Scribe & Green on the BIG screen

There are far too many people out there writing “reviews of movie-films & articles about them with absolutely no clue what the hell they’re talking about." Here are 2 more of them! (Well, one of us knows what the h___ we're talking about, but we'll leave it up to you to decide who that is...) Ultimately, can two people as opposite as Scribe and Green agree on anything?? That's where the fun begins. Won't you join us? (Every now and then we'll add a guest review, just for kicks.)

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Religilous

SCRIBE'S MORMON MAGICAL UNDERPANTS REVIEW:

Bill Maher takes on religion with the same fervor he normally uses on politics with often hilarious and always thought-provoking results.

True believers will be offended and perhaps even hurt by many of the assertions Maher makes in Religulous, but it’s doubtful he’ll be losing any sleep over it. Maher’s mission, quite simply, is to wake people up from the mindless observances of religion and get them to start embracing rationality before we destroy ourselves.

It’s a lofty aim and one that shouldn’t be funny, but Maher is a brilliant satirist and be brings his incisive wit to full bear when dealing with the hopelessly devout.

Maher does what any good documentarian would do, he hits the road in search of answers. What he finds is a combination of equal parts hilarity and tragedy, the human comedy displayed raw and stupid for all to observe. From the Bible Belt to Israel to Western Europe, Maher’s travels reveal a world populated by people that are seemingly otherwise intelligent providing straight-faced affirmations of the most ludicrous beliefs.

There’s a Jew for Christ who believes the story of Jonah is plausible because the Bible didn’t say it was a whale but a big fish. There’s a New Zealander in the Southern U.S. who believes the only way to reconcile the Bible and science is to show humans and dinosaurs living together at the same time. When Maher remarks that this was only true on The Flintstones, the man finds no humor in it.

And there’s more: A “formerly gay” man who believes he cures gays of their affliction while undressing Maher with his eyes. A former R&B singer who believes Jesus wore fine linens which justifies his expensive suits. A Latino male who believes he is the risen Jesus and there is no longer Sin in the world. And that’s just the Christians! Shall I mention the Jewish man who has devised a way to still sue technology during the Sabbath because God wants people to find loopholes in the Bible? How about the Muslim who believes Mohammed actually came to Israel and sat down with Jesus, Moses and all the prophets for a big power meeting?

Through it all, Maher maintains his non-believer status and even admits when the Jesus at a Bible-themed amusement park throws him off his square for a second.

Religulous has been naively criticized for only presenting fringe types that are easily insulted. Maher jokes in the commentary that those were the only ones who would talk to him, but more importantly he is using these lunatics to show that even moderate acceptance of outdated beliefs is dangerous.

The final monologue is one of the most sobering and effective summations in film history. Glad I saw this one when it came out in theaters. OK, Green you may now freely disagree with me and slam the movie.


***** out of *****

GREEN’S TWO SPANISH GUYS NAMED ‘ANGEL’ REVIEW:

I will wholeheartedly admit that Bill Maher’s documentary Religulous is funny and irreverent. And I must admit, did enjoy watching it, more than I thought I would.

If you take what Maher says during the opening credits at face value, and there’s no reason why you shouldn’t, then you believe him when he says he’s gotta sort this religion thing out for himself. I can respect that. A journey of faith, or more precisely to faith, [The more important question to me is: faith in what (or who?)], is an extremely personal experience. If you belong to no faith at all then I can see where the bewilderment comes from in trying to sort it all out, because it can be confusing (but even no faith is a type of faith, if you really think about it.)

Maher opens with the statement that in his early stand up comedy he’s not ever questioning God but making fun of things within the religions - a gentle poking fun of, if you will.

I also don’t have a problem with that. There are many religious belief systems that truly are screwy - Scientology and Mormonism spring readily to mind. And, it must be said, there are elements of Christianity that at face value are odd, but only because I don’t understand them as well as I should or that I need to get a better grasp of. Elements that non-Christians just can’t understand without a basis in faith. Hard to explain otherwise.

I do get the sense, at the beginning, that Maher is seriously trying to reason out this religion thing, but you can also sense his skepticism for religion as a whole.

Some of the funniest moments in the documentary come when he is talking to Muslims or Jews and he’s trying to be funny but the people to whom he’s telling the jokes just stare blankly back at him because they don’t understand his humor or plainly are not amused.

You might think I’d be offended watching this documentary, but I wasn’t. I certainly don’t agree with some of his statements and conclusions but I can’t fault the guy for using the forum he has to express his opinions.

True, some people of faith may be offended by Maher’s documentary. If that’s the case, then don’t watch any more of it than you already have, or skip it all together. If you can appreciate Maher’s humor then you’ll probably enjoy this movie.

I can tell you confidently that I've taken this DVD off of my wish list at amazon.com. I thoroughly enjoyed watching it but it’s not one I need to watch again or own because I feel very comfortable with my faith and don't have the questions Maher does.

I think you’ll enjoy this DVD, but take it for what it’s worth. One guy’s opinion and that’s all.


***½ out of *****

Religulous (2008, R, 101 minutes), starring Bill Maher. Written by Bill Maher. Directed by Larry Charles.

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Monday, February 8, 2010

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

SCRIBE'S WHO ARE DEM CHARACTERS S'POSED TO BE? REVIEW:

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is an interesting failed experiment whose failure is not so much in the film itself as in its attempt to connect with a modern-day audience that probably had no idea who the literary figures that made up its cast list were.

It’s a sad state of affairs to admit that but the average moviegoer isn’t a reader nor are they interested in Dorian Grey or Captain Nemo. However, the filmmakers wisely added lots of spectacle to compensate, no doubt one of many reasons League comic book creator Alan Moore refuses to allow his name on films made from his work.

The film is surprisingly entertaining. Once the “wow” factor dies down from seeing all the well-known (to some) literary figures, the action can commence. This is another one of those steampunk tales where technology similar to what we have now is secretly being developed with existing machinery of the time.

Sean Connery makes a great aging Alan Quatermain in what may well turn out to be his final on-screen appearance. Many fans of the comic series objected to the inclusion of Tom Sawyer as a move that panders to American audiences. Truthfully, it makes little sense in the context of the story, especially when we find out he’s a secret agent, but his presence is effective enough.

The plot is intelligent and the action clips long without any significant lulls. Sadly, the film did not perform to expected box office results, so it joins films like The Shadow as a great start to a series that never happened.


*** out of *****

GREEN'S "INDESTRUCTIBLE...NO, JUST ARMOR PLATED" REVIEW:

Legendary adventurer Allan Quatermain (Sir Sean Connery) has been lured out of retirement to lead a ragtag group of literary "heroes" to save Queen and Country from the forces of evil brewing in Europe, circa 1899. The evil comes from 'The Fantom' a mysterious figure whose goal is Armageddon and world domination. A secret meeting of world leaders is to take place in Venice, Italy, one in which our heroes believe the Fantom will try and disrupt. Problem is they don't know what his ultimate goal is and what it is may surprise you.

Okay, enough synopsis stuff.

This is one of the many DVD's that I found several years ago in the $5 bin and bought solely based on the reputation of Sir Sean himself. Yet it is one that I had never gotten around to watching - but wanted to - which is why I suggested it for the return of Scribe to this here blog, your favorite source for movie reviews!

I'm not big into graphic novels, so obviously missed reading that on which this movie is based, so I can't say how much the movie veers from the source material. Even so I found this movie to be entertaining and interesting, though I think too much time was spent at the beginning of the film about the gathering of the League that could have been better used in detailing more of the bad guy's evil schemes. However, as Scribe points out, that may have been necessary to introduce the literary figures to today's dumbed down audiences.

Stephen Norrington's directorial efforts are few and far between but was chosen to helm this film based on his work on Blade, which I can't find fault with.

Aside from Connery, who turns 80 later this year, and perhaps Peta Wilson who was a year or so removed from a successful five year run on the television show La Femme Nikita, the rest of the cast has no major stars in it but still is a talented group of up and comings. The inclusion of Tom Sawyer probably was to appease American audiences and supposedly passes the torch from the 19th century's greatest adventurer to the 20th century's next great adventurer but I'm not sold on it.

I think the costumes and sets were well done, though I must say that Sir Sean looked an awful lot like one Henry Jones, Jr. of another film series in his garb.

The extras on the DVD are excellent and take you through costuming, location, make-up and special effects and are very informative. It's extras like these that help me to feel better about a movie that I'm not quite sure what to make of. (That's where the ½ star comes from.)


***½ out of *****

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003, PG-13, 110 minutes) starring Sean Connery, Naseeruddin Shah, Peta Wilson, Tony Curran, Stuart Townsend, Shane West, Jason Flemyng and Richard Roxburgh. The screenplay was written by James Robinson (based on the graphic novel by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill) and directed by Stephen Norrington.

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