Movie Reviews for Dogma (Special Edition)

Dogma (Special Edition)

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Movie Reviews of Dogma (Special Edition)

Movie Review: DVDeity calls, and Smith answers the bell
Summary: 5 Stars

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Since commentary tracks are the most important feature, to me, of any DVD, and since this is my first time listening to one (well, two here) of Kevin Smith's legendary commentary tracks, let me get right at it.

Messrs. Smith, Affleck, Mewes, Lee, Mosier, and Pereira appear on the first track. The Jays, Mewes and Lee, don't contribute all that much; the former adds a spaced-out comment or two, but only when prompted, giving cause for the others to ridicule his grammar; the latter only pipes up to ask director Smith a technical question once in a while. Vinnie Pereira, who is described as View Askew's resident historian, is proven negligent on several occasions, for not knowing some detail or another. Which, to me, proves that he's probably right most of the time, and only got called on it while the audience was in the room, for the purpose of some good-natured ridicule. Scott Mosier, producer and second unit director, answers any and all technical questions that Smith can't, and takes some all-in-good-fun flak for his cameo in the film, a scene on the bus where he's asked to make-out with his girlfriend. Ben Affleck, far and away the biggest star in the room, is both incredibly articulate on why he's proud of the movie and his role in it, and good-natured at being the butt of many of his lesser-known cohorts' jokes. Kevin Smith, writer/director, is funny and forthcoming with his feelings about the movie. He doesn't shy away from the on-set conflict between Linda Fiorentino and himself, he's outspoken about the undue criticism the film received, and he's self-deprecating when talking about his skills (or lack thereof) as a director and his reliance on toilet humour in his writings. The track is fun and funny, like listening to a bunch of guys at a bar on a particularly witty and combative night. It's not afraid to go off-topic (at one point a discussion breaks out on the sex-lives of the participants during the making of the movie!), but still manages to cram in more behind the scenes information than most commentary tracks I've heard.

The second commentary track features only Smith, Mosier, and Pereira, and was included because the first track was so jokey and off-topic at times. Smith and Co. wanted to at least appear like real filmmakers who knew what they were doing. So they try and talk about aspect ratios, and film stock, and optical transfers, etc. Which is all well and good, but they also joke around enough to make this track interesting in its own right, while still being funny for non-techno geeks.

Besides the two commentary tracks, the 2 DVD set holds a number of other fine features.

Included in packages liner notes is a lengthy and finely written essay by Smith, which details how and (more importantly) why he made this film. In it, he lays his soul bare, giving up his love for God, and his desire to honour Him (or Her) with an intelligent movie that the masses will see. The only way to do that, he reasons, is by lacing the theologically motivated story with "... and fart jokes". A job well done, Kev.

Disc two has over 100 minutes of deleted scenes that prove why they were deleted. They are often ponderous, and would have been detrimental to the narrative, even while fleshing out each character's backstory. The interesting part about this feature is that each scene is introduced by Pereira and an increasingly larger contingent of the Smith clan, beginning with just Kevin, then him and his daughter, then him and his daughter and his wife, and finally him and his "other" son, Jason Mewes. It's kind of cute to see Kevin, a self-described raunchmeister, in the company of his wholesome family.

The outtakes section was a disappointment. With over 3.5 hours of usable footage, you'd think the produces would have been able to cobble together more than 13 minutes of crack-ups and muggings. But they haven't. Pity.

Overall, the DVD is a fine package. Two minor quibbles: the opening sequence, which plays while the disc loads, was funny the first time. But it's too long. It became annoying when every time I put the DVD in this drawn out joke had to play. Also, when transferring between features, a short condemnation, presumably riffing on the grief the film got from the Catholic League, appears, telling the audience that they're probably going to burn for watching the movie. I appreciate the irony, but not every time I wanted to turn the subtitles on. This got tiresome pretty quickly, too. But besides those two points, "Dogma" is presented in all its splendor, deservedly so.

Movie Review: Faith May Be A Funny Thing, but DOGMA is Hilarious!!!
Summary: 5 Stars

Now, in my humble opinion Kevin Smith is truly one of those filmmakers that really doesn't give himself the credit he richly deserves. I work in a video store, so, with the benefits I get to rent movies for free, and after a year or so I've seen great film (Smith's films included), but unfortunately, I also see films that are unoriginal, uninspired, and lacking substance (40% of those belonging to either Martin Lawrence or Adam Sandler). But Kevin Smith somehow manages to make something that tickles and stimulates your subconsious and makes you feel intellectually invigorated. Starting with "CLERKS," the raw, gritty, and realistic look at the minimum wage hellholes that decorate our suburbs. Then the underappreciated "MALLRATS" a film that provoked watchers to stop a think about the things we typically never think about (i.e. the overpowering coital abilities of Superman). Third was the brutally honest and deeply emotional dramadey "CHASING AMY" a film that pointed out how important is is to focus on the now and also to trust your heart.

And then Smith's latest opus DOGMA.

Not since Albert Brooks' comedy "MOTHER" has there been a movie that gave me the desire to sit down and privately evaluate where I stand in my own life and the way I see the world, and more importantly next world. In total honestly, the people that shunned this movie needed to look past the ugly shell and see the deeper motivation of "DOGMA." The implications laid forward by this film are really the most intelligent observations I've ever heard, and when I thought about them to myself I realized how much sense they've made to me. It now makes sense to me that God could be a woman, that Jesus was black and that these facts were omitted in order to hide the hardcore truth. Come to think of it those people have a mild similarity to Disney (who turned it's back on this film) obviously they don't want their audience to actually think! (Hence the succes of Pocahontas.) Fact is all of those films that dared to make the audience feel, have been given nothing but trouble (Just look at what happened to "BRAZIL").

But Now I'll comment on the comedy and performances. I still state that Kevin Smith is still the only person who manages to make curse words sound natural and evenly balances with Smith's intelligent, and witty writing. His immortal characters Jay and Silent Bob, upon their hilariously heroic entrance seemed like an addition that would end up clashing with the idea of the film, but soon you begin to welcome their presence into the proceedings. The material as well is fresh, original, and risky. Not since "Monty Python's Life of Brian" was there a comedy that dared to use the gospels as a platform for off-the-wall hilarity. Only in this one, the humor is natural and is perfectly in character for this film, aided in no small part by brilliant acting. We truly see a versatility in Chris Rock we never thought was there. Damon and Affleck obviously have no trouble working off each other. Salma Hayek has successfully managed to say "I'm sorry for my useless character in Wild, Wild, West," and played a role that always puts a smile on my face. Jason Lee is also a diabolical delight (as usual)as our villain Azrael. Alan Rickman is hilariously british, as Metatron, and our heroine Linda Fiorentino makes you genuinely feel for her as the film progresses.

But you get even more of these feelings as you watch the extras on this fully loaded Special Edition DVD. supplying us with with over 100 minutes of deleted footage. You must definitely watch the flick before you watch these scenes, so you can absorb the scenes. The scenes are more interesting to watch on their own. I agree with Kevin Smith that if the film had not been cut it would've been WAAAAAY too long, and fact is comedy was not made for 3 1/4 hours. But watching these scenes alone make some of the motivations of the film more clear to me. Plus, add Two great Commentaries from cast and crew and then you'll get a welcome addition to the View Askew DVD collection.

In conclusion, DOGMA has meant alot to me on a personal level. Because now, I've been provoked to give my faith a final evaluation and finally have thoughts of my own, and the fact that it's a comedy makes it moreso satisfying. You just don't get those feelings with a movie featuring a moron yelling nonsensical gibberish for an hour and a half.

Movie Review: All hail the King of dvds (God, this is good)
Summary: 5 Stars

Kevin Smith is one of the hottest young filmmakers today. And it is no wonder, he makes great films--Clerks (what he did on such a small budget and his work as an indie film), Chasing Amy (not your typical Kevin Smith movie, but a great film, Dogma (the best of what he has done), and even Mallrats was good, though it did poorly at the box office and Jay and Silent Bob Strikes Back (his spoof of himself). But Dogman is his crowning achievement.

Dogma is easily in the top 100 movies ever made. Smith's dialogue is on par. It's a great satire as well as a philosophical/theological statement (the thinking man's movie). And done his way--the independant way. Smith does a great job directing, and his script is well-written (though he is flexible enough to make changes while shooting). And Smith and his producer Scott Mosier do their own editing--a real bonus as it helps keep the director's vision alive.

Smith also pulls out some great performances in this film. Linda Fiorentino plays the main role of Bethany Sloane. She does a good job, but her performance is below the rest of the cast. She is just a little too low-key. Matt Damon gives a brilliant performance, and even Ben Affleck (and actor I have little respect for) gives a solid performance, though he tends to be upstaged by Damon. Alan Rickman gives a respectable performance. Chris Rock and Salma Hayek are wonderful. Jason Lee is great, as he always is (easily the best performance of the film). Of course you have Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith as our favorite duo - Jay and Silent Bob. Great job guys. And there are good performances by George Carlin, Alanis Morissette (a particularly hard role since there is no dialogue), Janean Grafalo (oh how I wish she had been casted as Bethany, the role was made for her), Better Aberlin (as the Nun--you know which one), Dwight Ewell, Ethan Suplee (as the Golgothan), and of course Walt Flanagan. There are a few glitches and a few casting questions, but overall Smith pulls great work out of his actors.

As a dvd, Smith puts together a #1 package for his fans. First of all it comes in a nice slipcover case instead of that cheap packaging so man dvds come in. His menus are interactive, cartoonish, and very entertaining. There's this odd 'grandma' lady running around the dvd. She's great. There are two commentaries. The first is your typical Kevin Smith commentary: the cast and crew sitting around, eating, and cracking jokes, occasionally talking about the movie. and of course, you have Affleck hamming it up trying to get the spotlight on him with absolutely nothing to say. The second commentary is a technical commentary, with only Kevin Smith, Scott Mosier (producer, and it was his idea to do this track), and Vincent Pererra (View Askew 'official' historian). This commentary focuses on 'the how' of how the film was made. A value for any independant filmmaker, especially since Smith doesn't fall back on money and CGI. It's a shame he didn't include a commentary track like this on his previous films (but maybe there were enough complaints and that is why we have it here). And on disc 2 - There are over and hour and half of deleted scenes, storyboards (for the mooby sequence, triplet attack sequence, and no man attack sequence), outtakes, the trailer, and advertisement for Kevin Smith's comic books store Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash, and one of the most interestingly done filmographies/biographies I've ever seen on a dvd. This is how dvds should be done. All you other filmmakers and distributors, take a good, long look at this dvd, and learn from Kevin Smith. This is what we pay for, this is what we want (in addition to a good movie).

And I end with this: picture it--the Buddy Christ.

Movie Review: Incredibly hilarious and exciting comic epic
Summary: 5 Stars

Bartleby (Ben Affleck) and Loki (Matt Damon) are two angels who have been banished to Wisconsin since the Plagues who discover a loophole in Catholic dogma that would allow them to reenter Heaven. But there's one catch: By doing so, they would upset the delicately held balance in the universe and destroy existence in the process. With the Almighty mysteriously missing, the powers have no choice but to rely on a sardonic Planned Parenthood worker named Bethany (Linda Fiorentino) and two "prophets" dubbed Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith) to stop the angels from entering the church with the papel-sanctioned plenary indulgence. Along the way, we meet the long forgotten thirteenth apostle Rufus (Chris Rock, hilarious), a muse with a case of writer's block (Salma Hayek), and James Bondian demon with a devilish agenda (Jason Lee, always terrific).

"Dogma" has one of the most diverse and well put together casts I've ever seen in a film. Jay Mewes steals almost every scene with his astounding deliveries; I don't think we'll see him any better than this. And Alan Rickman as the Voice of God, Metatron, supplies some great laughs as well as mystical speeches. Fiorentino provides a strong emotional center to the film, because we can identify with her feelings. Affleck has a hard job of making the biggest emotional change in the film, but we believe him every step of the way. The performances in the film are terrific all around, but the real success of the film lies in the writing, full of details, in jokes, and wonderful originality. Each scene, one after the other, keeps us rolling in the aisles. God helps us if Kevin Smith makes something better and funnier than this. If laughed any harder, I probably would've killed myself. "Dogma" is quite possibly the funniest and most original comedy ever made.

Movie Review: Orignal and Dazzling!
Summary: 5 Stars

The star of the movie is Bethany Sloan, who works at an abortion clinic, and has to deal with the protestors with signs like "Child Murderer." Events in her life has began to question her belief in God, but everything changes when she meets Metatron, the voice of God, who has a job for her. Cardinal Glick has designed a Church during its 100th year that has an archway that could lead to return of two banished angels Bartleby and Loki. Since God banished them, and his choice is infallible, it would prove that God is wrong, and the universe would just be nothing. The church is in New Jersey and Bethany is aided by two "prophets" by the names of stoners Jay and Silent Bob. Jay lets Bethany go along with him on the hopes of being able to sleep with her in the end, and Silent Bob, barely speaks. They also meet Rufus the 13th apostle who is never heard of and is now forgotten, and Serendipity, a muse with writers block who is right now pretending to be a stripper. God becomes missing, and Bethany and her group get to New Jersey while dealing with the demon Azruel and his street hockey gang of thugs. Azruel is hoping to help the two angels so that he could get his revenge of God. Bartleby and Loki get closer and closer to New Jersey, but Bethany cannot give up all everything in the universe would just...disappear.

When I first saw the movie I never saw anything of its kind. I feel that when it was released it could have recieved and Oscar for Best Orignal Screenplay. It was a critically acclaimed film that has many fans, and many people who don't want to see it at all. But those are the people who are missing out of this fun. It has an all-star cast. Linda Fiorentino, George Carlin, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Alan Rickman, Chris Rock. Salma Hayek, and Jason Lee, all of which have huge comedic talent and are perfect in their roles.

ENJOY!

Rated R for strong language including sex-related dialogue, violence, crude humor and some drug content.