"lame protestations to the contrary?"

[incontrovertible]

Say, when did Paula Fredriksen become a contributor to the "Top Ten Conservative Idiots" column?

I thoroughly agree with the inclusion of Mel Gibson's insane asshole father to this week's list, but the continuing pre-emptive savaging of "The Passion of the Christ" is becoming unseemly, and will leave its practitioners holding the bag, looking quite petty and hateful themselves. The first mainstream review, from Ebert and Roeper, no less, just hit the presses, and, surprise - they thought it was brilliant: "Two thumbs way up" and "a great film."

http://www.suntimes.com/output/movies/cst-nws-passion22.html

Are Ebert and Roeper now to be dismissed as arch-conservative raging anti-Semites? I would expect the majority of other critics will follow suit - are they hate-ridden bigots as well? How about these devout film fans and non-Christians who saw the rough cut at Harry Knowles' festival in August?

http://www.statesman.com/life/content/auto/epaper/editions/sunday/life_entertainment_0473017f656ce05e009b.html

For that matter, how about Harry Knowles? He practically worships the film, and was one of the first people outside of the production staff to have ever seen it.

Perhaps I'm naieve, but I rather expect those on our side of the political spectrum to afford any work of art the same benefit-of-doubt that we gave, say, "The Last Temptation of Christ" - that one would be expected to actually see a given work before endeavoring to decry it.

[Occulus]

1. To put it into a single question,

how many excellent movies have been made that have been based on books?

Answer: a lot.

I'm going to reserve my judgement on the thing until I see it. Also, the Bible is a book, so I already know it, or stories from it, could be made into a great movie.