also, if you want to do apples-to-apples comparisons of Religilous with other documentaries, you should compare it to Ben Stein's Expelled. Both were created and hosted by ideologues with an obvious agenda and are targeted to specific audiences. ExpelledOpening Weekend: $2,970,848(1,052 theaters, $2,824 average)http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=expelled.htmReligilous Opening Weekend: $3,409,643(502 theaters, $6,792 average)http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=religulous.htm
10/6/2008 11:30:20 PM
^you honestly think trolls care about legit comparisons? where's the fun in that?
10/6/2008 11:48:34 PM
Um. . .the "smote" thing was just a joke, feral and agentlyin--should've been obvious. And I wouldn't say that a release date of April for Expelled and a release date of October for Religulous is exactly an apples-to-apples comparison.I haven't seen Expelled either, but I would point out that it received a B- from BOM graders, and Religulous--so far--has only gotten a C.
10/7/2008 12:50:30 AM
fortunate for you that anytime your points are countered, you dismiss them as having been jokes and imply a lack of understanding.
10/7/2008 12:58:12 AM
I intend to see the movie, though I admit:A) Haven't seen it yet, andB) Don't intend to actually pay to see itBut I have seen some of Maher's interviews, and I've seen plenty of the preview material. And based on that -- the interviews in particular -- Maher seems like one of the many anti-religion wolfwebbers on this site, with slightly better use of sarcastic inflection.On The Daily Show, he went through this whole rant -- to great applause -- about the God/Jesus relationship, about how they're different people but actually the same people, and so on, and so forth. I laughed. I also laughed months and months ago when South Park's Mr(s). Garrison explained evolution to his class in terms of "a monkey fucking a fish-frog" or some such. Both cases involved a person blinded to alternative points of view simplifying their opponent's position to such a point that it became universally laughable.The film may end up being much deeper than simply retelling religious stories in the way that sounds funniest. But so far, I've just seen what Maher is selling the film as, and it's not promising.[Edited on October 7, 2008 at 1:35 AM. Reason : ]
10/7/2008 1:34:50 AM
10/7/2008 1:35:49 AM
10/7/2008 2:03:34 AM
10/7/2008 2:19:50 AM
Bill Maher, Bigot
10/7/2008 5:07:38 PM
You should be more open-minded is the point.
10/7/2008 5:21:58 PM
can we do something about this fucking troll?in entertainment of all placesfuck off gramps
10/7/2008 5:22:48 PM
^ I'm offering legitimate replies to the topic. You, on the other hand, have nothing to offer other than whining, which is typical, infant. Get off my nuts and back on topic or GTFO.
10/7/2008 5:31:09 PM
Yeah, my point was that you don't sound open minded. If you read my entire post you'll see that i noted Bill Maher hates organized religion. However, from what I've heard, that's not what this movie is about. It's more about asking questions than just blasting someone's religious beliefs. I could be wrong, I'll know for sure later this week when I see it.
10/7/2008 5:46:49 PM
Thought it was hilarious, but he doesn't get away from the "I hate religion" stuff as much as he would like you to think.
10/7/2008 5:49:53 PM
Dearest hooksaw,In Entertainment, we act like grown-ups. You're in time-out until you can do that.luv,Jon
10/7/2008 6:14:09 PM
10/7/2008 6:41:51 PM
It was really funny. They even went to Raleigh.Most of the time was just asking questions and reporting what people believe. And I'd say it beautifully showed that if you don't question what you want to believe, you can believe anything, no matter how absurd or harmful the content.
10/7/2008 6:44:16 PM
i really want to see this but i'm kind of out in BFE until the end of oct.how long will this hang around in the theaters?
10/7/2008 7:05:44 PM
Probably not till the end of October. But you'll still be able to check it out on DVD[Edited on October 7, 2008 at 8:15 PM. Reason : ]
10/7/2008 8:15:39 PM
10/7/2008 8:37:58 PM
agreed (and I am a Christian). I don't see much of a reason to make this movie but it certainly doesnt upset me. I don't get excited to watch movies like this though (From either side) so I won't be seeing it unless I see it for free at some point.
10/8/2008 8:32:20 AM
I'm kind of excited to see it personally. Especially since you who have seen it have said that they actually did just simply ask the questions and show the answers(mostly). I was born and raised Catholic (even went to our church's school all the way through middle school), and I honestly ask a lot of questions about what they believe. Especially with how they treat certain people, as my friend was told he would be excommunicated for being gay (so stupid nowadays). In any case I think if you can't handle someone questioning why you believe it, then maybe you just aren't comfortable or knowledgeable of what it is you believe. If you don't like the person asking the quesiton, it doesn't make the question any less valid or sound.Comparing the movie to other movies is also kind of useless, I prefer to let each movie stand on its own. Just because a kids movie about dogs did better doesn't mean I would want to go see it, and doesn't necessarily make it any better. Just like the fact that there are more Christians in the world instead of Buddhists doesn't mean Buddhism is bad. It's just different and appeals to a different audience. A little thought and understanding can go a long way sometimes.
10/8/2008 12:09:59 PM
I saw it last night and thought it was pretty funny. The very end of the movie, however, was vomit-inducingly preachy. It's like he spends 95 minutes saying you should think for yourself, then caps it off with three or four minutes of THIS IS HOW YOU SHOULD THINK.But yeah, it was funny.
10/9/2008 7:20:56 AM
i am going to play ignorant guy and comment w/out seeing the movie:based on all the press, including reviews, previews and interviews with bill maher and larry charles, i just ahve to say,hasnt this been done 1000 times already? maybe not in a method meant to be funny, but is it a comedy or is it a documentaryb/c movies like "Friends of God" and "The God Who Wasnt There" have presumably already covered these topics
10/9/2008 7:43:41 AM
It's a funny documentary. And I think the depth and breadth of religion's reach in basically every culture on Earth is reason enough more more than one documentary on the subject. And while it seems that both of those films deal exclusively with Christianity, this, while it's primarily about Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, also covers Scientology, Mormonism, and some dude in Amsterdam who worships pot.]
10/9/2008 7:48:41 AM
10/9/2008 9:33:17 AM
Saw this tonight with a friend of mine that's muslim and a friend that's agnostic. Overall I think they both enjoyed it. I really liked the questions he asked because for the most part he didn't seem like he was trying to slam anyone's religion. However, as spöokyjon and I'm sure others pointed out, the end was more of a typical rant of his saying why religion is evil and why we need to all take a stand to get everyone to think like him. Maher never bothered to mention the good things religion has brought people. Or the fact that most of the people he interviewed appeared happy and content with their lives, not hostile (except the guy in Raleigh, NC). One of my friends also mentioned that a lot of the people he interviewed seemed crazy or not among the majority of their religion. But overall it was entertaining with the exception of the very end message of which I really disagree. The comedic quips accompanied by the cuts to random clips of entertainment media was something just about everyone in the audience seemed to enjoy. I would recommend seeing this film even if you don't agree with Bill Maher's views because it is an interesting look at different religions and their impact in modern society.
10/9/2008 11:20:05 PM
Funniest moment of the movie was when Maher made the pot guy jump off the couch.
10/9/2008 11:36:27 PM
^^^ Well, if you'll just apply your obviously massive brainpan to explain how this. . .
10/10/2008 1:57:38 AM
^I believe what redburn was saying is that your opinion isnt really a valid reason for others to not see this movie. It also comes to what you think he means by the title as to how upset you get. I'm sure he didn't mean it exactly like I read it but, I personally feel like it's a good way to express how I feel about people that follow blindly without really knowing what they are putting their faith into. Honestly if you're going to be religious you should make an effort to define for yourself what you really believe. (example: is the bible word for word true or not?, are scriptures not included in the bible not worth believing in and why?, etc.) There are a LOT of people who don't really know.
10/10/2008 9:45:07 AM
^ Um. . .(1) what, pray tell (Ha!), does a movie critic offer you other than his or her opinion? (2) If I believe a person to be a bigot, which I do in Maher's case, can I not recommend against seeing a film made by such a person based on his bigotry? And (3) do you "really know" what you "really believe" as this belief system relates to science? Do you not take anything within the realm of science on faith? Really?! Taking Science on Faith
10/10/2008 6:06:55 PM
You are a fucking idiot.
10/11/2008 5:23:55 AM
10/11/2008 8:09:27 AM
arronburro continuously makes that same argument, and it's a lame one. "OMG, HOW DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE SEEING IS REALLY REAL?" It honestly sounds like a 16 year old getting high for the first time and getting "really deep" with the universe. So, look - if you want to say that science is based on the "faith" what 1) seeing is believing, and 2) there is some kind of underlying structure and order to everything in the universe, then fine - count me in as a fundamentalist. I'm as faithful as they come. But you have to be completely out in left field to equate that kind of faith to the faith that there are invisible men in the sky listening to your thoughts and shaping the actions on Earth with their invisible hands.
10/11/2008 9:04:15 AM
10/11/2008 12:51:42 PM
10/11/2008 1:04:16 PM
10/11/2008 1:27:39 PM
I saw itit was goodBill Maher is a prick as usual
10/11/2008 11:31:50 PM
^^There's a difference between terrorists and the average person that practices religion. Go see the movie and you will realize how ridiculous the last 10 minutes are.
10/12/2008 1:10:38 AM
somebody please terminate this thread
10/13/2008 1:10:01 AM
10/13/2008 2:47:04 AM
I'm sorry hooksaw, but anybody who has a U2 lyric in their info automatically has their opinion rejected.
10/13/2008 3:01:45 AM
10/13/2008 3:18:00 AM
http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=186756&title=bill-maher-pt.-2@15sMaher: "I'm not atheist... i just don't know"
10/13/2008 3:32:51 AM
Why Bill Maher Made Me Laughby Dinesh D'Souza
10/13/2008 6:22:50 AM
oh, wow, you showed up. Really. burned.
10/13/2008 7:59:06 AM
10/13/2008 9:05:32 AM
hooksaw
10/13/2008 9:37:09 AM
dubus + "ridiculous" = dubusiculous
10/14/2008 2:11:24 AM
Dinesh D'Souza is a joke. I'm surprised he has the gall to say this: " Ultimately he is an intellectual coward who relies on the argumentum ad ignorantium—the argument that relies on the ignorance of the audience" when, at best, he's in the same boat.
10/14/2008 2:15:38 AM