Comedy

Just found this trailer on Apple Trailers - The Ten.

Comprised of ten vignettes, each one inspired by one of the Biblical commandments, The Ten is an irreverent but hilarious illustration of how bad behavior makes for good comedy. With each story told in a different style, but containing overlapping characters and themes, the film is a grand burlesque boasting an all-star cast that puts the sin back in cinema.
Directed by: David Wain
Starring: Paul Rudd, Jessica Alba, Winona Ryder, Adam Brody, Gretchen Mol
(from Apple.com/trailers)

Here's the YouTube version of The Ten trailer …

So, as you'll know, I love Mr Deity. But this episode in particular, Mr Deity and the Book, I found both hilarious and poignant.

After studying Advanced Workshop, and in partiular my essay on Joshua and Ricoeur's hermeneutics of suspicion and retrieval, I've been reinvigorated in my search to rediscover the Bible after being wounded by faith, life and the text. Mr Deity indicates many of the themes that I find myself wrestling with, and offers are somewhat anarchic solution - 'Let's Job the guy'. Not necessarily the non-violent path I would have preferred, but probably more humourous, let's face it.

I've been watching Mr Deity for a couple of months now and thought it was about time I shared it here, if you've not seen Mr Deity already.

I came in on episode 3, Mr Deity and the Light, which is just hilarious. But the first episode is great, and obviously, being episode 1, is the place to start.

As I understand it Brian Dalton, the writer and director of Mr Deity who also plays Mr Deity himself, wrote the first episode as a personal response to the Asian tsunami of Christmas 2004. And then, realising that he'd hit on a cracking theme, carried on making episodes of Mr Deity. I've just watched episode 9, Mr Deity and the Book, through the Mr Deity podcast feed in iTunes (or you may like to go to the podcast RSS feed), but it's not available on YouTube yet so I can't put it in here.

Anyway, here is Mr Deity episode 1, Mr Deity and the Evil.

Found this on Google Video. Don't have a TV so never saw it whenever it was broadcast, but it is a brilliant portrayal of global politics and the future of the planet by comedian Robert Newman (of Newman and Baddiel fame).