What Would Jesus Buy?
Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping Gospel Choir go on a cross-country mission to save Christmas from the Shopocalypse
Friday Night Docs by Cinema Politica Fredericton
Friday January 9, 2009
Screening begins 19h00
Venue: Conserver House, 180 St. John St.
Rob VanAlkemade / USA / 2007 / / English
From producer Morgan Spurlock (SUPER SIZE ME) and director Rob VanAlkemade comes a serious docu-comedy about the commercialization of Christmas. Bill Talen (aka Reverend Billy) was a lost idealist who hitchhiked to New York City only to find that Times Square was becoming a mall. Spurred on by the loss of his neighborhood and inspired by the sidewalk preachers around him, Bill bought a collar to match his white caterer's jacket, bleached his hair and became the Reverend Billy of the Church of Stop Shopping. Since 1999, Reverend Billy has gone from being a lone preacher with a portable pulpit preaching on subways, to the leader of a congregation and a movement whose numbers are well into the thousands.
Through retail interventions, corporate exorcisms, and some good old-fashioned preaching, Reverend Billy reminds us that we have lost the true meaning of Christmas. What Would Jesus Buy? is a journey into the heart of America – from exorcising the demons at the Wal-Mart headquarters to taking over the center stage at the Mall of America and then ultimately heading to the Promised Land … Disneyland.
Will we be led like Sheeple to the Christmas slaughter, or will we find a new way to give a gift this Christmas? What Would Jesus Buy? may just be the divine intervention we’ve all been searching for.
The Shopocalypse is upon us … Who will be $aved?
Adetola Abiade ... Alto
Paul Norman Allen ... Paul
Paul Norman Allen ... Tenor
Paul Allen ... Tenor
Shannon Baxter ... Soprano
Rick Becker ... Trombone
James Solomon Benn ... Choir Director choreographer
Reverend Billy ... Reverend Billy
Ben Cerf ... Bass
Misun Choi ... Soprano
Ben Dubin-Thaler ... Bass
Savitri Durkee ... Church Director
Leah Farrell ... Tenor
Gina Figueroa ... Alto
Mike Flthye ... Drums
Donald Gallagher ... Bass
Jerry Goralnick ... Bass
Amber Gray ... Alto
Mark Harder ... Bass
Julio Herrera ... Piano
Marianne Hodge ... Tenor
Monica Hunken ... Soprano
Saru Jayaraman ... Soprano
Eric Johnson ... Drums
Nasser Kagiri ... Drums
Gwen Kash ... Alto
Valerie Kelley ... Tenor
Barbara Lee ... Soprano
Katrina Lewis ... Piano
Chantel Cherisse Lucier ... Alto
Anna-Sara Malmgren ... Alto
Meredith Manna ... Alto
Derrick McGinty ... Tenor
Urania Mylonas ... Alto
Madeline Nelson ... Alto
Laura Newman ... Soprano
Andrew Pacho ... Tenor
Stefani Peikin ... Soprano
Pearl Quick ... Tenor
Precious Quick ... Tenor
John Quilty ... Tenor
Maraluna Rivas ... Tenor
Sari Rubenstein ... Alto
Sarah Schol ... Soprano
Judy Sky ... Soprano
Michele Smith ... Alto
Nate Stevens ... Bass
Sasha Sumner ... Sax
Lizzie Steelheart Taubeneck ... Soprano
Mark Tipton ... Trumpet
Rick Ulfik ... Piano
Francisco Valera ... Bass
