SpecialsTarget Disturbing yet enthralling

Mischa Redfern I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

Janae Milner Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

Jenni Devyn Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

kingbk-2 Comedic magic duo Penn & Teller take their unique, creative performance and turn it into an analysis of modern life in "Bullshit!" In our modern world where pseudo science and fads make people do crazy things, Penn & Teller turn this into a deep examination on the beliefs and habits people today follow and how many times people don't ask the hard questions before deciding to believe what they do believe. The duo is known for their strong libertarian streak, and they don't hide this ever during the program, but if you're like me and have two-party fatigue, you will appreciate how they call the hypocrisies of both the liberals and the conservatives. At the same time, they never tell you to believe or not believe something, but rather give you reasons to think critically about issues and teach you how to avoid being conned. They also point out how for being a free and independent county, many of our freedoms are vanishing (universal health care, gun control, environmentalism, etc.) Some of the topics, such as religion, intelligent design, PETA, and bottled water, are terrific and really present solid arguments on the validity or non-validity of these topics. Some episodes aren't as strong and sometimes the arguments are far reaching, but on some topics, they are right on the money with their doubts. You don't have to agree with them on everything and I certainly don't, but if you want to learn about thinking critically about every issue you face, this show is a good foundation for doing that. With fads like gluten free diet (you can't be gluten intolerant unless you have celiac disease, which less than 10% of the population has), avoiding vaccines (diseases thought long gone are returning), and crossfit (an exercise program that is more harmful than helpful and becoming somewhat a cult), it's good to have the knowledge to think it through and sniff out the bullshit.

TheExpatriate700 Penn & Teller: BS is at times a very funny, informative show. So long as it keeps to its stated purpose of debunking pseudoscience and charlatans, it is very enjoyable. Penn and Teller are the perfect hosts, combining humor with devastating and obscene invective. Unfortunately, they have a tendency to throw in their political views to a point where they come across as charlatans themselves.As a pop culture vehicle for skepticism, the show is without parallel. The episode on vaccinations and autism fears should be required viewing for every new parent. Similarly, episodes on cryptozoology, PETA, and circumcision, among other topics, are hilarious even as they make serious points.However, the show suffers from a tendency to inject libertarian political points in as if they were the gospel truth. For example, I tuned into one episode entitled Ground Zero expecting to see a blow by blow debunking of 9 / 11 conspiracy theories. (The episode on conspiracy theories in Season 3 discussed 9 / 11 truthers, but not in a huge amount of detail.) Instead, I got twenty-five minutes of Penn Jillette complaining that the government was too incompetent to supervise the 9 / 11 memorial, complete with one commentator saying that evil had attacked us. Am I watching Penn and Teller, or Fox News?Even on points where I basically agree with the hosts, the show at times overreaches with humor that undermines their point. For instance, in the episode on PETA, one of the commentators is Ted Nugent, who is shown using a dead deer to curse out PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk. Watching that was enough to make even me consider vegetarianism.After several seasons, the show does seem to have experienced issues with continuing to find relevant topics and interesting interviewees. Part of this is going through the most obvious targets for debunking in the first few seasons, but there is also the issue that as the series has become more well known, they seem to be having difficulty getting people to appear on it. The vaccination episode in Season 7, for example, was only able to get an obscure anti-vaccination group, one suspects because the more well known exponents hung up on them.Similarly, their episode on dolphins dealt with figures so far into the fringe that they hardly seemed worth the effort of debunking. Just when the episode looked like it would become interesting, with an interview of a woman who put expectant mothers into the water to give birth with dolphins, it became clear that she had never actually done this.In spite of all this, the series is definitely worth your time. If it weren't for the libertarian propaganda, it would easily rate an 8.

dalsgaard Penn & Teller: Bullshit! Is something else. Imagine watching a mix between Mythbusters and South Park - and you will pretty much have Bullshit apart from the occasional magic and illusion performance.It makes its living portraying many different organizations, big or small, from many outskirts of life which the hosts deem to be based on fraudulent premises.The format seems to have all matter of audiences in mind, as it explores everything from conspiracy theories, prostitution, porn, and 9/11 attacks - to the love of dogs and belief in the supernatural abilities of dolphins.I am a skeptic myself, and have found myself agreeing with the series on all but one of the topics. Some of the arguments portrayed against the ideologies and systems they debunk are very well grounded in rationale and logic, while at other times, they attack it vigorously with inane attempts humor. Most of these attempts are successful, and to use the Bullshit rhetoric: 'Is f***** goddamn f*** f*** funny as f***'.To say that their evaluation of the topics at hand is unbiased, would be ridiculous - as it is quite clear from the beginning that the off-hand comments delivered seem to be handpicked. The obvious bias is portrayed in such a way that it seems overblown, and this heightens the comedic value, and makes you forgive a lot of the degradation.If you are conservative, this may not be an interesting watch, unless you are highly sadistic - as you can be fairly certain that a big part of your belief-systems will be challenged through-out the series.Sometimes, in order to target a broader audience, the attempts at humor through shock-value can perhaps be a bit much to your average viewer. Some of the arguments they use are not grounded in scientific studies but rather common sense or cultural standards. They will degrade the opposition to a huge extent, sometimes unnecessarily, in order to score 'frat points'.Do not be fooled by this however, as there is so much intelligence behind the seemingly inane comedy-show that I will recommend it to any viewer who enjoys challenging the gray matter between their ears. The show is constantly walking a fine line between funny, or serious. Cynical or critical. Reasonable, or outrageous. And it manages to come across well enough to sneak onto the comedy scene, while at the same time getting its vital points across . It is beautifully designed and executed in this manner, and does it far better than any other shows I have seen thus far.All in all, Bullshit! is a challenge to your intellect and your belief-system all summed up with a high dose of rude in-your-face humor and dark comedy unlike anything I have seen on TV before. No matter who you are, if you are interested in truth - watch it.

MartinHafer The magicians, Penn and Teller, are very Libertarian in their views and because of this, their political bent is towards smaller government, less intrusive laws and a willingness to attack both Conservatives and Liberals alike. I love this Showtime series--even though occasionally it offends me. That's because 99% of the TV shows out there never think to question much of anything--even though "common knowledge" is often 100% wrong because,...well...people are stupid! As of this date, the show has five seasons behind it and they have attacked many "sacred cows"--such as asserting that recycling is usually a BAD thing, pornography and nudity is GOOD, being fat isn't much of a health risk and religion is for idiots. While I wouldn't agree with them about their views on religion and a few other things, I love that they actually dare to address the topics and are fully exercising their first amendment rights to free speech. Plus, when I see that they are offending people for whom I have little respect, I can't help but shout "amen"! The style of the show is unique because it is a combination of a documentary, humor and crassness (with a heaping spoonful of obscenities). While I can ignore all the profanity (especially the thousands of "f-words") and I can ignore all the gratuitous nudity (which, after all, fits in with the team's Libertarian bent), I really wish they had toned this down and chosen a different title for the show because I would love to be able to show these episodes to the high school teachers I teach. Unfortunately, because of the show's style, that will never happen--or, I'll show an episode and just wait to be fired! Aside from kids, this show SHOULD be watched by everyone. Sure, it's bound to offend you--but it will also make you think and shock you out of complacency. While in the end you may not be convinced (in a couple episodes, I think their logic wasn't quite correct--though usually they were dead on target), you can't help but think and re-assess what you think and why. It's just too bad that practically NOTHING on TV today does that other than PENN & TELLER: BULLSHIT!.