ManiakJiggy This is How Movies Should Be Made

AboveDeepBuggy Some things I liked some I did not.

BroadcastChic Excellent, a Must See

Married Baby Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

appliedill Bill Maher was a controversial figure for some time. His infamous comments on his previous show Politically Incorrect got him fired and made him interesting for HBO. And for some time I think I liked his approach. A full hour with politics, guests, talking points and a little bit of comedy. But looking more closely, a bunch of flaws get apparent. But let me elaborate.1. Bill Maher the comedian is great. Bill Maher the guy with an opinion is great. Bill Maher the host is terrible. His guests don't really get to disagree with him. There's most often no way for them to actually explain why they have a different opinion, be it right or wrong. There are cases where he actually just changes the subject when he's challenged by something. A good example for this are the appearances of Glenn Greenwald.It's tiresome to watch Maher lead a conversation when it's basically a monologue waiting for agreement.2. Bill Maher loves science, but he does not get it. This is very troublesome to me as I work in physics. Maher often cites numbers that aren't what he thinks they are. He loves to denounce muslims with polls of the "islamic world" that most often aren't representative, thinks flue vaccines are dangerous without actually knowing the facts.This becomes very dangerous when he recently (2015) stated he'd get the German Pegida protesters for their anti-Muslim sentiment. There's nothing sadder than this. Bill Maher supporting a movement he doesn't know anything about and basically explaining a group of people are the problem (which are his words, literally).You might think, I'm not liking his show because he doesn't agree with me. But the fact is that he doesn't let any neutral scientific person answer. This is my main problem. There's no actual evaluation of what he claims. But that leads me to the next point.3. The guests suck. Why? Well, most of the guests are there because they are promoting books. Sometimes it's celebrities that don't know what the hell they're talking about but still keep on blabbing. There are exceptions and that's great, and it's great to see people who are not in the fields of journalism or politics but who have strong informed opinion. But sadly that often is not the case. Instead you have always three guys who have pre-written punchlines that they push on any subject to make the crowd applaud. It's always the same. The crowd applauds for guest A. Guest B says something completely contrary but puts it into nice words, and the crowd applauds again. It's annoying. And boring.There you go.

dee.reid I'd like to first and foremost state that Bill Maher is a comedian/political satirist - and I realized this from the moment I first began watching his comedy act. I'd also like to state that I personally think he's a bit of an a**hole, albeit an a**hole with an occasional funny streak. I never watched his previous current-events TV show "Politically Incorrect" from 1997 (because I was only in my early teens at the time, yet I was able to watch "South Park" - go figure), but whenever I get the chance I've been watching his new current-events TV series "Real Time with Bill Maher."I got into this show fairly late in the game, only within the last three years or so. To avoid declaring any political allegiances here (as if I really have any), I will say that I do fall within this show's primary demographic. Although I agree with Maher on many points, there are some things where I feel he is blatantly wrong (especially regarding religion - though while I do believe in God, I don't really claim any specific religious order, despite my Christian upbringing), and I also don't care for his tendency sometimes to push his points as fact (at least, within the context of the many politically-charged discussions on his show). But because we must remember that Maher is first and foremost a comedian, we must also remember that we should not take anything he says seriously - whether it offends us or not; no one said that comedy - not to mention, good comedy - had to always be in good taste.And lastly, here is where I put the most praise on "Real Time with Bill Maher." Maher is not one to sugarcoat the insanity of modern politics (as of 2013); I personally thought his coverage of the 2012 U.S. Presidential Election was hilariously tasteless and informative. He is also not one to tread lightly on sensitive topics - he says it like it is, and he says what needs to be said, regardless of how PC or un-PC it may sound. It's harsh stuff, but again, it needs to be said, and plus he has free speech on his side.The other area I shower praise over is that Maher's show often touches on topics that are often under-reported - simply glossed over with little or no in-depth coverage or follow-up - or are ignored completely, by mainstream media. There have been times when I've watched "Real Time with Bill Maher" and he brings up current events that I was never even aware of. This one goes hand-in-hand with my comments that he does not need to tread lightly in sensitive areas (simply because the majority of mainstream media refuses to cover it for fear of offending, and turning off, viewers, which I personally find to be highly irresponsible of a supposedly "free" press).And Maher's "New Rules" segments are utterly hilarious!10/10

tjdercks I watched Bill Maher when he was on ABC ... and loved him. He was like Saturday Night Live / David Letterman with wacky guests (e.g. Christine O'Donnell). It was thought provoking, yet very funny! He went to HBO, which I did not subscribe to ... so I stopped watching ... but people still thought, my thoughts were enough like his, they would give me his books as gifts, and suggest I get HBO to see him.I finally got HBO ... and started to watch him again, but something had changed. His wacky guests, are now mostly people selling books, and his political satire under Clinton and Bush, has turned into a bitterness under Obama. Maybe Maher is uncomfortable making fun of a Black President, or maybe he had more 'Hope' for Obama ... but the show has turned ugly, and boring, as he lashes out at the Republicans to compensate.I am an Independent, and a Libertarian, and I always thought Maher was too ... but maybe I found him much funnier on ABC, because I could see by the faces he made, he was constrained by the Network in what he could say, and maybe I just filled in the blanks with what I thought he would say if he could ... and now that he is on HBO, and says what he wants, I no longer like him? ... that, or he has alienated so many groups, he now is just a brown nose to the only one he has 'left'? Rachel Maddow was on his show tonight, and I kept thinking ... If you like Rachel Maddow, you will love Bill Maher P.S. the only times his show is worth watching anymore ... is if he has a couple strong opinionated Conservatives/Republicans. Then the bitterness seems to ebb, and the Old Maher reappears ... but it rarely happens any more, and is mostly 'group think'

dexium Bill Maher has a good sense of humor, but this show just doesn't work. Bill seems to want to avoid any serious, intelligent social commentary, instead going for immature, ignorant chatter or argument. He has this air of someone who doesn't really get it - thus explaining why the media powers put him on screen. Sometimes he even sounds like a republican in democrat's clothes. But that's just my opinion.A lot of his guests are just an another level, and you can see their frustration when dealing with this guy. The audience will laugh and clap at anything at random. I think they spike their kool aid before they start taping.*sigh* If only Hicks DID stop smoking :(