REEL NEWS
Maher's Religulous Gets Vicious
Bill Maher talks about religion and comedy, says faith is an easy target; new film promises to be aggressive in its attacks. Plus: Narnia casting news; more religious satire; sequels for Kung Fu Panda and School of Rock; a James Bond trailer; and more.
by Josh Hurst | posted 6/30/2008
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"I don't need to make fun of religion. It makes fun of itself." That's what Bill Maher says about his upcoming documentary, Religulous, in MovieMaker Magazine. The film—which is billed as "an uproarious nonfiction film about the greatest fiction ever told"—lampoons various religions and religious groups worldwide—and, if it's anything like Maher's description of it, it's pretty vicious.
Talking about his motivation for making the film, Maher says, "With religious fanatics like George Bush and Osama bin Laden now taking over the world, it seemed to me in recent years that this issue—this cause of debunking the man behind the curtain—needed to have a larger, more insistent and focused forum than late night television. I wanted to make a documentary, and I wanted it to be funny. In fact, since there is nothing more ridiculous than the ancient mythological stories that live on as today's religions, this movie would try to be a real knee slapper. Unless, of course, you're religious, then you might not like it."
He goes on to say that, "comedically speaking, the topic of religion is pretty much hitting the side of a barn. … Politics is a rich area, but even politicians, although they promise some ridiculous stuff, don't approach the level of, for example, the Mormon practice of promising couples a planet to rule over in the after life if they have a really good marriage on earth."
Meanwhile, The Jewish Daily Forward reports on the film's marketing campaign: "Promotional materials for the film include everything from a poster displaying Maher's face on a grilled cheese sandwich with the tagline 'Do you smell something burning?' to the creation of a Web site called disbeliefnet.com—a spoof of beliefnet.com, a site devoted to religion and spirituality. Disbeliefnet.com is stocked with material mocking religious sects, with headlines as politically incorrect as 'Burkini Babes' and a glaring ad demanding that viewers help 'Save California From Satanic Homosexual Marriage.'
In other movie news:
Son of Rambow actor cast in Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Daily Mail)
Will Poulter cast as Eustace Scrubb
Salvation Boulevard satirizes organized religion (Variety)
From the director of Joshua, Hell House
Steve Beard explores "spiritual quests" on the big screen (Break Point)
Comments on Charlton Heston, Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe
Kung Fu Panda sequel in the works (TAG Blog)
New script already in progress
Hindus boycott The Love Guru (Globe and Mail)
Religious leaders angered by Mike Myers film
Albert Schweitzer biopic on the way (Variety)
Schweitzer celebrates the theologian and physician
Zohan a hit in the Holy Land (Associated Press)
Israeli audiences appreciate new Sandler film
School of Rock sequel written (Defamer)
From Mike White, scribe of the original
Quantum of Solace trailer debuts today (Coming Soon)
Online now; before Hancock tomorrow
Extended cut of The New World on the way (Press release)
New version will span 172 minutes; on DVD in October
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