Jesus of Montreal (1989)

I cheated a bit with this one.  It's set in 1980s Montreal.  But, I needed a break from all the sand.  An actor is hired to update a Passion Play, because attendance has been dropping off.  H gathers together a misfit crew of actors, and then put on a very successful show.  Eventually, the man playing Jesus becomes a modern day Jesus through a series of tragic events. The movie does show several scenes of their play, which is why I've decided to include it. Altogether it's a pretty good movie with an unfortunate soundtrack.

The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)

Now that we are finished with regular Jesus, it is time for his gritty reboot.  I actually enjoyed The Last Temptation of Christ, although it started to drag during the last temptation part.  I found Willem Dafoe's Jesus to be a lot more likable than most of the other portrayals.  Visually, it has some very striking moments.  Also, as an added bonus, nobody uses a fake English accent and everyone acts like a real person.