The Believer

Henry Bean has made possibly the best film dealing with religion I've ever seen. The Believer is a very smart, original, brutally honest, abbrasive film. Basically...it will take all of your thoughts on judaism and anti-semitism and throw them in a... Full review

I have become a bigger and bigger fan of Ryan Gosling the more I watch him. Watching him in Half Nelson, Fracture, and even The Notebook, in my opinion have made him one of the better up and coming actors. His... Full review

With the subject matter at hand (A young Jewish boy full of rage and passion and self-loathing grows into a Neo-Nazi) this film had better deliver a hardhitting message...and it does! And what is even more astonishing is Ryan Gosling's performance.... Full review

same problem with American History X -- c'mon a Jewish guy who becomes a Neo_Nazi?? Sure and Hitler liked to have Matzoball soup while he was planning their demise. Too bad because most of the film works and is strong.... Full review

"The Believer" contains rare insights into Jewish identity, and it's a shame that the film was withheld from mainstream audiences due to ongoing controversy. But it deals with an ugly subject, and it handles that subject in an ambiguous way... Full review

It's not often that a film sticks in my mind as deeply as "The Believer" has. Though that wasn't entirely pleasant in this case. The day after I watched the movie, I couldn't get Danny Balint's (Gosling) anti-semitic arguments out... Full review

Like "Romper Stomper" and the intensely powerful "American History X," here we have another brilliant film which revolves around National Socialism and the fiercely racist ideals behind it. This movie, however, varies strongly from the two previously mentioned in that... Full review

This move is not popular, as it seems, but it's extraordinary memorable. Even though it focuses on Jews mostly, still it teaches a lot!!! I personally feel pity for the main character and for his girl. Such a poor guy... Pay... Full review

I bought this from the used bin at Blockbuster as a time filler when nothing was on TV. I am very happy I did. While being similar to "American History X", it is very much it's own movie.The acting of Ryan... Full review

It is almost a sort of shame that the ever-hot topic of racism/anti-Semitism nearly outshines the more central struggle with spirituality and religion that Danny is going through. Many fascist/skinhead types seem to confuse or blend race and religion when... Full review

Sound like a movie that would be shown in Camp Toras Chaim on a rainy day.....Bean's script is also troubling....the film features Ryan Gosling (The Notebook, Half Nelson) in a truly mesmerizing performance -....There is a disease spreading in Yeshivas and The Believer merely reflects a single symptom.....Bean gives him his most impassioned moments.... ... Full Review

Engrossing and challenging, The Believer never received the exposure it deserved. Stalking the streets of New York City in a swastika-emblazoned T-shirt, he hooks up with a couple of pseudo-intellectual fascists, Curtis Zampf (Billy Zane) and Lina Moebius (Theresa Russell), who warn him that his Jew-hating shtick doesn't play anymore and is bad for business. ... Full Review

Perhaps then The Believer could have more fruitfully endeavored to answer (or at minimum explore in more rigorous detail) the very question posed by Catullus that it promises to ponder at its outset: "I hate and I love... Final Thoughts: An undeniably powerful and thought-provoking film, bolstered by a visceral, charismatic performance by Ryan Gosling, The Believer succeeds much more as a theological / intellectual debate than as a film. ... Full Review

Despite its occasional gaps and resistance to resolution, The Believer is grounded by Gosling's riveting performance and Bean's careful direction and smart writing.....Such difficult content impeded the film's distribution..... ... Full Review

The Believer can be seen as a kind of Bad Will Hunting , where Danny tries to shake off the shackles of being smart in order to be liberated as lumpen thug. but here The Believer comes up frustratingly short ... Full Review

After venturing left with a more dance-oriented sound for Universal Mind Control, Common is returning to his raw rap roots for his next album, The Believer. ... Full Article

Lorrie Moore has made a career of writing stories and novels that are mordant and wry, sardonic and cool. Her darkly comic tone often belies the grave morality at the tender heart of her fiction. ... Full Article

Prepare yourselves for a Twitter update: Radiohead have two new songs that might be their last - and no, they're not on the Twilight soundtrack. ... Full Article

London, Aug 11 : British alternative rock band Radiohead may never make another album, the band's lead singer Thom Yorke has said. "None of us want to go into that creative hoo-ha of a long-play record again...not straight off. ... Full Article

Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke has said the band may not make another album, as they could not bear to go through the "creative hoo-ha" again. ... Full Article

In these turbulent times, in this foul year of our Lord 2009, Rhett Miller is dealing with the lousy economy and the death of his idol the only way he knows how: by writing songs. ... Full Article