Dogma

"Mass genocide is the most exhausting activity one can engage in next to soccer."
Kevin Smith is generally known for making vulgar, obnoxious movies that are full of heart.  Dogma is... a vulgar, obnoxious movie that is full of heart, but is also a clever religious satire.  While not as hilarious as his other films (such as Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back), Dogma is pretty funny, and quite compelling, too.  The story is clear (and quite complex), the characters are distinct and likeable, and the acting is excellent.  Who else but Kevin Smith could make a story about two fallen angels' attempt to get back into Heaven (having been expelled for being drunk on the job long, long ago) and the attempts of average woman Bethany Sloane (an abortion clinic worker) and her ragtag band of holy misfits (including Jay and Silent Bob, who are apparently prophets) into a crass comedy?  The real-life bromance between Matt Damon and Ben Affleck is highly evident here, and really adds depth to their characters (Loki [a grigori] and Bartleby [the former Angel of Death], respectively).  In addition to Damon and Affleck, the cast includes Jason Mewes and Smith himself (as Jay and Silent Bob, of course), George Carlin (in the ironic role of a Catholic priest*), Chris Rock, Jason Lee, Alanis Morissette, Linda Fiorentino, Salma Hayek, and Alan Rickman round out the cast.  Oh, and a certain someone important gets put into a coma (not telling you who though).

Rating: 86/100

"Beautiful, naked, big-tittied women just don't fall out of the sky."

*I get the feeling that, were this movie made today, there would be some altar boy jokes.

The Lost Battalion

Relatively decent made-for-TV movie based on the true story of a unit of the United States Army that was surrounded by German forces in the Argonne Forest in France during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in 1918 (during World War I, obviously).  The film is relatively historically accurate (the American soldiers, for instance are seen using M1917 Enfield rifles, which were more common than the standard-issue M1903 Springfield), although there are probably a number of goofs (I'm not an expert on the battle, so I wouldn't know for certain what they are).  Overall, though, the film is adequate: adequate script, adequate directing, adequate acting, good sets, costumes, and armaments.  Oh, and the film doesn't drag on too long, and the gunshot effects (specifically the blood that squirts out of wounds) gives a certain cinematic flair that harkens back to movies like Bullitt and The Wild Bunch.  A good watch if you like war movies or historical dramas, but nothing to write home about.

Rating: 70/100