Religulous – On DVD now

Religulous is American comedian Bill Maher’s documentary about his search for the reasons for faith. Maher interviews Muslims, Jews and Christians Mormons, scientists and even a Vatican astrologer to try to understand why people have faith. He visits a Creationist museum, which shows dinosaurs and humans living together, and even the Holy Land theme park in Florida where they enact recreations of Jesus being crucified on an hourly basis!

I hadn’t come across Mahar before but had heard that this documentary was good and it was. Mahar seems to hold no questions back in his search for the reason why so many people believe in improbable stories with such devotion they steer their lives accordingly and some even are willing to die for their faith.

I think your enjoyment of this documentary will depend on your view on religion, if you are a believer then I would suggest that this film isn’t for you (even though it wouldn’t be a bad thing to watch it), but if your like me a non believer then Mahers totally inappropriate questions and the facts that he presents prove to be really enjoyable.

Faith is a really strange subject, particularly if you haven’t got it, you don’t understand it and cannot understand why people are so fanatical about it. Maher counters the quotes from the Bible he receives from his interviewees with other less well known biblical facts that turn arguments around. He meets a man who claims to be the second coming, a man who claims his homosexuality was ‘cured’ by religion, scientists and even American truckers who attend a roadside church. It makes for interesting viewing, not more so for the people who have become very very wealthy from other peoples faith. Interestingly one of the most down to earth interviewees is an ex Vatican astrologer.

Its an interesting and funny film, Maher also just about pulls off the tricky task of questioning peoples deep faith and exposing the frailties in their beliefs while maintaining a easy manner and a good sense of humour – watch it if your not going to be insulted!

Director – Larry Charles

Cast:

Bill Mahar – Himself

Click here for official website

Cronos - On DVD

A film from the archives of the new ‘King’ of spinning of adult twisted fairy tales Del Toro’s early film Cronos doesn’t disappoint, and shows all of the imagination, thought and psyche that brought us Pan’s Labyrinth and the soon to be (but not soon enough) The Hobbit.

A short introduction shows us an alchemist in the 1500’s who invents the key to eternal life; the Cronos device. The story then switches to modern times when Jesus Gris (Luppi) a dealer in antiques accidentally uncovers the Cronos deivce. Gris lives with his younger wife and devoted granddaughter Aurora (Shanath). Gris accidentally activates the Cronos, which changes the course of his life forever, not least because the wealthy De la Guardia (Brook) and his psychotic hench-man and nephew Angel (Perlman) are after the Cronos, and its secrets, as well.

I saw Mark Kermode recently blog about vampire movies, due to the recent Twilight, True Blood and Halloween spate of films. books and television programmes about our blood-sucking friends. He recommended two films, one of which I had seen – Let The Right One In (which is reviewed here) and the other was Cronos, which although I love Del Toros work I had never seen. A fact, of course, you can see I have rectified.

The film is moody and atmospheric; the story is simple, and yet not so simple; there is a rich, powerful, sickly, man who desires eternal life he’s read the secrets he knows what he needs to do but he cannot find the Cronos that he needs. On the other hand there is the innocent that stumbles onto the Cronos and accidentally unleashes its power.

Del Toro yet again puts a spin on a familiar story – that of the vampire. Its not sexy, its not desire lead it’s a quest for deep thirst done in a controlled and restrained way, and that makes it different from a lot of other genre blood sucking films. Guis is a family man, devoted and loved, confused and yet still in control of himself despite the changes he undertakes. More strikingly for me was the silent brooding and scary Aurora, a girl who accepts, colludes and bares mute witness to all of the horror that surrounds her. She is devoted to her grandfather no matter what – it’s a great twist to an accepted story line.

Although defined as low budget, this film doesn’t look like it, it is sometimes sparse but it’s in keeping with the feel and mood of the movie. Its well worth watching, it gives a different spin on the vampire mythology and although I love the traditional stuff there’s always room for something else, especially something of this quality.

Director – Guillermo Del Toro

Cast:

Federico Luppi – Jesus Gris
Ron Perlman – Angel de la Guardia
Claudio Brook – De la Guardia
Maragarita Isabel – Mercedes
Tamara Shanath – Aurora

Year One - Out on DVD Now

The director of the classic Ground Hog Day has joined together with Jack Black to bring to film a comedy inhabited with biblical characters.

Zed (Black) and his friend Oh (Cera) are banished from their Stone Age village, after Zed eats fruit from the forbidden tree and this leads to a series of adventures in which they encounter biblical characters like Cain & Abel and Abraham and they travel to Sodom. In Sodom they try to free the love of their lives that have been enslaved where they are hampered by a priest and Cain.

I like Jack Black, I like most of his previous films, I like him when he’s at his crazy best this, though, is a film where his humour falls flat. Partly I feel he’s not allowed free rein other times he is hampered by a plodding and flat script. I didn’t laugh out loud once; I might have managed a smile at a couple of points but for a film that’s supposed to be a comedy that’s not a shinning endorsement.

Black plays a ‘zany’ tubby caveman whereas Cera plays an intellectual, sensitive caveman, so why when both actors should be very comfortable with their characters does this film not work. Firstly for me the film doesn’t flow its more of a series of sketches in which Zed & Oh walk through, its like someone said ‘lets get a scene with Abraham, how can we write him in and who can we get to play him’, without any consideration as to how this will fit in with a script. Also am I really supposed to find biblical characters funny?

There is also a emphasis on gross out humour in this movie, there are lots of poo jokes, puke jokes, willy jokes etc etc its not that I’m offended by them its just that they are used over and over again and not to good effect. Year One is like a carry on movie although not as good.

Very disappointing.

Director – Harold Ramis

Cast:

Jack Black – Zed
Michael Cera – Oh
Oliver Platt – High Priest
David Cross – Cain
Christopher Mintz-Plasse – Isaac

Click here for official website