But this involves an hierarchical organizational structure and an elaborate, multi-year process that can cost members hundreds of thousands of dollars. News Politics World Sport Technology Business Money Opinion Obituaries Travel Culture Lifestyle Women Family Health and Fitness Fashion Luxury Cars Free Mobile App UK Voucher Codes US Coupons Jobs Financial Solutions Rewards Events This is my review of My Scientology Movie (spoiler free) *** (3/5) MAKING A DOCUMENTARY about such an elusive subject like Scientology will always guarantee the filmmaker a decent sized audience. My Scientology Movie. Watched Oct 10, 2016. For much of the movie, Theroux drives a rent-a-car around Los Angeles and its environs, looking at Scientology locations and talking to people who have escaped the cult’s grip about its byzantine doctrines and practices. Only the good-natured Theroux seems to stand between them and an Anchorman-style camera crew battle. My Scientology Movie. I n My Scientology Movie, it doesn’t take long for documentarian Louis Theroux to get rattled by fears of harassment and surveillance by agents of the Church of Scientology.During an interview with former Scientology enforcer Marty Rathbun, a woman in a bikini saunters up to them to ask what they’re doing. “You’re not trespassing.” It’s the film in microcosm: funny, occasionally menacing, but ultimately stranded just outside the inner sanctum. Needless to say, this film (directed by John Dower) doesn’t end up being the first flattering documentary about Scientology made by an outsider—not that Theroux, of course, probably ever thought it would. My Scientology Movie is free-spirited enough, though, to retain an encounter with a bikini-clad wannabe actress which took place during filming and doesn’t really leaad anywhere, except to laughter. My Scientology Movie is a hilarious, if at times provocative, documentary. Where they do pay off is in a recreation of the infamous Hole, a prison for senior Scientologists (or Sea Orgs) where the most extreme abuse is alleged to have taken place. Bauer Media Group consists of: Bauer Consumer Media Ltd, Company number: 01176085, Bauer Radio Ltd, Company Number: 1394141, Registered Office: Media House, Peterborough Business Park, Lynch Wood, Peterborough, PE2 6EA H Bauer Publishing,Company Number: LP003328, Registered Office: Academic House, 24-28 Oval Road, London, NW1 7DT.All registered in England and Wales. A small army of lawyers, in the first instance. A number of interesting issues are touched on not at all or only tangentially. My Scientology Movie Director: John Dower Rating: NR Release Date: March 10, 2017. The best scenes lay bare the paranoia and insecurity that seeps from the organisation. The personal pronoun in the title of “My Scientology Movie” makes sense in more ways than one. The actors sit awkwardly while Rathbun explains the organisation’s doctrines, and there’s little in his explanation of its world view, tools of manipulation and intimidation strategies that hasn’t already been covered in Going Clear and Panorama’s explosive 2007 documentary Scientology And Me. Early on, he sketches in the cult’s well-known history, from being founded by science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard in the ‘50s to how, after Hubbard’s death, control of the organization passed to an impeccably tailored but consummately creepy little authoritarian named David Miscavige. My Scientology Movie 2015 ★★★½ . Black Bridge review . It’s clearly one role you wouldn’t want to go Method for. While "My Scientology Movie" provides a very entertaining tour of some of the questions that swirl around Scientology, viewers who’ve followed the story through the years will find little that’s new or unexpected. Because the Scientologists react so reflexively and predictably—as they do in threatening emails to Theroux—it makes you wonder if they’ve learned nothing in decades of dealing with media that have long ago figured out how to bait them. For instance maybe a small army of lawyers. WWE Getting Rowdy - The Unreleased Matches of Roddy Piper DVD review. BBC filmmaker Louis Theroux sets out to make a documentary about Scientology, but is soon stymied by its leaders’ refusal to participate. He’s also one with a clearly stated goal that sets us up for the droll chagrin that follows. This review was written by WatchThatTV. Among the Scientology apostates that Theroux interviews, some of the most vivid testimony comes from former Scientology Quartermaster General Marty Rathbun, who describes Miscavige’s hysterical rants and violence against his underlings. 0 Shares 0 0 0 0. Theroux serves up TV clips from Scientology rallies of recent years, where Miscavige and the torrents of worship washing over him resemble nothing so much as the cult of the Great Leader in North Korea. “You don’t have to go,” Theroux shouts after them. My Scientology Movie, which is directed by John Dower and stars British broadcaster Louis Theroux, tries to be original by using the unconventional narrative arc of having fresh-faced actors recreating first-hand accounts of ex-Scientologists. Louis Theroux versus the Church of Scientology. Directed by John Dower. Parents need to know that My Scientology Movie is a 2015 documentary in which broadcast journalist Louis Theroux attempts to find a way into the inner workings of Scientology. 3 out of 5 stars. Instead, he decides to cast actors to do the job for them. There are some tense and violent moments, including a disturbing scene in which actors who have been hired to portray some of the highest-ranking members of Scientology show what behavior is alleged to take place … Read All Reviews. It leads to the film’s most impactful scene, a depiction of bullying and the abuse of power that’s shocking even on a film set. The young performers are very game for their task, and some go deep into the dark emotions that Rathbun describes. DVD WWE Smackdown 20th Anniversary DVD review. This film has a lot going on in it and I have quite a few thoughts about it. My Scientology Movie is full of such meta moments, including a long argument with. Men in Black: International review. My Scientology Movie BBC filmmaker Louis Theroux sets out to make a documentary about Scientology, but is soon stymied by its leaders’ refusal to participate. My Scientology Movie is the second documentary on the subject in recent months, following Alex Gibney’s more thorough and methodical Going … It’s becomes very meta as we get interviews with the actors who are cast to be important figures in the Church of Scientology for the re-enactments. Perhaps my perception is clouded by havingvalready watched the HBO documentary "Going Clear," which, to me, was the ultimate take-down of the Church of Scientology. I have been a long-time admirer of Louis Theroux’s documentaries. WWE: The Miz - A List Superstar DVD Review 2019. At other times, though, the mock-ups are a blunter device. Anticipation: 4/5 I was disappointed not to catch My Scientology Movie at the cinema. Review: ‘My Scientology Movie,’ an Offbeat Inquiry. That’s not to say Theroux doesn’t burrow gently under his subject’s skin. There is no denying that Scientology’s mysterious influence … My Scientology Movie is a 2015 British documentary film about Scientology directed by John Dower, and written by and starring Louis Theroux.The film takes an unconventional approach to the subject matter, featuring young actors "auditioning" for parts playing high-profile Scientologists in scenes recreating accounts from ex-members about incidents involving senior church management. Scientologists profess to believe that humans are ancient cosmic souls who must reincarnate endlessly until they free themselves from negative thought patterns. For the current era, Alex Gibney’s authoritatively damning “Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief” is likely to remain the movie about the pseudo-scientific mind control cult that calls itself the “religion” of Scientology. Louis Theroux versus the Church of Scientology. Gibney’s documentary–an adaptation of Lawrence Wright’s book of the same name–is a top-to-bottom takedown of the entire Church of Scientology, looking at the group’s origins via … Directed by John Dower. My Scientology Movie, 2016. And similar things occur in other circumstances, most comically when they’re filmed twice by a cameraman who claims to be just a freelance shooter-for-hire but won’t identify his employer. This Louis Theroux-starring film belongs to the Michael Moore school of docu-making, in which much hinges on the personal viewpoint and observational wit of the on-camera investigator. Oppenheimer’s film has real people recreating their own shocking acts of genocide; here Theroux’s actors make willing surrogates, but they’re no substitute for access to the organisation itself. Read full review 3 out of 5 stars. Godfrey Cheshire is a film critic, journalist and filmmaker based in New York City. The very title “My Scientology Movie” suggests a juvenile goof-off on a serious subject. The effort to do that is behind the group’s use of “E-meters,” which supposedly help members release the debilitating thought forms. Review by Graham Williamson. British provocateur takes a novel approach to investigating Scientology. "My Scientology Movie" very much lived up to its title in being a somewhat self-indulgent and directionless peek into the Church. Of course, this is an easy contrivance on the director's part: Theroux and company know they’ll be turned away in this manner, as have many before them. Photograph: Flat … For years, Theroux confesses, he had hoped to make a film that would discover a more positive side to Scientology than the countless negative images projected in the media. Time Out says. Few people are more likely to goad this litigious organisation than a man who’s turned the tables on everyone from white supremacists to Westboro Baptist’s rabid flock just by asking the right questions, listening a lot and being disarmingly goofy. At times it plays like an extended skit on “The Daily Show”; yet its disorder also makes its insights — like how strongly the church’s training sessions resemble acting classes — feel refreshingly organic. But while the BBC’s mild-mannered assassin brings all his weapons to bear here — awkward silences, innocent but insistent probing, vast reserves of likeability — he somewhat meets his match with Scientology. Needless to say, our intrepid reporter doesn’t make it inside, but he gets to film Scientologists’ cameras filming him as its security people come out and demand that he leaves. ... “My Scientology Movie” relies on a shaggy, meandering charm. Movie Review: My Scientology Movie Lesley Coffin March 13, 2017. The treatment of ‘Suppressive Persons’ — Scientology’s supposed apostates — is tackled with terrifying gusto by the actor playing Miscavige. VAT no 918 5617 01, Bauer Consumer Media Ltd are authorised and regulated by the FCA(Ref No. Louis Theroux's My Scientology Movie has been released in the UK and is soon coming to the US. He has written for The New York Times, Variety, Film Comment, The Village Voice, Interview, Cineaste and other publications. Theroux’s first big-screen doc is an entertaining affair, peppered with surreal moments and wry wit, but its elusive subject remains out of reach. My Scientology Movie review – amusing but lightweight 3 / 5 stars 3 out of 5 stars. goons outside Scientology’s dusty Californian compound about whether he’s on its land illegally. For example, we hear nothing about recent reports that the Scientology ranks are rapidly aging since the influx of new recruits has slowed dramatically. Making a Scientology documentary will always guarantee you an audience, even if it's just a small army of lawyers. With Louis Theroux, Tom Cruise, Marty Rathbun, Paz de la Huerta. ‘My Scientology Movie’ Review: Cult, Film 'My Scientology Movie' Movie Rating: 3.5. ... Louis Theroux’s ‘My Scientology Movie’ is a must-watch. My Scientology Movie seeks more to understand Scientology, its inner workings, and what its members are searching for than it does to “catch” Scientology out. Except that Kim Jong Un doesn’t have Tom Cruise bounding on stage to lend his support to the idolatrous acclamation that Scientology’s leader commands. Scientology is particularly in the public eye right because of an expose documentary series that is making the rounds - Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath ("Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath", 2016). Some gloriously surreal moments … Louis Theroux in My Scientology Movie. 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