Muddled "Twist of Faith" Still a Timely Documentary

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 50 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux


Twist of Faith (2004)
Running time: 87 minutes (1 hour, 27 minutes)
Not rated by the MPAA
DIRECTOR: Kirby Dick
PRODUCER: Eddie Schmidt
EDITOR: Matthew Clark
Academy Award nominee

DOCUMENTARY

Starring: Tony Comes, Wendy Comes, and various

Twist of Faith is a 2004 documentary film from director Kirby Dick. This American documentary film earned a 2005 Oscar nomination for “Best Documentary, Features.” It takes a close look at one of the stories to come out of the 2002 Catholic Church child sexual abuse scandals.

The focus of this film is on Tony Comes who claimed to have been sexually molested by a priest who taught at the Catholic school Comes attended in the 1980’s. Now, a husband, father, and firefighter, Comes discovers that the now ex-priest, whom he claims abused him, lives five houses down the street from the home into which Tony, his wife, Wendy, and his two children have just moved. Tony must suddenly deal with his past, and he chooses to do so publicly. That decision brings pain and embarrassment into his life, causing marital strife and disagreements with the rest of his friends and family. He comes to distrust his Church and faith, especially when the local diocese hires a high-powered law firm to combat his and others’ lawsuits. However, Tony does get to meet and form a bond with five other men who claim to be former victims of the same priest. Much of the film deals with events that occurred in 2003 and 2004.

Twist of Faith’s publicity sold them film as being a documentary about how Tony Comes struggled with the public fallout from him going public with his claims of being sexually abused by a Catholic priest. That would have been a good film, but director Kirby Dick actually focuses on Tony Comes. Dick gave Comes and his wife hand-held cameras that allowed them to directly record their thoughts and feelings. Wendy Comes does just that – talking mostly about what Tony’s situation is doing to their marriage. Tony carries the camera around wherever he goes, so we do get to see him interact with people outside his home – fellow abuse victims, friends, and his mother (including an ugly argument Tony has with her about her continuing support of the church in spite of the wrongs Tony claims the church has done to him). However, it’s all about Tony and not really about public reaction to his personal business made private.

Wendy comes across as sympathetic, a wife trying very hard to help her husband through a bad time. Tony, on the other hand, comes across as being as pathetic as he is sympathetic. I tend to believe that he was molested, but his status as a victim doesn’t change the fact that he comes across as whiny, self-righteous jerk. He is petulant, always lashing out at his wife and mother – so bitter, and immature. He plays the victim to the hilt – a drama queen who would be right at home in some 1930’s or 1940’s era film melodrama. He is the epitome of a type we’ve seen much of since the revelations of Catholic Church sex abuse scandals: a grown-ass, 30-something white man pissing and moaning about the priest that got in his pants. That’s the kind of man who could make someone wonder if he wanted Father So-and-so in his pants.

There are some good moments in the film. Many involve Tony Comes, but many more bad ones also involve him. So anyone who has a bleeding heart for victims – any victims – will find this documentary poignant. Others may find it dull, or even – dare I say – embarrassing.

5 of 10
C+

Monday, March 07, 2006

NOTES:
2005 Academy Awards: 1 nomination: “Best Documentary, Features” (Kirby Dick and Eddie Schmidt)

Review: "Red State" a Horror Movie That Does its Own Thing

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 85 (of 2011) by Leroy Douressaux

Red State (2011)
Running time: 88 minutes (1 hour, 28 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong violence/disturbing content, some sexual content including brief nudity, and pervasive language
EDITOR/WRITER/DIRECTOR: Kevin Smith
PRODUCER: Jonathan Gordon
CINEMATOGRAPHER: David Klein

HORROR with elements of action and crime

Starring: Michael Parks, Melissa Leo, John Goodman, Michael Angarano, Kyle Gallner, Nicholas Braun, Stephen Root, Matt Jones, Kerry Bishé, Kevin Alejandro, Ralph Gorman, James Parks, and Kevin Pollack

Red State is a 2011 horror film from director Kevin Smith (Clerks.) Smith chose not to distribute the film in the usual manner through theatres. Instead, he took Red State on tour showing it before small audiences. Perhaps, this unusual manner of exhibiting a film reflects that this is a highly unusual horror movie.

How unusual is it? Well, there are things that happen in this movie that will be familiar to audiences, but not familiar as something seen in the typical horror movie. This will leave you shocked, scratching your head, put-off, and/or entertained. Still, Red State is, for me, one of the most enjoyable film experiences I’ve had this year. I can’t get some of this movie out of my mind.

Three high school boys: Travis (Michael Angarano), Jared (Kyle Gallner), and Billy-Ray (Nicholas Braun) are horny enough to screw anything, so when they get an online offer for some nasty sex, they travel to woodsy Cooper’s Dell and into big trouble. Meanwhile, gay-, liberal-, Jew-, brown people-hating pastor, Abin Cooper (Michael Parks), and the parishioners of his Five Points Trinity Church get ready to rock with Special Agent Joseph Keenan (John Goodman) and the ATF.

Red State has heavy political overtones, heavier religious overtones, and heaviest of all, social and cultural overtones. The film seems to fold elements of the horror movie, Hostel, into the real life events of the Waco siege. This siege occurred in 1993 and was a standoff outside Waco, Texas between the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) and a religious sect, the Branch Davidian, which ended with the death of 76 people. In fact, Abin Cooper and his flock also bear a resemblance to controversial Pastor Fred Phelps and his Westboro Baptist Church. Ultimately, writer/director Kevin Smith seems to be saying “a pox on both your houses” to both the church and state entities in this movie.

Red State is a horror movie because of the suspense, the abduction sequence, and the torture, and also because of the general brutal violence and mayhem. I don’t want to give away too much, but the events of the film and the way the characters act – both onscreen and off – amount to a horror show and would be considered horrifying to most people. What I like most about this film is that it is simply different and is an audacious and bold effort by a filmmaker, Kevin Smith, who has largely underutilized his talents or been underutilized. Red State is an example of untapped potential. Perhaps because of budget restraints, Smith does not take a number of subplots and character relationships far past the point of introducing them. Fully developed, they could have transformed this already good film and made it even better.

Finally, I should mention that there are a number of strong performances in Red State, with Michael Parks, Melissa Leo, and John Goodman as the standouts. Parks and Leo at least deserve consideration for Oscar nominations for their performances here. Leo just won a best supporting actress Oscar (for The Fighter), but her turn here as the religious zealot/nut who is also a fiercely loving mom could wrestle your imagination to the floor and pin it. Parks is a revelation as Abin Cooper, a fanatic with rock-solid, unshakeable faith; Parks makes you believe that this guy is real and for real. There are a number of reasons to see this. Believe it or not, the acting may be the best reason to see Red State.

7 of 10
B+

Saturday, October 22, 2011

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"The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" an Excellent Adventure

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 41 (of 2011) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010)
Running time: 113 minutes (1 hour, 53 minutes)
MPAA – PG for some frightening images and sequences of fantasy action
DIRECTOR: Michael Apted
WRITERS: Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely and Michael Petroini (based upon the book by C.S. Lewis)
PRODUCERS: Andrew Adamson, Mark Johnson, and Philip Steuer
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Dante Spinotti
EDITORS: Rick Shaine
Golden Globe nominee

FANTASY/ADVENTURE/FAMILY

Starring: Ben Barnes, Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, Will Poulter, Gary Sweet, Arthur Angel, Arabella Morton, Bille Brown, William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Tilda Swinton, and the voices of Simon Pegg and Liam Neeson

20th Century Fox joins Walden Media to produce the third film adaptation of C.S. Lewis’s book series, The Chronicles of Narnia. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader finds the youngest Pevensie children, Edmund and Lucy, joined by a dour cousin on a return journey to Narnia, where they grapple with temptation. More so than the other films, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is a rip-snorting adventure

One year after the events depicted in The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, the two youngest Pevensie children, Edmund (Skandar Keynes) and Lucy (Georgie Henley), are living in Cambridge with their cousins, the Scrubbs. Their older siblings, Susan (Anna Popplewell) and Peter (William Moseley), are in the United States with their parents. Lucy and Edmund now have their obnoxious cousin, Eustace Scrubb (Will Poulter), as a disagreeable companion.

The adventure beings when a magical painting transports Lucy, Edmund, and Eustace to an ocean in Narnia. There, the trio is rescued by Caspian (Ben Barnes) and the large talking mouse, Reepicheep (Simon Pegg), and taken aboard the sailing ship, the Dawn Treader. Three years have passed in Narnia since the Pevensie siblings last visited, and Caspian is now the King of Narnia. King Caspain is on a quest to find the seven Lost Lords of Narnia and invites the Pevensies and their cousin to join him.

During a visit to the Lone Islands, they discover a slavery ring that sacrifices people to a mysterious green mist. In order to save the sacrificial victims, the crew of the Dawn Treader must sail to Dark Island where resides a corrupting evil that threatens to destroy all of Narnia. Lucy, Edmund, King Caspian, and Eustace will find themselves tested as they journey to the far end of world and to the home of the great lion, Aslan (Liam Neeson).

As was the case with Prince Caspian, I enjoyed The Voyage of the Dawn Treader much more than I did the first Narnia film, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Dawn Treader is the cleanest and purest of the series, thus far. It is a straightforward adventure, an ocean-going tale that takes the characters from one obstacle they must overcome to another. Its philosophical theme is also simple – fighting, avoiding, and overcoming temptation. Its spiritual theme – the yearning to be one with the almighty or perfection – is surprisingly up front, and the story is almost frank in equating Aslan with the Christian God.

The main characters: Lucy, Edmond, and Caspian do not offer anything new in terms of personality; they’re like old friends, now. The story does get a much needed jolt in new characters, such as the firm captain of the Dawn Treader, Lord Drinian (Gary Sweet), and especially the tart Eustace Scrubb. While the arc of Eustace’s change is interesting, what is best about the character is Will Poulter’s portrayal of Eustace. Pitch-perfect in his performance, Poulter makes the annoying Eustace a scene stealer who will make the audience want more of him.

The special effects in this third movie are better than those in the second film. Although not as impressive as those in the original film (which won an Oscar), the visual effects in this film seem more inventive and even more magical. This is Michael Apted’s touch as director; he makes the most of what he has. He doesn’t get the most impressive acting, but he makes it seem so. Apted doesn’t have a solid villain in the evil green mist, which essentially represents temptation, but he adds chilling touches using the mist.

In the final act, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader especially emphasizes its Christian elements. The spiritual messages will make some yearn for God, but even more people will be sad that the end of this movie means that we must once again leave Narnia – until we return…

8 of 10
A

NOTES:
2011 Golden Globes: 1 nomination: “Best Original Song - Motion Picture” (David Hodges, Hillary Lindsey, and Carrie Underwood for “There’s A Place for Us”)

Monday, May 16, 2011


The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader [Blu-ray]

Review: Intriguing "Color of the Cross" Lacks Passion

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 18 (of 2007) by Leroy Douresseaux

Color of the Cross (2006)
Running time: 89 minutes (1 hour, 29 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Jean-Claude La Marre
PRODUCERS: Ken Halsband, Jessie Levostre, and Rev. Cecil L. Murray
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Paul Mayne
EDITOR: Darlene Huassmann

RELIGION

Starring: Jean-Claude La Marre, Johann John Jean, David Gianopoulos, Debi Morgan, Caspar Poyck, Micci Toliver, Marjan Faritous, and Mark Winn

In his film, Color of the Cross, writer/director Jean-Claude La Marre re-imagines Jesus Christ by positing that the founder of Christianity was a black man. Set in Arimathea circa 33 A.D., the film covers the final 48 hours of his life, beginning with Jesus, called Joshua (Jean-Claude La Marre), and his disciples preparing for Passover – what would become known as the Last Supper – and ending with Joshua’s crucifixion. The narrative also examines how Jesus’ Disciples and his family suffered during his last days. The film suggests that Joshua’s crucifixion was perhaps racially motivated because many Jews, including powerful members of the Sanhedrin (Jewish religious authority), would not accept that the Messiah or savior of the Jewish people could be a black Jew.

Jean-Claude La Marre’s Color of the Cross alternates between being profound and unintentionally hilarious. First, La Marre, who plays the lead, doesn’t make for an impressive nor imposing messiah, except for when he plays Joshua/Jesus as getting upset at his followers; then, La Marre quietly smolders with an intensity that might have the recipients of his stares heading for the hills. Other times, La Marre just looks like a doe-eyed kid.

The film finds itself on rare occasions being quiet moving and spiritual, and when Joshua speaks lines that are recognizable as Holy Bible scripture, the entire movie feels like a profound religious enterprise. In those moments when La Marre takes liberty or re-imagines players and Biblical moments, the film more likely than not falls flat on its face. In fact, while Color of the Cross brings up the idea of Christ being a black man (a dark-skinned black man) and also the notion that bigotry played a part in his crucifixion, it handles both matters in such a tepid fashion that any notion of racism playing a part in Joshua/Jesus’ troubles never sticks. It’s like taking the thesis and turning it into an afterthought. Because the whole Jesus-as-black-man is half-hearted, Color of the Cross withers on the vine.

Meanwhile, the solemnity of dealing with matters of Christ saves the film. Color of the Cross lacks the passion of Mel Gibson’s Jesus flick, and it mostly seems like a well-intentioned made for cable religious TV movie. None of the acting, directing, and production values ever stand out, but the score by La Marre and Flexx (Jean Simeus – a rapper, producer, and songwriter) is mostly very good, except for a wonky moment here and there.

Those who aren’t put off by the idea of a black Jesus Christ will find this odd little film ultimately to be an affirmation of Christ as “a uniter, not a divider.”

6 of 10
B

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

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Review: Crucifixion Ain't No Fiction in "The Passion of the Christ"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 40 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Passion of the Christ (2004)
Languages: Aramaic, Latin, and Hebrew with English subtitles
Running time: 127 minutes (2 hours, 7 minutes)
MPAA – R for sequences of graphic violence
DIRECTOR: Mel Gibson
WRITERS: Benedict Fitzgerald and Mel Gibson
PRODUCERS: Bruce Davey, Mel Gibson, and Stephen McEveety
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Caleb Deschanel (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: John Wright
COMPOSER: John Debney
Academy Award nominee
DRAMA/RELIGION

Starring: James Caviezel, Monica Bellucci, Maia Morgenstern, Jarreth Merz, Rosalinda Celentano, Francesco De Vito, Luca Lionello, Hristo Naumov Shopov, Mattia Sbragia, Claudia Gerini, Giovanni Capalbo, Fabio Sartor, Giacinto Ferro, and Pietro Sarubbi

The Passion of the Christ, Mel Gibson’s film about the last 12 hours in the earthly life of Jesus Christ as he is captured, tried, scourged, and crucified, reaffirms that Gibson is indeed an excellent filmmaker. His greatest gift as a director is his ability to arouse strong emotions and passions in his audience, as he has also shown in two prior films Man Without a Face and Braveheart, the latter for which he won an Oscar® as Best Director.

The film begins in the Garden of Olives as Jesus (James Caviezel) prays for God to relieve him of the burden that is to come his way – his suffering and death for the sins of humanity, a death that would redeem humanity. A disciple, Judas Iscariot (Lucia Lionello), betrays Jesus, who is then arrested taken to the city walls of Jerusalem where he is accused of blasphemy. Although he wishes that Jesus be only punished, Pontius Pilate (Hristo Shopov), the head of the local Roman authority, releases Jesus to the Pharisees, and they condemn him to the most horrible form of execution at the time – crucifixion.

Mel Gibson wanted the audience to see and to feel something like how much Jesus suffered at the hands of his tormentors, suffering he accepted for humanity, and in that Gibson succeeds. The film’s representation of torture and murder is palatable; it is almost a living and breathing thing. Gibson, however, doesn’t handle the violence and suffering in a heavy-handed or even glossy fashion, nor does he portray violence as consequence free. In fact, Gibson handles nothing in the film in a cavalier fashion, including the portrayal of the Pharisees and Jews who hated Jesus. Gibson deals with that in a straightforward manner: Jesus’ adversaries saw him as a blasphemer who consorted with devils to perform magic, so they wanted him dead. There is no ethnic blame game going on in The Passion of the Christ.

The film is beautifully shot on sets and locations that spring to miraculous life; it’s as if Gibson has transported us to another time. The costumes are both lavish and practical; in a sense, they do recall the spectacular Biblical epics of Hollywood of yesteryear.

The actors are great, and they style their performances as if they were in a silent film – exaggerating emotion, facial expression, and body movement in a way that conveys the story visually. Caviezel could have lost his Jesus in the splattering of gore and makeup that covered him, but he radiates his character through all the representational horror, making us believe in his performance as Jesus. There are a number of excellent supporting performances, especially Maia Morgenstern as Jesus’ mother Mary. However, Monica Bellucci, Jarreth Merz, Hristo Shopov are also quite good.

I heartily recommend The Passion of the Christ to Christians, lapsed Christians, and anyone who wants to see exceptional filmmaking.

10 of 10

NOTES:
2005 Academy Awards: 3 nominations: “Best Achievement in Cinematography” (Caleb Deschanel), “Best Achievement in Makeup” (Keith VanderLaan and Christien Tinsley), and “Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score” (John Debney)

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Review: "Saved!" is Heavenly

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 202 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux

Saved! (2004)
Running time: 92 minutes (1 hour, 32 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for strong thematic issues involving teens – sexual content, pregnancy, smoking, and language
DIRECTOR: Brian Dannelly
WRITERS: Michael Urban and Brian Dannelly
PRODUCERS: Michael Ohoven, Sandy Stern, Michael Stipe, and William Vince
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Bobby Buckowski
EDITOR: Pamela Martin

COMEDY/DRAMA

Starring: Jena Malone, Mandy Moore, Macaulay Culkin, Patrick Fugit, Heather Matarazzo, Eva Amurri, Chad Faust, Elizabeth Thai, Martin Donovan, and Mary-Louise Parker

Mary (Jena Malone) is a devout senior at American Eagle Christian High School who believes that Jesus protects her and guides her every action. She’s also part of a group of devout, young women who lead kind of a campus crusade discouraging other students from backsliding (sinning and going away from their Christian faith), and Jean really follows of the example of group leader Hilary Faye (Mandy Moore), a perky, holier-than-thou, and sanctimonious campus crusader.

The shit hits the fan when Mary discovers that her boyfriend, Dean (Chad Faust), is gay. She prays deeply and comes to believe that Jesus want her to sacrifice her virginity to have sex with Dean to cure him of his homosexuality. Not only does she not cure him, she ends up pregnant. When she learns of her condition and that God won’t restore her…cherry…or wholeness, she begins to look at her peers and faith in an entirely different light. She leaves Hilary and her holy girls and strikes up a friendship with Hilary’s wheelchair-bound brother, Roland (Macaulay Culkin), and the school’s lone Jewish student, a rebellious girl named Cassandra (Eva Amurri). She also falls for Patrick (Patrick Fugit), the son of the self-righteous school principal Pastor Skip (Martin Donovan).

Co-produced by R.E.M. lead singer Michael Stipe, director/co-writer Brian Dannelly’s Saved! is a dark coming of age story, and Dannelly came to bust up on the white American Christian subculture. The film isn’t mean-spirited; actually, Saved! has a far more generous Christian tone than many Christian media personalities and a certain “passionate” film. The satire is sharp, but it’s aimed at a message of tolerance and forgiveness. Saved! doesn’t “poo-poo” sin; it simply asks that people be more mature about how they regard sin. It’s as if Dannelly and co-screenwriter Michael Urban are encourage self-examination, forgiveness, and self-awareness of what Jesus’ message really means to people. They aim the satire and poke fun at intolerance, self-righteousness, and those who see the splinter in the eye of another, but not the logs in their own eyes.

The acting really sells the movie. Mandy Moore surprised me by how energetically she embraced her role. She makes Hilary Faye villainous rather than a villain, so that Hilary can get the same chance at redemption that she denies others. Of course, there’s the added delight of seeing Macaulay Culkin, who is a good (but not a stand out) actor, and who has the kind of screen chemistry that makes him a star. Truthfully, every scene in which he appears, the camera seems to center on him. His pull is like the tug of a cinematic dwarf star.

I only had issues with the somewhat puff piece ending, and how Saved! softly served the way fanatics under duress tend to act, but the film made its point. And no satire of Christians was ever so…Christian.

9 of 10
A+

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"Jesus Camp" Not as Passionate as its Subject Matter

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 25 (of 2007) by Leroy Douresseaux

Jesus Camp (2006)
Running time: 85 minutes (1 hour, 35 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for some discussions of mature subject matter
PRODUCERS/DIRECTORS: Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Mira Chang and Jenna Rosher
EDITOR: Enat Sidi
Academy Award nominee

DOCUMENTARY – POLITICS/RELIGION

Starring: Pastor Becky Fischer

The documentary, Jesus Camp, takes a sharp look at a particular part of the Evangelical revivalist subculture that indoctrinates devout Christian children and trains them to become “Christian soldiers in God’s army.” These are the children will grow up to become the adults who deliver the fundamentalist community’s religious and political messages.

The film focuses on Pastor Becky Fischer and her Kids on Fire summer camp at Devil’s Lake, North Dakota, where Fischer and her cohorts attempt to solidify and deepen the spirituality of the preteen children who come from around the country to attend the camp. Fischer and company also exhort the children towards political activism in which the goal is “taking back America for Christ.” The film also focuses on Levi, a boy who is already preaching to other children.

Early in Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady’s documentary film, a preteen girl finishes a faux-break dance routine, and then, tells the camera that she has to watch out and make sure that she isn’t “dancing for the flesh” and is instead dancing for Christ. Watching this film gives the viewer a chance to see how adults brainwash children and indoctrinate these impressionable young minds into whole heartedly buying the adults’ ideologies and beliefs. While this might appall some people, and, considering the politics of Jesus Camp’s subjects, also make liberals uncomfortable, brainwashing children is nothing new. As the film’s creepy star, Pastor Becky Fischer of Kids on Fire says, children never have a choice in what adults teach them. Thus, her attitude is more or less, why not program them with her ideas and lifestyle instead of allowing someone else to program them.

Certainly, Jesus Camp is excellent view of how religious factions and organizations indoctrinate children, but the directors certainly consider this a more important issue than I think it is. Ewing and Grady likely mean Jesus Camp to be more of a warning than a cautionary tale, and some viewers may find the contents of this documentary to be a sign of the looming apocalypse. No doubt there is a fair amount of shocking material here, but it’s shocking in a humorous sort of way. For instance, during a mini-rant about that literary “warlock,” Harry Potter, Pastor Becky mentions that Potter would have been killed in the Old Testament. When the members of a military family shown briefly in the film pledges allegiance to the “Christian flag” while holding an American flag, an Israeli flag, and some kind of flag with a cross on it, I laughed, (albeit with a bit of unease). Perhaps, the creepiest “star” of the picture is Levi, a boy who has really bought into the idea that he is going to be a preacher.

Why Jesus Camp received an Oscar nomination for “Best Documentary, Features,” over what I consider to be better documentary films (such as Why We Fight and Who Killed the Electric Car?), I’ll never know. There’s nothing cinematic about this documentary film, and it looks like something a television network such as CBS or ABC could have produced, although it is a co-production of A&E IndieFilms, a branch of the A&E cable network.

One thing that may have helped this film earn Oscar attention (and that of critics and audiences) is an appearance in the film by Pastor Ted Haggard of the Colorado Springs mega-church, New Life Church. In November 2006, Haggard resigned (or was removed) from his position at New Life Church after he confirmed some of the allegations of an alleged male prostitute that Haggard himself participated in homosexual sex and drug abuse. The resignation took place after Haggard was filmed for Jesus Camp.

5 of 10
B-

Thursday, February 01, 2007

NOTES:
2007 Academy Awards: 1 nomination: “Best Documentary, Features” (Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady)

Review: "Religulous" is Brilliant and Funny

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 31 (of 2010) by Leroy Douresseaux


Religulous (2008)
Running time: 101 minutes (1 hour, 41 minutes)
MPAA – R for some language and sexual material
DIRECTOR: Larry Charles
WRITER: Bill Maher
PRODUCERS: Bill Maher, Jonah Smith, and Palmer West
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Anthony Hardwick (director of photography)
EDITOR: Jeff Groth, Christian Kinnard, and Jeffrey M. Werner

DOCUMENTARY – Religion/COMMENTARY/COMEDY

Starring: Bill Maher, Julie Maher, Kathy Maher, Senator Mark Pryor, Pastor John Westcott, Ken Ham, Reginald Foster, Tal Bachman, Bill Gardiner, Aki Nawaz, Ray Suarez, and Jeremiah Cummings

Comedian and politically provocative talk show host Bill Maher took on religion and faith in the hot-button documentary, Religulous, a title derived by blending the words “religion” and “ridiculous.” Maher examines the presence of religion in many of the big news stories of recent years, from Muslim rioting over cartoon depictions of Mohammed in European newspapers to a born-again Christian being President of the United Sates (George W. Bush).

Maher, currently the host of HBO’s "Real Time with Bill Maher," also skewers the current state of organized religion, while visiting Jerusalem, Salt Lake City, the Vatican, and other holy destinations. Of the many questions Maher asks on his journey, the main questions are why are believers of many faiths so sure that their religion is right, and why they’re so certain others are wrong?

One thing I wish that Bill Maher had done in Religulous was to offer more commentary from cultural, historical, political experts on religion and faith. Often this movie seems like Maher vs. the crazy religious people, which makes Maher come across as a prankster (a la Borat) snarking on the loons. Still, what Maher and director Larry Charles do present is fantastic and also funny on so many levels.

Some of Religulous is laugh-out-loud funny, but some of it made me cringe as much as I laughed behind my hands. I don’t think Maher is able to get an answer to the question of why believers from a variety of faiths are so sure their religion is right, and why they’re so certain others are wrong? Many of the people Maher meets are quite sensitive to someone not only questioning their faith, but also questioning why they are religious.

In fact, the attitude from many people is that they don’t want outsiders questioning their faiths, although many of these same people seem to have large, answered questions of their own about their religions. Maher often interrupts his subjects, and many times, he should have let them rant, even if their ranting made them look bad, scary, or crazy. The best line in Religulous came from self-avowed Evangelical Christian and U.S. Senator Mark Pryor, D-Arkansas, when he said, “You don't need to pass an IQ test to become a senator.” Pryor seemed eager to be interviewed, and while he certainly comes across as a nice guy (maybe even a smart fellow), his willingness to declare his allegiance to superstition is both sad and frightening.

By the end of the Religulous, I got the idea that this film was less about the faithful’s embrace of irrationality, superstition, and blind faith, and more about Maher giving rational people a wake-up call. He thinks that the rational, non-religious are actually in the majority, and one can hope he is right.

That said, Religulous is a great documentary because it takes a blunt, unflinching look at organized religion and faith, not through the eyes of religious scholars and clerics, but by taking on the foot soldiers and rank and file believers who give voice to their faith, warts and all. Only Maher, brilliant as both a social observer/critic and provocateur, could deliver a documentary about blind faith that is almost as powerful as blind faith.

9 of 10
A+

Sunday, May 09, 2010