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Anton Sirius sees some of Bill Maher's RELIGULOUS and all of DAINIPPONJIN in Toronto!!!
Ahoy, squirts! Quint here. I'm really, really, really super curious about this project from Bill Maher and Larry Charles. Gotta admire the balls on Maher for putting himself in the crosshairs like this. Politics is touchy, Religion is explosive. I've always enjoyed his thoughts (even the ones I don't agree with) on POLITICALLY INCORRECT and REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER, so count me interested in this.
Thanks for all the great coverage, Anton!
Just some disjointed thoughts on the Mavericks presentation of Larry Charles and Bill Maher's Religulous from earlier in the week, and my brief chat with them afterwards. All told they showed about 15-20 minutes of footage, although not all of it will necessarily appear in the final cut.
I think, when the film is released and the shitstorm from religious groups begins brewing, it'll be important to keep in mind just how brave it was for them to make the movie. Unlike with Borat, there's no comedic 'character' for them to hide behind and say "Ha ha, it's only a joke." It's just Bill Maher being Bill Maher, caustic and skeptical and not giving a damn who gets offended by his questions. Hef may have to build a bunker under the grotto for him...
Underneath the humor, Maher and Charles are quite serious in their attempts to try and figure out why so many people need the crutch of religion, in any form. This isn't even atheist propaganda. As Maher himself said at the Q&A, he doesn't understand why he gets accused of arrogance when he's the one admitting he doesn't know the answers to the big questions. He's arrogant for saying "I don't know what happens after we die", but people who say "I do know what happens after we die" are considered humble...
One thing Charles and Maher realized in making the film was how, at their core, the belief systems of all religions are pretty much equally crazy. The adherents of 'kooky' younger religions like Raelianism or Scientology don't really believe in anything 'kookier' than a giant space daddy who created the entire universe in six days...
This is not going to be Borat part two. The humor in Borat primarily stemmed from his outsider status. Cohen's character was ye olde funhouse mirror being held up to America. Here, Maher is being more directly confrontational. The point doesn't seem to be seeing how far you can subvert the subject's beliefs before they catch on to what you're doing; the point is to expose the flaws in their beliefs right out in the open and see how they react. So while structurally it's very similar (small crew traveling around talking to people) the buttons being pushed are very different. Also, no nude wrestling from Bill Maher. At least not in the footage we saw...
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Dainipponjin (2007, directed by Hitoshi Matsumoto)
The easy tag line for this one: Ultraman Bites Dog. And I'm not sure it deserves much more of a review.
The film, from Japanese TV comedian Matsumoto, is a mockumentary. An interviewer follows around sad-sack Daisato as he goes about his daily life, which includes occasional calls from the Department of Defense for him to transform into Dainipponjin, giant defender of Japan from various extremely bizarre giant monsters. Modern Japan seems to have no use for Dainipponjin, though. The TV ratings for his battles are in the toilet, he can't get sponsors, and his house gets vandalized by environmental activists. He continues fighting Squeezy Baddie (a monster with an elastic band for arms and a bad comb-over) and Mean-Look Baddie (a monster with one eye on an extendable stalk, located at its crotch) and accidentally dropping Little Boy Baddie, which is a bit of a PR nightmare.
Like Takeshi Kitano's Glory to the Filmmaker!, the film is wildly uneven. The funny bits (especially the giant battles, although they are done with deliberately cheap-looking CGI instead of Man In Suit style) are very funny, but the mockumentary gag wears thin after a while. And the ending, while very silly, breaks your brain. Although to be fair, the ending does set up the scene that plays during the credits, which is arguably the funniest thing in the entire movie.
Dainipponjin is the best kaiju spoof I've personally seen, but it's also the only kaiju spoof I've seen (unless you count Emmerich's Godzilla). I don't think it's going to be a particularly high bar to clear if someone else wants to take a shot at it.
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I'm a ruiner.
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what
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New Rule - all talkshow hosts must make movies that actually speak the truth and piss people off.
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Yeah, I'm expecting real thoughtful commentary and insight from that jerk. Does he wear his Dead Steve Irwin costume in the film??
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But Religulous sounds like my kinda movie. Just love pissing off stubborn fundamentalists. Makes me laugh.
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in a fucked up kinda way.
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I grew up Roman Catholic and became an atheist, much like Bill did, so I can relate to his comedy. The guy has balls (and really hot chicks to bang). I'm really looking forward to this.
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Bill's an animal rights activist who had problems with Steve's manhandling of animals. BTW, it was also a joke.
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But at least he's got the stones to ask real questions when people sit down in front of him. The radically religious right is making a serious effort to turn America into a theocracy, and it's time more people started realizing it. A nation that sees the Bible as superior to the Constitution will fail utterly, as this current administration has.
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And that's why you hate him.
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But in all discussions political, the man cuts through the bullshit and attacks both the Republicans and the Democrats. Yeah, he's liberal, but he's not particularly a fan of the Democrats. I love this man.
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Maher is dishonest in his questioning process. He tries to act as if he is interested in finding answers, but he does not listen to those who take the time to respond to him. In his mind he already has an answer and only asks to try to make others look foolish. He then edits the responses so he can come off as looking smug and self-righteous. It sounds like Religous will be the same sort of half baked anti-religous piece we've seen in several books and news stories over the last decade. The funny thing is the questions they ask are the same ones people have asked for generations and they have been answered time and time again with reasoned logical responses.
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I liked it a lot more than Anton did. I just think it didn't belong in the midnight madness program. The 9:30 film that night, Weirdsville, would've been a better choice.
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for MOTHERFUCKING PRESIDENT.
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before the right ran him off ABC for saying it takes guts to crash a plane you're on into a building.
People interested in this should try to catch John Safran vs God on Sundance. -
They showed 20 minutes of Religulous, so what happened? What questions were asked, where did Maher go, who did he talk to, etc. We get what it's about...but what happened in the footage?
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I love that Liberals refer to Bill Maher as a Neo-Con and Conservatives refer to him as a Liberal. He proves time and time again and that anyone who truly believes in our corrupt corporate duopoly is just dumb as shit. (Not that it isn't important to get out of your armchair and vote for your "lesser evil".) Say it with me now, Bill Maher is a Libertarian. The South Park kind, not the gun collecting psychotic kind. That would mean he is and has always been socially liberal and fiscally conservative, 100% cynical, and occasionally entertaining. He thinks both sides are dumb. That's his shtick. The fact that people are still confused on this point, or that they feel the need to refer to anyone who doesn't agree 100% with their political views as a member of the opposite party is hilarious.
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I hope more celbrity atheists have the balls to put their understanding of reality into their work. Oh, and Kathy Griffin's Emmy acceptance speech was hilarious.
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You can play all the word games you want, but if there isn't any horse-shit falling from the sky, then I am not going to bother even considering the possibility of pegasus. Evidence trumps logic. To paraphrase a Dawkins supporter, Why should I need to acknowledge the logical studies of invisible clothing, if I know human anatomy and can clearly see the Emperor's balls?
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That was pretty nicely written. Good work.
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Amen, brother.
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...for people who are afraid of dying and need comfort to face the afterlife.
People should have the right o worship the f*cking Easter Bunny if they want and the right to worship where they want and not be f*cked with but when these people start pushing it on others and trying to push their beliefs into legislation, then it is time to remind them that not everyone worships the Easter Bunny like they do or believes in UFOs and Bigfoot.
I love Bill Maher and I want my next President to not talk about God every time he opens his mouth (Republican or Democrat but preferably Democrat at this point.)
I will die for someone's right to have freedom of speech and religion but by the same token, I would happily take it away from anyone trying to shove it down anyone else's throats.
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For hilarious man-in-suit action.
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"Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do."
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That is all.
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As much as I dislike the man, I respected him when he was on Politically Incorrect for his choice of guests. He'd bring on people no one else would touch with a 10 foot pole and let them have their say. But he's a hypocrite, people. Has no problem saying "Jesus Christ" or "God Dammit," despite the offense to millions of Christians. When a guest called him on it and asked him why he didn't say "Muhamed" or "Buddah dammit" he became incensed and said that was insulting to Muslims and Buddists, while he was raised Christian so it was ok to use JC or GD as curses. If he takes on other religions as much as Christianity then I'm interested, but if he has that same freshman year of college critique of Christianity that these talkbackers seem to demonstrate, meh. Heard it all before.
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If he was truly what he claims he is, then he wouldn't pout nor belittle those of us that choose to be religious.The man claims to be a Libertine only because it is one of few political parties that are willing to entertain the idea of why drug use should be acceptable.Note that the word "accepted" is not what I wrote. The word "acceptable" entertains the notion that something may become acceptable. Big difference. One that Bill should learn.If this man were truly Libertarian, then he wouldn't latch onto the many liberal positions that he holds so dear, several of which would strip the public of protection from the states. PETA is but one example. Sorry, Bill, but I kinda dig chewing meat every so often.
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Waaahhh...Bill Maher is pointing out how fucking retarded my beliefs are, Waaahhhh....what a meanie. All you dipshits can do is cal him names. Not one of you can actually address the fucking points he makes about religion. Can anyone here tell me why Christianity is any less ridiculous than Scientology? No you can't. Thank God a few famous people are starting to get the courage to point out what a naked emperor religion really is. I've debated many a theist, both on and offline and not one of them has ever been able to make a logically coherent argument as to why anyone should believe there is a magic, invisible fairy in the sky. The smart ones just admit they can't prove it and don't try. The dumb ones quote asinine arguments from apologists like Lee Strobel and then call me names when I destroy them. They aslo like to trot out that stupid-ass "atheism is a religion too" bullshit. No it isn't, morons. Atheism is not a belief, it's an ABSENCE of belief. "Sky gods exist/sky gods don't exist" is not a debate in which both sides examine two equally plausible possibilities. The assertion that sky gods exist is not only unwarranted by any observable evidence but is also prima facie impossible. The default rational presumption is that sky gods don't exist just like the rational assumption is that elves and goblins don't exist. Unless somebody can show me why the ancient, tribal god, Yahweh is any more likely to be real than Hanuman, the Hindu monkey god (who millions of people still believe in), they don't have any right to be crybabies about having their beliefs subjected to examination and ridicule (and no, it's not the same as racism. Religious belief is a choice. You have a right to believe as you wish, that doesn't mean the beliefs themselves are entitled to any respect). Oh...and Maher rips Islam too so lets not have any of this imaginary, bullshit fantasy that Christians get singled out for some kind of special persecution while Muslims get a ride. You fuckers are 70% of the US population and you control fucking EVERYTHING. It's because of you assholes that we're stuck in a quagmire in Iraq -- because you pricks think all Muslims are the same and you invaded the wrong country. Fuck Jesus Christ up his asshole. That is all.
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is because they have power in this country, and they use it. Muslims are lucky they can get through airport security to go see grandma. They have no power, thus they don't effect people HERE. Maher pretty much says all religions are stupid and has taken Islam to task before, and suggests that most of the reasons they're fucked up is because they don't get laid. Thats the same reason most of these talkbacks are fucked up too.
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I would respect Christians a lot more if they just followed Jesus' philosophy. Jesus as portrayed in the Bible seemed like an okay bloke, a bit of a hippie, but a decent fella. However, most Christians, like most religious people, seem too caught up in their D&D styled weirdness and "Me Good-You Burn in Hell" judgmental BS to be anything but hypocritical nutters.
Oh and BTW, if you watch his show, Maher lays into Muslims quite a bit as well. -
Sep 17, 2007 11:56:46 PM CDT
People "need the crutch of religion" the same way...
by bob cryptonight
...some people "need" the crutch of being in love or raising a family. They both spring from the same place in your brain/emotions. Bill Maher is a dumb, humorless fuck who actually NEEDS this kind of fake controversy to get people interested in his lame career. Way to pander, Bill!
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You would be 100% wrong. But I'm sure you already knew that.
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Sounds like most of the whining on here is that college-freshman level "religion is all fairy tales" pathetic argument that we've all heard before. How can you be sure there is no God behind all that you see? You can't - that's your belief. And I see you use names to attach those who disagree with you - after you lambast them for doing the same. Way to make your argument. Face it, you're just as fundamentalist as those you disagree with. There's too much evidence for Christianity to be ignored and lumped into the Scientology basket as you'd convieniently like to do. Give me some historical evidence for Scientology, please. I'm waiting.
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There isn't a shred of evidence for any of the key historical claims of Christianity. Sorry to disappoint you but it doesn't exist. Although mainstream scholarship is of the consensus that there was probably a historical, 1st century Palestinian preacher named Jesus who left a partially preserved sayings tradition and who was crucified under Pilate, that represents about te sum knowledge of all that can be known about him and even TAT is uncertain. There are no eyewitness accounts of his life (the authorship traditions of the Gospels are not genuine) and most of what does exist is riddled with contradictions, factual errors, obvious literary invention and patent impossibilities. There is no evidence whatsoever for any of the supernatural claims associated with Jesus and (contrary to popular belief), not even any evidence that the apostles themselves (if they existed at all) ever claimed Jesus had come back from the dead. Just for the record, I didn't say I was "sure" there was no invisible, magic sky god "behind everything." What I DO say is that there is no more evidence for your sky god than there is for Zeus or the Hindu Monkey God and no particular reason to believe in any of them. Calling me a "fundamentalist" is jut typical, desperate, reaching bullshit because you know you don't really have any comeback. You have the burden of proof, my friend, not me. Do you know for sure that the universe isn't being controlled by giant, intelligent cunt hairs on Alpha Centauri? There's just as much evidence for that as there is for your ancient, Arabian volcano god, Yahweh. One more thing, I don't have a problem with name-calling as long as you can offer up some substance to go along with it. I might talk a little smack but I can also back my shit up, unlike you guys.
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Maher is a confirmed bachelor who doesn't appear to buy into love and family either. Right or wrong, he clearly beleives in his POV. This isn't pandering, it is preaching, and it could really fuck up his career.
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Who would Maher be "pandering" too? Liberals? Most liberals are religious. Atheists are an extreme minority in the US. Speaking out against Americn Christo-fascism is anything but good for a career. You probably believe in that Bill O'Reilly, nutjob conspiracy theory about "secular forces" trying to take over the world, don't you?
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Nappy, Paul writes about Jesus and his experience with his followers within one generation of Jesus' death. He refers to creeds and traditions that were already in place in that short amount of time. But that's not evidence of a key historical claim of Christianity for you? So where did these traditions and claims come from? Explain logically, if you can.
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Paul did NOT write anything about what Jesus said or did when he was alive, nor did he say that the disciples ever claimed to have witnessed a physical resurrection. Paul knows nothing about an empty tomb and does not actually say that Jesus physically came back from the dead but only that he "appeared" to some disciples after the crucifixion. He does not say these appearances were physical and, in fact, actually claims that bodies cannot be physically resurrected and calls people "fools" for believing that they can. Furthermore, Paul claims that he got all his information directly from visions of Jesus and explicitly states that he did not learn his creed "from any man." Paul made it up out of his ass because he was a nutjob who heard voices in his head. Even so, his own formula only consists of spiritual "appearances" after the crucifixion and he makes no reference to a physicical resurrection or to an empty tomb. He also gives an appearance chronology which contradicts all four Gospels. Sorry dude, but the key historical claims of Christianity are corroborated by nothing. Not only that, but they're impossible. One nutbag who claims he had hallucinations of a dead preacher does not constitute corroboration, especially when Paul's story does not match the Gospels or make the same claims.
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Thats why I'm already seeing Christmas bullshit in stores. It isn't even Halloween! FUCK!
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Paul says that Jesus was "buried and raised from the dead." That he "appeared to other disciples." What does that mean to a Jew at that time period? That the body physically was resurrected. The Jews at that time believed if a person was raised from the dead it would be a physical resurrection. Why do you think Jews of that time period kept the bones of the deceased in ossuaries? They were expecting a physical resurrection to the afterlife. Paul saying Jesus was raised was him saying that Jesus was physically raised. You calling Paul a "nutjob" doesn't bolster your claim. And if you say that his claims are impossible, then you're saying the existence of a God who could do that sort of thing is impossible, and so you are saying that a God can't exist. So you sound pretty sure of yourself - kind of like a fundamentalist. Just because you don't like something to be true doesn't mean it couldn't be true.
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