Dogma

Rating:
Summary: Another smart Kevin Smith flick...
Review: Just a few quibbles though - the Golgothan (really juvinile, even by my South Park Movie lovin' standards), some of the rather stilted Ben Affleck dialogue right after they got kicked off the train and the gratuitous violence of the end which I thought went a little overboard. And although I thought the two Prophets were hilarious, I like them in their "Greek Chorus" role in Clerks better. I thought that the movie was extremely intelligent with nods toward subjects (the Gnostic Gospels, Kazatakis' (sp?) Last Temptation of Christ) that one does not normally find in a comedy. Ultimately, one realizes that like Scorsese's Last Temptation... that this is the directors love letter to God. Smith never doubts God's existence and explores the same terrain that Scosese does, except that that terrain is humor instead of sexuality. I suppose that if Jesus were all man and all God simultaneously, not only would he have a sex drive (Scorsese) but he'd like a good yuk once in a while too (Smith). Just a side thought - why are there so many movies celebrating anti-materialism lately? I found myself mulling over that while watching the boardroom scene. Think of all the movies coming out lately which have that theme - Fight Club, American Psycho and American Beauty immediately spring to mind. In a culture that celebrates conspicuous consumption, its popular cinema certainly has not been reflecting that, and in fact, has been at times scathingly critical of it (witness Matt Damon turning that boardroom into a tollbooth from "The Godfather"). Any thoughts?

Rating:
Summary: Witty and wildly entertaining
Review: Don't watch this with your kids, it's very bloody and violent and the language is beyond inappropriate for anyone under 15 without a doubt, and probably for many under 17. That said, this film is brilliant. It is well written, well cast, (Bud Cort is perfect for his role. If you have no idea what I am talking about then you'll want to see "Harold and Maude"), well acted in the way of satire, fast-paced and very amusing. One needn't have any feelings at all about religion to appreciate this movie, but if you do then you should definitely pay close attention to the Monty Python-inspired disclaimer with which the film begins. Though, as Serendipity told Bethany, "It's not about religion...it's about *faith*". This movie challenges the often one-sidedness that governs the structure of Catholic religion. It is rich in symbolism as well. Each character has been well written and well acted, perhaps with the exception of the Golgothan Fecal Demon. (I can't help but think of Mr. Hanky the Christmas Poo.) Remember that one cannot hate something unless he sees that very same something within himself. Here we have a movie which causes us to examine the source of our own religious-based biases. Perhaps those who highly criticized this film took a little too personally, possibly with good reason? See it, and have faith. Then give your nose a tweak and smile.

Rating:
Summary: Kevin Smith's Special Bible
Review: Director Kevin Smith focuses the depths of religion with the inventive comedy "Dogma". Two renegade angels (Ben Affleck & Matt Damon) have devised a plan to sneak back to heaven, but unknown to them, their action will cause the destruction of the world. Now, a doubting mortal (Linda Fiorentino) with the help of two unlikely prophets (Kevin Smith & Jason Mewes), the 13th apostle (Chris Rock) and a sexy muse (Salma Hayek), must stop these renegade angels and save the world. "Dogma" is an unusual and hilarious comic romp from the creative mind of director Kevin Smith (Clerks & Chasing Amy). The storyline is imaginative and quite entertaining. Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Linda Fiorentino deliver some great comic performances. Chris Rock, Kevin Smith, Jason Mewes and Alan Rickman are hilarious. The comedy is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen format. The DVD has a detailed video transfer and a rich 5.1 Dolby Digital sound. Its only supplemental extras are the full screen theatrical trailers for "Dogma" and "The Opposite of Sex". Saving for the special edition is strongly recommended because this simple edition of "Dogma" scores a decent "C+".

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful!
Review: Controversial? No. I consider myself "fundamentalist" when it comes to my Christian beliefs, and I thought theologically that this movie was dead on the money. I could have done without some of the harsh language... but hey you can't have everything now can you? I'd like to think of this movie as a "thinking man's faith test." Kevin really does a wonderful job of challenging you to re-examine exactly what and why you believe what you do. Does it matter that Jesus was black or white? No. Does it matter that God is a man or a woman? No. Does salvation, repentence and forgiveness matter? Yes.

For everyone that's getting lit up over this film, and bashing it for no reason. Just take a moment to put the kids to bed, pop it in the VCR and approach it with an open mind. When it's done you'll have either a greater understanding of what your faith really means to you or you'll just be out five bucks and 128 minutes of your time.

Rating:
Summary: Kevin Smith Does it again
Review: On the audio commentary of Mallrats, Kevin Smith says that if 30% of cinemagooers get his humour then he's a happy guy. Watching this in the cinema I would have to say that was the case. His subtle yet clever humour shows us that there are still filmakers who don't want to spell everything out for you, who give you a little credit, and teach you things Kevin Smith style. There are those out there who complained that it was anti religion - but the survey says NO, I think it was pro religion, I am an athiest but laernt from this. It is a great film but the DVD is a let down. I already own Clerks and Mallrats, both which are packed full of extras, so I initially worried that the low price tag on this release would be a give away, but hoped nevertheless. I was wrong, no commentary, no behind the scenes stuff, no outtakes. On this ground the disc must be rated down hence my 3 stars. So to to close - great film, poor disc.

Rating:
Summary: Nice Try
Review: Plot is cute.. two angels, need to go back to heaven.. they'll be destorying mankind in the process. A fantasy. The readers of "Fool On The Hill" would find some similarity to the movie's character - it's a well entertaining story, a few comic lines (not ones that would make you fall to the ground holding your about-to-burst tummy), but you don't really connect. That's the movie's main problem, in my opinion, lack of authenticity. However, one may find an interesting theological concept, as to whether or not the catholic church ruins belief with its harsh policy. Better rent it. Don't spend your money on it unless you've fallen in love with it.

Rating:
Summary: Actually it is very good!
Review: This is a film I had waited for and even though I tried to keep objective, my expectations were extremly high. Sadly it did not live up to them. What I was left with was simply a very good film (not the best I have ever seen).

To get the whining out of the way I have to say that Smith overreaches. He tries to blend comedy with tradgedy, serious with hillarious and action with drama. This sounds almost impossible, and in this case it is. You can see what it is he wants to get across, but it does not get there by itself. This makes for many of the scenes giving you a feel of "that was great, but...". And, as always, knowing when to stop at the end is difficult. This is actually a very good example of the problem with the film. The ending is filled with a cople of very funny comments and actions, there is a lot of drama and a very serious sensmoral as well as a good bit of action and suspense. Half would have been good enough, now it is to much (but the answer to the big question might be the best I have ever heard since 42). Also I found the Golgatian somewhat over the top.

Still this is a very good film. The dialogue, something I think there is nobody able to match Smith at, carries you through very long scenes, and the caracters might not always be perfectly belivebull, but are definetly interesting enough. But what I fell for were the details, the things that were never actually said (anybody familiar with the title of Balzebub will understand the peculiar soundeffect when the "inliners" were near). Also there is a grain of truth in almost all of the crazy theological matters that the film makes fun of. For example in the older versions of the bible the Holy Ghost (a part of the trinity and therefore God) is in femininum, there were quite a few gospel writers who never made the cut for the big book and the original curch had nothing of the outer trappings that follow modern religion (for starters they did not have priests, simply an idea that bound them together). And it must be said that I found the scene with the fireextinguisher funny enough to excuse anything.

The cast is nothing short of brilliant. Some of them have rather difficult roles to play (how would you play God?) but somehow they manage.

This is a film to watch with an open mind and with your sense of humour present. As such I can not help but recomend it.

Rating:
Summary: One of the Most Brilliant, Controversial Comedies Ever!
Review: I have to disagree with the amazon.com reviewer's comment that "Dogma" was subpar. I also part company with the reviewer who wrote that he couldn't imagine a fervent Catholic not being offended by the picture (okay, maybe I'm not a fervent Catholic, but I enjoyed it).

"Dogma" centers around the attempts of Loki and Bartlesby (Matt Damon and Ben Affleck), two banished angels, who attempt to regain entry into heaven by way of a loophole in church law. Linda Fiorentino is a dubious lapsed Catholic (who works in an abortion clinic, no less) who is recruited by the angel of God (Alan Rickman in his funniest performance ever) to stop them and thus save humankind. In her travels from Illinois to New Jersey, she is assisted by two two prophets (director Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes), the 13th Apostle (Chris Rock) and a muse (Salma Hayek). I did NOT think that Hayek stole the show here, contrary to the amazon.com reviewer. That distinction belongs to Mewes, who as a foul-mouthed stoner of a prophet trying to cajole Fiorentino into sex kept me laughing myself silly. Additionally, I thought Alanis Morrisette was horribly miscast as God with a silly smile plastered on her face, but these are minor points.

Those who don't like or are offended by this movie probably don't have much imagination or don't care to be inquisitive as to matters of faith. "Dogma" asks a number of "what if" questions that seriously challenge conventional Catholic theology and in that measure succeeds well as a motion picture. For those who are uptight about the message and satire of this movie, I say "lighten up and enjoy!" This is comic genius at its best!

Rating:
Summary: Great movie, disappointing DVD
Review: When I saw "Dogma" in the theater, I was impressed. The movie was extremely entertaining, and I did not find it offensive in the least. With all the great extra features other Kevin Smith DVD's pack, I could hardly wait for the day that "Dogma" was released on DVD.

The DVD still contains the movie, but compared to the "Clerks", "Mallrats" and (upcoming) "Chasing Amy" discs, this one is a let down. We get no commentary, no deleted scenes (and there were MANY), no anything really, except the trailer.

Get the disc for the film's sake, but don't expect any cool bells and whistles.

Rating:
Summary: Oh man, can Kevin do better than this!
Review: I was so disappointed with this movie, and I use the word "movie" lightly. Man, what a turkey. Kevin has shown with Chasing Amy that he has what it takes. However, in my estimation he has seriously brought his reputation and credibility as a writer/director into question. I couldn't wait for this film to come out but after it I'm not sure I want to see anymore of this man's films. People say it was blasphemous. It wasn't even good enough to be blashphemous! The dialogue was preachy in the worst kind of way, reminding me of a bad made for t.v. horror movie. The violence and gore were totally out of place and seemed to be thrown in gratuitously. The misogyny (women being slapped, stabbed, thrown around, etc.) was just plain awful. Ben Affleck, whom I usually love and have a great admiration for, was positively embarassing in this film. I had to turn my head away from the screen at times because I couldn't stand the humiliation. Poor Ben. Linda Fiorentino showed no emotion other than that monotonous working class aggravation. The movie showed a juvenille, Sunday school understanding of religion. The whole thing was painful to watch. I'm still reeling from the stench. I can't believe this film was the work of Kevin Smith because it could not have gotten any worse. The only redeeming qualities of the film were Chris Rock, who was fantastic as usual, and Alanis Morisette, who showed even with the small, silent part she had that she can act. Good God, if this movie isn't one of the all time worst I'll eat a bug. Better luck next time Kevin. I hope your next film has nothing to do with Catholicism, misogyny or excrement demons.