The Motley Crüe biopic, The Dirt, is one of those long-fabled projects, complete with dream casting (Chris Walken as Ozzie!) befitting Inglorious Bastards circa 1999, that may never see the darkness of a theater. Borat and Religulous director, Larry Charles, has been attached to helm for some time and tells Coming Soon that his NC-17 vision is probably too nihilistic for Hollywood. The first sentence is a keeper…
“…Motley Crüe is a crappy band but [Neil Strauss] wrote a really epic book about them. It’s really fascinating. What’s good about it is how hardcore it is. They’ve killed people, they’ve hurt people, they’ve crippled people, they’ve done all kinds of crazy things. You’d have to show that for real and I think there was a little bit of reticence about doing that ultimately. But for me, I would do it if it could be done the proper way. If it’s going to be sanitized then they don’t need me to do it. They could find somebody else to do that.”
Bummer. We’d much rather see Strauss’ The Dirt developed into a feature than his bestseller The Game, the pick-up-chicks guide favored by every lonely grad student ever. In the meantime, Charles is currently developing a new HBO series in the vein of his Curb Your Enthusiasm for Kanye West. He says this too is facing hurdles…
“So it’s like a Kanye and ‘Curb’ show, it’s kind of improvised about the situations and stuff. It was really good, but again I think it was too hardcore for HBO. [HBO prexy] Sue Naegle has taken over and I want to show it to her and see how she responds to it.”
Larry Charles: not taking off his sunglasses.
Discuss: For those who have read it, do you agree that The Dirt would make a cool NC-17 flick? What about an uncensored Kanye West-as-Larry David half hour series?
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Larry Charles’ Religulous is a film I’ve been looking forward to since the project was first announced. I have a few confessions: I loved Charles’ Borat and I’ve been an avid viewer of Bill Maher’s Politically Incorrect over the years. I grew up Catholic, but Maher’s views on world religion pretty much mirrors my current opinions. So it’s sad to report that while I did enjoy Religulous greatly, it wasn’t exactly what I was hoping it would be.
The basic gist involves Bill Maher traveling the world to various locations, meeting with experts and followers of various different religions. These interactions usually end with Maher making jokes at their expense or giving the participants just enough room to hang themselves. The idea is for the participants to look stupid and for Maher to prevail with simple logic.
Religulous is very funny, but its not your typical documentary. Maher takes advantage of manipulative techniques such as using subtitles or superimposed text on screen to contradict or ridicule what the participants are saying to the camera. Don’t get me wrong, by calling the techniques manipulative, doesn’t mean that I didn’t enjoy the resulting footage. The comedic style of documentary allows for such unusual and usually unethical ideas. Also, the editing is top notice, inter-cutting stock footage throughout for further comic effect.
My biggest criticism of Religulous is that it focuses on comedy over content. The only real substance comes in the form of a few monologues that Maher filmed throughout his travels in various different biblical locations. If you’ve seen Maher’s well written rants at the conclusion of his New Rules segment, then you have some idea of what to expect. It is here where we learn the film’s only true informational gem – that another god predates Jesus that was also born on December 25th, walked on water, and was resurrected after death which is slight proof that religion is just the further perpetuation of ageless myths as fact.
At the end of the day I would have rather seen Maher take a more serious view on world religion. Hearing Maher and more specifically Larry Charles, speak on the subject of Religion in the post screening Q&A was incredibly fascinating. I want to see that documentary. It could have been more itneresting to see Maher placed in conflict with academics who can stand their own ground. But from a pure entertainment standard, Religulous succeeds with flying colors.
/Film Rating: 7.5 out of 10
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On Saturday night, a group of protesters picketed the premiere of Larry Charles‘ Religulous, the Bill Maher anti-religion documentary. I caught some footage of the protesters in action (above). I was initally told that they were trying to have the screening shut down. So when I went over to interview them, I’ll admit that I was probably a little aggressive in my questioning. But it turned out that the protesters weren’t anti-free speech after all. And while I might not agree, I respect their stance. I’ve just never understood the practicality of the idea of protests against movies. Doesn’t it always end up bringing more attention and publicity to the films in question? And the third clip shows Maher’s funny response when someone asked during the Q&A, if he had hired the protesters to promote the film.
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Larry Charles‘ Religulous is scheduled to hit theaters in October. But did you know that the Bill Maher documentary is already playing in a couple theaters right now? In order to meet the Academy’s rule #12 which states that a “a documentary feature must complete both a seven-day commercial run in a theater in Los Angeles County, and a seven-day commercial run in a theater in the borough of Manhattan between September 1, 2007 and August 31, 2008″ to be considered for the Best Documentary Oscar.
So right now the film is playing twice daily at Laemmle’s Claremont 5 in Claremont, CA and the Creative Entertainment Coliseum Quad on 181st Street in New York City. So if you’re near either city, you might want to buy a ticket. I’m sure it will only be a matter of days before some LA and New York journalists buy a ticket and file a review online. I will be seeing the film in a couple weeks at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival.
via: Jeff Wells
Ding, ding.
via Hollywood Elsewhere
Discuss: What do you think of the poster? Why didn’t Lionsgate use a poster like this in the U.S.? Also, anyone notice that grandparents really love Space Chimps?
It is going to be quite fun watching film critics in the MSM tackle Religulous, the anti-religions (re: not anti-organized religions) documentary from director Larry Charles (Borat) and Bill Maher. Reviewing this film practically demands that one states his/her personal beliefs—sort of like with Iraq War docs, but, you know, bigger—and judging from two of the first reader reviews on AICN, Maher doesn’t leave much wiggle room: it’s the “you do” or “you don’t” proposition. And unlike Ben Stein’s Expelled, Religulous will have a much higher media profile when it’s released this October.
The first reviewer is an evangelical Christian who’s a fan of Maher’s canceled Politically Incorrect talk-show. While the film offered “chuckles,” the reviewer goes on to say that Maher’s take on religion(s) is ultimately one-sided. But isn’t that Maher’s point? There is no middle ground? Moreover, the reviewer took issue with the “mission statement” that Maher makes at the film’s conclusion (spoiler alert)…
“[Maher] dismisses all of Christianity based on the supernatural events in the Bible, which he says couldn’t have happened, and complains that it doesn’t present itself the way he personally wants it to. …The kicker is the ending. (MAJOR SPOILER – I guess): After 90 minutes of interviews, Bill states that all religion is evil and must be destroyed for the good of humankind. He comes to this conclusion based on the Koran’s and the Bible’s predictions of destruction of the world at the “end times” and feels that these religions want the world to be destroyed because God or Allah has ordained it.”
I wonder if “destroy” is actually said. The other review is from a “lapsed Catholic” who is neither a “believer” or “nonbeliever.” This reviewer expected a documentary that clowned people like Borat, but was struck by its seriousness. He says that Maher doesn’t victimize anyone, and even though he tends to “preach” his atheism, he doesn’t cut off the religious people he interviews in the film (including someone (not Seth Rogen) from the Church of Cannabis).
“All in all, I must say that I really enjoyed the film. If you are like me and go into this film expecting another “Borat”, you are either going to get more or less than what you bargained for, all depending on your perspective of religion (obviously). I will also say though, that if you are looking to be offended, the odds are pretty good.”
In a recent issue of TIME magazine, a cover story on Mark Twain delved into that man’s candid remarks on religion(s) and atheism, which sounded a lot like Maher’s today. Given the amount of time that has passed since Twain’s passing, I highly doubt this film will change the minds of any viewers over the age of 25.
Discuss: What do you make of the “spoiler mission statement”? How do you think the MSM will treat/review this documentary? How do you expect it to perform at the box office?
Lionsgate has released a new clip from Larry Charles’ upcoming documentary Religulous, which follows Bill Maher takes on the current state of world religion. In this new clip Maher takes a tour of a burka store.
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Religulous hits theaters on October 3rd 2008.
Lionsgate has finally released a movie trailer for Larry Charles‘ documentary Religulous, which follows Bill Maher as he travels around the globe interviewing people about God and religion. The official plot synopsis reads: “Known for his astute analytical skills, irreverent wit and commitment to never pulling a punch, Maher brings his characteristic honesty to an unusual spiritual journey.” I got the chance to see about 15 or 20 minutes of the film last year at the Toronto Film Festival, and laughed quite a bit. It’s more Michael Moore meets Jay Leno’s Jaywalking than Borat, but I understand with Charles at the helm, you need to play that card.
I love the part in the trailer where Maher asks the the guy who plays Jesus Christ at a Catholic Theme Park why God doesn’t obliterate the devil and thereby destroy all evil in the world. And Jesus responds “He will.” If I remember correctly from what was said at Toronto, Maher was actually kicked out of the park after the interview. And I understand that to some, Maher may come off as abrasive, but you have to his comic delivery. For instance his whole rant on Santa Claus. I have also included statements from both Maher and Charles after the jump. As always, tell me what you think in the comments!
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Watch the trailer in High Definition on Apple. Religulous hits theaters on October 3rd 2008.
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