In Contention

Tag: Bill Maher

  • THE LONG SHOT: Bait, switch

    Whether you choose to believe them or not – and speaking for myself, I don’t quite – the media powers that be have currently reduced the 2010 Best Picture race to just two titles: “The Social Network” and “The King’s Speech.” That’s entirely (and hopefully, lest things get too dull too soon) subject to change over the next four months, but given what we’ve seen at this point, it’s difficult to devise a could-win theory for many of the films most fancied for the remaining eight slots, be it “Inception” or “Another Year.”

    I don’t really blame those in the blogosphere who are narrowing things down to this pair of films: after a lackluster Toronto fest failed to turn up a hidden dragon along the lines of “Slumdog Millionaire,” the slate of contenders looks much as it did before the fall festival season began. With expectations for “Network” and “Speech” pegged high all along, meeting them was enough to seal frontrunner status.

    Moreover, the temptation to pit David Fincher’s modish Facebook story and Tom Hooper’s tony royalty porn against each other is hard to resist, given how conveniently the films are opposed: both acclaimed biopics after a fashion, but one concerned with present-day American youth, the other with British aristocracy of yore. “It’s the time-capsule piece versus the time-warp piece,” snarked one friend of mine recently, anticipating a narrative that will likely run all season, even if other frontrunners enter the fray.

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  • Bill Maher skewers Oscar dirty tricks

    EDIT: Well, the videos were pulled by HBO.  I laughed.  Onward…

    The bit starts about 20 seconds in:

    After the jump, a pro-Hollywood product tirade from the same show that could be the kind of opinion that leads to a win for Cameron and company tomorrow night.

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  • Brad Pitt on Real Time

    Here’s part one. Part two after the jump:

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  • Oliver Stone talks ‘Wall Street 2’ on Real Time

    Bill Maher is taking a brief mid-season break from live “Real Time” shows for the next couple of weeks.  Friday night’s show, when not an awkward schmooze fest on some of his guests’ part, made for a delightful three-part one-on-one discussion.  The guests were Cameron Diaz, Oliver Stone and Billy Bob Thornton, but as you’d imagine, the most fascinating discussion was the Stone segment.

    The director talked about religion, “the death of journalism” regarding the current administration’s decision to withhold images from Abu Ghraib, and, most applicable to what we do here, the forthcoming sequel to his 1987 film “Wall Street.”  Stone says he plans to start filming in August for an early 2010 release.  The “Wall Street” talk begins around the 7:00 minute mark:

  • Ron Howard on Real Time

    Ryan Adams over at Awards Daily reminded me of Ron Howard’s Friday appearance on Real Time with Bill Maher, so I figured I’d offer the same trio of clips here.  It was actually a pretty sober and valuable half hour chat, I thought.

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  • Olbermann on the freedom of Oscar speeches

    Thanks to Ryan Adams at Awards Daily for pointing us to this clip. “Of the 40 hours of TV Oscar analysis I’ve seen in the past 48, the depth of this 6-minute segment make the rest look like the cover of US magazine,” Ryan says.

    Have a look:

  • Bill Maher: “For the love of God can we please give Kate Winslet her Oscar?”

    Around the :30 mark of Friday’s “New Rules” segment:

  • 10/29 Oscarweb Round-up

    Frost/Nixon• Jeffrey Wells responds to yesterday’s “Frost/Nixon”/”Milk” double feature. [Hollywood Elsewhere]

    • David Poland gives high marks to the former… [The Hot Blog]

    • …well, and the latter as well. [The Hot Blog]

    • Mark Olsen previews the AFI Fest. [The Envelope]

    • Patrick Goldstein pokes and prods Bill Maher about a “Religulous” hater. [The Big Picture]

    • Anthony Breznican writes up “Doubt” with quotes from the director and an exclusive clip. [USA Today]

    • Recall the gold: Best Director race of 1988. [Entertainment Weekly]

  • 10/8 Oscarweb Round-up

    Angelina Jolie in Changeling• Tom O’Neil wonders if Bill Maher can cure his Emmy drought with an Oscar instead. [Gold Derby]

    • Patrick Goldstein calls ‘W.’ a “mess,” confirming my worst fears… [The Big Picture]

    • Erica Abeel corners Mike Leigh at the New York fest. [indieWIRE]

    • Bill Murray talks “City of Ember,” his divorce. [Associated Press]

    • Stephen Holden thinks “Changeling” and “The Wrestler” are “shameless Oscar bait.” [New York Times]

    • Oscar-winner Faye Dunaway talks to Xan Brooks about her work in a new indie. [The Guardian]

    • Tom Wilkinson, the actor who does it all. [USA Today]

    • Jeffrey Wells continues to pass along the good “Milk” word second hand. [Hollywood Elsewhere]

    • Variety’s Peter bart is blogging again after a week’s drought.  Call off the search party. [Peter Bart]

    • Glenn Kenny paid to see “An American Carol.” [Some Came Running]

  • SHORT TAKE: “Religulous” (***)

    Lionsgate Films\'s ReligulousI went into Bill Maher and Larry Charles’s “Religulous” expecting the usual close-minded schtick from Maher.  It seems the comedian is given to rational discourse on any topic except for religion where, indeed, it is the very notion of rationality that enjoys his full concentration.  He sticks his fingers in his ears and screams “La, la, la, la, I can’t hear you” and, for the most part, would prefer to relegate the subject to the extreme rather than see the gray area.

    To some extent, that is exactly what we get with “Religulous.”  Maher shoots fish in a barrel all across the globe, prejudice toward no specific faith; he runs the gamut.  Christianity, Judaism, Orthodox Judaism, Islam, all are accounted for.  But Maher does reach for a certain balance by kicking his journey off with a peek into his own religous background, which can go far toward explaining his detatchment from it all.  He was raised in a household that was 50 percent Jewish, 50 percent Catholic, and one that soon enough saw the error of organized religion.

    Maher finds a handful of level-headed practitioners of faith, from a kooky but understandably fatalistic priest outside the Vatican to a thoughtful, doctorate-holding Catholic who heads up an observatory and has plenty to say about the value of science.  But where Maher does his thesis of rationality a disservice is in his preference to go out and shoot those fish in a barrel rather than spend some more time exploring the thoughtfulness of these individuals .  It is clear their screen time serves only to buttress his account in some small way, but he has no interest in the idea that they, too, have a level of faith that deserves respect.

    It is, in many ways, the same frustration that played itself out on his program a few weeks ago, and here, it is prevalent throughout.

    But “Religulous” is a fun movie.  There are plenty of insane believers out there and for the most part, they have claimed a considerable ownership of this country’s progress.  As Maher said when he earnestly introduced the film to a modest crowd in Century City on Wednesday, we need to take our country back from these people.  There is something to that, even if he carries the reverse fire-and-brimstone over the top as his film concludes.  The attempt was noble, even if somewhat in the vein of expectation.

  • 10/2 Oscarweb Round-up

    Rosemarie Dewitt in Rachel Getting Married• Jeffrey Wells reports that Jim Sheridan’s “Brothers” has been pushed to 2009. [Hollywood Elsewhere]

    • Patrick Goldstein hypothesizes that the year-end Oscar glut is detrimental to quality films and, in a round about way, that studios should forgo the Oscar spending.  Gasp! [The Big Picture]

    • David Poland apparently missed the qualifier “largely” in disputing a section of Goldstein’s lede. [The Hot Blog]

    • Michael Ordoña talks to the wonderful Rosemarie Dewitt about her work in “Rachel Getting Married.”  Best in show, in my opinion. [Los Angeles Times]

    • Tom O’Neil spotlights the tech crew of “Eagle Eye,” wonders if Oscar might be in their future. [Gold Derby]

    • Karina Longworth reports on the “Wrestler” press conference at the New York fest. [Spout Blog]

    • Andrew O’Hehir talks to Bill Maher — boy is he making the rounds for “Religulous.” [Beyond the Multiplex]

    • Chris Ayers heads over to Ixtlan for a “W.” chat with Oliver Stone. [The Times]

    • The 25 greatest movie posters of all time.  Too heavy ont he vintage stuff, but a fun list. [Premiere]

  • 9/30 Oscarweb Round-up

    Mickey Rourke• Mark Olsen reports on the first U.S. screening of German foreign film Oscar entry “The Baader-Meinhof Complex.” [The Big Picture]

    • Jeffrey Wells passes along a note from an exhibitor acquaintance who thinks “Milk” is a home run, but “Frost/Nixon” is a bit stale. [Hollywood Elsewhere]

    • Then he picks the five likely Best Picture nominees, based on the criteria of stories involving journey and redemption. [Hollywood Elsewhere]

    • In a truly tasteless display, Elizabeth Snead makes wise cracks alongside 28 photos of Mickey Rourke’s more bizarre fashion decisions through the years. [The Envelope]

    • David Poland responds to the manipulation of Nikki Finke. [The Hot Blog]

    • Nathaniel Rogers doesn’t think any of the “Reader” hub-bub is a big deal at all. [The Film Experience]

    • Anne Thompson runs down the stacked Best Actor category with the potential Downey vs. Foxx “Soloist” showdown in mind. [Thompson on Hollywood]

    • Tom O’Neil corrals seven pundits for his own predictions chart to light a fire under the collective rear of the Buzzmeter techs. [Gold Derby]

    • James Rocchi chats it up with “Religulous” maestro Bill Maher. [Cinematical]

    • Karina Longworth reviews “Che” and reports from the NYFF Soderbergh press conference. [Spout Blog]

    • Adam Moss corners Woody Allen in the Big Apple. [New York Magazine]

  • 9/29 Oscarweb Round-up

    Michael Cera• A happy ending of sorts for Matilda Rose in the wake of Heath Ledger’s death. [Agence France-Presse]

    • Kenneth Branagh is in talks to direct “Thor.”  Weird, but badass. [Variety]

    • Tom O’Neil traces Paul Newman’s frustrating quest for Oscars. [Gold Derby]

    • James Rocchi talks to “Miracle at St. Anna” director Spike Lee. [Cinematical]

    • The Los Angeles Times have hired an east coast outsider and called it awards coverage.  Well, we wish him well. [The Envelope]

    • Nikki Finke primises to report all the “juicy backstory” on the Rudin/Weinstein situation — because she’s a journalistic disgrace. [Deadline Hollywood Daily]

    • “Quantum of Solace” will have more product placement than any Bond film before it. [The Independent]

    • Mark Olson grills Jonathan Demme on “Rachel Getting Married.” [Los Angeles Times]

    • Meanwhile, Susan King takes on “Rachel” screenwriting Jenny Lumet. [Los Angeles Times]

    • Chris Lee gets some quality time in with Leonardo DiCaprio re: “Body of Lies.” [Los Angeles Times]

    • Michael Cera: heart throb. [Newsweek]

    • Or, Michael Cera: almost famous. [New York Times]

    • Greg Kinnear dishes on his roles in “Flash of Genius” and “Ghost Town.” [Associated Press]

    • Bill Maher Q&A’s it up on “Religulous.” [New York Post]

    • And again, with director Larry Charles in tow. [New York Times]

    …okay, I gotta cut it off there.  Tons of items out there today.

  • Andrew Sullivan takes Bill Maher to task on religion

    As much as I love and respect every perspective Bill Maher has on current events, I have been and remain skeptical that his upcoming film “Religulous” will represent any effort on his part to open up a bit from his skewed, incredibly insulting and borderline ignorant stance on the subject of faith and religion.

    As a believer in faith if not the organization of same, I’ve expressed these concerns before, but I was so happy to see someone really try to go toe-to-toe with Maher on his show, and doubly happy that the person was The Atlantic’s Andrew Sullivan.

    Here is a clip from last night’s “Real Time,” which featured a solid panel of Sullivan, Naomi Klein and Will.I.Am.  Around the 6:30 mark, Maher pulls out yesterday’s USA Today and points to an article about believers in guardian angels, and Sullivan takes the opportunity to strike.  It’s a good exchange, though painfully indicative of Maher’s resistance against any gray area where belief in a higher power is concerned.  At one point Sullivan tells Maher, “Bill, don’t describe my faith to me,” and I wanted to give the guy a round of applause.  Sadly that part is cut from the end of the clip below, but maybe it’ll pop up soon on YouTube.

    I’ll be seeing “Religulous” next Wednesday with Maher and director Larry Charles hanging around for a reception following.  I’d love to address some of these concerns in an interview setting, but I just haven’t seen evidence that the guy can get outside of his own head on the matter.

  • Tom-O chats up Larry Charles and “gangsta” Bill Maher

    It’s awesome to hear Maher talk about his infamous streak of Emmy losses here. It’s doubtful he’ll break the streak this year, but dammit, give this man the award. I’d say he’s probably deserved it year in and year out, with the exception of a few Jon Stewart victories:

  • Vacancy

    I’m taking the day off today.  USC v. Ohio State and a whole lot of tail-gating on the horizon.

    Feel free to cut loose about whatever.  JAB yesterday was asking about a space for posting predictions, so maybe we can wax on about that in the comments below.  Feel free to tell us your thoughts.

    In the meantime, I’ll stoke the fire by suggesting a look at yesterday’s “Real Time with Bill Maher,” where the WSJ’s John Fund FINALLY gets taken to task by both Maher and Janeane Garofalo.  Probably one of the best panels I’ve seen on the show in a long time.

    Additionally, “Slumdog Millionaire” has predictably taken Toronto’s People’s Choice Award.

    Talk amongst yourselves.  Go Trojans!

  • ‘Religulous’: Variety is a believer

    Concerns have been expressed on this site that Larry Charles’ and Bill Maher’s “Religulous” would emerge as an exercise in left-leaning smugness, taking potshots at easy, cherry-picked targets to equate faith with absurd naivete. Certainly, the jokey, swiftly-edited trailer didn’t do much to shift this feeling.

    But Variety’s review of the film paints a decidedly different picture. Going so far as to call it “brilliant (and) incendiary,” they describe the film as a study that, while not neglecting its obvious comic angles, tackles its subject with appropriate profundity and inquisitiveness:

    To the film’s credit, Maher never engages in Michael Moore-style gotcha tactics, but rather asks questions that raise more questions, in the form of a Socratic dialogue. To believers expecting a blind hatchet job, this will prove both thought-provoking and a bit disarming; skeptics may be surprised (as Maher is) by the occasionally smart replies to his queries.

    Though the review does make reference to Maher’s occasionally flip comic tactics (contradictory subtitles accompanying interviews, and the like), the critic seems a little taken aback by a solemn conclusion to the film:

    Ending minutes, though, will catch auds up short: Suddenly, the laughs die down, and as in his closing monologues on “Real Time,” Maher turns deadly serious with a final statement that will stir raging arguments in theater lobbies.

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  • Ridiculous

    You know, I enjoy Bill Maher’s work very much. More often than not, despite adamant opinions, he has the ability to come down in an even-handed manner on more than a few issues, hot button and otherwise. But one thing that has always driven me mad has been his absolute ignorance and over-dependence on hyperbole when addressing issues of religion.

    I respect feelings of atheism. I’ve been there. I’m no religious fruitcake that gets pissy when someone denounces religion, either. Indeed, agnosticism has never been unattractive to me. But I have my spirituality and I respect and admire what is actually inherent and shared in religions across the world (something I think plenty would benefit from simply noticing, rather than quarreling over differences).

    Maher has never been capable of this. Ever. And when he really digs into religion, he generally does it in the safety of a left-leaning panel on “Real Time” who wouldn’t exactly see fit to disagree with him (though there have been precious few exceptions).

    With that in mind, does anyone expect Maher and Larry Charles’s “Religulous” to be anything more than a surface level dissection of beliefs with clever editing to make people look like morons? Kind of like, oh, portions of the Larry Charles-directed “Borat?” My anticipation for this film has frankly been victimized by a sense of dread for some time because of all of this.

    Here’s the trailer:

    httpv://youtube.com/watch?v=kSa2j6UoU78