Comments

  1. marc buhler says

    Please don’t send me away like that again, PZ.

    I promise to be better, really.

    He tried to feed me to his kitty.

  2. CalGeorge says

    He’s really losing it. Yesterday:

    “Meanwhile, PZ has generated another cheerleading moment for his blog readers. A mysterious viral video has also appeared. Sadly, the Expelled producers must be very pleased with the massive amount of online buzz about their film. I will likely have more to say about these events at the talk at Princeton and in blog posts next week.”

    Mr. Serious dumps more rain on the parade. Drenching showers predicted for the foreseeable future.

    What a dork.

  3. rmp says

    So after the movie does come out will anyone do a study to determine if Matt was right? For what it’s worth, I’m in the ‘shine a bright light on it’ camp. But, since I’ve been wrong before it would be an interesting study. I don’t know how it would be set up. Simply looking at commercial success might tell us something but I’m thinking you’d need exit polling to get any meaningful data. There would be a certain amount of Schadenfreude if it could be determined that ‘yes, we’ve given them some additional bodies in the seats BUT they come out realizing what a piece of crap it is’. I think the DI would be better off if this were to whither and die rather than become a public mockery.

    my $0.02

  4. raven says

    Don’t pay to see this movie. They will just use the money to overthrow the US government, set up a theocracy, and head on back to the Dark Ages.

    See it for free on late night Xian Trinity Broadcasting TV or your local fundie church.

    I probably won’t even see it for free. The message is:

    science=evolution=atheism=mass murder. One can read that dozens of times on the internet every day. Time is worth something.

  5. says

    Mr. Serious dumps more rain on the parade. Drenching showers predicted for the foreseeable future.

    What a dork.

    hahaa

    A mysterious viral video has also appeared

    What are you implying here “Mr. Serious”?

  6. says

    Hey PZ, did you know you were upset about being expelled from “Expelled?” And did you know that’s a matter of opinion, so O’Leary and DaveScot are free to say it no matter what your actual response was? And did you know DaveScot calls people names and makes up pathetic and demonstrably false excuses for it?

    Blargh. Sorry, needed to detox.

  7. says

    *cough *cough bittorrent *cough *cough

    Who said that?

    Aw, but then you miss out on the movie-going experience! Half the fun is sharing the reactions of your fellow audience members!

  8. 386sx says

    Mr. Serious dumps more rain on the parade. Drenching showers predicted for the foreseeable future.

    Mr. Serious hasn’t been reading the comments section of the video. Keep on pushin that play button folks. It’s okay!!

  9. says

    Aw, but then you miss out on the movie-going experience! Half the fun is sharing the reactions of your fellow audience members!

    Yeah, I could pay for something like a Disney movie then skooch on over to the theatre of dunces.

  10. rmp says

    Who’s in charge of the betting boards?
    When does it open?
    How many theaters?
    Opening weekend Gross?
    ….

  11. Eric says

    I’d only go see the movie if the dishonest, sanctimonious and ignorant producers, writers and Ben Stein were there to do a Q&A after the movie. I have no desire to waste 1.5 hours on this piece of crap no matter the cost. They couldn’t even pay me to watch this tripe.

    I am waiting for the reviews to start showing up at rottentomatoes.com

    When does Michael Shermer’s review come out?

  12. says

    The Expelled folks are going to have to post guards to ensure that people entering showings of their movie have matching ticket stubs. Otherwise most of us will sashay in (if we bother to see the movie at all, just for kicks) carrying tickets for other films in the cineplex. After all, most of us are nonbelievers and therefore have no moral code! Ha ha ha! Ha ha ha! (Sorry: briefly overcome by evil laughter.)

  13. chezjake says

    What Expelled! really needs is for someone to give it the MST3000 treatment. *That* might be worth watching.

  14. Holydust says

    Either everyone in these comments and the ones to the linked blog above are TAKING CRAZY PILLS, or I really haven’t woken up yet. Because I don’t understand a single damn thing anyone is talking about, for once. *LOL*

  15. says

    Meh, most of us won’t even have the chance to point and laugh at the movie.

    It’s not opening at all in Maryland. It’s opening in 2 theaters (as best as I can tell) in all of Virginia.

    But they’ve got the Florida and Texas markets saturated. These theocrats know their audience.

  16. NJ says

    rmp@#5:

    So after the movie does come out will anyone do a study to determine if Matt was right?

    That is a good question. Regardless of how the movie does, will one claim victory, the other back off, or apologize, or move the goalposts?

    I have my bet down. Just not going to post it.

  17. David says

    Yes, all atheists must henceforth resort to walking on eggshells around people of faith. It has been thusly decreed.

  18. says

    chezjake:

    What Expelled! really needs is for someone to give it the MST3000 treatment. *That* might be worth watching.

    The MST3k people spent years honing their craft. It might be easier to make a short video called, let’s say, “Expelled in Three Minutes.” Imagine Ben Stein’s voice narrating like this:

    “Intelligent Design is awesome. It keeps your children safe from uncomfortable ideas. What you don’t want, is Charles Darwin. He is the anthropomorphic embodiment of pure evil. In the Garden of Eden, Charles Darwin took the form of a snake and fed the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil to Eve, damning us all to live in suffering. Charles Darwin walked the Earth in Roman times and made the Jews kill Jesus. . . .

    “Now, Charles Darwin’s spirit flies through the night sky like a flock of bats, biasing the decisions of tenure committees, and materializing as a beautiful succubus in little girls’ bedrooms to turn them into lesbians. . . .

    Wow.

  19. MB says

    Yahoo Movies is obviously using a news release when it says:

    Though Ben Stein may be best known as the droning teacher in FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF or for hosting an eponymous game show, he displays his own intellectual prowess in this documentary. EXPELLED: NO INTELLIGENCE ALLOWED finds Stein investigating the snubbing of scientists and teachers who teach the theory of intelligent design. Stein, a former presidential speech writer, goes toe to toe with Darwin’s biggest fans, including THE GOD DELUSION author Richard Dawkins, in an effort to expose the widespread prejudice against those who believe in God’s role in creation.

    Release Date: April 18th, 2008 (limited)

    MPAA Rating: PG

    I can’t imagine the multiplexes here in Socal (even in Mormon and Fundie loving South Orange County) wasting much theater space on this one. I’ll bet the release will be VERY limited. I doubt I’ll get a chance to see it in a theater by paying or by paying for another movie and sneaking in, even if I really really wanted to. Maybe it plays at a one of the few places that play the foreign and indie films (there are maybe 3 of them south of Santa Ana).

  20. Sastra says

    Blake Stacey #22:

    Excellent. You’re scriptwriter.

    For someone who is very, very sensitive to the incendiary effect of saying the word “atheism” to fundamentalist Christians, Matt Nisbet has been surprisingly naive about the incendiary effect of saying the words “shut up” to atheists. If he really had wanted outspoken atheists to shut up, I think he would have framed it differently.

    I suspect a deeper plot…. Wheels within wheels, my friends, wheels within wheels…

  21. says

    Sastra,

    Thanks!

    I’ve been told that I do a pretty good Ben Stein impression, too, so I’d be happy to donate my voice-acting skillz. I might have to watch some videos to get the target firmly in mind, though. . . Ferris Bueller party at my place!

  22. Hairy Doctor Professor says

    #22: The MST3k people spent years honing their craft. It might be easier to make a short video called, let’s say, “Expelled in Three Minutes.”

    The Bunnies (http://www.angryalien.com/) can do it in 30 seconds…

  23. Beth B. says

    Factician @ 19:

    Given that I have the dubious pleasure of living in South Carolina, I have 3 theaters to choose from in my city of residence (Columbia) alone. Opportunities like this will likely be far more scarce once I’ve packed up and moved out following graduation.

  24. Neil says

    Why not just a Five Second Expelled?

    3 second clip of Dawkins or P.Z. talking about non-belief being the default position in scientific thought.
    1.5 seconds of goose-stepping Nazi stormtroopers.
    Stein: Bueller? Bueller?

  25. says

    I’m betting the counting of church basements will enter the mix.

    Church basements can count? Most intelligent thing in some churchs then!

  26. says

    Has anyone else commented on the “intelligent design” in the theater locator at the Expelled site? If you search for information by state, the listing does not come up sorted by city name or Zip code. It’s sorted by street address!

    Everything about these clowns is shoddy and second-rate. Everything.

  27. alex says

    i’m quite upset that the chances of this ever being shown in Britain at all are practically zero – the kitsch value would be immense.
    maybe my friendly local Creationist Group will put on a showing or something.

  28. Ichthyic says

    Matt Nisbet has been surprisingly naive

    *bing*

    that says it all, really.

    Nisbet has gotten a lot of attention because of the paper he published in Science, but he’s as green as they get, really.

    It rather concerns me how much attention he is getting in AAAS, but other than that, he’ll figure it out eventually.

    I still think Mooney should stop hanging out with him until he stops smoking crack, though.

  29. CortxVortx says

    Re: #10

    Aw, but then you miss out on the movie-going experience! Half the fun is sharing the reactions of your fellow audience members!

    I’m thinking “Rocky Horror Picture Show” event. with Ben Stein taking the place of Charles Gray for the “asshole!” epithet.

  30. NJ says

    Re #10:

    I’m thinking “Rocky Horror Picture Show” event. with Ben Stein taking the place of Charles Gray for the “asshole!” epithet.

    OK, sounds good. But to whom do we give the “What’s the matter? You’ve eaten Meatloaf before!” line?

  31. Carlie says

    #37:

    Of course, lines from The Producers would have to be liberally inserted for the audience participation talk-backs.

  32. Sven DiMilo says

    You know that if I encourage this sort of thing, there will be a rising chorus of voices on the web screaming at me to shut up, don’t you?

    You can encourage or discourage anything you want. It’s your blog. Just…please, don’t use any…you know…bad words when you do.

  33. Sue Laris says

    OT – Saint John McSame will speak at a Dishonesty Institute function soon.

    Is there even ONE regular here who will support this man for the Presidency?

  34. Ichthyic says

    Is there even ONE regular here who will support this man for the Presidency?

    the fucking asswipe had his chance to repeat his clarion call for the republicans to move away from the religionuts, like he did in the 2000 election.

    back then, he found out that it hurt his nomination chances to insult the religiotards, so I can at least understand, if most assuredly not approve, his kowtowing to them (to the point of actually changing his fucking religion!) in this election cycle.

    However, he has the nomination wrapped. There is no political benefit to him to continue being so damn hypocritical. He doesn’t need to placate the fundies; even if he declared he was an apostate of satan, the fundies would still vote for him over hillary or obama.

    He now HAS his chance to wean his party away from the insanity they have so heavily bathed in over the last 20 years.

    that he is NOT using that chance, and instead appears to be doing the exact opposite now is damning.

    even if I was a republican, I’d never vote for someone so obviously hypocritical and undermining of his own party.

    not that I haven’t had the same thought of hypocrisy directed towards actions of the two demo nominees, either.

    *sigh*

  35. ichthyic says

    Ichthyic, I’d bet that when they do the math, the lower risk approach is the one he is taking. There is a real risk that they will lose ‘some’ of the more moderate religious folks to the ‘religious left’ as well as the hard cores simply sitting this election out.

  36. rmp says

    OK, I don’t know how I did that by #47 was from me. I don’t think Ichthyic is really talking to himself(herself).

  37. shane says

    *cough *cough bittorrent *cough *cough

    Sounds like a nasty cough you have there. No wonder you’re using bittorrent. It will make the cinema goers relax a bit. ;-)

  38. Ichthyic says

    Ichthyic, I’d bet that when they do the math, the lower risk approach is the one he is taking.

    oh, I have little doubt you’re right about that, really.

    doesn’t mean he can’t take a small risk to do what’s right, though, and that’s really what pisses me off about McCain more than anything else.

    you’d think someone with his background would have learned better by now.

    again, he’s lost his focus entirely from what it was just a few years ago.

  39. themadlolscientist says

    Giving Expelled the Rocky Horror treatment — brilliant! I suggest that when BS’s face appears on screen, everybody yell “Asswipe!” and throw TP à la “Great Scott!” or just yell, “THIS MAN HAS NO F—ING BRAIN!”