Mel Gibson's Profile

Bird on a Wire

keretakawe@gmail.com (Wan Naza) — Thu, 6 Sep 2007 02:16:00 +0800

Rick has been given a new identity by the FBI for helping convict a drug dealing FBI agent. Fifteen years later his former fiance recognises him. Rick's FBI 'minder' has been replaced by a corrupt agent who helps the drug dealing FBI agent and his accomplice locate him. There are many subsequent chase scenes as Rick and girlfriend revisit his former haunts.

Air America

keretakawe@gmail.com (Wan Naza) — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 05:52:00 +0800

Air America was the CIA's private airline operating in Laos during the Vietnam War, running anything and everything from soldiers to foodstuffs for local villagers. After losing his pilot's license, Billy Covington is recruited into it, and ends up in the middle of a bunch of lunatic pilots, gun-running by his friend Gene Ryack, and opium smuggling by his own superiors.

Billy is a wacko pilot who loses his last straight job as a helicopter traffic reporter by getting into a screaming match with a driver. He takes a job working for what amounts to a CIA airline in Asia. Billy puts it as, "I'm used to being the weirdest person in the room. Here I don't even make the top ten." There is an insurgency shooting at them, government soldiers running drugs, a pilot who is supplying arms to the whole region, and those are the straightforward sub plots.

The Signs

keretakawe@gmail.com (Wan Naza) — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 11:38:00 +0800

Mel Gibson plays a former priest who lost his faith after his wife was killed in a freak car accident. Six months later, he discovers a gigantic crop circle in his yard, similar events happen all over the world. Graham's children think it's aliens, his brother thinks it's pranksters, and Graham doesn't know what to think. The crop circles cause a media frenzy and test Hess's faith as he journeys to find out the truth behind the crop circles. However, as more and more strange events occur, he regains his faith and realizes something big is coming, and it's probably not going to be friendly.

In Bucks County, Pennsylvania, a five-hundred-foot crop circle is found on the farm of Graham Hess (Gibson), the town's reverend. The circles cause a media frenzy and test Hess's faith as he journeys to find out the truth behind the crop circles.

Colleen Hess (Kalember) is killed in a car accident. Her husband, Graham Hess, (Gibson) is a minister, family man, and after her death, Hess lost his faith and quit his job. Six months later, Graham is living with his brother Merill (Phoenix) and two children, (Culkin and Breslin) living in rural Buck County. When they wake up one day, they discover 500-foot long crop circles in their front-yard. The kids think it is extra-terrestrials, Merill think it's pranksters, and Graham is not quite sure. But when weird noises and movements, terrifying news reports and one of the kids buys an alien-based book, the Hess family realizes that it just might be aliens...

The story of the Hess family in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. One morning they wake up to find a 500 foot crop circle in their backyard. Graham Hess (Mel Gibson) and his family are told extraterretrials are responsible for the sign in their field. They watch the news as crop circles are soon found all over the world.

In Bucks County, Pennsylvania, a small family discovers a 500 foot-long crop circle in a corn field. With no convenient explanation, everyone turns to aliens. Merill Hess(Phoenix) believes it was a prankster by the name of Lionel Prichard. However, strange noises and unusual objects appearing out of the sky suggest that there is something hard at work, but what, and why?

After the death of his wife in a freak accident, Reverend Graham Hess questions his faith and even leaves the church. Six months later, he discovers a gigantic crop circle in his yard. Similar events happen all over the world. Graham's children think it's aliens, his brother thinks it's pranksters, and Graham doesn't know what to think. However, as more and more strange events occur, he realizes something big is coming, and it's probably not going to be friendly.

Forever Young

keretakawe@gmail.com (Wan Naza) — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 07:49:00 +0800

A 1939 test pilot asks his best friend to use him as a guinea pig for a cryogenics experiment. Daniel McCormick wants to be frozen for a year so that he doesn't have to watch his love lying in a coma. The next thing Daniel knows is that he's been awoken in 1992.

Man Without A Face

keretakawe@gmail.com (Wan Naza) — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 14:18:00 +0800

The story of a relationship between a teacher and his troubled pupil. Justin McLeod is a former teacher who lives as a recluse on the edge of town. His face is disfigured from an automobile accident and fire ten years before in which a boy was incinerated and for which he was convicted of involuntary manslaughter. He is also suspected of being a pedophile. He is befriended by Chuck, causing the town's suspicion and hostility to be ignited. McLeod inculcates in his protege a love of justice and freedom from prejudice which sustains him beyond the end of the film.

Justin McLeod has been living the life of a reculse for seven years, ever since his face was horribly disfigured. Known as "Hamburger Head" to the locals, he's the subject of many rumors and wild stories. Chuck is a young boy determined to get into the same military as his father, despite his mother's protests and his halfsisters' mocking, even if it means studying all through the summer. Desperate for a tutor, Chuck encounters the reclusive McLeod, and together they begin to help each other deal with a world that has shunned them both.

Pocahontas

keretakawe@gmail.com (Wan Naza) — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 23:00:00 +0800

Capt. John Smith leads a rag-tag band of English sailors & soldiers to the New World to plunder its riches for England (or, more precisely, for Governor Ratcliffe, who comes along for the ride). Meanwhile, in this "New World," Chief Powhatan has pledged his daughter, Pocahontas, to be married to the village's greatest warrior. Pocahontas, however, has other ideas. She has seen a vision of a spinning arrow, a vision she believes tells her change is coming. Her life does indeed change when the English ship lands near her village. Between Ratcliffe, who believes the "savages" are hiding the gold he expected to be plentiful, and Powhatan, who believes these pale newcomers will destroy their land, Smith and Pocahontas have a difficult time preventing all-out war, and saving their love for each other.

Conspiracy Theory

keretakawe@gmail.com (Wan Naza) — Sat, 7 Jul 2007 19:25:00 +0800

Jerry Fletcher is a man in love with a woman he observes from afar. She works for the government. Fletcher is an outspoken critic of that government. He has conspiracy theories for everything, from aliens to political assassinations. But soon, one of his theories finds itself to be accurate. But which one? Some dangerous people want him dead and the only person he trusts is that woman he loves but does not know.

Mel Gibson is a New York taxi driver, who has a strange habit. He makes complicated scenarios of conspiracies and publishes them in a newsletter sent out to five recipients. He keeps doing that, until something unbelievable happens: One of his "conspiracy theories" turns out to be real, and so he finds himself chased by the man hiding behind the whole thing.

Letahl Weapon

keretakawe@gmail.com (Wan Naza) — Mon, 2 Jul 2007 00:43:00 +0800

Martin Riggs is an L.A. cop with suicidal tendencies and Roger Murtaugh is the unlucky police officer with whom Riggs is assigned. Together they uncover a huge drug-smuggling operation, and as their success rate grows so does their friendship.

Roger Murtaugh has just turned 50, and only has a few more years to go before he retires from the Los Angeles Police Department. Martin Riggs has just lost his wife in an accident, and doesn't care if he lives or dies. When they are paired together, Murtaugh has problems with Riggs suicidal attitude towards work, as they investigate a drugs baron dubbed "The General".

Los Angeles police sergeant Roger Murtaugh, who has just turned 50 years old, is assigned to investigate the death of Amanda Hunsaker, a prostitute who is one of the daughters of bank president Michael Hunsaker, a friend whom Roger has known since they were in the Vietnam War together, but Roger hasn't seen Michael in 12 years. Beginning with this investigation, Roger is assigned a new partner Sergeant Martin Riggs, who has been suicidal ever since his wife Victoria "Vicky" Lynn Riggs died in a car crash in 1984. Riggs and Murtaugh's investigation of Amanda's death reveals that she was murdered. Upon hearing of this, Michael tells Murtaugh that he would like for whoever is behind Amanda's murder to end up dead, like Amanda. Riggs and Murtaugh's investigation continues and it makes them the targets of Shadow Company, a group of former Vietnam War era mercenaries who now bring heroin into the Los Angeles County region. Shadow Company's leader, General Peter McAllister, and his right hand man, Mr. Joshua, want Riggs and Murtaugh dead, no matter what the cost.

Lethal Weapon 2

keretakawe@gmail.com (Wan Naza) — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 01:54:00 +0800

Riggs and Murtaugh are at it again in this sequel to the original Lethal Weapon in 1987. When a red BMW crashes while they are chasing it, they discover the trunk is full of South African Krugerands. Their boss assigns them to protect a federal witness named Leo Getz to try and keep them out of trouble. When the witness reveals he has been doing business with South Africans, the story evolves into a fast moving chase.

Los Angeles P.D. officers Roger Murtaugh (Glover) & Martin Riggs (Gibson) are back, and this time they are chasing a thug in a red BMW. When the car crashes, several million dollars in Krugerand - South African currency - spill out of the trunk. After Murtaugh is ambushed in his home by a group of South African thugs, they speculate that the vehicle they were chasing may be linked. When their captain assigns them to guard a witness (Pesci) in a drug case, they soon find out that the drug dealers the witness was dealing with are South African diplomats hiding behind their immunity to carry out cocaine smuggling. Riggs also discovers that one of the consulate employees is in fact the murderer of his wife! After the thugs kill a consul secretary Riggs was in love with, and several fellow police officers are murdered by the diplomats, Riggs & Murtaugh exact angry, bloody revenge against the psychopathic drug-dealing diplomats.

South African smugglers find themselves being hounded and harassed by Riggs and Murtaugh, two mismatched Los Angeles police officers. However, the South Africans are protected by diplomatic immunity and so the duo are assigned to witness protection duty in an attempt by their captain to keep his job. It is only when this witness reveals to them that he has already dealt with the smugglers that the trouble really starts.

Los Angeles police sergeant Roger Murtaugh and his partner, Sergeant Martin Riggs, are working on yet another drug related case. Soon after finding 1 million dollars worth of South African krugerrand in a crashed red BMW after a chase, Riggs and Murtaugh are assigned to keep an eye on Leo Getz, who is scheduled to testify in a case. There are people who don't want Leo to testify, and they are a group of drug smugglers led by Arjen Rudd, the minister of diplomatic affairs for the South African consulate. Rudd turns out to be the man that Riggs and Murtaugh are after in the drug case they were working on before Leo was placed in their protective custody, which doesn't look very protective when Leo is kidnapped by Rudd's right hand man Pieter Vorstedt. Riggs ends up falling for Rudd's secretary Rika Van Den Haas, who doesn't like Rudd. In a confrontation with Vorstedt, Riggs is told the true circumstances behind the death of his wife Vicky, who died in a car crash in 1984 the car crash was caused by Vorstedt, who was supposed to have killed Riggs. Minutes after Vorstedt tries to kill Riggs, Riggs finds Rika dead, and this sends Riggs over the edge.

Lethal Weapon 3

keretakawe@gmail.com (Wan Naza) — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 01:55:00 +0800

Martin Riggs finally meets his match in the form of Lorna Cole, a beautiful but tough policewoman. Together with Roger Murtaugh, his partner, the three attempt to expose a crooked former policeman and his huge arms racket. The crooked cop (Jack Travis) thwarts them at every turn, mainly by killing anyone who is about to talk, but Murtaugh has personal problems of his own as his family are brought into the equation.

Police officers Riggs and Murtaugh team together for the third time. This time they must track down a guy who has robbed weapons from the Los Angeles police depot. Riggs and Murtaugh also have to deal with Leo Getz, the hectic guy from Lethal Weapon 2 and Riggs has very special problems with a young and beautiful female police officer.

Los Angeles police sergeant Roger Murtaugh and his partner, Sergeant Martin Riggs, arrest Billy Phelps for trying to rob an armored truck, this being just 8 days until Murtaugh is scheduled to retire. In the interrogation room, Billy is murdered by Lieutenant Jack Edward Travis, a vicious former cop who now sells guns that are stolen from evidence storage facilities. The investigation of Travis teams Riggs and Murtaugh up with Sergeant Lorna Cole of the Internal Affairs Division. Leo Getz, who is now a legitimate real estate agent, gets involved when he sees Travis's face on a paused videotape then says he recognizes Travis. Riggs finds himself falling in love with Lorna. Later, in a shootout against a street gang, Murtaugh kills a gangster who turns out to be Darrell Smithers, the best friend of Murtaugh's son Nick. A guilt ridden Murtaugh later tries to drink himself to death, but Riggs helps him realize that they must go after Travis, the man that Darrell's gun came from.

Riggs and Murtaugh are back. This time after another one of Riggs' goofs, they are busted down to patrolmen. But they come across a robbery and they catch one of the robbers and discover that he has in his possession armor piercing bullets. Which means that no cop is safe. They go and try to speak to the man but Lorna Cole, a cop from Internal Affairs also wants to speak to him but Riggs is obstinate, so they go to the Captain, who not only backs them up but reinstates them as detectives. But when they go to see him, they find the man dead. But the learn who the killer is, a former cop named Jack Travis. But when they learn about this Cole shuts them out. But they get a lead from Leo Getz but unfortunately he gets away. Later Murtaugh shoots a boy who is armed with an automatic weapon and becomes despondent. Riggs is confronted by Cole who tells him that she should have been informed of the lead he had on Travis. Riggs then counters that she should tell him what is going on. She then tells him and they go out to try and find Travis.

LETHAL WEAPON 4

keretakawe@gmail.com (Wan Naza) — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 03:04:00 +0800

11 years ago, Richard Donner directed the landmark mismatched-cop-buddy movie: a serious, violent affair capitalising on a rising Mel Gibson's talent for playing on-the-edge mania. The swiftly following sequel took such a left swerve into comedy, however, that the third instalment felt like a sequel itself, which was no bad thing. And now, despite the fact that Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) declared himself rather advanced in years for all this capering over a decade ago (or words to that effect), they're back for more.

A plot concerning illegal Chinese immigrants and a huge counterfeiting operation is largely irrelevant, because this is all about the formula. And while there's something hugely self-indulgent about this shameless reunion (the stars and director again joined by Rene Russo as Gibbo's lover and Joe Pesci as the hapless stooge), it's forgivable because the audience is invited to a party which packs in the requisite components - reckless Riggs flirting with moany Murtaugh's daughter, the partners' bickersome banter, costly scrapes involving widescale destruction - with a knowing, ironic flair. What's most telling is that even after six years' absence, these old hands prove they can still do the action adventure better than most of their genre rivals.

PAYBACK

keretakawe@gmail.com (Wan Naza) — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 01:09:00 +0800

Porter is miffed. Really miffed.

Having been double-crossed by partner Val Resnick (Gregg Henry) - who subsequently slimed off with Porter's duplicitous wife Lynn (Deborah Kara Unger), he's now lying in a bloody mess awaiting the removal of two bullets from his back by a back-street surgeon using only liberally-splashed scotch as an anaesthetic.

The trouble with this line of work, Porter growls in voice-over, is the lack of quality health-care.

This line of work being the appropriation of funds using methods not exactly sanctioned by the legal authorities. Or nicking stuff.

Because Porter is - and very nearly was - a small-time hood, but as the latest scam goes belly up, it's Resnick who steals Porter's wife, his share of the 140,000 dollars, and very nearly his life.

The fact that he survives, however, is bad news. Bad news for Val, for Lynn, and anyone else who stands in the way of Porter getting his money back.

Seeing Gibson stride through the lead role of this dark, violent revenge thriller is a treat we've been long denied.

In a faceless, washed-out cityscape, his is an avenging angel who's fallen with a capital F - a grim, implacable force bent on serious retribution, and it's rare to see a star of Gibson's calibre chancing his arm on a wholly amoral and unsympathetic anti-hero.

There are no mitigating circumstances, everyone's a villain, and the only reason we're siding with Porter is that Resnick and cronies are even more loathsome, and he was fitted-up first (oh, and he is, after all, Mel Gibson).

In this, and only this, is there a slight suspicion of cheating: that without Gibson's familiar chops, connection with Porter would be a more difficult proposition.

But this is what makes the movie world tick, and although his presence was also ultimately responsible for director Brian Helgeland (writer on Mel's Conspiracy Theory) storming out over the demand for post-production re-shoots, Helgeland's input is still crucial to the film's success.

Using the bleach-bypass development process on the print (which leaves it with cold, muted colours) was his decision, as was the impeccable casting.

THE PATRIOT

keretakawe@gmail.com (Wan Naza) — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 02:37:00 +0800

The barbarism and lack of compassion shown by British officers in Roland Emmerich's brutal and bloody war epic, The Patriot, are almost enough to make you feel ashamed of belonging to this island.

Innocent men, women and children are slaughtered in the name of king and country not to mention the spilt blood of defenceless prisoners of war. It's no wonder that 18th century war hero Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson) feels the compulsion to take a tomahawk and musket to the might of the British Empire.

It takes some time to get him warmed up, however. At the beginning of the film he is living at peace with his seven children in a sprawling South Carolina plantation after distinguishing himself in the French and Indian Wars.

The horrors of conflict come back to haunt him when his headstrong eldest son Gabriel (Heath Ledger) defies his orders to join the American army.

Unwilling to get involved himself, Benjamin finally joins the fight when second eldest son Thomas (Gregory Smith) is killed in cold blood by sadistic British officer, Colonel Tavington (Jason Isaacs).

Determined to protect the rest of his family and sister-in-law Charlotte (Joely Richardson) from harm, Benjamin takes up arms alongside his patriotic son Gabriel, leading a brave militia into battle against the overwhelming English army.

Gibson is marvellous in the lead - terrifying on the battlefields as he carves up the enemy with a maniacal glint in his eye and heart-breaking as the bereaved father, devastated as the war claims the lives of the people he loves most dearly.

The contradictions in Benjamin's personality - torn between his pacifist principles and protecting his brood - provide Gibson with several emotionally charged scenes, including a couple of opportunities to break down and cry his heart out.

The film's screenplay by Robert Rodat concentrates on the star, often at the expense of supporting players. Gabriel is underdeveloped, operating at times as a plot device to coax his father back into battle. Rising star Ledger makes the most of his second billing though, and demonstrates a magnetic screen presence.

Richardson is shamefully under used while the British commanders are all stiff upper-lipped caricatures, two-dimensional villains the lot of them.

CHICKEN RUN

keretakawe@gmail.com (Wan Naza) — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 17:13:00 +0800

Trouble is brewing down on Mrs Tweedy's poultry farm - the chickens are revolting (yes, that old chestnut) and clucky hen Ginger (voiced by Julia Sawalha) is planning her latest coop, um, coup.

Getting one or two birds out of the farm is no problem whatsoever.

Unfortunately, Ginger plans to get everyone out at the same time, and when one of the would-be escapees happens to be kind-hearted but bird-brained Babs (Jane Horrocks), well - Ginger is fighting a losing battle.

Despotic owner Mrs Tweedy (Miranda Richardson) plans to turn the birds into the tender filling of her new range of home-made chicken pies, and is waiting until the hens have fattened up. Ginger knows that time is of the essence but every daring scheme - trying to walk out of the camp hidden under a feeding trough, catapulting over the barbed wire, dressing up a tower of chickens as Mrs Tweedy and walking past the guard dogs - ends in disaster and another night in the coal shed. Ginger needs a miracle. And fast.

As she contemplates her next escape attempt with Scottish engineering genius Mac (Lynn Ferguson), Ginger witnesses a glorious sight: a rooster named Rocky (Mel Gibson) flying over the fence and into the farm. And suddenly she sees their salvation: if the cocksure Rocky can teach all of the hens how to fly then they can all fly out of Tweedy's clutches before she gives them the chop. Simple. Or it would be if the brash American was everything he claimed to be.

Aardman Animations, the studio behind the wonderful Wallace and Gromit films, delivers a magical first feature film in Chicken Run, essentially The Great Escape played out with a cast of Yorkshire fowl.

Karey Kirkpatrick's screenplay, based on an original story by directors Nick Park and Peter Lord, retains the studio's trademark, quirky humour, but also manages to incorporate lots of clever filmic references including Stalag 17, ET and Star Trek.

The level of detail in the characters is extraordinary. All of the main players are immediately recognisable and each bird has his or her own distinct personality: from elderly cockerel Fowler (Benjamin Whitrow) who regales the troops with stories of his wartime exploits with the RAF, to loveable but dim Babs, and of course the lovebirds Rocky and Ginger.

WHAT WOMEN WANT

keretakawe@gmail.com (Wan Naza) — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 00:50:00 +0800

The idea that a man is able to eaves drop on women's thoughts is a good one. The idea of casting Mel Gibson as the man is also a good one. Unfortunately every other idea director Nancy Meyers and writers Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa had wasn't so good. The result being that What Women Want is a sprawling and tedious romantic comedy that lacks conviction and more alarmingly, romance.

Mel Gibson has an effortless charm and sexiness, making it surprising that this is his first shot at a romantic comedy. What is more surprising is that here Helen Hunt lacks either and the chemistry between the two is clearly an experiment that failed.

Gibson plays Nick Marshall, a womanising executive in a Chicago advertising company. Being brought up by his showgirl mother in Las Vegas imbued the young Nick with a warped sense of feminine understanding. When a vacancy arises for a Creative Director, Nick is convinced his appointment is a formality. However his boss (Alda), fearing the company needs a woman to improve their miserable feminine products portfolio, brings in the dynamic Darcy Maguire (Hunt).

The slighted Nick then sets about undermining Maguire. This task is aided by his sudden ability to hear what women are thinking caused by a freak accident, enabling him to steal Maguire's ideas. The down side being he is shocked to discover that contrary to previous thinking, most of his female colleagues dislike him. The realisation instantly transforms the once arrogant Nick into a sensitive and caring confidante.

A sub-plot involving a counter-girl at a coffee shop, played with admirable verve by Tomei, is pointless and distracting. Also a thread involving his ex-wife and their teenage daughter weaves its clichéd way through her prom night and the threatened loss of her virginity.

Beginning with such a high concept premise allows for a lot of leeway with credulity so when Nick finds himself spontaneously breaking into dance routines both at home and in a shop, it's forgivable particularly as Gibson is so engaging in his Fred Astaire homage.

We Were Soldiers

keretakawe@gmail.com (Wan Naza) — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 00:52:00 +0800

The true events depicted in We Were Soldiers make it a very different Vietnam movie from such fictional accounts as Apocalypse Now. Based on the book 'We Were Soldiers Once . . . And Young' by Lt Col Harold G. Moore and Joseph L. Galloway about the first major battle in the Ia Drang Valley in 1965, the film is a gruesome depiction of the bloody engagement in which 400 American troops, under the leadership of Moore, took on 2000 North Vietnamese.

The other way in which the film differs from almost all other Vietnam movies is that it makes no attempt to address the political aspects of the war. It has no agenda and instead focuses on the soldiers, never questioning why they are there. The purpose of this approach, according to the book's authors, was to differentiate the soldiers from the war. This was presumably done in order to elevate their deeds above the perceived futility of Vietnam. While it may have achieved that, the film's wholesale carnage only reinforces the pointlessness of war.

The brutally graphic opening scenes of Saving Private Ryan set a new benchmark in war films, one that We Were Soldiers has raised to yet greater heights of goriness. The close-up battle scenes are not for the squeamish, particularly the images of napalm victims, but for all the effectiveness of Dean Semler's cinematography, in the end We Were Soldiers is repetitious and wearying.

Mel Gibson is the tough and compassionate Moore, but even with his convincing portrayal, it's hard to believe he's playing a real person and not just another of his archetypal heroic roles. Director Randall Wallace was also responsible for the screenplay adaptation of the book. With past writing credits including Braveheart and Pearl Harbor, he has an ear for sappy dialogue, a talent that is evidenced here with lines like, "I'm glad I could die for my country" and "Tell my wife I love her". Whenever reality meets Hollywood, there are inevitably some concessions. It would be nice to think that Hal Moore had the type of blissful marriage and idyllic family life portrayed here, but authenticity is questioned when Madeline Stowe, who plays Moore's wife, exhibits the radical lip augmentation army housewives only dreamed of in 1965.

The Sign

keretakawe@gmail.com (Wan Naza) — Tue, 5 Jun 2007 04:56:00 +0800

Mel Gibson stars in The Signs

Lethal Weapon

keretakawe@gmail.com (Wan Naza) — Sat, 2 Jun 2007 12:00:00 +0800

Mel Gibson stars in Lethal Weapon

Braveheart

keretakawe@gmail.com (Wan Naza) — Mon, 28 May 2007 14:23:00 +0800

Mel Gibson in Braveheart

The Sign

keretakawe@gmail.com (Wan Naza) — Thu, 24 May 2007 23:27:00 +0800

The Sign

keretakawe@gmail.com (Wan Naza) — Tue, 22 May 2007 15:00:00 +0800

Apocalypto

keretakawe@gmail.com (Wan Naza) — Sat, 19 May 2007 20:36:00 +0800

Gibson's next historical epic, Apocalypto, was released to theaters on December 8, 2006. The film is set in Mesoamerica, during the period immediately before the Spanish conquest. It focuses on the decline of the Maya civilization which reached its zenith around 600 AD. Dialogue is spoken in the Yucatec Maya language. It features a cast of unknown actors from Mexico City, the Yucatán, and some Native Americans from the United States.

While Gibson financed the film himself, Disney released it in specific markets.

The film is set against the turbulent end times of the once great Maya civilization.

The title is a Greek term which means "an unveiling" or "new beginning", but the movie is not religiously themed or connected to the biblical Apocalypse.

Gibson pre-screened Apocalypto to two predominantly Native American audiences in Oklahoma, at the Riverwind Casino in Goldsby, owned by the Chickasaw Nation, and at Cameron University in Lawton.

Gibson is currently considering directing a film taking place in Panama shortly after the era of Apocalypto about the first Europeans to see the Pacific Ocean.

Hamlet

keretakawe@gmail.com (Wan Naza) — Thu, 17 May 2007 01:13:00 +0800

Gibson made the unusual transition from the action to classical genres, playing the melancholy Danish prince in Franco Zeffirelli's Hamlet. Gibson was cast alongside such experienced Shakespearean actors as Ian Holm, Alan Bates, and Paul Scofield. He described working with his fellow cast members as similar to being "thrown into the ring with Mike Tyson".

The film met with critical and marketing success and remains steady in DVD sales. It also marked the transformation of Mel Gibson from action hero to serious actor and filmmaker.

Braveheart

keretakawe@gmail.com (Wan Naza) — Fri, 11 May 2007 00:47:00 +0800

Gibson stated that when the Braveheart script arrived and was recommended by his agents, he rejected it outright because he thought he was too old to play the part. After careful thought, he decided to not only act in the film, but to direct it as well.

Gibson received two Academy Awards, Best Director and Best Picture, for his 1995 direction of Braveheart. In the movie, Gibson starred as Sir William Wallace, a thirteenth-century Scottish freedom fighter.

He said in interviews that he was attempting to make a film similar to the epics he had loved as a child, such as Stanley Kubrick's Spartacus and The Big Country. The filming began in the Scottish Highlands. After learning that the intended filming locations were among the rainiest spots in Europe, the shooting was moved to the Republic of Ireland, where members of the Irish Army Reserve worked as extras in the battle scenes.

Lethal Weapon

keretakawe@gmail.com (Wan Naza) — Sat, 5 May 2007 01:16:00 +0800

Lethal Weapon

Gibson moved into more mainstream commercial filmmaking with the popular Lethal Weapon series, in which he starred as LAPD Detective Martin Riggs, an emotionally unstable Vietnam veteran with a death wish and a penchant for violence and gunplay. In the films, he was partnered with the elder and more reserved Roger Murtaugh (played by Danny Glover). This series would come to exemplify the action genre's so-called buddy film.

The two actors were trained in two different schools of acting. Gibson is classically trained and Glover is a method actor. Three sequels were produced.