We got to the ArcLight at about 11:40 p.m.  Outside the entrance were several camera crews interviewing people.  As Jamie and I entered the lobby, we were approached by a man and woman who wanted to interview us about the movie.  We answered their questions, while reserving judgment of the movie until after we saw it.  Unfortunately, they just said they were from a “Christian magazine”.  They didn't tell me which one, but I guess I'll be seeing that magazine in heaven.  Anyway, we headed into the theater, dodging other reporters, and settled in to our reserved seats.  (For DC Talk fans, there was a possible K-Max sighting.)  The movie was playing in the CineramaDome, which I'm not a big fan of, but what is important to note is that this particular screen has a curtain that covers it entirely.  It opens for the previews, then closes and reopens to set the feature apart.  So, the previews played, the screen closed, reopened, and then we all just sat in black silence waiting for the movie to begin.  It didn't.  The lights came back on, and we had to wait several minutes for them to work out the problem.  Very un-ArcLight.  Eventually, it got started, and was captivating from the first moment.  I did have to fight hard to watch it as a movie on its own terms, because all the controversy and things I heard would pop into my head as a new scene would begin or a new character would appear.  Man, it was gut-wrenching.  It was bloody and violent.  Kind of like real life.  I've read about people who complain that it was too violent, about people who had to leave in the middle of it.  I guess I'm just glad that Jesus didn't leave in the middle of it, that he endured it until everything was accomplished.

As the credits began to roll, an odd thing happened.  The curtain closed, the lights came up, and the film stopped rolling.  A few people began to get up to leave.  However, the majority demanded that they roll the credits, which they did.  Then they demanded that the curtain reopen, which it did.  Then they demanded that the lights go off, which they did.  Then, everyone stayed until the last credit rolled and then applauded.  If I were in Texas, this would not have surprised me, as I would have assumed that I was in the theater with a church group.  But I saw the movie in Hollywood, on Sunset Boulevard.  I'd be surprised if there were enough Christians in Hollywood to fill a theater.  I just think it says a lot that even this audience showed this amount of respect for this movie.