NEWS: Religulous OUT of Contention...

So, today brings the news of the final 15 films up for a possible nomination for Best Documentary at the upcoming Academy Awards. I went into checking these out thinking that my Documentary of The Year and one of the best I've seen in a long time, Religulous, would be up in the list. However, The Huffington Post is reporting something else...

Bill Maher's documentary exploring religion, "Religulous," is out of Oscar contention after being left out of the final 15 list released by the Academy in the Best Documentary category.

All I can say is wow. The film is a monetary hit, as it has grossed roughly $13 Million on a $2.5 Million budget, and it has been a pretty big critical hit as well. The well respected awards site, In Contention, believed that it would be a lock to make Oscar contention, but now it is out as the Academy believes that there are 15 better documentaries from this year. I have to disagree with them, as I don't think there are 15 documentaries that I've EVER seen that are better.

Other notable snubs are "Dear Zachary," "Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson" and "Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired."

The Top 15 are the following...
"At the Death House Door"
"The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)"
"Blessed Is the Match: The Life and Death of Hannah Senesh"
"Encounters at the End of the World"
"Fuel"
"The Garden"
"Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts"
"I.O.U.S.A."
"In a Dream"
"Made in America"
"Man on Wire"
"Pray the Devil Back to Hell"
"Standard Operating Procedure"
"They Killed Sister Dorothy"
"Trouble the Water"

I fully expect that Man On Wire will win, and I did before this, but I would have liked to have seen my personal favorite, Religulous, at least get a little love.

Why do YOU think they didn't get a nod? Is it the content? Could it be how Maher went about talking about the content? Or is it something else?

Go see something good!

DISCUSS: Religulous...

Okay, I really don't know how to review this in a solid cinematic manner. It's the newest documentary from Bill Maher, and instead of giving a long winded review about the film (and it's brilliant by the way), I would like to get everyone's thoughts on the controversial subject matter, religion. Here's the plot synopsis...

Bill Maher interviews some of religion's oddest adherents. Muslims, Jews and Christians of many kinds pass before his jaundiced eye. Maher goes to a Creationist Museum in Kentucky, which shows that dinosaurs and people lived at the same time 5000 years ago. He talks to truckers at a Truckers' Chapel. (Sign outside: "Jesus love you.") He goes to a theme park called Holy Land in Florida. He speaks to a rabbi in league with Holocaust deniers. He talks to a Muslim musician who preaches hatred of Jews. Maher finds the unlikeliest of believers and, in a certain Vatican priest, he even finds an unlikely skeptic.

First, before I get everyone's thoughts, let me give the overview of Mr. Maher's thoughts...

-Religion is holding us as a society back
-We are unable to grow with it in place
-Christianity in particular is simply rehashing of other, older religions
-All religions have similar prophet tales
-Science CAN'T be part of scripture
-We must either grow up, or die, as religion will cause the end of the world, not by a God's hand, but by our own

And you know what, I agree with him 100%. I personally believe that religion is the most negative thing that has been a part of our society, and with it in place, we will not be able to move forward as a species. Even our forefathers thought it was not a good thing to have, as Thomas Jefferson for example, took all of the miracles and "fairy tale" aspects of the bible, and simply used the morals as a book to live by. Also, Ben Franklin said that lighthouses were more useful than churches, and I again, must agree. I am an existentinalist with a great interest in religion and it's effects on society.


Now, those are controversial stances, but I would just like to get everyone else's views on religion and why or why you don't believe it. I don't believe for many a reasons, many of which are discussed in this really amazing and must see film. It's easily in my top 10, and if I really knew how to properly judge it, it may be my favorite film of the year. It was certainly one of the most fun experiences I've had at the theatres all year. Far better than director Larry Charles last outing, the mediocre Borat film...

So, what do you guys think? Is this a film that would interest you? I'm going to leave the discussion open to you all, because really don't know how to facilitate a discussion on such a hot button topic, so I will let you all take it where you want it to go...

PLEASE KEEP AWAY FROM PERSONALLY JABBING AT PEOPLES BELIEFS. WE ALL HAVE BELIEFS, AND THEY MAY BE DIFFERENT. THAT'S NOT WHAT THIS IS FOR. IT'S FOR INTELLIGENT DISCUSSION

Go see something good!