Dogma

Rating:
Summary: Faith Has Never Been This Funny
Review: There were a large number of critics and audiences who were dowing Kevin Smith's work in Dogma saying that it was bashing the Catholic faith. Well I am Catholic and I have a strong faith. I attend church every sunday and am invloved in many things at my church. Myself, along with many other Catholic people I know, were able to watch this movie and have a sense of humor with our faith. You people have to understand that Kevin Smith was not downing the Catholic faith, he was simply celebrating it, and one of the ways of celebrating your faith is to have a sense of humor with it. Not "make fun" of it exactly, but instead just kind of look at it in a different and funny way. You will not be sent to hell for having fun with your faith.

Dogma is about two banished angels Loki(Matt Damon) and Bartleby(Ben Affleck) who have found a loop hole to get themselves back into heaven. The only problem is that if they find a way to get back into heaven, this proves God wrong and mankind would be erased and it would completely unmake the world.

So an angel who acts as the voice of God(Alan Rickman) is sent to earth to find the only hope of saving the world, and it lies within the hands of Bethany(Linda Fiorentino). The problem is that Bethany works in an abortion clinic and has run out of all faith in God. So she is then charged with a holy crusade: to stop Loki and Bartleby from gaining re-entry to heaven. With the help of the 13th Apostle left out of the bible because of his color(Chris Rock), a Muse with writer's block(Selma Hayek), and two very unlikely profits, Jay and Silent Bob(Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith), Bethany sets out to fulfill her mission and in the process, learns many interesting facts about her faith.

So before you bash this movie saying that it is too offensive to Catholic faith, watch this movie again sometime. It has many good points. Selma Hayek proves a very good point in one scene when she says, "You people don't celebrate your faith, you mourn it." And when the Cardinal in the movie says, "Christ didn't come to earth to give us the willies. He came to help us out. He was a booster!" is a great point. So lighten up with this movie. Kevin Smith's intention was not to offend anyone, it was to inspire Catholics to stop mourning their faith and have a more positive look at it. This movie was great.

"DOGMA" runs for about 2 hours. It is rated R for very strong language including strong sexual dialogue, some drug content, crude and sexual humor, and some violence and breif gore.

Rating:
Summary: This is not a good movie
Review: First off, I'm not Catholic, so like so many other reviewers here on Amazon, I don't dislike this movie for its Catholic bashing. All I can say to those people is relax. The only reason that this movie gets more than 1 star is because of the fact that so many Catholics are so fired up about it. Other than that, there are absolutely no good points about this movie. The writing, acting, and direction were typical Kevin Smith garbage. Is it a trend in movies for the director to be one of the stars of the show? M. Night Shamalan (or however you spell it) does it, Kevin Smith does it, Danny DeVito does it. Shamalan and Smith should stay behind the camera (DeVito was fantastic in Death to Smoochy...a far better film...so he's good to go).

What do we get from this movie? Organized religion (specifically Catholicism) is a bad thing (even God agrees) although humans are totally inept in making their own way through life without a personal belief in God. This movie is a 2 hour personal justification for not wanting to go to church. If you don't want to go to church, then don't. I certainly don't care, I don't even believe in any God. Interestingly enough that is probably exactly why I don't find much worth in this movie. Do I really need to be witness to every movie that deals with the in-fighting among the Christians?

Kevin, do us all a favor, take some classes on how to make a good movie. For the reviewer that compared Smith to Oliver Stone, wake up. For anyone who wants to watch a good movie, don't buy this one.

Rating:
Summary: Not groundbreaking, just kind of stupid
Review: I read a bunch of reviews on this site claiming this movie showed a comical look at "organized religion." As a catholic, I thought I'd see the movie and , hey guess what? The only things they really made fun of were sterotypes of catholicism. Apparently, the other religions are perfect in every single way, and catholicism has no real place in today's culture, as the movie suggests.
The movie, despite it's arrogant views, does offer its moments where it is pretty funny (The scenes with the voice of god come to mind).
Overall, I feel this movie would have been a lot better if it simply didn't pick on stereotypes of catholicism, and actually addressed the issues that the movie tries to put forth.

Rating:
Summary: Blasphemous Reverence
Review: Or is that reverent blasphemy? Dogma is that rare, refreshing film that actually is about ideas and belief, yet doesn't take itself too seriously at the same time. Since I'm not Catholic I suspect I'm probably missing some of the jokes and religious connotations but that didn't bother me at all. Kevin Smith fans (of which I'm one) can tell you the plot details and characters. I'll just say this: Dogma is a film that makes you think about the deeper issues of religion and what being human is about, without the bathrobe-and-sandals posturing of your standard God-based movie. It's a film that takes its religious implications very seriously but with a wonderful shaggy dog presentation. Sure there's some plot holes and pacing problems, but these are minor flaws in a seriously funny (and comically serious) movie that should raise both minds and discussions.

Rating:
Summary: Hilarious look at the view of Catholic religion!
Review: I seen this movie in the theatres when it came out and fell in love with it from beginning to end. This movie contains more of the smart humor mixing fact with a hilarious factoidic twist! I can see why people either really hate the movie or really like it and that is mainly because that's how Kevin Smith directs his movies. If you like what you see in the beginning of this film then the whole film is non stop keeping you watching and listening till the credits role. Surprising cast at work in this one as well!

Rating:
Summary: Move over Clerks, Mallrats, & Chasing Amy, Dogma's in town!
Review: Director Kevin Smith (Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back) made a new movie in 1999 after CA and before JASBSB. It was a religious drama, WITH JAY AND SILENT BOB!!?? You ask yourslef, how can it be a drama with 2 stoners with nothing better to do than hang out by the Quickstop in Leonardo, NJ? It was a dramedy, I guess. With stars like Linda Fiorentino, Chris Rock, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and many more, Dogma is an all-star movie with an all-star cast. In a small town in Illinios, Bethany Sloan (Fiorentino) is given a task by an angel (Alan Rickman) to stop Bartleby (Affleck) and Loki (Damon) from entering the doors of a church in Asbury Park, NJ. If they do, God (Alanis Morrisette) will be proven wrong and the end of existance (The Apocolypse) will come. To help Bethany, two profits, Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith), and an apostle, Rufus (Chris Rock) are sent. But in her way stands Azrael (Jason Lee), a former muse, and three of his henchmen. Also in the gang to stop evil is a muse (Selma Hayek) who they find at a strip club. If you haven't already seen Dogma, see it. I also recommend any of the other NJ Series movies. A warning though, if you haven't seen Clerks, Mallrats, or Chasing Amy yet, then wait to see the last installment, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. Good day, and see you at the movies.

Rating:
Summary: All hail the King of dvds (God, this is good)
Review: Ah, Mooby...

Kevin Smith is one of the hottest young filmmakers today. And it is no wonder, he makes great films--Clerks (what he did on such a small budget and his work as an indie film), Chasing Amy (not your typical Kevin Smith movie, but a great film, Dogma (the best of what he has done), and even Mallrats was good, though it did poorly at the box office and Jay and Silent Bob Strikes Back (his spoof of himself). But Dogman is his crowning achievement.

Dogma is easily in the top 100 movies ever made. Smith's dialogue is on par. It's a great satire as well as a philosophical/theological statement (the thinking man's movie). And done his way--the independant way. Smith does a great job directing, and his script is well-written (though he is flexible enough to make changes while shooting). And Smith and his producer Scott Mosier do their own editing--a real bonus as it helps keep the director's vision alive.

Smith also pulls out some great performances in this film. Linda Fiorentino plays the main role of Bethany Sloane. She does a good job, but her performance is below the rest of the cast. She is just a little too low-key. Matt Damon gives a brilliant performance, and even Ben Affleck (and actor I have little respect for) gives a solid performance, though he tends to be upstaged by Damon. Alan Rickman gives a respectable performance. Chris Rock and Salma Hayek are wonderful. Jason Lee is great, as he always is (easily the best performance of the film). Of course you have Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith as our favorite duo - Jay and Silent Bob. Great job guys. And there are good performances by George Carlin, Alanis Morissette (a particularly hard role since there is no dialogue), Janean Grafalo (oh how I wish she had been casted as Bethany, the role was made for her), Better Aberlin (as the Nun--you know which one), Dwight Ewell, Ethan Suplee (as the Golgothan), and of course Walt Flanagan. There are a few glitches and a few casting questions, but overall Smith pulls great work out of his actors.

As a dvd, Smith puts together a #1 package for his fans. First of all it comes in a nice slipcover case instead of that cheap packaging so man dvds come in. His menus are interactive, cartoonish, and very entertaining. There's this odd 'grandma' lady running around the dvd. She's great. There are two commentaries. The first is your typical Kevin Smith commentary: the cast and crew sitting around, eating, and cracking jokes, occasionally talking about the movie. and of course, you have Affleck hamming it up trying to get the spotlight on him with absolutely nothing to say. The second commentary is a technical commentary, with only Kevin Smith, Scott Mosier (producer, and it was his idea to do this track), and Vincent Pererra (View Askew 'official' historian). This commentary focuses on 'the how' of how the film was made. A value for any independant filmmaker, especially since Smith doesn't fall back on money and CGI. It's a shame he didn't include a commentary track like this on his previous films (but maybe there were enough complaints and that is why we have it here). And on disc 2 - There are over and hour and half of deleted scenes, storyboards (for the mooby sequence, triplet attack sequence, and no man attack sequence), outtakes, the trailer, and advertisement for Kevin Smith's comic books store Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash, and one of the most interestingly done filmographies/biographies I've ever seen on a dvd. This is how dvds should be done. All you other filmmakers and distributors, take a good, long look at this dvd, and learn from Kevin Smith. This is what we pay for, this is what we want (in addition to a good movie).

And I end with this: picture it--the Buddy Christ.

Rating:
Summary: My Favorite Movie
Review: Currently this is my favorite movie. Josie and the Pussycats and Chasing Amy are also in the running, but we'll see how that pans out. I'm weird. Can You Tell? Yet? Kevin does something remarkable here. He combines a religious message with comedy and doesn't end up being irreverant. He ends up with a movie that postulates the positive messages of Christianity while questioning the Dogma and keeping it all light and humorous. This is not an easy task. But Kevin does it deftly. Yes this movie has a poop monster, but thats actually a strength. Kevin didn't want to make a movie that hit people over the head with Christianity and screamed "believe or else" like others have done. Kevin instead intersperses the theology with comedy and makes you think. Kevin has made a movie that not only entertains but enlightens. What more could you want? Jason Lee, huh? Guess what, he's in here too. See I told you this movie has everything.

Rating:
Summary: irreverent farce from Kevin Smith
Review: Who else but the man who gave us Clerks could produce this comedy featuring a diverse cast that has almost NEVER been onscreen with each other before or since (with the exception of the Affleck-Damon duo)? Affleck and Damon play 2 rogue angels who have figured out a loophole to come back to earth and they are creating havoc all the way (witness Damon shooting bullets around a board meeting because no one said "Bless you" after he sneezes. It's a pet peeve gone mad!)

Linda Fiortino is a lapsed Catholic who has been selected to save the day with the aid of Jay and Silent Bob, Chris Rock as the 13th apostle, and Salma Hayek as a muse (her line "It's not breasts, but what's between the legs, that makes a woman" is the truest ever uttered on screen.) And Alanis Morrisette as God is a new twist on everything (I personally am not for the plot device of casting actors playing God -- it seems blasphemous to me, but that is my own opinion.)

Dogma will make you laugh and it will make you think. Not necessarily at the same time, but this movie will stick with you.

Rating:
Summary: Dog vomit
Review: What is there to say about this movie?
The only good actors in it are Alan Rickman, Jason Lee, and George Carlin. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon couldn't act their way out of a paper bag if they had to. They're both the same in every single movie they're in, and they're both extremely annoying.

I've always liked Kevin Smith's work, but this movie was simply appaling. That thing at the end with Alanis Morrisette as God.. BAD call Kevin, what the Hell was he thinking? Putting a racist person like Chris Rock in any movie as a character even remotely "righteous" or "holy" is an insult to anyone with a frontal lobe. And all this garbage with Jay... I nearly prayed to the porcelain idol after seeing him again. He's a bad, BAD actor; he's just not funny or creative at all. He makes me look hysterical. Somebody with a comedic side so devoid of talent shouldn't even be cast in a comedy.

On a scale of 1-10 I'd give this movie a 3 or so, cause it does have some funny parts in it (not very many, but they're in there).