Word: never
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...Dogma's greatest shortcoming, however, is glaring: amateurish cinematography. Not one for lush visuals, Smith has never been overly concerned with the aesthetic aspect of movie making. Although inexpert camerawork is not only pardonable in his previous films, but also considered a Smith trademark, the home video ambiance just doesn't work in Dogma. With few action sequences and even fewer special effects, Clerks, Mallrats and Chasing Amy didn't demand much camera movement (even Smith, before beginning work on Dogma, self-effacingly assured that he'd "move the camera this time.") The inconsistent camera angles are so vexing, they...
...Though not conveyed in the most ingenious manner, these themes in Dogma remain provocative, to say the least. They often take the form of shots at the church (to lessen the ennui, a churchgoer reads "Hustler" during a service Bethany attends), but never do they lead to God-bashing. You see, Smith doesn't satirize God, per se--he satirizes the inadequate human perception of God. Our quest to interpret the will of the divine has lead humans to murder, war, persecution, suspicion, and a bevy of other moral wrongs. The funny (and much less extreme) situation that Smith uses...
...Loki and Bartelby talk of during the beginning of the film, Morissette is a playfully foolish hippie. Don't worry; God isn't portrayed as a total goof: a mother's smile and a beatific demeanor balance Morissette's character, and exhibit an unconventional reverence for the role. She never speaks, but one can tell by Her presence that She is not something to be understood, and certainly not something to be feared...
...Dogma's message is undeniably reverent. It probes, mocks, deconstructs, reconstructs and criticizes religion, but never faithit knows better than to mess with faith. Yes, the Catholic League might have some qualms with this movie, and so might film purists. Dogma isn't a spectacular example of cinema--far from it. But the themes are too powerful to ignore, no matter what you believe...
...Some of the songs have been around--some more recent. "30 Days" was written three years ago, but I never thought that it would ever make it onto one of our albums. But the guys liked it and thought it would fit well on Bring Your Own Stereo. But a lot of the songs are new. For the first time, we actually had a practice space, so we got together and played all the time. Four of the songs were written together as a band...they really just came together while we played. I don't know if we were...