leitner43
Lifetime Total
1+
IMDb Member
17 years
Reviews
Religulous (2008)
"Wake Up People!"
Religulous is a much needed, and a must see film! It is brilliantly shocking, scary, and funny! I'm a pretty conservative southerner and not really a Maher fan, but he is dead on here! This film is exactly what is needed. I've hoped for something like this for a long time, and Maher delivers. Why didn't Jesus, Muhammad, or God himself ever mention that the world was flat? Or that germs existed? Or that the universe existed! Why? Because the writers of the Holy books lived thousands of years ago and therefore could not include information of which they were ignorant in the fictional tales they created to further their own political agendas. And that's what this movie is all about: "Wake Up World, It's 2009! The fire isn't going to go out for good. We can move on now!"
The only flaw I see in this film is simply that Maher could have interviewed some astronomers and physicists that really embrace a devout and rational view of existence that is along the same lines as what Maher hints at: that the world is a magnificent rock traveling around a great ball of fire in a great capsule called the universe. Existence in and of itself is mysterious and fantastical, beautiful and wondrous. Human beings don't know anything more than that, and that is a positive thing. It makes life precious.
But that is simply my not-so-humble opinion. And Maher is not so humble either, which is what makes this the best damn social documentary I've ever seen. This needs to be shown in middle schools all across America. Can you imagine that!
Freedom of Religion means freedom of choice, and this film reveals that one choice (apparently %16 of the US) is agnosticism. And as Maher points out, that's a powerful minority! Sign me up! Im a lawyer. Do you know how many religious (mostly Christian) laws exist in America that are blatantly unconstitutional.
Mr. Maher, there's your next film!
The only flaw I see in this film is simply that Maher could have interviewed some astronomers and physicists that really embrace a devout and rational view of existence that is along the same lines as what Maher hints at: that the world is a magnificent rock traveling around a great ball of fire in a great capsule called the universe. Existence in and of itself is mysterious and fantastical, beautiful and wondrous. Human beings don't know anything more than that, and that is a positive thing. It makes life precious.
But that is simply my not-so-humble opinion. And Maher is not so humble either, which is what makes this the best damn social documentary I've ever seen. This needs to be shown in middle schools all across America. Can you imagine that!
Freedom of Religion means freedom of choice, and this film reveals that one choice (apparently %16 of the US) is agnosticism. And as Maher points out, that's a powerful minority! Sign me up! Im a lawyer. Do you know how many religious (mostly Christian) laws exist in America that are blatantly unconstitutional.
Mr. Maher, there's your next film!
W. (2008)
Huge Stone Fan, but this is Stone at his lowest.
Preface: I'm a huge Oliver Stone fan. HUGE. I even wrote a 20 page paper on the relationship between Platoon and the American psyche regarding the Vietnam War. However, .... In his latest film, Oliver Stone forfeits the insightful, truth-driven film-making that has made him famous for normal, good ol' American profit-driven propaganda (if not tabloid fodder for the masses).
The representation of Bush and his actions border's on the absurd. I am no Bush fan, but this film seems to be nothing more than a means of gratifying all those who yearn for a simple movie that reinforces, rather than questions, all their ignorant beliefs about very complex issues. Example: Bush recklessly invades Iraq without any reservations. None. His rational, according to Stone, has more to do with his ego and his quest to prove himself to his father. Fact: Even Clinton voted for war in Iraq. The majority of leaders in the US thought that Iraq posed a legitimate threat.
The film's motto: "Hate Bush, and America is not to be blamed." That is exactly what the Germans did after WWII. As stated, I'm no Bush fan, but this film equates to political propaganda, and I reject propaganda, whether it is from Bush or from Stone.
The representation of Bush and his actions border's on the absurd. I am no Bush fan, but this film seems to be nothing more than a means of gratifying all those who yearn for a simple movie that reinforces, rather than questions, all their ignorant beliefs about very complex issues. Example: Bush recklessly invades Iraq without any reservations. None. His rational, according to Stone, has more to do with his ego and his quest to prove himself to his father. Fact: Even Clinton voted for war in Iraq. The majority of leaders in the US thought that Iraq posed a legitimate threat.
The film's motto: "Hate Bush, and America is not to be blamed." That is exactly what the Germans did after WWII. As stated, I'm no Bush fan, but this film equates to political propaganda, and I reject propaganda, whether it is from Bush or from Stone.