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Shteve3
Reviews
Religulous (2008)
Great film but slightly lacking
I thought that Maher did a great job with this documentary. Some people think that he unfairly poked fun at his interview subjects but I that was part of what he was trying to do; make fun of religion and the believers. I agree with everything that he says about religion because those were already my views as well.
I do, however, think that he could have interviewed more intelligent people (still could have kept some of the dumb ones) but could have at least given the religious representatives a shot. Maybe instead of the weird black "Dr." who doesn't even have a degree of any kind he could have gotten a preacher/reverend with a good reputation who is actually thought of highly by many people.
Also, some of the questions he asked seemed incomplete. The only example I can really think of right now is when he asked the store owner something along the lines of "If heaven is so much better, why don't you just kill yourself?" The store owner was speechless but even I knew that suicide is supposed to send a person straight to hell.
So, I'm still a fan of the film and I gave it an 8 but I thought a little more could have been done to it.
Taking Chance (2009)
Excellent and very touching
I hardly give out tens but I couldn't even think of a reason to keep it a nine (I originally gave it a 9 because I thought some scenes were kind of cheesy but I realized I was wrong). I'm not sure what else to say about this except that it really gets to the heart. Kevin Bacon did a great job portraying the emotions of LtCol Strobl. It may be because I'm a Marine that I felt a little emotional at the end of the film but I couldn't help it. As another poster mentioned, it may not reach a broad audience (possibly why it was released on HBO and not in theaters) but I think that's what is so great about it. It felt special to me since I am a Marine and I'm sure anyone else who has lost a family member or friend to a war effort would feel the same. There's nothing else to say except it was a very emotionally strong film and was very affective at reaching it's goal of touching the hearts of the target audience.
Bug (2006)
Great for serious film viewers
Bug reminds me of Babel in that most people misunderstand and therefore hate it. Bug is not a movie made to impress the viewers with special effects or an idiotically simple plot. The story is limited to the two main characters' points of view. A truth in their reality is not implied as the director directly portrays the increasing insanity in both characters. It is about relationships and is mostly comprised of character development which, I suppose, takes a mature film viewer to appreciate. As far as I can remember, the film only has one scene in which there is music (not music from a radio) and it is only for a few seconds during a transition. The lack of music makes the feeling of the film seem even more real to me as life does not have background music and the lack of said music in a film also makes it a little uncomfortable which is perfect for this film. The anonymity of the world outside the motel room also adds to the eeriness of the film and plunges you straight in the jumbled and paranoid minds of the main characters. I slightly sensed the ending but only because of the purposely placed foreshadowing with Doctor Sweet sitting on the gas cans. I easily give Bug a ten and recommend it only for serious film viewers and appreciators.