Expelled Arrives in Canada -- Critics Not Impressed

[Gord_in_Toronto]

"Expelled" arrived here (aka Canada) this week and the reviews have been pretty critical. Some reviewers are more clued in than others but the wholehearted consensus seems to be "it's a bad, bad movie".

In scanning the reviews on Google.ca News I found this one had a pretty revealing piece in an interview with Stein.

http://www.westender.com/articles/entry/ben-stein-gets-serious-in-controversial-doc-expelled/

Scientific American published an article titled “Six things Ben Stein doesn’t want you to know about Expelled.” Have you read it?

I have not read [it] or many of the other articles that have come out strongly against our film. We were fully expecting these articles to come out, because we are exposing these very people and their tactics to suppress.

Snicker. Now that's a real open approach. Can I say "hypocrite". Why, yes I can. HYPOCRITE

 

[Gord_in_Toronto]

More reviews showing up via Google.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/serv...Story/Entertainment/home?cid=al_gam_mostemail

A reading from the Book of Apocryphal Documentary:

1. Around that time, the people were set against each other, with some saying that man was made by God on the sixth day, and others that he was descended from a common ancestor with the monkey. So the Lord came to Ben Stein . . . .

10. Then the Lord looked upon Ben Stein's work and declared: “Though I am a loving God, quite frankly, Ben, this film is an appallingly unscrupulous example of hack propaganda and it sucketh mightily. What's more, I didn't laugh once.”

And:

http://www.vueweekly.com/article.php?id=8848

You can tell a weak argument when Hitler is immediately invoked, without context. In its opening sequence, Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed does just that, blasting Third Reich montages before introducing the adenoid talents of Ben Stein.

. . . .

The biggest lie in Expelled is its conclusion. It fancies itself authority enough to fantasize an endpoint of embracing the concept of evolution, but fails to articulate its own endpoint: invoking a creator instead of a natural process as the basis of science means an end to asking questions, because it’s a threat to the notion of absolute morality. That’s the “intellectual freedom” anti-freedom, anti-intellectuals ultimately seek—to imprison everyone in their ignorance.

And:

http://www.thecoast.ca/Articles-i-2008-06-26-152339.113118_Ben_Steins_artificial_intelligence.html

Well, whatever you think of Moore, at least his sympathies lie with the downtrodden and sick, and not, ya know, bat-**** insane fundamentalist Christians.

. . . .

All this comes to a rousing crescendo of---believe it or not---Stein giving a lecture (after ripping off Moore, Ruloff rips off Al Gore) to a cheering crowd of moronic Campus Crusade for Christ types, interspersed with news footage of the Berlin Wall coming down overdubbed with Ronald Reagan's "Tear down that wall!" speech.

And:

http://www.hour.ca/film/film.aspx?iIDArticle=14954

Stein is clearly ripping a page out of Michael Moore's book, in the hopes that his doc will be dangerous and threatening to the status quo. Which it may well be, if you live in Mike Huckabee's Arkansas and want to have all your fears about science and Darwinism confirmed. To the rest of us, however, Expelled comes off as ridiculously alarmist propaganda about the ways in which evolutionary science can threaten the way we live now.

As best as I can tell there has not been one positive review in any mainstream publication in Canada and those with ratings giving it a star and a half at most.

Ha. Ha.

 

[Eternal Gaijin]

Expelled in Canada

Ho, hum. Expelled sucks. Saying so is oppression. Is that really the best they can do as a response?
I'm hoping that little hangnail of a film gets ignored and sinks like a stone without the fervent religion of the US to prop it up.
Embarrassed to have a Canadian company behind it? You bet I am.

 

[X]

One stare in the rag, no stars in the better paper.

Both had scathing reviews lambasting the movie for not actually discussing ID (it's supposed topic) and instead focusing on how evil and scary "Darwinism" is.

The reviews dropped hints of the religious and unscientific natue of ID, but unfortunately stopped short of saying it outright.

It's only playing at one theatre here (the one that normally shows indie/artsy films in addition to a few big-budget films). I predict it won't last more than 2 weeks there.

 

[UnrepentantSinner]

What about the letters to the editors section? While I enjoy the eviscerating tone of the critics, it's the vox populi that I'm concerned with since they're the ones who will go see it or stay home.

 

[Jimbo07]

What about the letters to the editors section? While I enjoy the eviscerating tone of the critics, it's the vox populi that I'm concerned with since they're the ones who will go see it or stay home.

Really? I've always regarded the letters to the editors section as a mass collection of stupid. Every time I dip a toe back in, I'm not disappointed...

 

[UnrepentantSinner]

Really? I've always regarded the letters to the editors section as a mass collection of stupid.

Me too... have you read poll results lately?

When the Dallas Times-Herald collapsed over a decade ago the Dallas Morning News - IMO - did a good job of switching from a conservative editorial policy to a more balanced one and I think it's reflected in the letters section where both foaming at the mouth liberals and conservatives are given the chance to read like douchebags because of their own verbiage and vitriol.

Back to my original point though, those writers are - in a balanced paper - a reflection of the vox populi even if they are idiots with a typewriter or e-mail account.

 

[leon_heller]

Did Dawkins and others who were misled into appearing in the film have their views misrepresented?

It was probably a money-making exercise - get plenty of publicity (even if it is bad publicity) and the creationists (there are lots of them in the USA) will go and watch it as it confirms their irrational beliefs.

It's even got its own web site:

http://www.expelledthemovie.com/playground.php

Yoko Ono has objected to the film containing an unauthorised segment of John Lennon's song, Imagine. Good for her!

Leon

 

[JoeEllison]

What did Dawkins say in the film that caused him to claim he was misled?

Leon

I'm not sure your question even makes sense in the context of the situation. Could you rephrase that?

 

[leon_heller]

I changed it before I saw your comment.

Leon

 

[WhatWouldZeusDo]

I love the first quote. The Sun is the right-wing Toronto paper, and all it gave was 1/5.

http://www.torontosun.com/Entertainment/Movies/2008/06/27/6001756-sun.html

If someone believes in the Tooth Fairy, can they complain about not being taken seriously at dental school?

...

If you really wanted to defend Intelligent Design, why not start with a rebuttal of the Pennsylvania court decision that ID is in fact not science, but religion? Instead, it gets a scant few seconds of mention.

Perhaps it's an inconvenient truth.

 

[MattusMaximus]

Really? I've always regarded the letters to the editors section as a mass collection of stupid. Every time I dip a toe back in, I'm not disappointed...

Believe it or not, many politicians pay a lot of attention to letters to the editor of local papers. The best thing to do is to not ignore such stupidity in the letters section, but to vigorously respond to it. You'd be amazed how many people will agree with you - but you need to speak out if you expect to fight back effectively.

 

[Eos of the Eons]

Can someone write to both of my city's newspapers? So far, the public loves Expelled and is calling evolution "devil-usion".

 

[X]

Can someone write to both of my city's newspapers? So far, the public loves Expelled and is calling evolution "devil-usion".

Alberta: Canada's Bible Belt.

Are you in Edmonton, Calgary, or other (if any other cities there have two papers)?

I hope it's not Edmonton. I have family there...

 

[Madalch]

Alberta: Canada's Bible Belt.

Are you in Edmonton, Calgary, or other (if any other cities there have two papers)?

Eos didn't say they were daily papers- I seem to recall she's stuck in a city other than the two real cities of Edmonton (I won't say which- if I give away her identity, she might get fired again. Suffice it to say that I lived there for two years, and I'm nt in the least bit surprised).

 

[Eos of the Eons]

Yeah. I live somewhere in between
One is a daily newspaper. The other is a free weekly newspaper. Just google "Audrey Jensen" to get a snapshop of the local city's majority opinion. I will warn, it is SCARY. I read Boisson's letter when it appeared in the paper, and really kind of shivered...

I don't think I'll get fired again by posting here. I just won't be writing public letters in the paper or elsewhere more cllose to home (or on facebook).

 

[Morrigan]

I can't find anything specific about that woman, do you have some links? And what does he mean, "she might get fired again"?

I know Alberta is like the a**hole of Canada, but I was hoping they were still a few kilometres ahead of the USA's Bible Belt.

 

[D'rok]

You know, moving to Upper Canada from Alberta was a real eye-opener for me. It is hard for Westerners fathom just how much epic douche-baggery and blind arrogance exists in the self-styled "centre" of the country. We just assume that they're nice folks like us at heart, notwithstanding all that crap about the Maple Leafs. How wrong we are. (How Eastern Canada - Maritmes excepted - can label itself the geographic centre with a straight face is an endless source of mystery to me) (Another mystery is "Southwestern Ontario". It's in the South East you United Empire Loyalist morans! Kenora is Southwestern Ontario).

Having said that, if there's a bright centre to the universe, Red Deer is the farthest city from it. What a wretched hive of scum and villainy.

 

[Eos of the Eons]

It's getting worse here as the science education deteriorates every time they update the curriculum. A student in college here told me that in public High School they teach the big bang like it is the story of creation (the universe banged into existence 6 thousand years ago, with all the animals appearing on the earth, etc.). I recently searched the entire provincial high school curriculumns for any sign of biological teachings that might resemble evolution. I posted it somewhere here already. There is some mention in grade 11 biology about species and traits (basically microevolution), but absolutely nothing else. Didn't see the big bang perversion in any detail, so that is unconfirmed. It does confirm my own biology curriculum experience in high school. I came out not knowing what the heck evolution was, never hearing about it.

Oh, found the link, while it lasts:
http://www.reddeerexpress.com/express/edition03/opinion-005.html

Audrey Jensen writes in weekly about how stripper bars are ruining society, how vaccines cause autism, etc. They might as well give her a column. She's one of those, like Boisson, is on a moral high horse, and is ranting weekly on why we all are letting this detioration of society happen.

Needless to say, that darn movie may be quite a hit here. Yippee kiyay. Good luck finding anyone under 35 in this province who even knows why it is sooo very wrong. I haven't found a single article in this province panning it in any way. I will "rejoice" if I see one.

This one sure doesn't seem critical:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080627.wstein27/BNStory/Entertainment/home

And we do sell the the Globe and Mail in my city.

 

[Madalch]

I know Alberta is like the a**hole of Canada, but I was hoping they were still a few kilometres ahead of the USA's Bible Belt.

Watch what you say about my home province, bub.

Alberta does have a few Bible-beltish areas, which have gotten worse as our right-wing politicians (who are the traditional heroes of rural Alberta) seek to emulate the right-wingers south of the border. As fundamentalism increases in the USA, some parts of Alberta chase after it.

I think a better example of a particular town's attitude is summed up by Stockwell Day, a politician who is a YEC and thinks the death penalty should be applied by allowing "moral prisoners" to kill other prisoners in jail.