I am now one of a minority of people who have not seen
”
The Passion of the Christ.
”
The movie is a big financial success, and according to reports I
heard yesterday, has a chance of surpassing
”
Spiderman
”
to become one of the three biggest box-office hits of all
time.
I am now one of a minority of people who have not seen “The Passion of the Christ.” The movie is a big financial success, and according to reports I heard yesterday, has a chance of surpassing “Spiderman” to become one of the three biggest box-office hits of all time.
As Easter approaches, I see another whole wave of interest in this film. I can’t bring myself to see the movie, because I have trouble with seeing pain and graphic torture. I would have no trouble watching a movie based on the life of Polly Klaas. I would be unable to watch a movie that was all about her death. I don’t want to watch the torture and crucifixion of Jesus. I want my children to know the lessons of Jesus which preceded his death. I want my children to know the lessons of the risen Christ.
Film is a powerful tool. Since religious films do not come out very often, the ones I have seen are memorable. “The Ten Commandments” is a movie that I have watched many times over the years, and there are many memorable scenes it in.
It is suitable for families, while “The Passion” is not. I am astounded that so many Gilroy children have seen this film.
I won’t allow my children to see “The Passion of the Christ” because I don’t want their most memorable image of Christ to be bloody and beaten to a pulp.
* * *
I have been loosely following the Bonfante Gardens saga. As a past season ticket holder, I don’t hold out too much hope for the park. The deal with Paramount last year was great because it allowed me to take my kids and their friends to Great America every week. We went to Bonfante Gardens a few times, but it soon lost its luster with our family.
Aside from the lack of activities for the tweens and teens, the prices for everything were going up while the ambiance of the park was heading south. I hope that the land deal which will bring more luxury homes to Gilroy will help Bonfante Gardens on the road to financial recovery.
The City of Gilroy and its people have been supportive since the day the (unfinished) park first opened. At some point, changes have to be made. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; the most glaring error since day one has been the lack of a water ride.
How anyone thought a successful theme park in Gilroy could survive without a water feature is beyond me. Additionally, there is the lack of a thrill ride. Every successful theme park has at least one rollercoaster or thrill ride that scares young children and old people. Every park except Bonfante Gardens.
My children would like to be able to buy those “two parks-for-one” passes again this year because they want to be able to go to Great America each week and have the option go to Bonfante when they have a couple of free hours at night.
As each year passes, there is less and less for my kids to do at Bonfante. Theme parks, even “family theme parks” need teenagers. Bonfante Gardens took great care in providing lots of places for young children. They forgot to acknowledge that teenagers are part of families.
Unlike toddlers, teenagers are an economic asset. Teenagers spend lots of time and money at theme parks. Bonfante Gardens has pretty much limited itself as a place for teens to work, but not play.
When they decided not to open the arcade last year, my kids were very disappointed.
Again, this arcade is a fun place for the big kids to play, so it may not be something Bonfante Gardens wants to save.
Maybe the Bonfante Board has already decided that families with middle school kids should go to Great America or the Boardwalk. Maybe they don’t know or care that the fastest growing businesses are ones that cater specifically to his age group. There are approximately 5,000 students in Gilroy Unified alone who are either tweens or teens. That is the target market for this and every theme park. here must be some good reason why our local family theme park doesn’t make an effort to be more accessible to them.
Denise Baer Apuzzo has lived in Gilroy for seven years. She is married and the mother of three children who attend Gilroy Unified Schools. You can reach her by email at: lu******@****ic.com. Her column is published each Thursday.
