list http://www.spout.com/ Recent community activity around Religulous on Spout Copyright 2005-9 Spout, LLC Spout RSS http://www.spout.com/images/SpoutLogoRSS.jpg http://www.spout.com/ 136 30 http://www.spout.com/films/Religulous/356615/default.aspx Title: Religulous
Year: 2008
Director: Larry Charles
Plot: An examination of the presence of religion in many of the big news stories of recent years, from Muslim riots over cartoons to the Ten Commandments in front of courthouses, a born-again Christian in the White House and Scientology in the birthing room.
Times Tagged: 21
Number of Lists: 9
Number of blog posts: 22
Number of discussion threads: 4
SpoutRating: 3
]]>Fri, 22 May 2009 17:34:47 GMTReligulous2008Larry CharlesAn examination of the presence of religion in many of the big news stories of recent years, from Muslim riots over cartoons to the Ten Commandments in front of courthouses, a born-again Christian in the White House and Scientology in the birthing room. 21Tag Target (>10)92243http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/s356615.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/Religulous/356615/default.aspxFilm http://www.spout.com/blogs/jdliebert/archive/2009/4/22/41683.aspx Post By: Jdliebert
Post To: Jdliebert Blog
Post Date: 4/22/2009 2:27:09 AM
Body: I don't know - Is it the funniest movie around? it is really funny, but I feel that it is more courageous than funny. Also, congratulations to the production company and distributors who must have known up front that they would alienate a certain portion of their viewership Bill Maher did a very nice job of blending his charming satirical take on religion. Director, Larry Charles keeps his sense of humor throughout. I would recommend this one.
]]>Wed, 22 Apr 2009 06:27:09 GMTJdliebertJdliebert Blog4/22/2009 2:27:09 AM I don't know - Is it the funniest movie around? it is really funny, but I feel that it is more courageous than funny. Also, congratulations to the production company and distributors who must have known up front that they would alienate a certain portion of their viewership Bill Maher did a very nice job of blending his charming satirical take on religion. Director, Larry Charles keeps his sense of humor throughout. I would recommend this one. http://www.spout.com/groups/Filmgaming/Re_DVD_Box_Set_Giveaway/563/38656/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: QFLW
Post To: Filmgaming
Post Date: 12/19/2008 9:22:28 PM
Body: [quote user="SkyPilot"] Win a DVD box set worth up to $75. You choose the box set! That's right, winners pick any DVD box set for $75 or less, then we buy it and ship it for free. Here's how you play: 1) Reply with a list of your 5 Favorite Movies of 2008. 2) Tell us what your mother would say about each movie. We're not looking for whole reviews, just one or two sentences. EXAMPLE: 1) The Dark Knight -- "You know, I wouldn't have minded if Batman killed the Joker. That guy was just...blech!" Check back here on 12/31 to see if you've won! Good luck, and happy holidays! [/quote] Iron Man (couldn't get the link to work right) -- "Now why do women run around in those silly, geeky shoes? And that dress was all but falling off her. (sigh) No one wears pretty, elegant dresses anymore. Or underwear." Religulous -- (to the screen, with a shrug) "That's fine, Bill, but the people who should hear this just won't." Body of Lies -- "Well, I agree with Russell. How could anyone like the Middle East? No trees. And those people are just crazy. Probably because they live there." Zack & Miri Make a Porno -- "Those two were really cute. But that tall naked one--what a mess! And does the f-word have to be every other word? You don't have to resort to that kind of language to be funny." Ghost Town -- "See? That's clever. You can really insult people without cursing. Who was that dentist? I've never heard of him."
]]>Sat, 20 Dec 2008 02:22:28 GMTQFLWFilmgaming12/19/2008 9:22:28 PM[quote user="SkyPilot"] Win a DVD box set worth up to $75. You choose the box set! That's right, winners pick any DVD box set for $75 or less, then we buy it and ship it for free. Here's how you play: 1) Reply with a list of your 5 Favorite Movies of 2008. 2) Tell us what your mother would say about each movie. We're not looking for whole reviews, just one or two sentences. EXAMPLE: 1) The Dark Knight -- "You know, I wouldn't have minded if Batman killed the Joker. That guy was just...blech!" Check back here on 12/31 to see if you've won! Good luck, and happy holidays! [/quote] Iron Man (couldn't get the link to work right) -- "Now why do women run around in those silly, geeky shoes? And that dress was all but falling off her. (sigh) No one wears pretty, elegant dresses anymore. Or underwear." Religulous -- (to the screen, with a shrug) "That's fine, Bill, but the people who should hear this just won't." Body of Lies -- "Well, I agree with Russell. How could anyone like the Middle East? No trees. And those people are just crazy. Probably because they live there." Zack & Miri Make a Porno -- "Those two were really cute. But that tall naked one--what a mess! And does the f-word have to be every other word? You don't have to resort to that kind of language to be funny." Ghost Town -- "See? That's clever. You can really insult people without cursing. Who was that dentist? I've never heard of him." http://www.spout.com/groups/Community_Recommendations/Re_Collaboration_Best_Films_of_2008/643/38520/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: rjsprague
Post To: Community Recommendations
Post Date: 12/17/2008 11:52:26 PM
Body: [quote user="QFLW"] Religulous - Bill Maher asking people questions about what they believe and warning that religion is dangerous when used to run the world in place of common sense. Funny, not as obnoxious as he might have been. I wanted to join in the conversations! [/quote] I've really been wanting to see Religulous. I was a bit concerned that Maher was just trying to find the biggest religious nutjobs he could in an effort to ridicule religion in general instead of doing something worthwhile, but it sounds like he didn't resort to such low-brow, and probably amusing, tactics.
]]>Thu, 18 Dec 2008 04:52:26 GMTrjspragueCommunity Recommendations12/17/2008 11:52:26 PM[quote user="QFLW"] Religulous - Bill Maher asking people questions about what they believe and warning that religion is dangerous when used to run the world in place of common sense. Funny, not as obnoxious as he might have been. I wanted to join in the conversations! [/quote] I've really been wanting to see Religulous. I was a bit concerned that Maher was just trying to find the biggest religious nutjobs he could in an effort to ridicule religion in general instead of doing something worthwhile, but it sounds like he didn't resort to such low-brow, and probably amusing, tactics. http://www.spout.com/groups/Community_Recommendations/Re_Collaboration_Best_Films_of_2008/643/38427/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: QFLW
Post To: Community Recommendations
Post Date: 12/15/2008 8:44:12 PM
Body: "... I'm usually the first to declare my distaste for Hayden Christensen and everything he's done he's ruined, but somehow in this I was able to ignore that loathing and enjoy the movie." This is how I feel about Kiera Knightley, hahaha. The film I found her tolerable in was Domino...I've heard other people say Jumper might not be the best movie but it's entertaining. Am curious to see it now. Wasn't able to see all the films I wanted to this year. Am looking forward very much to Frost/Nixon, Slumdog Millionaire and The Brothers Bloom. And Doubt. So from the new films I did see this year, my nominations for best: Henry Poole Is Here - Low-key, sort of off the wall (er, pun not intended); a slightly predictable ending, but not quite in the way you'd think. Some food for thought on faith. Iron Man - Excellent fun; Robert Downey Jr. is The Man. Ghost Town - Stupid title that doesn't represent the film well; perhaps your standard formula romantic comedy, except that the lead is Ricky Gervais. Very funny. Religulous - Bill Maher asking people questions about what they believe and warning that religion is dangerous when used to run the world in place of common sense. Funny, not as obnoxious as he might have been. I wanted to join in the conversations! Body of Lies - Interesting Middle East thriller; handsomely filmed as is Ridley Scott's wont. Zack & Miri Make a Porno - Tacky, yes, but funny and touching. Perhaps I'm just a Kevin Smith junkie, but I enjoyed this a lot. I saw The Dark Knight and Burn After Reading as well but came away more dissatisfied than pleased with both. The action in TDK was too hard to follow; after awhile all the chasing and exploding got tiresome. Alfred is more interesting a character than Batman/Bruce Wayne; Heath Ledger stole the show. BAR started out brilliantly, has much in it that's funny, but the way the plot crashed and burned was too strange and not so funny, left me shaking my head. But the closing conversation was good.
]]>Tue, 16 Dec 2008 01:44:12 GMTQFLWCommunity Recommendations12/15/2008 8:44:12 PM"... I'm usually the first to declare my distaste for Hayden Christensen and everything he's done he's ruined, but somehow in this I was able to ignore that loathing and enjoy the movie." This is how I feel about Kiera Knightley, hahaha. The film I found her tolerable in was Domino...I've heard other people say Jumper might not be the best movie but it's entertaining. Am curious to see it now. Wasn't able to see all the films I wanted to this year. Am looking forward very much to Frost/Nixon, Slumdog Millionaire and The Brothers Bloom. And Doubt. So from the new films I did see this year, my nominations for best: Henry Poole Is Here - Low-key, sort of off the wall (er, pun not intended); a slightly predictable ending, but not quite in the way you'd think. Some food for thought on faith. Iron Man - Excellent fun; Robert Downey Jr. is The Man. Ghost Town - Stupid title that doesn't represent the film well; perhaps your standard formula romantic comedy, except that the lead is Ricky Gervais. Very funny. Religulous - Bill Maher asking people questions about what they believe and warning that religion is dangerous when used to run the world in place of common sense. Funny, not as obnoxious as he might have been. I wanted to join in the conversations! Body of Lies - Interesting Middle East thriller; handsomely filmed as is Ridley Scott's wont. Zack & Miri Make a Porno - Tacky, yes, but funny and touching. Perhaps I'm just a Kevin Smith junkie, but I enjoyed this a lot. I saw The Dark Knight and Burn After Reading as well but came away more dissatisfied than pleased with both. The action in TDK was too hard to follow; after awhile all the chasing and exploding got tiresome. Alfred is more interesting a character than Batman/Bruce Wayne; Heath Ledger stole the show. BAR started out brilliantly, has much in it that's funny, but the way the plot crashed and burned was too strange and not so funny, left me shaking my head. But the closing conversation was good. http://www.spout.com/blogs/cinemarian/archive/2008/12/6/38025.aspx Post By: CinemaRian
Post To: CinemaRian Blog
Post Date: 12/6/2008 6:18:54 PM
Body: I’ve seen this movie before, when it less obnoxious, done better and potentially more offensive. It was called The God Who Wasn’t There and it was directed by Brian Flemming. Both that film and Religulous are documentaries about atheists (although Bill Maher calls himself an agnostic) who interview people about faith, generally with the purpose of showing what they feel to be ludicrousness of religious belief. The problem of reviewing a movie like this is that your opinion of its going to be inevitably influenced by your own personal beliefs. Since I am neither an atheist nor agnostic, I don’t agree with the arguments of Maher or Flemming. But Flemming was such a good filmmaker that his movie was fascinating to watch and the jokes were genuinely funny, even when they were made at my own faith’s expense. Maher, on the other hand, is at times rude and even mean to his guests. He’s not as funny either. Something has always bothered me about Maher. I used to watch his TV show, Politically Incorrect and his main problem seemed to be arrogance mixed with dose of chauvinism. I got tired quickly of constant discussions of the “feminization of America” and it’s not surprising that he got his ass cancelled after he said one stupid thing to many. Less than a week after the attacks, he entreated the grieving nation to this pearl of wisdom: “We have been the cowards, lobbing cruise missiles from 2,000 miles away. That's cowardly. Staying in the airplane when it hits the building, say what you want about it, it's not cowardly.” Smooth move, Bill! Anyway, Religulous consists of mainly of director Larry Charles (who made the way better Borat) following Maher around as he “interviews” various religious figures. He treats all of them, even the ones who attempt to be logical and rational with contempt and disdain. He doesn’t try to come up with logical arguments as to why they are wrong, but instead just rails against how ridiculous they are. He even walks out on one person with letting them finish what they have to say. Throughout all this, he keeps mentioning that he has no idea what’s going to ha Obviously, Maher is miffed at religion, for what reason I don’t know. In his film, Flemming mentioned being emotionally abused at his religious elementary school, so at least that’s understandable. Maher is an angry man who inspires anger in other people. The other valid comparison between this film and Flemming’s is that the fact many of the arguments and cinematic techniques are the same, such as using clips from cheesy Christian movies and intentionally offensive intercuts. But Flemming is a superior filmmaker and a more likable screen precense. You may have determined from this review that I do not like Maher very much and you’d be right. I might venture to guess that even those who agree with his views might find his approach distasteful or at least annoying. If you want to see this exact same movie, but better, rent The God Who Wasn’t There. Religulous (2008)
]]>Sat, 06 Dec 2008 23:18:54 GMTCinemaRianCinemaRian Blog12/6/2008 6:18:54 PM I’ve seen this movie before, when it less obnoxious, done better and potentially more offensive. It was called The God Who Wasn’t There and it was directed by Brian Flemming. Both that film and Religulous are documentaries about atheists (although Bill Maher calls himself an agnostic) who interview people about faith, generally with the purpose of showing what they feel to be ludicrousness of religious belief. The problem of reviewing a movie like this is that your opinion of its going to be inevitably influenced by your own personal beliefs. Since I am neither an atheist nor agnostic, I don’t agree with the arguments of Maher or Flemming. But Flemming was such a good filmmaker that his movie was fascinating to watch and the jokes were genuinely funny, even when they were made at my own faith’s expense. Maher, on the other hand, is at times rude and even mean to his guests. He’s not as funny either. Something has always bothered me about Maher. I used to watch his TV show, Politically Incorrect and his main problem seemed to be arrogance mixed with dose of chauvinism. I got tired quickly of constant discussions of the “feminization of America” and it’s not surprising that he got his ass cancelled after he said one stupid thing to many. Less than a week after the attacks, he entreated the grieving nation to this pearl of wisdom: “We have been the cowards, lobbing cruise missiles from 2,000 miles away. That's cowardly. Staying in the airplane when it hits the building, say what you want about it, it's not cowardly.” Smooth move, Bill! Anyway, Religulous consists of mainly of director Larry Charles (who made the way better Borat) following Maher around as he “interviews” various religious figures. He treats all of them, even the ones who attempt to be logical and rational with contempt and disdain. He doesn’t try to come up with logical arguments as to why they are wrong, but instead just rails against how ridiculous they are. He even walks out on one person with letting them finish what they have to say. Throughout all this, he keeps mentioning that he has no idea what’s going to ha Obviously, Maher is miffed at religion, for what reason I don’t know. In his film, Flemming mentioned being emotionally abused at his religious elementary school, so at least that’s understandable. Maher is an angry man who inspires anger in other people. The other valid comparison between this film and Flemming’s is that the fact many of the arguments and cinematic techniques are the same, such as using clips from cheesy Christian movies and intentionally offensive intercuts. But Flemming is a superior filmmaker and a more likable screen precense. You may have determined from this review that I do not like Maher very much and you’d be right. I might venture to guess that even those who agree with his views might find his approach distasteful or at least annoying. If you want to see this exact same movie, but better, rent The God Who Wasn’t There. Religulous (2008) http://www.spout.com/blogs/karina/archive/2008/12/4/37931.aspx Post By: Karina
Post To: Karina on SpoutBlog
Post Date: 12/4/2008 12:01:54 PM
Body: I’ve spent the morning combing the various Sundance line-up overviews, wherein reporters for a variety of publications digest the four competition line-ups announced yesterday in an attempt to find an overarching theme/predictive slant which they can then hand-deliver to their mainly mainstream audiences. One thing I’ve learned: such stories should never be read back-to-back. “Sundance’s writers and directors are turning toward more uplifting narratives,” writes John Horn in the LA Times. Oh good! Oh, but wait — according to USA Today, “The comedies are dark, and the dramas are even darker at the annual showcase of low-budget moviemaking.” What am I supposed to believe? But seriously, folks. One observation from Horn’s story is worth a ponder: [Sundance programming director] Cooper says the festival’s 16 competition documentaries, selected from 879 submissions, continue the nonfiction filmmaking trend toward advocacy and away from impartial journalistic observation. “They are basically telling you what to do, versus ‘This is something that is going on,’ ” Cooper says. I guess the word that rankles there is “trend.” I’ve never been to a documentary-heavy film festival that didn’t have its share of edutainment, but looking at the most successful nonfiction films of this past year (whether at the box office or with critics or with awards bodies, or all of the above), what’s notable is that surprising lack of prescriptive, “Here’s a problem … and a solution!”-style filmmaking. I mean, Man on Wire? The best reviewed documentary of the year and the apparent Oscar frontrunner? What is that advocating, exactly — art crime? Is the lesson of Trouble the Water that aspiring rappers who live in the path of hurricanes should try to have video cameras handy at all times? As far as high grossing films, there’s U2 3D, which tells us to … be U2, and get shot in 3D. You could definitely say that Religulous steers “away from impartial journalistic observation,” and there’s no question that it’s been a success, but there is some question as to whether or not an insult comic’s staged road trip really counts as “documentary”, let alone “advocacy.” And of course, there’s my favorite work of advocacy, Encounters at the End of the World, in which Werner Herzog tells us to steer clear of “abominations” like yoga studios and ATMs, and attempts no impartiality in regards to suicidal penguins. Bottom line: it wouldn’t be crazy super weird if there were a lot of documentaries “telling you what to do” at Sundance, but the most successful nonfiction films of 2008 didn’t. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog » Karina Longworth
]]>Thu, 04 Dec 2008 17:01:54 GMTKarinaKarina on SpoutBlog12/4/2008 12:01:54 PMI’ve spent the morning combing the various Sundance line-up overviews, wherein reporters for a variety of publications digest the four competition line-ups announced yesterday in an attempt to find an overarching theme/predictive slant which they can then hand-deliver to their mainly mainstream audiences. One thing I’ve learned: such stories should never be read back-to-back. “Sundance’s writers and directors are turning toward more uplifting narratives,” writes John Horn in the LA Times. Oh good! Oh, but wait — according to USA Today, “The comedies are dark, and the dramas are even darker at the annual showcase of low-budget moviemaking.” What am I supposed to believe? But seriously, folks. One observation from Horn’s story is worth a ponder: [Sundance programming director] Cooper says the festival’s 16 competition documentaries, selected from 879 submissions, continue the nonfiction filmmaking trend toward advocacy and away from impartial journalistic observation. “They are basically telling you what to do, versus ‘This is something that is going on,’ ” Cooper says. I guess the word that rankles there is “trend.” I’ve never been to a documentary-heavy film festival that didn’t have its share of edutainment, but looking at the most successful nonfiction films of this past year (whether at the box office or with critics or with awards bodies, or all of the above), what’s notable is that surprising lack of prescriptive, “Here’s a problem … and a solution!”-style filmmaking. I mean, Man on Wire? The best reviewed documentary of the year and the apparent Oscar frontrunner? What is that advocating, exactly — art crime? Is the lesson of Trouble the Water that aspiring rappers who live in the path of hurricanes should try to have video cameras handy at all times? As far as high grossing films, there’s U2 3D, which tells us to … be U2, and get shot in 3D. You could definitely say that Religulous steers “away from impartial journalistic observation,” and there’s no question that it’s been a success, but there is some question as to whether or not an insult comic’s staged road trip really counts as “documentary”, let alone “advocacy.” And of course, there’s my favorite work of advocacy, Encounters at the End of the World, in which Werner Herzog tells us to steer clear of “abominations” like yoga studios and ATMs, and attempts no impartiality in regards to suicidal penguins. Bottom line: it wouldn’t be crazy super weird if there were a lot of documentaries “telling you what to do” at Sundance, but the most successful nonfiction films of 2008 didn’t. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog » Karina Longworth http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/12/4/37930.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 12/4/2008 12:01:37 PM
Body: I’ve spent the morning combing the various Sundance line-up overviews, wherein reporters for a variety of publications digest the four competition line-ups announced yesterday in an attempt to find an overarching theme/predictive slant which they can then hand-deliver to their mainly mainstream audiences. One thing I’ve learned: such stories should never be read back-to-back. “Sundance’s writers and directors are turning toward more uplifting narratives,” writes John Horn in the LA Times. Oh good! Oh, but wait — according to USA Today, “The comedies are dark, and the dramas are even darker at the annual showcase of low-budget moviemaking.” What am I supposed to believe? But seriously, folks. One observation from Horn’s story is worth a ponder: [Sundance programming director] Cooper says the festival’s 16 competition documentaries, selected from 879 submissions, continue the nonfiction filmmaking trend toward advocacy and away from impartial journalistic observation. “They are basically telling you what to do, versus ‘This is something that is going on,’ ” Cooper says. I guess the word that rankles there is “trend.” I’ve never been to a documentary-heavy film festival that didn’t have its share of edutainment, but looking at the most successful nonfiction films of this past year (whether at the box office or with critics or with awards bodies, or all of the above), what’s notable is that surprising lack of prescriptive, “Here’s a problem … and a solution!”-style filmmaking. I mean, Man on Wire? The best reviewed documentary of the year and the apparent Oscar frontrunner? What is that advocating, exactly — art crime? Is the lesson of Trouble the Water that aspiring rappers who live in the path of hurricanes should try to have video cameras handy at all times? As far as high grossing films, there’s U2 3D, which tells us to … be U2, and get shot in 3D. You could definitely say that Religulous steers “away from impartial journalistic observation,” and there’s no question that it’s been a success, but there is some question as to whether or not an insult comic’s staged road trip really counts as “documentary”, let alone “advocacy.” And of course, there’s my favorite work of advocacy, Encounters at the End of the World, in which Werner Herzog tells us to steer clear of “abominations” like yoga studios and ATMs, and attempts no impartiality in regards to suicidal penguins. Bottom line: it wouldn’t be crazy super weird if there were a lot of documentaries “telling you what to do” at Sundance, but the most successful nonfiction films of 2008 didn’t. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Thu, 04 Dec 2008 17:01:37 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com12/4/2008 12:01:37 PMI’ve spent the morning combing the various Sundance line-up overviews, wherein reporters for a variety of publications digest the four competition line-ups announced yesterday in an attempt to find an overarching theme/predictive slant which they can then hand-deliver to their mainly mainstream audiences. One thing I’ve learned: such stories should never be read back-to-back. “Sundance’s writers and directors are turning toward more uplifting narratives,” writes John Horn in the LA Times. Oh good! Oh, but wait — according to USA Today, “The comedies are dark, and the dramas are even darker at the annual showcase of low-budget moviemaking.” What am I supposed to believe? But seriously, folks. One observation from Horn’s story is worth a ponder: [Sundance programming director] Cooper says the festival’s 16 competition documentaries, selected from 879 submissions, continue the nonfiction filmmaking trend toward advocacy and away from impartial journalistic observation. “They are basically telling you what to do, versus ‘This is something that is going on,’ ” Cooper says. I guess the word that rankles there is “trend.” I’ve never been to a documentary-heavy film festival that didn’t have its share of edutainment, but looking at the most successful nonfiction films of this past year (whether at the box office or with critics or with awards bodies, or all of the above), what’s notable is that surprising lack of prescriptive, “Here’s a problem … and a solution!”-style filmmaking. I mean, Man on Wire? The best reviewed documentary of the year and the apparent Oscar frontrunner? What is that advocating, exactly — art crime? Is the lesson of Trouble the Water that aspiring rappers who live in the path of hurricanes should try to have video cameras handy at all times? As far as high grossing films, there’s U2 3D, which tells us to … be U2, and get shot in 3D. You could definitely say that Religulous steers “away from impartial journalistic observation,” and there’s no question that it’s been a success, but there is some question as to whether or not an insult comic’s staged road trip really counts as “documentary”, let alone “advocacy.” And of course, there’s my favorite work of advocacy, Encounters at the End of the World, in which Werner Herzog tells us to steer clear of “abominations” like yoga studios and ATMs, and attempts no impartiality in regards to suicidal penguins. Bottom line: it wouldn’t be crazy super weird if there were a lot of documentaries “telling you what to do” at Sundance, but the most successful nonfiction films of 2008 didn’t. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/11/24/37595.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 11/24/2008 7:01:27 PM
Body: When the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announces a shortlist for one of its Oscar categories, many critics immediately focus on what titles are missing. Religulous was snubbed! Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired was punished for having a “secret” qualifying run! The Academy’s rules for eligibility must be amended! Such reactions were seen all over the web last week as awards season pundits looked at the narrowed-down list of 15 Feature Documentary hopefuls and criticized the Academy for its omissions. But the better response (which is the one SpoutBlog had) is to primarily address and celebrate the included films, not just for being contenders for the Feature Documentary Oscar but also for being showcased in general. The wonderful thing about shortlists is that they expand further the idea that it’s great just to be nominated. For feature documentaries, particularly those without a lot of media and major distributor attention, it is also great just to be shortlisted. Non-fiction film fans may now see this as an opportunity to take note of some documentaries that weren’t previously on their radar (unfortunately none of these films are actually allowed to advertise their recent achievement of being shortlisted). But the Academy Awards are, of course, still a competition. So, while we take notice of the 15 semi-finalists for the Feature Documentary Oscar, we shall also weigh their chances of being selected for the final five and predict which titles are likely to be announced as nominees on January 22. 1. Blessed Is the Match: The Life and Death of Hannah Senesh It’s a constant joke that any film related to the Holocaust is guaranteed an Oscar nomination. Obviously this is a generalization based on common trend, and not every Holocaust doc has in fact been recognized by the Academy, but if such a film is good enough to reach the shortlist, there is a very good chance that it will also be nominated. And since there hasn’t been a feature doc on the subject nominated since 2002, it’s probably time for a new one to get the spotlight. Blessed is narrated by Oscar-nominee Joan Allen and details the courageous life of Hannah Senesh, who took part in a mission to rescue Hungary’s Jews. If Hollywood doesn’t nominate this doc, it will probably at least use it as a springboard from which to produce an Oscar-bait dramatization about Senesh in the near future. 2. Trouble the Water Never mind the fact that it’s one of the best-reviewed films of the year, this is the Academy’s first chance to get behind the Katrina issue. Though some mistakenly see the Feature Documentary Oscar as primarily a category with which to showcase its favored causes rather than recognizing the actual best documentary filmmaking of the year, there is a miniscule amount of truth in the matter. It’s part of the reason that the Holocaust-doc joke is so often made, and it’s also why the films Born Into Brothels and An Inconvenient Truth were named winners, despite their being subject-over-style kinds of documentaries. Trouble the Water is a tad bit sloppy, but it has the subject matter and enough inspirational substance to receive a nomination. 3. Encounters at the End of the World This may be the Academy’s chance to make up for their exclusion of Werner Herzog’s Grizzly Man a few years back or simply honor a filmmaker who has been important to the non-fiction genre for decades. Also, with their snub of Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired, the Academy Documentary Branch could use this as more opportunity to distinguish and make an example out of the difference between a theatrical documentary and a television documentary (as David Poland recently pointed out, “if you are a TV doc, be a TV doc…if you are a theatrical doc, that is what the Oscars reward”). People who went to see Encounters recommended it on the basis that it needs to be seen on a big screen, which is not often said about documentaries. Other things it has going for it are a shared location with Oscar-winner March of the Penguins (even if Herzog starts the film addressing that this is not like that film) and a slight relevance to the global warming issue, which is one of the Academy’s currently favored issues. 4. Standard Operating Procedure The Academy Documentary Branch does seem to favor former nominees in their category, perhaps due to the number of documentarians who turn to fiction filmmaking after breaking out in non-fiction (maybe that explains their snub of Barbara Kopple recently after her attempt into fiction). So Morris, who was infamously rejected by the Academy with his monumental film The Thin Blue Line, and who later won the Oscar for The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons Learned from the Life of Robert S. McNamara, should be given another go. It also helps that Standard Operating Procedure is the sole Iraq War-relevant documentary in the bunch, an interesting fact given how many films dealing with this topic have been shortlisted in the past few years. Even though last year the Oscar was given to a similarly themed doc about torture and prisoner abuse, the issue is likely still one that the Academy feels strongly about. Of course, speaking of that film, Taxi to the Dark Side, its director’s latest film was not shortlisted. 5. Man on Wire This is the highest grossing (and best-reviewed) of the 15 shortlisted films, and that could mean a lot, even if it is only the fifth top grossing doc of the year. The Academy is hardly a sucker for popular documentaries, but most years since Michael Moore was honored in 2002 have seen at least one popular doc, such as Super Size Me, March of the Penguins and Moore’s Sicko. In fact, only four of the ten top grossing (non-IMAX, non-concert, non-compilation, non-reality TV-based) documentaries have not been nominated for an Oscar. The only drawback for Man on Wire could be that it features a very large percentage of re-enactment or dramatization, and even if the Academy’s rules have a greater permission for these kinds of documentaries than in the days of The Thin Blue Line’s snub, it’s very possible that members of the Academy Documentary Branch are more appreciable towards one of the films that aren’t so heavily dependent on re-enactments. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Tue, 25 Nov 2008 00:01:27 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com11/24/2008 7:01:27 PMWhen the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announces a shortlist for one of its Oscar categories, many critics immediately focus on what titles are missing. Religulous was snubbed! Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired was punished for having a “secret” qualifying run! The Academy’s rules for eligibility must be amended! Such reactions were seen all over the web last week as awards season pundits looked at the narrowed-down list of 15 Feature Documentary hopefuls and criticized the Academy for its omissions. But the better response (which is the one SpoutBlog had) is to primarily address and celebrate the included films, not just for being contenders for the Feature Documentary Oscar but also for being showcased in general. The wonderful thing about shortlists is that they expand further the idea that it’s great just to be nominated. For feature documentaries, particularly those without a lot of media and major distributor attention, it is also great just to be shortlisted. Non-fiction film fans may now see this as an opportunity to take note of some documentaries that weren’t previously on their radar (unfortunately none of these films are actually allowed to advertise their recent achievement of being shortlisted). But the Academy Awards are, of course, still a competition. So, while we take notice of the 15 semi-finalists for the Feature Documentary Oscar, we shall also weigh their chances of being selected for the final five and predict which titles are likely to be announced as nominees on January 22. 1. Blessed Is the Match: The Life and Death of Hannah Senesh It’s a constant joke that any film related to the Holocaust is guaranteed an Oscar nomination. Obviously this is a generalization based on common trend, and not every Holocaust doc has in fact been recognized by the Academy, but if such a film is good enough to reach the shortlist, there is a very good chance that it will also be nominated. And since there hasn’t been a feature doc on the subject nominated since 2002, it’s probably time for a new one to get the spotlight. Blessed is narrated by Oscar-nominee Joan Allen and details the courageous life of Hannah Senesh, who took part in a mission to rescue Hungary’s Jews. If Hollywood doesn’t nominate this doc, it will probably at least use it as a springboard from which to produce an Oscar-bait dramatization about Senesh in the near future. 2. Trouble the Water Never mind the fact that it’s one of the best-reviewed films of the year, this is the Academy’s first chance to get behind the Katrina issue. Though some mistakenly see the Feature Documentary Oscar as primarily a category with which to showcase its favored causes rather than recognizing the actual best documentary filmmaking of the year, there is a miniscule amount of truth in the matter. It’s part of the reason that the Holocaust-doc joke is so often made, and it’s also why the films Born Into Brothels and An Inconvenient Truth were named winners, despite their being subject-over-style kinds of documentaries. Trouble the Water is a tad bit sloppy, but it has the subject matter and enough inspirational substance to receive a nomination. 3. Encounters at the End of the World This may be the Academy’s chance to make up for their exclusion of Werner Herzog’s Grizzly Man a few years back or simply honor a filmmaker who has been important to the non-fiction genre for decades. Also, with their snub of Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired, the Academy Documentary Branch could use this as more opportunity to distinguish and make an example out of the difference between a theatrical documentary and a television documentary (as David Poland recently pointed out, “if you are a TV doc, be a TV doc…if you are a theatrical doc, that is what the Oscars reward”). People who went to see Encounters recommended it on the basis that it needs to be seen on a big screen, which is not often said about documentaries. Other things it has going for it are a shared location with Oscar-winner March of the Penguins (even if Herzog starts the film addressing that this is not like that film) and a slight relevance to the global warming issue, which is one of the Academy’s currently favored issues. 4. Standard Operating Procedure The Academy Documentary Branch does seem to favor former nominees in their category, perhaps due to the number of documentarians who turn to fiction filmmaking after breaking out in non-fiction (maybe that explains their snub of Barbara Kopple recently after her attempt into fiction). So Morris, who was infamously rejected by the Academy with his monumental film The Thin Blue Line, and who later won the Oscar for The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons Learned from the Life of Robert S. McNamara, should be given another go. It also helps that Standard Operating Procedure is the sole Iraq War-relevant documentary in the bunch, an interesting fact given how many films dealing with this topic have been shortlisted in the past few years. Even though last year the Oscar was given to a similarly themed doc about torture and prisoner abuse, the issue is likely still one that the Academy feels strongly about. Of course, speaking of that film, Taxi to the Dark Side, its director’s latest film was not shortlisted. 5. Man on Wire This is the highest grossing (and best-reviewed) of the 15 shortlisted films, and that could mean a lot, even if it is only the fifth top grossing doc of the year. The Academy is hardly a sucker for popular documentaries, but most years since Michael Moore was honored in 2002 have seen at least one popular doc, such as Super Size Me, March of the Penguins and Moore’s Sicko. In fact, only four of the ten top grossing (non-IMAX, non-concert, non-compilation, non-reality TV-based) documentaries have not been nominated for an Oscar. The only drawback for Man on Wire could be that it features a very large percentage of re-enactment or dramatization, and even if the Academy’s rules have a greater permission for these kinds of documentaries than in the days of The Thin Blue Line’s snub, it’s very possible that members of the Academy Documentary Branch are more appreciable towards one of the films that aren’t so heavily dependent on re-enactments. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/karina/archive/2008/11/17/37386.aspx Post By: Karina
Post To: Karina on SpoutBlog
Post Date: 11/17/2008 9:01:42 PM
Body: AJ Schnack has posted the Academy’s shortlist for the Best Documentary Feature nomination. As expected (at least, by me), Ellen Kuras’ The Betrayal, Werner Herzog’s Encounters at the End of the World, Errol Morris’ Standard Operating Procedure, and Sundance winners Man on Wire and Trouble the Wire all made the cut. It’s also nice to see a few smaller films on the list, including In a Dream and They Killed Sister Dorothy. But there are also a few notable omissions, including Religulous and Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired, both of which had their semi-secret shortlist qualifying runs at the Creative Entertainment Coliseum Quad on 181 Street in the nosebleed section of New York City. Coincidence?!?? Probably! (For what it’s worth, Expelled, Religulous‘ political polar opposite, also failed to make the cut.) The full list can be found here. Expect chatter and analysis in the days to come (probably not least from the snubbed Bill Maher). Originally posted on:SpoutBlog » Karina Longworth
]]>Tue, 18 Nov 2008 02:01:42 GMTKarinaKarina on SpoutBlog11/17/2008 9:01:42 PMAJ Schnack has posted the Academy’s shortlist for the Best Documentary Feature nomination. As expected (at least, by me), Ellen Kuras’ The Betrayal, Werner Herzog’s Encounters at the End of the World, Errol Morris’ Standard Operating Procedure, and Sundance winners Man on Wire and Trouble the Wire all made the cut. It’s also nice to see a few smaller films on the list, including In a Dream and They Killed Sister Dorothy. But there are also a few notable omissions, including Religulous and Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired, both of which had their semi-secret shortlist qualifying runs at the Creative Entertainment Coliseum Quad on 181 Street in the nosebleed section of New York City. Coincidence?!?? Probably! (For what it’s worth, Expelled, Religulous‘ political polar opposite, also failed to make the cut.) The full list can be found here. Expect chatter and analysis in the days to come (probably not least from the snubbed Bill Maher). Originally posted on:SpoutBlog » Karina Longworth http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/11/17/37385.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 11/17/2008 9:01:28 PM
Body: AJ Schnack has posted the Academy’s shortlist for the Best Documentary Feature nomination. As expected (at least, by me), Ellen Kuras’ The Betrayal, Werner Herzog’s Encounters at the End of the World, Errol Morris’ Standard Operating Procedure, and Sundance winners Man on Wire and Trouble the Wire all made the cut. It’s also nice to see a few smaller films on the list, including In a Dream and They Killed Sister Dorothy. But there are also a few notable omissions, including Religulous and Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired, both of which had their semi-secret shortlist qualifying runs at the Creative Entertainment Coliseum Quad on 181 Street in the nosebleed section of New York City. Coincidence?!?? Probably! (For what it’s worth, Expelled, Religulous‘ political polar opposite, also failed to make the cut.) The full list can be found here. Expect chatter and analysis in the days to come (probably not least from the snubbed Bill Maher). Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Tue, 18 Nov 2008 02:01:28 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com11/17/2008 9:01:28 PMAJ Schnack has posted the Academy’s shortlist for the Best Documentary Feature nomination. As expected (at least, by me), Ellen Kuras’ The Betrayal, Werner Herzog’s Encounters at the End of the World, Errol Morris’ Standard Operating Procedure, and Sundance winners Man on Wire and Trouble the Wire all made the cut. It’s also nice to see a few smaller films on the list, including In a Dream and They Killed Sister Dorothy. But there are also a few notable omissions, including Religulous and Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired, both of which had their semi-secret shortlist qualifying runs at the Creative Entertainment Coliseum Quad on 181 Street in the nosebleed section of New York City. Coincidence?!?? Probably! (For what it’s worth, Expelled, Religulous‘ political polar opposite, also failed to make the cut.) The full list can be found here. Expect chatter and analysis in the days to come (probably not least from the snubbed Bill Maher). Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/documentary/MemberTagFilms.aspxdocumentary
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