What if I told you about a major motion picture that said God is a myth? That its main character, living in a world in which people are incapable of lying, soothes his dying mother by saying she’s about to leave this life for a better place, where she’ll have a mansion and see all of her friends and be happier than she’s ever been?

Mum isn’t the only comforted dupe of the falsehood in the story: When her caretakers hear of this wonderful afterlife, word spreads fast, and soon the accidental prophet is telling the masses about heaven and hell—though there are no such terms for them yet—and exactly how you need to behave to avoid eternal damnation. To complete the fib, he preaches about “the man in the sky,” who he says is responsible for good things! Such as saving someone from drowning. But he’s also to blame for bad things, such as cancer.

And the even more subversive cherry? The people who believe him are largely portrayed as idiots.
Read More “Why Can’t Ricky Gervais’ Pro-Atheism Film Attract Any Religious Protests?” »

Zombies, roller derby, schmaltz, and Michael Moore. Another avalanche of openings this weekend, and—shockingly—most of them are worth your while. Summer’s officially over!

Zombieland: Think there are no more zombie-related stories or jokes to tell? So did I. Which is why this very entertaining film is such a surprise. Fun fact: Remember Woody Harrelson’s tussle with that photographer? This is the movie he blamed it on, claiming he was still in character as a warrior against the undead.

Whip It: Drew Barrymore’s wobbly but sweet directorial debut about roller derby. Bonus: Ellen Page finally shakes off the Juno bug.

Capitalism: A Love Story: Michael Moore is still angry, this time about our country’s financial crisis in general and government bailouts in particular. Read More “This Week in Film” »

The American Office is a cartoonish, sanitized, safe place to spend time—funny, for sure, but essentially escapist. The British original, by comparison, is a wartier, more authentically miserable place. Pam and Jim are an All-American couple; Dawn and Tim are working-class grunts making it through the day. Michael Scott is a broad, white-bread buffoon; David Brent is a deluded alcoholic.

U.S. audiences now have an excellent opportunity to compare the two: While NBC continues with the sixth season of the American iteration (Thursdays at 9/8c, or 24/7 on Hulu for everyone else), Adult Swim is now syndicating the 12 episodes of the British Office (Fridays at midnight and 4 a.m.).

“I’m a big fan of the American version,” says Kim Manning, Adult Swim’s director of programming. “But it’s so much sillier and broader comedy than the British version, which is as much tragedy at times as it is comedy.”

Adult Swim’s acquisition of the Office is the fourth in a string of imported English cult favorites, including The Mighty Boosh, Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace, and Look Around You. Arts Desk hung at the water cooler with had a nice phone chat with Manning to discuss stoners, cartoon-lovers, and why Adult Swim is syndicating shows that appeal to neither.

Read More “The [British] Office: Fridays After American Dad on Adult Swim!” »