holy Trilogy, if you know what I mean…
(was said:) I want political humor left out of South Park
???????
Um…..Then don’t watch South Park
I actually had the same reaction Stan did when I saw the Passion: A two hour snuff film! It wasn’t entertaining, just gross.
And yes, it overemphasized his death over the things he preached. The sermon on the mount was all but an afterthought, included only to explain why Jesus asked God to forgive his enemeies.
I really didn’t get the feeling that Jesus died for our sins from the movie. I just got the feeling that Mel liked to film a guy being flogged for two hours.
Oh, and as for it being anti-semitic, if you want to look for that, it’s in there, but then you have to ignore the Jewish woman who wiped his face and the Jewish man who helped him carry his cross. One interesting thing: Mel had a couple of Pharisees opposed to condeming Jesus. Though they were quickly shouted down, it did illustrate that not all Jews of the time were in favor of killing Jesus.
Frankly, I thought the Romans came off looking worse than the Jews. Ðámņ, were they sadistic bášŧárdš or what?
BTW, can someone show me the passage in the Bible where Pilate’s wife gave Mary towels?
Um, actually the whole point of Jesus coming to Earth WAS to die for our sins. His preaching was what to do with the freedom he gave us through his death.
And Den, it’s called The Passion (which refers to the trial, torture, and death of Christ) not The Sermons.
The violence wasn’t gratuitous, it was the price of our freedom. Every individual act of violence had a point and a purpose (why show all 41 lashings? Because the Jews only administer 39; the one over 40 is a point of mocking by the Romans. So much for anti-semitism. The point is made that it’s all of us, not just the “Jews” who killed him.) The film was rich and brilliant, but you do have to have a deep understanding of scripture to understand it. (The towel scene wasn’t Biblical, but it wasn’t UN-Biblical, it was EXTRA-Biblical… a big difference). I don’t have any idea why unbelievers would see it, unless it’s to mock that which they can’t understand…
… but then, we all do that. That’s why we need Jesus.
Um, actually the whole point of Jesus coming to Earth WAS to die for our sins. His preaching was what to do with the freedom he gave us through his death.
And Den, it’s called The Passion (which refers to the trial, torture, and death of Christ) not The Sermons.
The violence wasn’t gratuitous, it was the price of our freedom. Every individual act of violence had a point and a purpose (why show all 41 lashings? Because the Jews only administer 39; the one over 40 is a point of mocking by the Romans. So much for anti-semitism. The point is made that it’s all of us, not just the “Jews” who killed him.) The film was rich and brilliant, but you do have to have a deep understanding of scripture to understand it. (The towel scene wasn’t Biblical, but it wasn’t UN-Biblical, it was EXTRA-Biblical… a big difference). I don’t have any idea why unbelievers would see it, unless it’s to mock that which they can’t understand…
… but then, we all do that. That’s why we need Jesus.
Whoops, sorry about the double post.
AHEM! An Anti-Semitic Remark
You know, you have to see the irony in this. Two thousand years ago Jews killed the Christ. Now, two thousand years later, they’re trying to kill the movie about the event.
Thank you.
To be honest, I always thought it was the Italians that killed Jesus.
Actually Rob, that only flies if you believe in god…
And even if you were right, the price to what freedom? we are all still controlled by laws of man, so there’s not really freedom there…
Well, Rob, I’d be willing to put my “deep and rich understanding of the scriptures” up against yours any day because, unlike many who claim to be believers, I’ve actually read them.
Yes, I know what “The Passion” means, so the fact that he named it that means okay to show a man being whipped and beaten until his ribs show? Sorry, it was gross and sick. I’ll take “Jesus of Nazareth,” “The Greates Storyt Even Told,” or even “The Last Temptation of Christ” over this snuff piece any day. At least those movies attempted to show what Jesus taught rather than just serve up a gorefest.
I do share the philosophical point that Stan made, that it’s more important to focus on what he taught rather than how he died. I know it’s not popular among the fundamentalist crowd, but that’s how I feel Christianity should be about.
The strangest comment I’ve seen on Usenet was a person who was incensed that Mel Gibson was shown as being insane. Not the dead-eyes, “Helter Skelter” insane mentioned in a post above, but the Daffy Duck on speed character. The guy was insulted that an actor he respected was shown to be acting completely crazy.
I said, “They could either show him as being crazy, which gives him an out for making the movie, or show him as a serious anti-Semite and maker of violence pørņ, which might get them sued. I think they chose wisely.”
Me hate new formatting.
[EClark1849: Other wise, the only sermon that would ever need to be preached would be “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”]
{Me: And, if neccesery, do it first…}
Please tell me that makes sense now…
Dee,
Mel has acted a bit unhinged, particularly in his interview with Diane Sawyer in which she kept pressing him to state whether he believed what his father said abouy Jews or wanted to distance himself
“Diane, HE’S MY FATHER!…HE’S MY FATHER!” Then, in a tone/expression that would have chilled Hannibal Lecter, DeNiro in Taxi Driver and Michael Corleone:
“You’ve got to let it go, Diane…You’ve really just got to let it go.”
I half-expected to hear that Sawyer had been found strangled by Gibson’s shoelaces shortly thereafter…
Scary
[EClark1849: Other wise, the only sermon that would ever need to be preached would be “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”]
Explain to me why there is a need for any other sermon?
Actually, it wasn’t violence that the parents objected to in Úšëš of Fire, it was the profanity. The satire of the movie was that the parents cared more about profanity than violence because they were wiling to execute two innocent people and incite a bloody war over it.
Which just goes to show that the material in South Park never gets old.
In the South Park movie, profanity is worse than violence.
Yet, Cartman walks around on stage nude (or Janet Jackson shows a nipple), and suddenly nudity is Moral Enemy #1, not profanity or violence.
I haven’t seen Canibal: The musical yet but i think that Orgazmo and baseketball are great movies, the first laughs aobut superheroes, pørņ, and religion, and the second about sport movies, and they say a lot of really inteligent things and for South Park the Movie the best is the critic about censure.
Terrance and philip for ever
[EClark1849: Other wise, the only sermon that would ever need to be preached would be “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”]
Explain to me why there is a need for any other sermon?
We already have enough problems with people imposing their own beliefs on others in this country.
The best thing about that Diane Sawyer interview was when she asked him if he was anti-Semetic. Mel’s answer? “Diane, it’s against my religion to be anti-Semetic.”
Classic. And it shut her up for a moment.
Yeah, I didn’t much like the Gibson as Daffy Duck thing. i felt it was a little over the top. the ‘please torture me’ stuff was funny, though. It’s just like that episode when cartmen went up against Osama in a Bugs Bunny pastiche–i didn’t think that was funny for very long, either.
In any case… for those who want to contact mel Gibson to get their money back: http://www.inthefaith.com/blog/archives/001118.php
😉
I’m a long-time South Park fan as well as a fan of “The Passion of the Christ.” I personally thought it was one of the most disappointing episodes. Usually Matt and Trey’s “message” at the end of each “controversial” episode holds true, but it didn’t work for me on this one. It just seemed to not work as a funny episode. The whole reasoning that “Well, don’t make a big fuss since Mel Gibson is insane” and “Think about what Jeses said, not how he died” was a big cop-out. On top of that, the fact that Cartman could speak German and somehow no adult in the fan club knows it’s German, was a big stretch.
So far this year’s South Park hasn’t been that great, IMO, but thankfully the Simpsons has been outstanding.
Dee,
And I am sick of people who whine about “rich actors” simply for trying to get what they’re worth, just like PAD and any other writer/actor/etc. I haven’t heard about this possible “strike”, but these guys have made millions of people laugh for years and many people (FOx people, comic people, licensees) millions of dollars). It’s not coming out of your pocket, so why begrudge them? More power to them, I say!
Dee,
Oh, and in “real life” a child wouldn’t hire terrorists to shoot a lesbian teacher into the sun, Kenny wouldn’t have died a zillion times, etc.
It’s called “suspension of disbelief”.
Jerome,
I just read the news today and they have missed a few meetings in order to get a raise. Considering they have a lot to do with the success of the show, I think they are being reasonable. They aren’t asking for “Friends” money. I think it’s in the neighbohood of $360,000.00 and episode. They also only got about $30,000.00 for most of this time. Since these salaries are appropriate for this business, I agree with you on this one.
EClark posted (a bit whiningly):
“Of course, we could do like France, which is often held up as being more open-minded than the US:
The movie, which is showing in more than 500 theaters across France, carries a ban on ticket sales to children under 12.”
Well, I guess you must really be ticked off at the British, where the film has received an “18” (described as “Suitable only for adults. No one under 18 years of age may see an “18” film or rent or buy an “18” video.”).
The Australians have certified the film as “MA” (described as “Mature Accompanied. This category is legally restricted in that children under 15 cannot see “MA” films or rent them on video unless accompanied by a parent or adult guardian.”).
In New Zealand, the film carries an “R16” (described as “Restricted to 16 year-olds and older.”).
In Hong Kong, the film carries a “III” (described as “for persons aged 18 or above only”, and while categories I, IIA, and IIB are considered “advisory” regarding age-appropriateness, age restrictions for Category III are enforced.
The rating provided for Canada is based on the Ontario provincial system–an “18A” (described as “Persons younger than 18 years of age must be accompanied by an adult.”).
(All the above ratings are listed at IMDb.com while ratings descriptions came from an article at Wikipedia.)
From an article found at http://www.itpmag.demon.co.uk/MichaelHoward.html (which essentially discusses the addition of a “12A” rating to the British film classification system) comes this interesting little bit of trivia: Apparently, the French have merely put “The Passion of the Christ” in the same ratings category as such other films as “Hannibal”, “Pulp Fiction”, and “The Exorcist” (the last film was banned for many years in the UK, while the other two received the “18” rating that the Brits gave “The Passion”). I can’t really say that any child under 12 should be allowed in any theater showing any of those earlier 3 films.
We already have enough problems with people imposing their own beliefs on others in this country.
Wow. That managed to completely not answer my question.
My point is, if everyone would just treat others the way that they would want to be treated, (ie, follow the golden rule), there really wouldn’t be any need for anyone to worry about what Jesus suffered for.
To follow up on what Joseph said, I think these other countries are doing the right thing.
It’s an absolute joke that people go on and on and on about violence on tv, yet are more than willing to take their pre-teen kids to a 2 hour movie that shares more in common with S&M than entertainment.
It would be a shame, but I can’t wait for the first story to appear where a kid did something violent and blames it on The Passion.
I wonder what would happen then.
The chant was saying….
Cartman: Es ist Zeit f
My favourite line was Kyle asking if God sent Jesus here to die or if he just kinda got screwed over.
The answer to this depends 100% on whether or not you’re Christian. The Passion was just a religious fanatic movie and anyone that thinks it changed their lives ought to think about what they are actually living for. Personally I’ve never understood the whole dying-for-our-sins thing. I don’t recall having any sins 2000 years before I existed.
Den knows what he’s saying. “Be excellent to each other.” That’s all you need! 🙂
Chris
Could someone please post the link to what all was said in German? I can’t believe not one media member has talked about that.