Rating: Summary: Brilliant, hillarious and thought provoking Review: Some of the funniest lines in recent movies were written by Kevin Smith. He manages to demonstrate the image and commercial obsessions of our society without being preachy, while endorsing, not rejecting faith. However, he does question the legitimacy of religious dogma run amok, and what it does to the message.Matt and Ben are awesome in this movie. Aside from the very few projects (i.e. Rounders, Bounce) they do their best work when they share the screen with each other. In addition, this movie is full of great cameos by some very talented people.
Rating: Summary: One of the Worse!! Review: "Ambitious"? "Funny"? "Aggressively Intelligent"? Unlike those enlightened souls who found this a five-star hit, I guess I just didn't "get it." I saw this film in a theater and it has to be among the worse movies I've *ever* seen! If the DVD version can redeem it as worthy of time and expense, it's just another huge plus for the technology. Maybe you have to be a Catholic or at least a Kevin Smith fan, but my advice would be: Don't waste your time OR your money! There's far better entertainment available. This project is proof positive that not even a great cast can redeem a stinker. If I were Ben or Matt, I'd be embarrassed!
Rating: Summary: Who's yo' buddy? Buddy Christ! Review: I absolutely love this movie. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck were hysterical as fallen angels and Jay and Silent Bob were great, as always. Smith has written a smart, funny movie that points out the faults of organized religion with a giant neon light! Also, the way he was able to also poke fun at other major institutions (Disney, for one) was great. Check out Jay and Silent Bob's secret stash for cool stuff. I have a 6 in. Buddy Christ in my car. Although George Carlin's role was brief, he was great as well. The deleted scene's are fantastic and one of them made me fall off the couch and cry, I was laughing so hard (Jay and Silent Bob's Fat Albert scene). See this movie!
Rating: Summary: Such a great film. Review: What can I say? I just love the movie Dogma. The movie is so well written by Kevin Smith, that it really makes you think. Chris Rock, did a great job in his role, and I just loved George Carlin trying to give the Catholic Church a revamp that it needs so badly. (Something that it needs today.) So go ahead and rent Dogma.....you'll be glad you did.
Rating: Summary: Is it brilliant or is it blasphemy? Review: I suppose that's in the judgment of each indvidual viewer, but here's the perspective of an Old Catholic (Anglican Rite) bishop -- not Roman Catholic, and so with no prejudicial axe to grind with any perceived "attacks" on my denomination's teachings or practices. Things I liked: The screenplay doesn't attack the Roman Catholic Church, per se, but rather the legalistic, manmade rules and practices that serve no end but to retain power and control for a very few in the church hierarchy. This goes for any human-constructed denomination, including my own. It hasn't been that long since the last time I read through the gospels, but that's exactly what Jesus did with the religious legalists of his time! Various characters make very clear statements that indict not any one denomination, but *all* denominations, as human inventions that dilute the intent and work of God. If we could get our indvidual and collective acts together, we would realize that, and realize that it has nothing to do with what God really wants of or for us. I thought Afleck and Damon gave solid performances, though maybe not on the same levels, say, "Good Will Hunting." I loved Hayek's Serendipity, and thought Chris Rock was quite well-cast. Alan Rickman has always been a favorite of mine, and doesn't disappoint here; he is as acerbic and sublimely witty here as I've ever seen him. George Carlin's pompous and self-centered cardinal is both humorous and troubling [because you just know there's more than a grain of truth in his portrayal]. But the most amazing and surprising (and, in my opinion, most wonderful) performance had to be Alanis Morissette as God. I think the short scene in which she appeared did more to vindicate the non-blasphemous intent of the movie than any number of hours of debate could ever do. Her "answer" to the question as to why we are here was absolutely priceless! [And, as an added bonus for extra-sharp viewers: recognize the nun in the early airport scene? Did you ever watch "Mr. Rogers' Neighorhood" when you were little, or have kids who watch it now? The nun is played by Betty Aberlin -- yes, *Lady Aberlin* is in Dogma!] Things I didn't particularly like: As one of the editorial reviews noted, Kevin Smith wrote a witty, clever script -- but he's certainly no Kurosawa when it comes to setting up a shot or editing a scene! There's some shoddy visual work in the final product, but I don't think it detracts from the overall "experience." It's merely an annoyance. Maybe it was just my particular DVD, but the sound quality varied from excellent most of the time to downright horrid during some of the conversational scenes. It seemed as though the master sound track just dropped off. Whatever the source of the problem, it was very annoying, and did impede viewing the movie. I didn't find a lot of value in the "extra features" on this DVD set. As another reviewer observed, I wish I'd bought the single disc DVD, because I don't think the extra cost was justified by the added material. Last, of course, is the amazing volume of profanity throughout the movie. I don't personally have a problem filtering past it (I've been a fire fighter/paramedic for almost 15 years, and have probably said a few of those choice words myself!), but some viewers might be turned off by it. Then again, if they're likely to have a problem with the language, they're probably among the crowd who would pre-judge the movie before seeing it, anyway (if they ever see it at all before voicing an opinion). I've somehow missed all of Smith's previous movies (hey, I don't get out much...), and Dogma has motivated to seek them out and see whether all the hype about him is true. Based on Dogma, I have high hopes. I recommend Dogma, especially to all those who have judged it without seeing it. If you've avoided it because of your faith, remember what your faith says about blind judgment. Remember that the gospel message was rejected in its time as being too radical and blasphemous. Don't misunderstand: I'm not claiming "gospel status" for this (or any other) movie, but I'm asking you to at least see it with an open mind before bashing it to others, or judging those who have seen and enjoyed it. I'm more troubled by this behavior than by any borderline blasphemy the movie might be believed to contain. For everyone else: it's funny and entertaining, with a clever plot and some insightful things to say about modern religious practice and personal belief. See it! If I enjoyed it, odds are you will, too!
Rating: Summary: Kevin Smith at his best Review: this movie really struck a chord with me because it i never expected kevin smith to have so much knowledge of the religions. i being a catholic, know about how we think of our religion as boring and old (or at least i do), so this movie was so intriguing to me, its also one of the funniest. not only to jay and silent bob light up the movie, but ben affleck and matt damon act as their counterparts, whether it be arguing over church law, or just cussing at eachother....the dvd also has so many extras! deleted scenes are funny, and hosted by kevin smith....a must buy for kevin smith fans...or even for catholics who dont like going to church
Rating: Summary: Dogma Review: Should have been a really funny film; the cast was terrific, particularly Alan Rickman. However, I must ask, is there no other word in the English language apart from f...?? Most of it was unnecessary and made the funny dialog tedious. Surely people can express themselves without the f-overload. What a waste of a fantastic subject.
Rating: Summary: One of my most favorite films! Superb! Review: No, seriously. As soon as I got that those two guys who appear in the movie are fallen angels I started to ejoy the movie and I enjoyed until the very end. I did not fall down on the floor laughing (I'm not a Catholic), but I did the same but on the couch. The actors are great, and the script is beyond compare. I can't really say why and how it is so good, so just watch it. Don't forget to go to imdb.com and read all that funny stuff about the movie after you watched it and then watch it again.
Rating: Summary: One of my Top 10 favorite Movies of all Time! Review: Dogma is director Kevin Smith's 4th movie feauring his and Jason Mewes' characters, Jay, and Silent Bob, since his directorial debut in the movie business with his independent film, ''Clerks'', which became a cult classic. Like Smith's previous cross-genre film, ''Chasing Amy'',which crossed the genres of comedy and romance, Dogma crossed Comedy with Fantasy, with a winning plot about a decsendent of Jesus Christ who has lost her faith (Linda Fiorentino), who must stop two fallen angels (Afleck and Damon) from reentering heaven via a loophole that they have found, which would destroy humanity. Chris Rock plays Fiorentino's guide and side kick, Rufus the 13th apostle who was left out of the bible and looking for some changes to be made. Mewes and Smith who reprise there roles as stoner pals, Jay and Silent Bob, also tag along. Very funny, and Very fun, Dogma is a film that should not be missed.
Rating: Summary: If Catholicism could make this even funnier, count me in! Review: First off, I am not part of the two groups that can relate most to Kevin Smith's Magnus opus "Dogma", i.e. Catholics and stoners. That said, I love this movie. One thing it shows is that, besides being able to write funny, satiric dialogue, Kevin Smith is well versed in the intricacies of Catholicism; how else would he be able to see a potential loophole through which two angels would be able to rise back to heaven? And the film is also filled with great performances. Ben Affleck and Matt Daemon give great performances as the two angels. Chris Rock is as funny as ever as Rufus. Salma Hayek simmers. Alanis Morsette is inspired casting as God (I guess as God had to be a woman, Eric Clapton was out). As for Jay and Silent Bob, you never can tell exactly how much of what's going on Jay understands, while Kevin Smith's Bob has a great expression on his face whenever Jay makes a fool of himself. However, the three best performances are delivered by George Cartlin as Cardinal Glick, Alan Rickman as Meddatron (just as good as he was in the original "Die Hard") and, of course, the unflappable Jason Lee as Azriel. His is a completely original performance for, though he wants to end the world, you can see the fear of the hell he resides in his eyes. Perhaps "Dogma" is a bit preachy. But with the majority of the country not in any church at all, is that really such a bad thing?
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