Reviews

This was so bad that it makes me think about "The Producers." Did someone need to lose a pile of money so they backed a film that they knew would be too awful to succeed?

I've got to hand it to the actors that they put their all into it and seemed to have a good time. Winona Ryder was paired with, erm, an unusual and unlikely character and she still did a great job. I'll give this film a single star just because of her performance.

But it was really just a terrible film. It seemed to me like they were aiming for so-tasteless-it's-funny, but it was too crude and completely lacked cleverness.

I completely love the new BSG -- it is second only to Firefly. The writing is great. The directing in great. The cinematography and editing and sound are stellar. It's art. And it is all the more compelling to see the near extinction of the human race in this post-9/11 world (this is something commented on in the director commentary as well).

The original BSG series was way too campy and I never really enjoyed it -- but this is dark and compelling and moving. The decision to mix up the genders was a great way to "update" this show. And I appreciate the attention to detail in the sets and even their attempt to make their sound and video effects more "realistic" (although still not 100% accurate). Great performances by newcomer actors and some veterans as well. My only disappointment is that it lasted for only 2 seasons.

Contrary to what others see on its surface, this film is the Passion story--not a statement about theater or art. This film tells the story of Jesus the man; allowing him to live in history without the burden of deification. It is a remarkable film that complements other modern films about Jesus--and it's nearly as controversial as Scorsese's "Last Temptation of Christ."

The script and editing masterfully interweave the story of Jesus with that of our protagonist, Daniel Coloumbe. It makes a powerful statement about what the Church has done to what we know of Jesus today. The cowardice of the priest in the film is an allegory for the intentional self-blinding of the Church itself when it comes to the topic of the deification of Jesus. Emotionally paralyzed with fear of leaving the church and striking out on his own, he would rather strangle his own needs and wants in order to carry on with living a lie.

For non-Christians and Christians alike, if you watch this film with an open mind it will leave you inspired. It makes the point that it doesn't matter whether Jesus was the Son of God or the Son of Man--teacher or God. If you can get beyond the the millenia of rhetoric, his message is one that is still powerful today.

I saw this film at the International Film Festival a few years ago. It made little sense. It was directionless. It had desire but no romance. And instead of comedy it had pathos. This film has the distinction of being one of the two worst films I've ever seen.