The Shutka Book of Records (2005)

This film is one of the best documentaries I have ever seen and it has a cult following for a good reason. Sure, somebody will agree, somebody won’t. But this reviewer’s superficial look at The Shutka Book of Records is astonishing. The fact that you don’t understand something of such high quality, yet feel the need to express your utterly unqualified opinion as a serious critique or review is laughable and says more about you than about this film. By the by, it is the mark of great films that they divide their audiences into cult followers and those that simply fail to understand what they are watching. The simplistic remark that this film makes “fun” of the characters it portrays is as dumb as saying that S.B. Cohen may have looked at this film for inspiration. The latter is actually one of the stupidest remarks I have read in a long time. Shame on you, stupid reviewer. Shame on you.

Omer, what makes this a “high quality” film? What makes your opinion of the film as “one of the best documentaries” you’ve seen any more qualified than mine?

One of the funniest remarks I’ve read in a long time is “Shame on you, stupid reviewer. Shame on you.”

Omer, this isn’t the New York Times. It’s a blog where I offer up my opinions and reviews on various topics. I’m not paid to write any of them. You’re being a dumb ass.

I love writing about films, especially those I like. Just like many people out there who love to watch movies and try to find out as much as possible about them, I keep looking for more information about my favorites on the internet. I would call myself a film buff. Occasionally I come across some disagreeable and awful comments about the films I personally admire, like the one on your site/blog, and when I read something that not only does not do the film any justice but is downright wrong or even silly, I feel compelled to respond. I don’t care if you are a professional journalist or not, if you are getting paid or not, if you are influential or not. In case you have not noticed, blogs do make a difference; in fact more internet users appear to be reading various blogs than the The New York Times (a well known writer said this in an interview I read lately, and I realized he was probably right). The moment you post your own review on the internet, and your review can be looked up and read by other people, you have entered a public domain. Even as a blogger, you are a reviewer, and who cares if you are being paid or not? In case you are offering your (unqualified) opinion to internet users worldwide, you may reckon that some people will respond. I can not explain to you in a couple of sentences why I think that this documentary film is of very high quality, especially since we do not seem to have the same taste. (If you are really interested to find out what other people think about films, you should maybe consider checking out the imdb). For everyone who has dabbled in documentary film making like myself (although I can’t call myself a film maker), it is pretty obvious how extremely challenging it must have been to make this film. The way the director has managed to get close to and open up the people he portrays (who are obviously not actors but ordinary people), to get their incredible stories on film, is breathtaking. The way he has managed to interweave these stories while never losing the thread, how he has managed to portray an entire little universe (religion, customs, sports, championships, birth, death, afterlife etc) and to create a metaphor for humanity, is simply superb. I myself can not fathom how has been able to achieve this, but I recognize him as a master. I don’t want to indulge in explaining these things to you, especially if you don’t see what this film is about; but I will reiterate that your review is unqualified and utterly superficial. Especially when you are claiming that this film makes fun of people and that S. Cohen may have been influenced in any way by it (a shamelessly wrong remark, as both films came out at the same time), you are wrong. If you don’t understand that some people can be revolted by a review you place on the internet and that they feel compelled to express their utter disagreement with you, then you are being the dumb ass, Jay. But I don’t think you will get my point.