Pages tagged “bill maher”

Release Date: Oct. 3
Director: Larry Charles

Cinematographer: Anthony Hardwick
Starring: Bill Maher
Studio/Run Time: Lionsgate, 100 mins.

Bill Maher wages snarky crusade on organized religion

Following in the heretic spirit of Christopher Hitchens, Bill Maher shows off his agnostic angst in this barbed documentary analyzing the logical shortcomings of the Abrahamic faiths. Directed by Borat helmer Larry Charles, the duo goes cross country, interviewing religious figures and visiting such institutions as a trucker chapel and the center for Cannabis Ministry. Unlike Charles’ last project, there’s no comedic caricature to deflate the tension between predator and interviewee—just Maher’s deadpan oratory pitted against street-level defenders of the faith. While entertaining, the philosophical merit gets lost as Maher’s contempt for the Church reveals him to be as fundamentally biased as those he interviews. To the filmmakers, Christianity, Judaism and Islam have only led to genocidal violence and ignorance; they neglect the humanitarianism and relief work of Mother Teresa and religious NGOs. It’s an unfortunate perspective, as Maher’s rhetorical skill in exposing the hypocrisy and inconsistency of conmen like faux-messiah Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda is more than hilarious—it’s socially responsible. But the majority of his targets aren’t leaders or spokesmen—they’re strawmen dissected on camera with a merciless judgment fit for the deities on trial.

With an election on the horizon, films in 2008 seem weirdly apolitical when compared with 2004's Fahrenheit 9/11. That's only at first glance, though, as it seems that two different documentaries later this year will adopt a religious theme in extremely different ways.

Arriving in April, the first of these films will be Ben Stein's Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed. Stein's film focuses on scientists who have been fired or silenced due to religious beliefs or support of intelligent design. Check out the trailer below:

Hitting the U.S. in limited release in June (though releasing in France in April), Bill Maher and Larry Charles (Borat) are coming out with their reaction to the religious establishment. According to IMDB , the film is "Bill Maher's take on the current state of world religion." For anyone not familiar with Maher, his take is that it's a decidedly bad thing. The documentary goes from the Vatican to the Wailing Wall, and it's also a comedy, because, according to Maher, "the topic of religion is so inherently funny." While there is no trailer yet, you can watch Maher speak with Larry King about the film here:

Thanks to /Film for the tip!

Related links:
IMDB: Religulous
ExpelledTheMovie.com
IMDB: Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed

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