Bill Maher's new alleged "docu-comedy" came in tenth at the weekend box office. Brent Bozell's culture column noted that the God-mocking HBO star can't seem to scare up a controversy (despite appearances on ABC, CBS, and NBC shows):
The film is called "Religulous" – a lame merger of "religious" and "ridiculous." One reason it’s not urgently mentioned is that while everyone knew "The Passion" was going to be an enormous box-office hit, Maher is hearing the sound of crickets in the fields of controversy, which may match cricket sounds at the box office.
Frank Rich of the New York Times attacked Mel Gibson and "The Passion" with a feverish pitch, but he hasn’t penned a word about Maher. Maher can mock Hasidic Jews as subhuman monkeys in his Internet ads, but Frank Rich is too busy chasing after Sarah Palin with his flamethrower. He has a problem with orthodox Christians, but certainly not with Hollywood atheists who think the Jews are as silly as any other faith community.
The New Republic was another fount of scholarship and outrage against Gibson’s cinematic vision of Christ’s crucifixion, but they’ve offered no Maher critique.
Time film critic Richard Corliss, who scoured "The Passion" as "The Goriest Story Ever Told," can only say of Maher: "Even the affronted Christians who gathered to oppose Bill Maher's docu-comedy ‘Religulous’ (one sign read MAKE PEACE NOT MAHER) looked more like a welcoming party – what would an antireligion movie be without protesters?"
Newsweek, which has passionately displayed an ongoing love affair with atheism, has failed to notice any controversy in the Maher film.
Maher’s pseudo-comic jeremiad can’t even score a positive review in The Village Voice. That’s in Greenwich Village. In the most bohemian corner of New York City. Their film critic J. Hoberman decries the movie in the headline as an "adolescent case against religion." Hoberman wants to like it, but scorns Maher: "Still, as a polemicist, he's hardly fair – more than a few exchanges are recalibrated in the editing, and too many end with Maher flipping Pascal's Wager, rejoining a believer's ‘What if you're wrong?’with an emphatic ‘What if you're wrong?’ Such one-sided encounters are more depressing than fun."
Bozell concluded that Maher's exchanges with religious people weren't just edited. The interview subjects were misled:
None of these [network TV] forums even located any controversy for all of Maher’s dishonesty in filming. “We never, ever used my name,” Maher told Patrick Goldstein of the Los Angeles Times when asked about how interviews were arranged. "We never told anybody it was me [sic] who was going to do the interviews. We even had a fake title for the film. We called it ‘A Spiritual Journey.’”
It is amazing that Maher thinks it’s religion that’s the “supreme hustle,” and not his lying movie.
Check out our Culture and Media Institute's web page. Bob Knight, Kristen Fyfe, and Colleen Raezler all offer reports on the Maher madness.
—Tim Graham is Director of Media Analysis at the Media Research Center.
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As an Othodox Jew, let me say....
October 6, 2008 - 06:23 ET by political mavenThat the self loathing secular Jews like Maher, can't live with themselves.
The only way he can justify his own Godless, hedonistic lifestyle is to knock those who believe in the God given word and have a moral compass other than self interest.
The liberals (not only Jewish liberals) attack Christians and Jews because they need to justify themselves.
Conservatives have principles, understand that we don;t always live up to them, realize we are human, make mistakes, and need to constantly try to improve...but we still believe in principles, and that we answer to a Higher Authority.
Wasn't Maher raised Roman
October 6, 2008 - 06:44 ET by NewsbusterbrownWasn't Maher raised Roman Catholic?
“There are no easy answers' but there are simple answers. We must have the courage to do what we know is morally right.” - Ronald Reagan (1964 Republican Convention)
oops!
October 6, 2008 - 06:53 ET by political mavenI always thought he was a Jew like John Stewart, Streistand, and the rest of the secular Jewish crowd.
Either way, my point is valid.
Question?
October 6, 2008 - 08:44 ET by mitchfloridaHow can Bill Maher be a self-loathing Jew if he isn't Jewish?
May he is a self-loathing Catholic?
Actually, his movie did about 3 times as much business per screen as An American Carol did.
$3.8 million vs. $3.5 million.
"Maher was raised in his
October 6, 2008 - 11:22 ET by Richard Romano"Maher was raised in his Irish American father's Catholic religion, and did not find out that his mother was Jewish until his teenage years..."
--From Wikipedia.
That reminds me...
October 6, 2008 - 11:34 ET by AmericanEnergist...with Maher being half Irish and half Jewish, I recall Krusty the Clown fromThe Simpsons:
Upon learning that he may not really be a Jew because he
wasn't bar mitzvahed, Krusty said: "I used to think that I was just a self-loathing Jew, but it turns out that I'm really an anti-semite!!"
I like Krusty...Maher - not so much.
www.ArmchairEnergist...
Mentioned at all?
October 6, 2008 - 06:31 ET by TexndocI'd be curious if Islam is mentioned at all in this film. Mohammed? Allah? Maher's just as wimpy as Madonna: Christianity is very easy to target for the world's ills in her craptacular concerts, but she's terrified to allude to the other guys....
I don't know...Reuters has
October 6, 2008 - 07:05 ET by Paul GI don't know...Reuters has it.. (9) An American Carol....$3.8 mil (10) Religulous...$3.5 mil
And AP has it... (9)An American Carol..$3.8 mil.
(10) Religulous..$3.5 mil but says it had a limited release in only 502 theaters.
I hate to say it..but it sounds close to me.
Data for movies can be
October 6, 2008 - 11:44 ET by stratmanData for movies can be found at http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/. Click on each movie name in the list to see a page with details about that movie.
Religulous has had 5 days of box office while An American Carol has had only 3 days, so AAC is not only outperforming Religulous on a strictly $$$ basis, it is also kicking Mahre's butt on a per day draw as well by earning more money over a shorter period of time.
Religulous is not a movie for all markets. Unless the movie is crammed down the throats of theaters as extortion - show this movie, take your lumps, or you won't get the holiday blockbusters - then Religulous will only be a limited market release. It will not play profitably in many small towns of America.
Religulous is a narrow, insider joke movie and as such will never be much more than an art-house theater laugher.
stratman, Your Dishonesty Is Hilarious
October 6, 2008 - 16:06 ET by"it is also kicking Mahre's butt on a per day draw as well by earning more money over a shorter period of time." Using your source Religulous did $19,000 in 1 and 2 theaters respectively for Wed & Thurs. Subtract the $19 Thou from Religulous's total gross to get it's actual Weekend Gross. Religulous did $3.5 Mil vs An American Carol's $3.8 Mil. Hardly Kickin Butt! Check my comment below for proof it was more the other way around
Outside of opening weekend,
October 6, 2008 - 23:15 ET by stratmanOutside of opening weekend, no one cares about gross per weekend vs. weekday. It's all about the total amount grossed (and the total run to a lesser extent).
SO:
1) An American Carol took in more gross on opening weekend than Religulous.
2) An American Carol has taken in more money over total number of days run.
3) An American Carol has grossed more per day over the total number of days showing.
The numbers may be close but An American Carol has earned more gross than Religulous.
THAT is a butt kicking in my book. The rest is just chicken pickin'.
Time will tell what the gross will be for either movie in domestic theaters. Unless word of mouth picks interest for either movie, neither will be in the "black" before it closes domestically. Both will make more from DVD and cable sales and the international market.
Interestingly, why $10 million to make Mahre's docudrama/dromedy? That seems like a lot of fluff added. Was it for production values, sets, rewrites, or Mahre's booze, broads and drug habits?
Idiocracy
October 6, 2008 - 07:21 ET by flyoverlandHis next film should be a docu-drama of Hollywood B listers who have delusions of deity. He wouldn't have to look too far for the first subject.
Remember when...
October 6, 2008 - 07:27 ET by Iowa Boy...Bill Maher was funny? Yeah. Me neither.
"Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain." Official Motto of the State of Iowa
Should we be surprised? Who wants to waste $10 on this crap?
October 6, 2008 - 08:12 ET by lotrThanks for the box-office reconnaissance, Tim. Not that I like gloating over the misfortunes of others, but may our free-market put an end to all such mindless atheistic propaganda. In the end, Maher does not put out drivel like this as an act of charity -- if it were to cost him serious $$ in the pocketbook, he would STFU and stick to his day job (whatever that is). That said, it's still pathetic that it even came in at #10.
I wish Maher would ask me "what if you're wrong," for there is only one rational answer, which is the inspiration for my first and only tagline:
And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all. -- Edgar Allan Poe
Good
October 6, 2008 - 08:44 ET by KC MulvilleNo need to dwell on this. Put him to sleep and let the adults go on with business.
I saw an article where Maher claims that his father raised his children Catholic until the church came out with the teachings against artificial birth control. Naturally, I can't help but wonder if Maher's subsequent hatred of the church reflects his own relationship with his father, especially since most of Maher's ridicule against Catholicism has to do with teachings about sex. Maher's hatred is visceral, and he's never offered any real intellectual basis for his hatred.
larry king
October 6, 2008 - 10:19 ET by roncan't wait til larry king invites him to discuss how his "blockbuster" was derailed by hateful and meanspirited christians. hey bill, this should tell that you are not as relevant as you might think.
I cancelled my HBO because of...
October 6, 2008 - 10:52 ET by jawebster1Maher. I never watched his show when I had HBO but I felt I had to deliver a message to HBO. More people need to do the same. I get plenty of movies on Cinemax, Showtime, Starz, Encore and TCM. Who needs HBO? Jim Webster
Ummm...
October 6, 2008 - 11:07 ET byIsn't it called irony?
...Bozell concluded that Maher's exchanges with religious people weren't just edited. The interview subjects were misled:
None of these [network TV] forums even located any
controversy for all of Maher’s dishonesty in filming. “We never, ever
used my name,” Maher told Patrick Goldstein of the Los Angeles Times when asked about how interviews were arranged. "We never told anybody
it was me [sic] who was going to do the interviews. We even had a fake
title for the film. We called it ‘A Spiritual Journey.’”
It is amazing that Maher thinks it’s religion that’s the “supreme hustle,” and not his lying movie.
...If memory serves me correctly from past postings and comments on other films..."Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed" was the documentary movie Maher was refering. The "Expelled" movie with Ben Stien at first had been named "Crossroads" which misled people into believing something different from the actual premise of the movie. This movie grossed $7.5 million for its entire run of 8 weeks. Its opening weekend was just shy of $3 million.
My guess...Brent's use of "The Passion of the Christ" movie with its huge box office receipts crushes a movie like Maher's. One movie is about a comedian's foray into skewering religion and the other which is much different- showing Christ being crucified for a few hours. One's about laughing at the sheer stupidity of people while the other makes you feel angry and saddened by the brutality of violence against an individual.
I think it's like comparing apples to oranges. Now, if you want to compare Maher's movie to Stein's movie in 8 weeks...? Let's see the box office receipts at that point.
Ubercon
rebuttal
October 6, 2008 - 11:41 ET by lotr"I think it's like comparing apples to oranges."
Well, not exactly... On the surface, maybe, but the point being made is that Passion is, fundamentally, a movie dramatizing the central tenant of the Christian Faith, whereas Maher's movie is meant to undermine all faiths, especially Christian. This comparison between the two (i.e., pro-Christianity, anti-Christianity) is completely valid.
And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all. -- Edgar Allan Poe
The premise of each are different.
October 6, 2008 - 11:53 ET bylotr,
One's a comedy skewering religion.
One's a drama skewering a man.
One is an anti-religious view according to Maher.
One is a pro-Catholic view according to Mel Gibson.
Much different.
Apples to Oranges in comparison to the views and back to my point...Brent's use of a dramatic MegaBlockBuster against a small comedic film with a very narrow audience...apples to oranges. If he were to use "Expelled"...we would not be debating.
Ubercon
Um, what part of my post
October 6, 2008 - 12:39 ET by lotrUm, what part of my post didn't you read or understand?
One's a drama skewering a man
One is a pro-Catholic view according to Mel Gibson.
Both true only on a very superficial level (the first one looking solely at plot, the second one looking solely through a political lens). So let me repeat what I wrote above: The Passion of the Christ is, fundamentally, a movie dramatizing the central tenant of the Christian Faith. This is precisely what made it a "MegaBlockBuster" -- "theists" turned out in droves because of its "theology," not because, on the surface, it was a graphic depiction of an ordinary Roman execution. And the mainstream media, along with the Hollywood elite, did all they could to destroy the making and viewing of this film.
Gibson's movie is pro-Christian faith, Maher's movie is anti-faith, particularly Christian. The two films may be considered polemics. Whether or not one uses drama to be pro-faith and the other uses satire to be anti-faith is to look only at their genres and/or methods, not the author's purpose on intention.
Other points: Maher's so-called "small comedic film" has received far more pre-release advertisement than Passion did. Do you really intend to belittle Maher's efforts, as if he really doesn't take his own material seriously, that he's really an agnostic live-and-let-live sort of fellow, and that his film was just a middling recreation for him?
Finally, is "Expelled" explicitly a pro-religion, anti-atheist satire? If it is, then I'll grant you that that would certainly be like comparing Gala Apples to Gala Apples and Naval Oranges to Naval Oranges.
And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all. -- Edgar Allan Poe
Once again...
October 6, 2008 - 12:51 ET bylotr,
You do realize what irony is...correct? Maher was stating he was using the same tactics as "Expelled" in misleading people to be interviewed for his own movie. He evens states "A Spiritual Journey" as a premise for the people to believe in his interview. You may not like Maher and his comedic twist on Ben Stein's expose. I was pointing out Brent's use of "The Passion" in skewering Maher's movie as incorrect.Did he miss the reference Maher was using? That's the point I was making.
Ubercon
Ubercon
October 6, 2008 - 14:26 ET by lotrOK, I see; I did not know that there was this connection with Stein's movie, and such a connection on this last point would certainly make for a basis of comparison between the two, I'll agree. But on this last point I don't think there was any reference to Gibson's Passion in the column, other than the disparity in media treatment between "anti-faith" and "pro-Christian-faith" movies, was there?
And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all. -- Edgar Allan Poe
delete duplicate
October 6, 2008 - 12:40 ET by lotrdelete duplicate
Maher v Muslims
October 6, 2008 - 12:14 ET by KRAMkram
Will a Rushdie style fatwa be issued against the comedian?
Don't Be Alarmed If You're Dizzy After Reading This Article
October 6, 2008 - 15:40 ET byGraham & Bozell spun you around faster than a G Force Simulator. Maher's movie DID NOT strike out at the B.O by all measures! It did a very respectable $3.5 Million. It didn't strike out in terms of it's cost (well under $10 Mil) to B.O. It's on target to at least break even at the B.O. So it will no doubt be in or close to the black by the time it's released on DVD, where it will make most of it's $$ and a lot of profit. It was in 3rd place for the weekend in terms of per theater gross. A very respectable $6900/screen. 3X's An American Carol's $2300/screen. An American Carol, a conservative comedy, grossed just $3.8 Mil barely beating Religulous's, an anti-religious docu-comedy, $3.5 Mil. An American Carol was in 3X the # of theaters as Religulous, and probably won't recoup it's cost at the B.O. Religulous also did good at the B.O. considering the nonexistent, mixed and bad reviews from the "LIBERAL" media.
It's laughably interesting that Bozell points out "Maher’s pseudo-comic jeremiad can’t even score a positive review in The Village Voice." and that it was ignored by other "LIBERAL" media. Bozell commits the sin* of pointing out that the media was fair and honest in it's attention & inattention to Maher's movie. Bozell you're confusing your audience-Stay on message.
*I gladly acknowledge NB does post articles that counter the "LIBERAL" MSM mantra. But I believe it's still considered a sin by the NB members.
»→ Thanks, Abe
October 6, 2008 - 15:43 ET by Cool ArrowBut after your post was a bunch of wasted space.
Were you pouring out the rest of your thoughts too?
"John McCain has not talked about my Muslim Faith" - Barack Hussein Obama
CA... LOL...that was a
October 6, 2008 - 15:48 ET by bigtimerCA...
LOL...that was a great zinger...true too.
"America isn't the problem...America is the solution." ~ Rush Limbaugh
Cool... I'm just glad
October 6, 2008 - 15:49 ET by Clear thinkerCool...
I'm just glad that he doesn't use the name of 'Honest Abe'!
Fuhrer Obama Hitler Youth
Making Fun of AGW http://giovanniworld.wordpress.com/
Hey, That Wasted Space Was NB Fault
October 6, 2008 - 15:55 ET byCool- That wasted space was NB's posting format problem, NOT MINE. Maybe NB was listing all the non crazy intellegent members besides me. IT'S A JOKE, I KID. You made a funny and I returned the favor.
Spoken like a true liberal.
October 6, 2008 - 15:56 ET by Clear thinkerSpoken like a true liberal. Always blaming someone else!
Fuhrer Obama Hitler Youth
Making Fun of AGW http://giovanniworld.wordpress.com/
You Mean Like The Right's Blaming The Financial Disaster ....
October 6, 2008 - 16:20 ET by... Only on the Democrats. The truth is there's enough blame to go around for both parties, but lucky W is Pres so he gets more than his fair share of the blame and he deserves some too.
& I'm Not a liberal, Just so ya know. You never get tired of being wrong, do you?
»→ Good one Abe
October 6, 2008 - 16:23 ET by Cool Arrow"there's enough blame to go around for both parties"
If you believed you could sweep Dodd, Frank, and Raines under the carpet, you wouldn't admit any Democrat participation at all.
But since they are major culprits you're being so magnanimous as to allow Republicans a place in the dungeon.
In the words of your great mentor, Chris Matthews: HA!
"John McCain has not talked about my Muslim Faith" - Barack Hussein Obama
And let us not forget Clinton
October 6, 2008 - 18:27 ET by lotrPlease, don't forget Clinton. The housing market "boom" began under his adminstration; it merely came to its inevitable burst under Bush.
And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all. -- Edgar Allan Poe
Abe... As I said earlier
October 6, 2008 - 18:37 ET by Clear thinkerAbe...
As I said earlier today, it's a good thing you don't go by the name of "Honest Abe". You trying to claim that you are not a liberal, is like me saying I'm not really here.
Something Stinks About Obama
Making Fun of AGW http://giovanniworld.wordpress.com/
»→ Abe
October 6, 2008 - 16:04 ET by Cool ArrowOK, I was mistaken, but the end result was the same.
The empty space was probably NB reading your mind.
"John McCain has not talked about my Muslim Faith" - Barack Hussein Obama
Um, pardon me for my
October 6, 2008 - 18:30 ET by lotrUm, pardon me for my curiosity, but precisely what kind of "NB formatting" leads to half a web page of blank space?
And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all. -- Edgar Allan Poe