Customer Reviews

Blasphemy

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This movie was made by an unknown director called John Mendoza, in the United States, a country in the grips of Christian fundamentalism. You can say what you want about his directing, but this guy has balls the size of South Dakota.

Blasphemy : The Movie is an obvious low-budget movioe from all aspects, the kind of movie that a director that identifies himself with an alienated social movement makes. It's similar to the kind of movies made at the beginning of the gay/lesbian movie wave.

The main problem I have with Blasphemy is that it is woefully underdeveloped. This is the kind of movie where someone should have told Mendoza "Okay, that's great, but you need to take this from the first level to the second and third level. You need to think bigger". The story is rudimentary, the dialogue is pretty much what you'd imagine of a cross between a satire and a discussion between an atheist and a Christian on a moderately intelligent message board, the directing and acting is competent but pretty simplistic.

The story turns around the idea that a deconvert called Martin Garcias decides to come out to his parents and his whole family at Christmas. Right away, there is a major problem with the basic (and only) idea in this movie, and that is : why does Martin come out in the first place ? His only given reason is that "it's his family too", but there seems to be little reason for him to want to keep a close relationship with his family. So this is a problem that should at least have been addressed. Without it, the whole point seems rather silly.

Also, there are clips of "sacrileges" interspersed throughout the movie, showing different gods and goddesses discussing theological issue (such as the gender of the gods). Some of them (like the one involving Abraham getting called to sacrifice his son) are inspired, but most fall flat.

I give the movie three stars for sheer bravery and one and a half stars for the game attempt.

The lead actor does a superb job as a defender of atheism. He presents all the logic and reason to deny mythology. Anyone with a family who is as faithful as the actors portray in this film might want to explain it to the family with this film. I especially loved the patio scene where they attempt to have breakfast. Dismissing some gods and not others is prejudice bigotry based on a selfish desire from an irrational hope of going to heaven. It's a no frills movie as far as Hollywood stunts and there is a few cuss words. So little children might be the wrong audience but once they grow up they should understand atheism before they confuse it with devil worship. I highly recommend this movie.

The basic idea of this movie is funny, if too true. A young man from a very religious family reveals he is an atheist. The family reacts like many people actually do react to atheists in the real world, up to and including a fundamentalist aunt who says she will save his soul even if she has to kill him to do it. There is much humor throughout, but the funniest moments are in the biblical stories (Abraham and Issac and Bernie was hysterical! And Jesus working out, boxing, etc.! Krishna, Mohammed, and Buddha sharing a pizza...) peppered throughout the movie rather than in the main storyline. Some of the acting could have been better, and the ending was disappointing, but, overall, it is a fun movie to watch with your favorite infidel. I would like to see more movies of this sort with even more of the debate and the much too common arguments revealed for all to hear.

There are very few groups that are more attached to religion than Hispanics. This movie is a funny way of looking into the beliefs given to us as children and how they are accepted as part of the culture as anything else. As a bilingual Hispanic, I thoroughly identified with the issues, comments and ideas presented by the families and the main character. Even as a comedy, this movie is thought provoking and should be part of your collection, especially if you are the freethinker type.

Ran across the VHS of this in a markdown bin and was blown away. (I've since picked it up on DVD and given it to several friends.) A refreshing breath of fresh air in a time when the best cling to a relativism that insists as a principle that everyone should have a right to their own beliefs, unencumbered by scientific evidence. Or feel they have bend over backwards to not offend Christians. This is not the Dogma style of "in-house" satire that ultimately accepts the religion it's criticizing.

This tells the story of a Chicano in East LA who decides he needs to bring his atheism out of the closet to his family. It is extremely rare to run across characters of any ethnicity in American films that argue intelligently for atheism. I found the characters to be very credible -- I feel I've met all of them around Los Angeles, and some are my good friends and family members... including many of the minor roles. Even the deliberately over-drawn Christian fundamentalist aunt was very true.

His flashback of his parent's first communions is classic -- who doesn't have those pictures in their family albums? The scenes satirizing various gods are uneven -- some work very well. I love the image of a homeless Zeus, himself a rejected god, indignant that Martin would reject ALL gods. However, I will say that when the film goes for really broad comic satire, it is often less successful.

The film has a definitely amateurish feel -- and I agree with another reviewer that many elements of the story could be more fully developed. But the discussions come through as entirely sincere and well thought out. For example, early-on, he's sitting on a college campus reading the bible and runs across the common passage "I am a jealous god..." and actually thinks about what it is saying. (I had exactly the same reaction when I decided to seriously read the bible when I was 16.) It reminds me of the process I went through that lead me to reject christianity -- and eventually all gods.

Definitely worth your time.