Directed by: Kevin Smith Written by: Kevin Smith Starring: Linda Fiorentino Alan Rickman Jason Mewes Kevin Smith Chris Rock Matt Damon Ben Affleck Salma Hayek George Carlin Jason Lee Alanis Morissette Jeff Anderson Brian O'Halloran Janeane Garofalo

Favorite Lines from the Audience:

"It's Shankster in the echo chamber!"

Favorite Lines from the Movie:

"No tickets!" (Smith’s salute to Spielberg and Indy)

"If I had a dick I would have sex but let's do the next best thing: kill people."

"Knew him. The brother owes me 12 bucks."

Bethany: "Sex is a joke in heaven."
Metatron: "From the way I understand sex is mostly a joke down here too."

"I suggest that you not underestimate the staggering drawing party of the Garden State."

"How long have you two been together?"

Rufus: "You masturbate more than anyone else on the planet."
Jay: "Everyone knows that."
Rufus: "You think about men while doing it."

"Is Wisconsin that bad of a place to live?"

"But I'm a fucking demon."

"Elvis wasn't afraid, he went and fought for his country. That's why he's the King, and you're a schmuck."

Reviews

Dogburt

Dogma is brave. Rarely has a movie that was written by a fat guy from Jersey drubbed up so much attention. People had written off this movie right from the beginning, which is unfortunate because it could never simply be judged on the merits of it as a movie. And frankly, that’s all that matters, because that’s what it is.

Point 1: Is it a movie that gets its point across? I’d have to say yes. The only other movie that I can compare it to is "Monty Python’s Life of Brian," which takes similar approach in addressing the belief system of organized religion. I’m a big Kevin Smith fan, having loved all of his previous work. He’s the common man who enjoys talking about comic books, sex, and how independent contractors must have had to rebuild the Death Star. In "Dogma" he takes an aggressive anti-religion approach, and in the end reveals what religion is really all about. While sometimes too obvious, numerous points are made along these lines; some worked, some did not. Because of that, I don’t think that "Dogma" reaches the level of ability that "Life of Brian" does, but it comes close.

Point 2: Is it a good movie? Frankly, any movie with Jay and Silent Bob is a good movie. Affleck and Damon are solid. Rock is good as well. Hayek is just kind of "there," which is frankly ok with me. Fiorentino, who is the chief protagonist, never quite convinces me though. I understand the perspective, but something about the chemistry between her and the rest of the crew didn’t quite click for me. I guess because the movie is essentially a fantasy, it kind of strays away from Smith’s other work. That’s good, because he is an excellent writer and needs to branch out, but something about "Dogma" left me wishing for a little bit more. On the whole, it was a good laugh, and I will look forward to future Kevin Smith endeavors. And most importantly, it makes me want to go back and watch "Clerks" again.

Sharky

This is a great movie, especially if you are catholic. I enjoyed the way they poked fun at some of the traditions of the catholic church. Is God a woman? Was Jesus black? Is God going to condemn you if you believe in Planned Parenthood?

Mad Matt

I knew that Alanis' voice had the power to make people's head explode and now I have cinematic proof. This movie was incredibly funny and I can't even remember all of the good lines. This is a must see for everyone. Forget the fact that most of it is probably heresy and you will be going straight to hell for even considering seeing it.

There really is not a enough that can say good about the movie. The fact that banished angels are forced to live in Wisconsin says scores about the Midwest. New Jersey being the gate to heaven is a bit of a stretch too. The great thing is that you get to see two life partners getting a chance to work together yet again. No not Silent Bob and Jay, I am talking about hunky Ben Affleck and dreamy Matt Damon.

Batman

I've been patiently waiting for this movie for a long time. I've been a big fan of Kevin Smith & Co. since seeing Clerks years ago. I was actually working in a convenience store at the time and approximately the same age as the characters. A more perfect movie for me to connect with could not have been made at that point. So I waited patiently for Dogma, expecting a brutal savaging of the Catholic Church to laugh at. Having now seen the movie, it meets my expectations from Mr. Smith but I wasn't prepared for how religious the movie would be.

I have to laugh at all the people protesting this movie. It is does a better job of preaching faith than any trip I've ever made to church itself. So why are they so mad at this movie? Probably because it lampoons the religious extremists. The angels Loki and Bartleby go off on a killing spree in God's name, assuming that violence is the way to make right the world. Throughout history there have people with this view of religion and frankly it's that kind of extremist attitude that sours many people on organized religion. What is it about organized religion that creates such closed minds? I honestly don't know but Dogma takes a very open minded approach and that makes its message a lot more palatable.

Having addressed the religion of the movie let's get to Smith's hallmark, funny dialogue. Nobody writes realistic and frequently hysterical dialogue like him. That's what makes his movies so enjoyable. It's certainly not for his artistic vision. As far as I can tell he doesn't have one. But it doesn't matter because his character's are beautifully fleshed and believable through their words. The movie is almost continuously giggling funny with occasional jumps to hystericly funny. Dogma drags a bit at times but rewards your patience repeatedly with great material.

Finally let me mention the acting. This contains some of the best performances ever handed in as part of Smith's films. Chris Rock surprised me with a very good performance. Jason Mewes is actually becoming quite good. It was very strange to see an actor of Alan Rickman's caliber here but he is excellent and commands the screen whenever he appears.

Red Sonja

First things first. I would have given this movie four stars had SALMA (ooh yeah) been naked at any point. I mean she played a stripper! And we see nothing! What a terrible injustice. Chris Rock played an apostle and we had to suffer his bare ass. And might I add that, that scene went on uncomfortably long. And the camera angle, ewww (not to be confused with ewe, I'm no Full Mason). It brought to mind long repressed images of Mason, the Shankster, footballs, high-school interns, and syrup. Those images were repressed for a reason... because they suck! Thank you very much, Mr. Smith. Anyway, would it have been too much trouble to at least see SALMA (ooh yeah) in a white T-shirt on a chilly night in the lake.

Anyway, other than that I thought the film was pretty sweet. George Carlin as the clergy was a very nice touch. But I have to say, if Alanis Morrisette is god, then Celine Dion has got to be the devil. I always thought that Titanic theme of hers had to be the soundtrack to hell, and now I certain of it. It is always good to see another particularly strong performance by Jay and Silent Bob. I think I may see an Oscar nomination in the near future.

Finally, I notice a disturbing similarity between the lives of Bartleby and Loki, and two of our own TNMC members. For privacy sake I won't mention those two members (Madd Matt and Biscuit), but their lives trends were eerily similar. Like Bartleby and Loki, these two members were banished from the presence of god (hot young ladies in their case), are forced to live out their lives together in the middle of nowhere (is Wisconsin really that different from "The Compound"??), can't score with any of the women in their town (see the definition of EBB somewhere else on this site), and ultimately are viewed as sensitive 90's "life partners." All I can say is that I hope I'm out sick the day they begin their killing spree.