I'm not sure if this is overstepping since I've pledged not to blog about Gibson's Passion of the Christ until I've actually seen it (which I have no plans to do as previously noted), but exactly who is buying the officially licensed collectibles-- or more directly, what screwball will buy a crucifixion nail? Is it just me or is there something really obscene about that? And will the media please stop aksing if Hollywood has found religion -- Hollywood, like the rest of corporate America, has a religion. Its icon is this: $$$ and it has legions of followers.

But don't underestimate the power of what the film reveals about the American audience in general. I'll venture a guess that before 9/11 this movie would have had a modest impact at best. (The Bible Belt is large you know.) The message of pain, suffering, sacrifice -- and who's to blame -- are resonating with the post-9/11 society we now live in. Maybe that's why the power of the religious right, which has existed for years, is just now becoming so evident to the masses. And while I haven't seen Dawn of the Dead either (and I have no plans to), this article seems to think there's a connection between the three.