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The Exodus Decoded (2006 TV Movie)
1/10
Dazzling, but dead wrong. Here's proof.
11 January 2007
Whether the exodus occurred or not, The Exodus Decoded is filled with lies. While I'm not an expect in any of the relevant subjects, I knew enough to be suspicious of its wild and bizarre claims. I checked up on it and found an extensive review that debunks, with reason and hard evidence, just about every aspect of this travesty of a "documentary".

"The Exodus Decoded: An extended review by Christopher Heard" http://www.heardworld.com/higgaion/?p=60

Here's a quick example of how this documentary lies and distorts evidence. Look at this original stela: http://www.romesburg.com/exodus/exodusgraphics/stela-3detail.jpg

Now here's the cg "reconstruction" of that same stela, from Exodus Decoded: http://www.heardworld.com/higgaion/higpix/ED_emptystela2.png

Sorry about the poor image quality, but the important details are sufficiently clear. Note how they change the animals in the middle from lions to horses by changing their tails from an upward curve (which in ancient art would indicate a lion) to a downward curve (which ancient art of this sort would never depict a horse as having). Don't believe me? Check it out here: http://www.heardworld.com/higgaion/?p=360

Why is this detail significant? Because they claim that this stela is depicting the parting of the Red (or Reed) Sea, and those "Roman horses" are being engulfed in waves. But they are obviously lions, and not horses.

On the wider issue, ask yourself this: What reason could a documentary EVER have to change a clear detail on a mural when doing a "reconstruction"? In this case, to create evidence for wild claims that have no support otherwise. This is a cold, hard example of a bold LIE by this documentary. Look into this for yourself (at the site above, or a simple google search) and see that the lies of Exodus Decoded are painfully obvious once you have the other side of the story. I am ashamed for everyone involved, especially James Cameron.
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The Birthday (I) (2004)
10/10
Simply awesome film
10 October 2005
This is one of my new favorites. This is my first review of a movie at IMDb, which I am compelled to write after seeing The Birthday at the first annual Fantastic Fest Film Festival in Austin, Texas. It was the U.S. debut of the film and the director was even in attendance, but the theater wasn't even particularly packed. It makes me sad that this amazing film may never get even a proper art house run in the United States.

This film is quirky, campy, unique, super-fun, with a hypnotic and seriously creepy atmosphere. If you're used to traditional Hollywood fare, you might find it a bit puzzling, but give it a shot anyway. I've seen tons of genre films, and The Birthday is one of the most UTTERLY UNIQUE and refreshingly inventive films I have ever seen. It's unpredictable and keeps you guessing, the casting is inspired (the believability Corey Feldman brings to his peculiar but lovable character amazed me), and it uses the perfect mix of horror and comedy. This is a crowd pleaser, and some of the most fun I've had in years. I don't know how many times the audience broke into wild applause, and I nearly went deaf when the entire theater went nuts for the ending.

I should say that I saw the edited version of this film. It's intended to be a real-time 117 minutes, but they cut out 20 minutes of less intensive material, which made me feel a little cheated. I guess there's always the DVD. In sum, this is one hell of a fun movie, and I would highly recommend giving it a chance.
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