MSN Movies Blog: The Big Picture

So I just listened back to the most recent MSN Entertainment Podcast in which I'm invited to kick off some discussion relating to the week's biggest film release. The 'biggest' release of this week is actually The Wachowski Brothers' Speed Racer. But there wasn't really much to say about that isn't already here in Neil Smith's review. So, instead I opted for the far more chat-inducing and, in my opinion, far more interesting option of Morgan Spurlock's Where In The World Is Osama Bin Laden.

I was a big fan of the documentary, despite it's obvious flaws. First of all, it's a very misleading title. This is not a full-blooded attempt to find the world's most wanted man. Of course it isn't. One guy and a camera cannot possibly hope to succeed where the security forces of The Western World have failed. Secondly, there's a weak link between the quest and Spurlock's personal life. He attempts to lend the cross-continental Bin Laden hunt a 'time clock' by cutting in his wife's pregnancy: he has to get home before she pops the sprog. The personal angle worked on Supersize Me. But, with every respect to Mrs Spurlock, it seemed a tiny tad irrelevant here.

Nonetheless, where Spurlock succeeds is in making a point about Islam. One interviewee points out that a fifth of the world is Islamic and that a climate of fear such as that which exists now could lead to four fifths of the world being afraid of the remainder. We're reminded of the similarities between the cultures of supposed 'extremist training grounds' and those of our own countries. These are people trapped between the crazies that tarnish their names and the foreign forces who show up to hunt the terrorists.

Spurlock visibly aims to make the documentary into a piece of cinema. The poster below mimics Indiana Jones and the film itself has those 'plane flying over the map' shots from The Last Crusade. This is a documentary for the big screen. Spurlock cinematic leanings aside, I still wonder if the documentary format belongs on TV and DVD. I'm an enormous fan of feature documentary (Michael Moore included) and I absolutely would pay my own hard-earned to watch this documentary. But would you? Please click the little 'add comment' button at the bottom of this and let us know whether you think that documentaries belong on the big screen.

People have been gathered round my desk this morning watching the latest Batman trailer. I've said many times on this blog that Dark Knight is the most exciting prospect of the year for me.

The new trailer is currently hosted on one of the Dark Knight's viral marketing sites. Head over here and be amazed!

It's that time again folks. A veritable torrent of discussion has taken place around the sprawling network of MSN Movies. So what on earth have people been saying?

Let's start with a positive shall we?

Thanks to Alex for this:

"I thank you dearly for the slice of humour I illicited from your video. Your expression when he hit on your trainee said it all. You, my friend, are a legend."

Guess which interview this was about? Yes it was Russell Brand, who was far more keen on poor Shannon than he was on actually going through with his interview for Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

And slightly less thanks to 'limegreenukel', who wasn't nice:

"Oh my god that interviewer is so rubbish. "Tell us a bit about your character.. blah blah" Where did you think that one up Mr. Interviewer? Cutting edge journalism. How has he got a trainee?"

Oh well - you win some you lose some. Never mind. On to Iron Man, which I wasn't such a fan of. Some of the more positively-minded amongst you took issue with my largely negative review.

'Jax' said this.

"You don't go to see a super hero movie for the intellectual and thought provoking ride of your life, you just go for the ride. Perhaps someone else should take over this movie review blog, someone, for a start who doesn't fall asleep during movies."

I think a few people missed the point here, confusing a blog entry for the actual review - I'll try to be clearer on this in future.

"So, Ed what did you think of Iron Man?"

"Meh..."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, to be honest, I thought it was a bit rubbish."

That was this morning, first thing. And it's made for a bit of a funny day. I wrote up my review post-haste and it can be read right here. I absolutely understand if you cant be bothered to read that. The short version is that I didn't like it. Not one bit.

The problem is that last night's screening was a very massive one in a very massive cinema - the kind where every PR and studio exec shows up besides the usual clutch of critics, pundits and clingers-on. Most of these people are in the business of promoting films rather than actually assessing. Needless to say, they were enthused - blinkered against the woeful lack of originality and absolutely enthralled by the 'spectacular!' of Iron Man. Many of them have been on the blower and the email today.

"So that was amazing that Iron Man eh?"

"Actually I wasn't a fan."

There's a surprised 'Oh!' at this point. The subtext of that is thus: "YOU THOUGHT WHAT?! ARE YOU MENTAL?! DID YOU ACTUALLY HAVE YOUR EYES OPEN YOU SQUID-BRAINED IMBECILE?! THE GUY TURNED HIMSELF INTO A KICK-ARSE IRON SUPERHERO!!!! WHAT'S NOT TO LIKE????!!"

The problem is that Iron Man marks the beginning of SUMMER - a mythical point at which the film industry starts making serious cash. All the industry types can see at this point is bar charts pointing drastically upwards as the slow awards season comes to a close and 'SUMMER' starts. It's box-office party time and critical types such as myself have a really irritating tendency to stick in the mud. Why can't we just get 'on board' with all the 'buzz' and get behind it all?

Well, because it's our job. And despite Iron Man being a disappointment, it'll still do well. That trailer is a masterpiece!

We love to steal free work from unsuspecting young people in the media. We gleefully prey upon their enthusiasm, shovelling labour their way under the weak disguise of 'industry experience'.

So we were delighted then, when about three months ago, an exchange program brought us three smiling young things from The University Of Missouri in the US. Shannon, Stephanie and Ambika, all of whom are studying journalism, have been brilliant.

Anyways, Shannon is studying broadcast journalism. So, before she jets home, I thought I'd better take her along to a film junket. Luckily I had a five minute spot with Russell Brand for Forgetting Sarah Marshall. The people at the junket were kind enough to let Shannon sit in on the interview. I did inform my 'trainee' of Mr Brand's reputation for womanising (even using the phrase 'Britain's number one shag artist').

But poor Shannon never suspected that Russell would zero in on her the minute she poked her head around the door. He was so keen on Shannon that we decided to leave his advances towards her in the video.

Needless to say, he wasn't the slightest bit interested in me!

CHECK IT OUT HERE...