This movie says a lot that really needed to be said. Alas, despite my enthusiasm for the message of the movie - which is very irreligious - I felt a little let down at the end. The script was actually very good, apart from a rather lacklustre ending. The acting, on the other hand, was often mediocre, despite some excellent cameos by Ian Abercrombie as Zeus and Andrew Scudiero and John Capodice as a couple of confused Jehovah's Witnesses. Mostly the film suffered from poor timing - much of it had a stilted feel to it - the blame for which must be laid at the director's feet. Nevertheless there was much to be admired in the movie; the editing was well done, Carlos Leon did a pretty good job in the lead and there were some pretty hilarious moments throughout. I don't think this is going to be a breakout success or a cult hit, but it's thought provoking and makes me look forward to the next film by John Medoza. Any atheists out there should make an effort to get a hold of Blasphemy.
3 Reviews
Nice idea, poor script, waste of resources.
guevaradavid4 June 2004
This movie is pretentious at best. The DVD box promises to take it from where Dogma left, but no joy here. Like Martin I was brought up a Catholic and lost the faith as well, so to say. But never really converted to Martin's new religion: Atheism. Because let's face it the sheer zealousness with which these guys seem to need to attack religions is whopping and nothing short of being a religion with illogics and dogmas itself!
The script tries to sugarcoat it with some jokes, but it never outgrows the sketch level. Most of the 'logic' used to argue that religion is bogus is itself bogus, the writer failed miserably here. At best it focuses on the fact that organized religion is imperfect or that the notion of an omnipotent god that should take care of you like a welfare state is not real.
Martin is an idiot that has a pathological need to be right and his father and mother are caricatures at best. I did like some of the characters like the cousin that lost his wife, he had a legit reason to be disappointed, or the killer aunt and the bisexual cousin that despite their transgressions against the core of their own faith maintain their devotion they were surprisingly real, but the ill directed acting and poor decoupage reeked of high school or first year film academy at best and actually distracted from these characters. It is tragic that none of the craft, or technique as you will, that Hollywood does understand did not stick to the director.
I hope this movie was shot on digital tape, as the waste of precious cellulite alone, if real 16mm film was used, is a blatant crime for the scores of talented independent film makers out there.
The script tries to sugarcoat it with some jokes, but it never outgrows the sketch level. Most of the 'logic' used to argue that religion is bogus is itself bogus, the writer failed miserably here. At best it focuses on the fact that organized religion is imperfect or that the notion of an omnipotent god that should take care of you like a welfare state is not real.
Martin is an idiot that has a pathological need to be right and his father and mother are caricatures at best. I did like some of the characters like the cousin that lost his wife, he had a legit reason to be disappointed, or the killer aunt and the bisexual cousin that despite their transgressions against the core of their own faith maintain their devotion they were surprisingly real, but the ill directed acting and poor decoupage reeked of high school or first year film academy at best and actually distracted from these characters. It is tragic that none of the craft, or technique as you will, that Hollywood does understand did not stick to the director.
I hope this movie was shot on digital tape, as the waste of precious cellulite alone, if real 16mm film was used, is a blatant crime for the scores of talented independent film makers out there.
crude. that's about the only thing i can say about this 'atheist's movie'
foppejan23 March 2005
I rented this because it said the following on the bottom of the front of the tape: "if you liked Dogma, you're going to love this". I'd like to think that's the biggest bit of blasphemy in or about this movie.
It isn't what I'd call blasphemous as such, as far as movies in this genre go, it just offers you a litany of chewed-out comments and clichés as reasons for why god shouldn't exist, with only one or two valid questions, the rest being moot, and prays (excuse the pun) it will convince you that God cannot exist
I would have hoped that those who felt like they needed to present yet another movie to impress the viewer one shouldn't believe in god, but i'd like to argue it doesn't do that at all, in fact all it really convinced me of is that believers and non-believers are alike in many ways.
There are a lot of people that do not understand how to respect other people's beliefs, and the makers of this film strongly believe that anyone who is a believer *cannot* accept nor recognize that it is actually possible to live by a moral code that is not based on the often contradictory beliefs expressed in the Holy Book, nor can they understand how someone that *does* live by it is able to do just that unquestioningly.
The ending is about the only thing that made me laugh, and that was out of sheer incredulity
It isn't what I'd call blasphemous as such, as far as movies in this genre go, it just offers you a litany of chewed-out comments and clichés as reasons for why god shouldn't exist, with only one or two valid questions, the rest being moot, and prays (excuse the pun) it will convince you that God cannot exist
I would have hoped that those who felt like they needed to present yet another movie to impress the viewer one shouldn't believe in god, but i'd like to argue it doesn't do that at all, in fact all it really convinced me of is that believers and non-believers are alike in many ways.
There are a lot of people that do not understand how to respect other people's beliefs, and the makers of this film strongly believe that anyone who is a believer *cannot* accept nor recognize that it is actually possible to live by a moral code that is not based on the often contradictory beliefs expressed in the Holy Book, nor can they understand how someone that *does* live by it is able to do just that unquestioningly.
The ending is about the only thing that made me laugh, and that was out of sheer incredulity
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