Religulous
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Movie Reviews of Religulous
Movie Review: World's First Atheist Movie?
Summary: 5 Stars
In The Atheist's Guide to Christmas, there is a whole chapter on the curious fact that there are no atheist movies (with the possible exception of 2001 - A Space Odyssey). Although this film isn't strictly a movie (i.e. with a storyline & actors), it is good to see a film-length treatment of the subject coupled with an element missing in Dawkins' documentaries: humour.
From the cover, I was expecting this film to be somewhere between Life Of Brian & Scrubs, with lots of brash American humour & little content. There is some truth in this as the documentary is hardly an in depth exploration of the meaning of life & often goes for the laugh, rather than make a serious point.
That said, if you want the truth on the subject of Religion, then mere films often won't give you it (hence the lack of movies). What it will give you is a Michael Moore style treatment - propaganda with humour, which will make you laugh at the same time as getting you to engage with the issues.
Bill Maher often makes you laugh at the ridiculousness of some beliefs by visiting many random eccentric believers. And the brilliant thing about this film is that it also manages to make some serious points against all beliefs often with this humour, in the same way that Bill Hicks used to.
For instance when he goes to Salt Lake City he meets the Mormons. While you can't help but laugh at some of their more eccentric beliefs (e.g. praying for dead people like Genghis Khan & Adolf Hitler), the point is also conveyed that a lot of people really do take this stuff seriously.
This point is best conveyed where he dresses up as a barmy street preacher & starts proclaiming Scientologist doctrine in Hyde Park. Scientology is chock-full of eccentric madness & yet is accepted by some of the most discerning celebrities around.
Of course, this glibness has its flaws & many have said that he only targets the ridiculous believers. This is a moderately fair criticism (e.g. when he goes to 'Holyland' Theme Park or when he meets 2 gay Muslims). However, the really scary thing is when he does meet the 'serious' ones such as Francis Collins (head of the Human Genome Project) or Senator Mark Pryor. Such people are the respectable face of Organised Religion & yet still believe in the Talking Donkey! The Senator even ushers the immortal line "There's no IQ test to be in the Senate!", before realising the irony of his own statement.
So, if you haven't seen this film yet, then you really should. I'd say it's the best documentary I've seen since Loose Change 9/11: An American Coup or even Bowling For Columbine & its gentle humour is a welcome break from the serious side of Dawkins.
P.S. I'm presently studying a Journalism course & came across a line which said "Any writer/editor/actor will tell you that comedy is more difficult than tragedy". Bearing in mind this is a documentary about religion & atheism AND it is amusing, then I'd say it is even more worthy of 5 stars since it is rare as rocking horse droppings! (& likely to remain so.)
Is there another 'atheist film' in existence? Possibly, but I literally cannot think of another secular comedy film.
Not one - this documentary is truly unique.
Movie Review: Asking questions about RELIGION. Getting RIDICULOUS answers
Summary: 5 Stars
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"The hour is getting very late to be able to indulge in having key decisions made by religious people, by irrationalists, by those who would steer the ship of state not by a compass but by the equivalent of reading the entrails of a chicken...The only appropriate attitude for [humans] to have about the big questions is not the arrogant certitude that is the hallmark of religion but doubt. Doubt is humble and that's what [humans] need to be, considering human history is just a litany of getting [things] dead wrong."
The above comes near the end of this funny, enlightening, and disturbing comedy/documentary film written by and starring political comedian Bill Maher.
A range of views on the many world religions are explored as Maher travels to various religious destinations like Jerusalem, the Vatican, and even Salt Lake City. He questions and interviews believers of diverse backgrounds and groups. Interviews include those with former members of Jesus for Jews, Christians, Muslims, and former Mormons. He even travels to Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park, London and, disguised, preaches Scientology beliefs.
I counted over 25 interviews. Interviews that stand out for me are with:
(1) Dr. Francis Collins, a Christian and American physician-geneticist, known for his landmark discoveries of disease genes and for his leadership of the Human Genome Project.
(2) Pastor John Wescott of "Exchange Ministries" which claims to help people "overcome homosexuality."
(3) Mark Pryor, Democratic US Senator from Arkansas.
(4) Ken Ham, Young Earth creationist and founder of "Answers in Genesis."
(5) Dr. Andrew Newberg, University of Pennsylvania research neuroscientist, interested in neurotheology.
This is a very informative film. It has lots of archival footage, printed factoids, recent research findings, etc. One piece of research that I found stunning was that long before the advent of Jesus Christ, the Egyptians had in their mythology the coming of a messiah, a Madonna and her child, a virgin birth, and the incarnation of the spirit of the flesh. It is thought that the early Christian church accepted these ancient truths as the very tenets of Christianity, but disavowed their origins.
Don't forget that this is also a very funny film. Roger Ebert`s reaction to this film was as follows:
"I report faithfully that I laughed frequently."
Personally, I found this documentary funny as...hell.
In the last ten minutes (or so), Maher gets very serious and states his conclusions that he has deduced from his various interviews. The quotation that begins this review is part of that conclusion.
As of the date of this review, this film was the seventh of the top highest grossing documentaries in the United States and was the highest grossing documentary in 2008.
The only problem I had with this documentary is that in parts of it the background music is so loud such that it muffles out what Maher is saying. To overcome this, I had the closed-captioning turned on.
Finally, the DVD itself (the one released in 2009) is perfect in picture and sound quality. It has four extras.
In conclusion, this is a film for those that have a taste for irreverent humor and clear-eyed analysis. I leave you with two more of Bill Maher's conclusions:
(1) "Religion is dangerous because it allows human beings who don't have all the answers to think that they do."
(2) "Rational people...must end their timidity and come out of the closet and assert themselves."
(2008; 1 hr, 40 min; 16 scenes, wide screen)
<<Stephen Pletko, London, Ontario, Canada>>
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Movie Review: "I think being without faith is a luxury."
Summary: 5 Stars
Bottom-line: "Grow up or die." Have truer words ever been uttered? (Haaaa!)
Maher begins his exploration of faith by entering into a dialogue with common-people (whom he deems "nice" but confused) and moves-on to priests (the majority of whom readily admit to contradictions and horrific misreadings of the bible by the masses), senators (who are frighteningly undereducated), and a variety of other authority figures. While Maher addresses high-level corruption and hypocrisy, his work remains squarely focused on the absurdity of religion (in general).
Why my fellow atheists should watch:
Watch for the blatant lies from religious leaders: like (The Reverend) Dr. Cummings (who has no degree what-so-ever and demands to be addressed as "doctor.") This man's pimp-tastic wardrobe (lizard shoes & gold jewelry) is subsidized with the money donated by his constituents. Maher's bible smack-down with this charlatan (who may not have actually ever even read the bible) is a such a gem!! Additionally, watch for (hysterically) perplexing ideas like those held by the "Exchange ministries" (who help homosexuals become heterosexuals)and Ex-Jews for Jesus (self-explanatory). Watch for a rude, cell-phone obsessed Muslim leader ... (and for Maher getting high ... no joke!!)
Even still, Maher's film educates. His notes on the founding-fathers are entirely correct ... and never taught in high-school. It's only when people enter academic circles do they learn that the folks who signed our beloved Constitution abhorred Christianity. ("Lighthouses are more useful than churches" - Ben Franklin.) Thank you!! It has always disturbed me to watch the bizarre Southern politicians (who don't know the meaning of "literacy"), act as though religion and politics are intertwined. Such a strange, horrible embarrassment ... and why much of Europe finds us Americans a great source of amusement. Maher interviews one of these Southern (barely-made-it-through-school, fundamentalist) senators. Seeing him consistently undercut his own argument and insult his own beliefs is priceless. (Maher couldn't have asked for more!!)
Technically, the editing is brilliant (if not frenetic) ... it adds a deliciously "blasphemous" note (which is just wonderful). Moreover, the soundtrack is masterful! (Listen for The Bangles, Talking Heads, and a litany of other well-chosen tunes.) Clever.
If dinosaurs with saddles thrill you (as showcased in the Creation Museum), if you always wanted to see Maher have a throw-down with Jesus (at a Florida Christian theme-park) (though Florida-Jesus does have a pretty sweet retort), if you want to "Meet the Mormons" (and their "magic underwear"), if Thetans and E-Meters make you fall into seizure-like fits of laughter (or couch-jumping lunacy), if you didn't even know about Holocaust-denying Rabbis, if you ever wanted to see an actual interview with The (Puerto-Rican) Messiah, if you're a Jew in need of biblical loop-holes, if you want to know more about "Kosher zombies" (no, they aren't seeking "braaaaaaains"), if you ever just wanted to see Maher blaze up (again, no joke) ... watch it!
Here's the point, kids: Maher isn't trying to convert anyone. So all you angry religious people, have no worries. This isn't going to make anyone question her/his faith. Instead, Maher gives a us "hell-bound" atheists one-hundred minutes of hilarity (and a firm pat-on-the-back). A thousand thanks to you, Mr. Maher.
P.S. Where's that Rick James bible?
Movie Review: An important movie!
Summary: 5 Stars
I loved this movie. I was raised Catholic but started asking questions in my teens and gradually moved down the path towards Athiesm. At first I told myself I was merely Not Catholic, then I became Not Christian, then I decided maybe Diesm was the answer. At least if you are a Diest, you can answer "yes" when people ask you if you are spiritual, right? Because being "spiritual" is a good thing right? Going full blown Athiest in our society is probably something like coming out of the closet for gay people. Americans in particular are raised to believe that if you aren't religious (read: Christian),there is something wrong with you -- like you are are missing the "Faith Gene" or something. I remember in college attending prayer meeting with friends because I actually wanted to believe what they did. It has taked literally decades for me to feel comfortable with my athiestic beliefs and it took this movie for me to be able to proudly proclaim to the world that I do NOT believe in a God. Heck, my husband still tells me to keep it quiet in public when the subject turns to religion. No one does a double take when Christians start taking about their church but declaring that one is an Athiest in public is somehow in bad taste.
I have also felt strongly for years that religious cults (yes, including Christianity)do more harm than good and this movie does a powerful job of portraying the fact. If you do nothing else, watch Maher's dialog in the last 10 minutes of the movie. I must have watched that speech 15 times when I first saw the movie. It is nothing short of brilliant.
I disagree with some of the reviewers who say Maher is rude to the people he interviews. I think he is very respectful. Yes, some of them end up embarrassing themselves horribly but they manage to do that without any assistance from Maher. I do not watch Maher on TV and this was my first exposure to his work and what I do believe is that this is a VERY smart guy. Scary smart. And right on track.
Fabulous movie. The only sad part is that the people who could make the world a better place by truly attempting to understand the message of this movie are so closed off that they will never, ever get it. They will not even watch this movie.
Narrow minded people -- I've read all your books. Why not be fair and read some of mine? Read Richard Dawkins, read about the true history of the bible. Most Christians don't even know that the men who wrote the bible (and no one knows who they really are) did so many years after the death of Jesus and none of them ever met him. St. Paul never met Jesus. All of this is historically documented and religious scholars, including the Catholic church, do not deny it. Most of the doctrines of the modern day Christian church were voted at the Council of Nicea in AD352. Bet most Christians are not aware that the Council of Nicea was the first time is was suggested that Jesus is a God. They voted on it, for goodness sake. For the first 350 years after his crucifiction, no one talked about his being anything other than a man, a teacher and a leader.
Ideally, Religulous will make at least some people start to question what they've been taught and seek some answers on their own. The information is all there if one wants to take the time to research.
Movie Review: A Closer Look
Summary: 5 Stars
My first experience with Bill Maher began late last year through his talk show, "Real Time." What struck me immediately was his tendency to ask the simple questions that no one in their right mind would typically ask on TV. His act is a constant running question of, "Is this right?" An almost extreme case of "What if?" was sure to arise in every episode.
Now, I don't necessarily agree with everything he has to say, but in the case of his documentary, "Religulous", I applaud what he's gone out of his way to create.
The premise is simple, but the fact that it was complicated enough to get on film just provides Mr. Maher's case with more evidence than he ever needed. What he aimed to do was to gather a collection of one-on-one interviews with advocates of various religions and to place their beliefs under scrutiny. For the most part, the results are hilarious, but in some cases, honestly shameful.
Maher hardly has to work at all to find that many of his "guests" sometimes have drawn all of their ideals from a concept that they don't even understand. Most of his interviews are with people in a seat of power or who are on the front-lines of a certain dispute, and it's almost saddening to see how easily they crack under simple questions or how fast they go on the defensive.
(Spoiler Alert) One of my favorites is an interview with a former member of a soul group turned pastor, who begins making up scripture right on the spot; and claims to closely follow the humble ways of an apostle while at the same time wearing "lizard-skin" boots and a thousand-dollar suit to the interview. Or the talk with the leader of a Cannabis Church who doesn't really speak much, but does manage to catch his hair on fire.
The scope of this documentary is mind-boggling and just as interesting as the subject matter itself. From Florida to Jerusalem. From Salt Lake City to Amsterdam. Mr. Maher quite literally crosses the globe to find the answers he wants.
The extras on the DVD include pretty much all of the interviews that were left on the cutting room floor, and extended monologues from the film itself. It was obvious that most of these extra interviews might have been a little too much in the context of the final cut, but they are still just as entertaining.
The only real problem that I can see coming from a documentary like this is that many might mistake the message of the film to be for the championing of atheism, or to disprove God's existence. Maher's standpoint is that religion can be very dangerous when its followed without thought. He asks us to take a step back and think really hard about what we've been doing. Use that big organ we call a brain, and put it to some good use. Maher himself has claimed several times that he's open to the idea of a higher power, but just has to see some honest and logical reasoning for it. And if these interviews are any indication, then he might be waiting for quite a while.
Go into this film with an open mind, and you'll definitely be educated, entertained, and frightened at the same time.
Additionally, and this may be a spoiler, I did find it rather ironic that the one person who briefly gave him a run for his money was a Jesus impersonator.