Religulous: Bill Maher stinks

I've seen cinema verite films that I thought looked pretty good. I mean visually. Artistically. So why does this movie, Religulous, look so bad? Directed by Larry Charles---all his movies look terrible. It's filmed on video which shouldn't be problem. I've seen documentaries shot on analog video that had a unique look to them.

Religulous is Bill Maher's documentary attacking religion. Some religions, anyway.

Maher himself is half Jewish, half Catholic, but he only attacks Christianity and Islam. He argues with tourists at a Christian attraction and with an actor who plays Jesus in a play among others. The only Jew he attacks in the movie is an ultra-orthodox rabbi and Maher's only problem with him is that the rabbi isn't pro-Israel. Maher has to walk out on the interview because he can't hold his own. The rabbi won't let himself be interrupted and won't let Maher get away with mischaracterizing what he said.

As always, no one can tell Maher anything he doesn't already know and no one can explain an opinion to him unless he holds it himself. If he can't make an argument, he makes a "joke". If he can't make a joke, he pretends to laugh.

I didn't hear one funny thing in the whole movie.

The movie actually takes us to Israel. It's an anti-religious documentary filming in a country where Judaism is the official religion, but even there all he does is attack the Christian and Muslim minorities. 
 
Maher never explains why he thinks that only Jews are entitled to the Holy Land, but he thinks it's so self-evident that anyone who doesn't share his view must be completely irrational. Then he ends the movie by telling us how rational and humble he is because of his "doubt".