Dogma [DVD]

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Marcus Errico (April 8, 1999). "Miramax, Disney Dogged by "Dogma" ". E! Online . Retrieved November 21, 2020. Dogma is both one of the worst movies ever made and also one of the best. Its cultural identity (white, American, and nerdy) is loud and precise, but its actual filmmaking is incredibly sloppy. Kevin Smith seems like the kind of guy who doesn’t care too much how a shot is framed or whether the lighting is right, only if his actor can nail this scorching-hot joke he’s written about Home Alone. Smith believes that he only got the call because, "It was him looking to see who was a friend still because his life was about to shift completely." [34] The story revolves around two fallen angels who plan to employ an alleged loophole in Catholic dogma to return to Heaven after being cast out by God, but as existence is founded on the principle that God is infallible, their success would prove God wrong, thus undoing all creation. The last scion and two prophets are sent by the seraph Metatron to stop them.

Cline, Austin (May 30, 2018). "Top George Carlin Quotes on Religion". ThoughtCo . Retrieved March 5, 2019. I mean, honestly, not even a thought. I don’t think he realized that he still owned that movie,” the “Clerks” star explained. “I don’t think he realized that it went out of public distribution or anything like that.”

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Other unorthodox casting decisions included George Carlin, who had made his atheism [12] a cornerstone of his public image, as a Catholic priest; Mexican actress Salma Hayek as Serendipity — "the [Muse] who throughout history inspired all the geniuses of art and music, like Mozart and Michelangelo, and never got any of the credit" — and singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette as God. "There's a Zen Buddhist serenity to Alanis that calls to mind something otherworldly," Smith explained. "She's definitely ethereal in nature, even when not speaking, and she carries an air about her that played into the role." [6] As hard as it is to hate a film like Dogma when clearly it’s exactly the film Smith wanted to make, it’s equally difficult to defend the film’s incomprehensible story. It feels like it has as much plot as 12 seasons of Supernatural condensed into one stoner comedy that’s still over two hours long. But give Smith a set of Danish rules to follow, forbid him from using guns and angels, and ask him to base an entire movie on conversations, and he might just make a masterpiece. Conclusion Jones, Kimberley (August 10, 2001). "Mr. Smith Goes to Austin". Austin Chronicle . Retrieved June 18, 2009. What's more, I think a Catholic God might plausibly enjoy a movie like "Dogma," or at least understand the human impulses that made it, as he made them. ("He's lonely--but he's funny," an angel says in the movie.) After all, it takes Catholic theology absolutely literally, and in such detail that non-Catholics may need to be issued Catechisms on their way into the theater (not everybody knows what a plenary indulgence is). Sure, it contains a lot of four-letter words, because it has characters who use them as punctuation. But, hey, they're vulgarities, not blasphemies. Venial, not mortal. Sure, it has a flawed prophet who never gives up trying to get into the heroine's pants, but even St. Augustine has been there, done that. In New Jersey, Bethany asks why she has been called upon to save the universe; why can't God simply do it himself? Metatron admits that God's whereabouts are unknown; he disappeared while visiting New Jersey in human form to play skee ball. The task falls to Bethany because—she now learns—she is the last scion, a distant but direct blood relative of Jesus.

If the film is less than perfect, it is because Smith is too much in love with his dialogue. Like George Bernard Shaw, he loves to involve his characters in long witty conversations about matters of religion, sexuality and politics. "Dogma" is one of those rare screenplays, like a Shaw playscript, that might actually read better than it plays; Smith is a gifted comic writer who loves paradox, rhetoric and unexpected zingers from the blind side.I was like, ‘That makes perfect sense,'” Smith recalled. “I’m guileless, I don’t see all the angles. He was calling not because he wanted to do anything with ‘Dogma.’ He wanted to see if I was one of the people who had spoken to the New York Times. I hadn’t, because I didn’t know any of that stuff.” Hermanns, Grant (September 17, 2022). "Dogma's Streaming Rights Are Being Held Hostage, Says Kevin Smith". Screerant. Kevin Smith (2001). Dogma: Special Edition Deleted Scenes Introduction (DVD). Columbia TriStar Home Video.

Smith and Mosier assembled a group of visual artists to realize their concept of a surreal, abstract environment "somewhere between reality and unreality": production designer Robert Holtzman, special effects supervisor Charles Belardinelli, creature effects supervisor Vincent Guastini, costume designer Abigail Murray, and director of photography Robert Yeoman. [6] Locations [ edit ] Caro, Mark (November 7, 1999). "A Practicing Catholic on the Religious Storm of 'Dogma' ". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on April 21, 2013 . Retrieved November 1, 2022. It feels like an extension of the same ethos that got Clerks made — everyone’s having fun, saying witty, punchy dialogue. For many of these performers, I’m sure movies like Dogma are why they got into acting in the first place. The oddest casting decision in Dogma is that of Smith himself, as he and Mewes reprise their roles as Silent Bob and Jay, respectively. They’re one-note joke characters. They constantly try to shag the lead, have very little bearing on the plot, and really don’t change much at all by the end of the picture.

Personally - If I had to guess, I think Jesus would love this movie. And so will you! Read full review

Please tell that company that I’ll have nothing to do with it, if he’s still attached to it,” Smith said at the time. “I’ll work on a ‘Dogma’ anything, as long as he has no more ties to it.” Smith formerly claimed Weinstein refused to pay royalties for “Clerks,” with a total of seven years before being able to see profits from the now-classic feature that spurred a trilogy. Dogma film locations". movie-locations.com. Archived from the original on March 2, 2013 . Retrieved January 12, 2017. The film was screened but was not entered into competition at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival. [18] Home media [ edit ]a b Seiler, Andy (October 24, 2001). "Kevin Smith is seldom 'Silent' ". USA Today . Retrieved July 19, 2010. Kevin Smith's Dogma Isn't Available to Stream - And It's The Weinsteins' Fault". ScreenRant. September 2, 2019 . Retrieved March 30, 2020. They talk about pop culture because the only power they’re afforded is that of the consumer. The joke of the film is that Jay and Silent Bob are two normal people whose entire lives will likely have zero impact on the universe. They have no power, no responsibility, no influence. But Smith puts them in a situation where suddenly they have to save all of humanity, and the punchline is that they don’t seem psyched about it in the least. Mewes gets one dramatic line in the whole film when he declares his (and Silent Bob’s) love for Bethany, and bless his heart, Mewes just can’t do it. The rest of the film doesn’t bother with stakes or emotion for these two. It’s just all sex jokes and Star Wars references — another Tuesday for Jay and Silent Bob. Dogma ’99 In late November 2005, Smith responded to talk of a possible sequel on the ViewAskew.com message boards: