Four Lions (Chris Morris film)

[BillBrasky]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8393736.stm

Brass Eye creator Chris Morris's new comedy film about a group of jihadis has been shortlisted for competition at the Sundance Film Festival in the US. Four Lions, which depicts British Muslim men training at a militant training camp, is one of the films in the world cinema narrative shortlist.

Morris, whose spoof about paedophilia prompted controversy in 2001, has written and directed the movie. The Sundance event takes place in Utah from 21-31 January.
A total of 113 films from the US and around the world will be screened at the annual event. Among the movies in the main competition is Sympathy For Delicious by director Mark Ruffalo, starring Orlando Bloom and Juliette Lewis.

Morris's film, fully funded by Film Four, initially prompted interest from the BBC and Channel 4. He has said the film shows "the Dad's Army side to terrorism" and reveals its farcical, human dimension. The satirist's series of Brass Eye, which aired on Channel 4 in 1997, caused a furore by inventing a drug which celebrities were duped into warning against its dangers. Morris shot to fame with spoof news show The Day Today, which was screened on BBC Two from 1994. His first venture onto the big screen in 2002 won the Bafta award for short film.

[RoyalDutchOfDukes]

So..fucking..in. Chris Morris is a God among mere mortals.

[onelinedrawing]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/video...lions-sundance

I had no idea tonally what the movie was going to be like, this gives a pretty good idea... very funny.

[YoungAmerican]

I'm going tomorrow. So excited. Trying to convince Morris tocome on TSOYA... He's not agreeing to any interviews until after people see it. As in: I have to see it, then request an interview. We'll see.

[suavepebble]

Anyone who doesn't like Chris Morris is a stupid prick, you know? I had no idea he had a film coming out, thanks for the post, man...

Why isn't there a running Chris Morris thread in general on this board? The guy's talent is boggling to the mind.

[onelinedrawing]

I say we hijack this thread and start gushing about him! As much as I love BrassEYE, The Day Today, Jam and Nathan Barley, I am surprised at how consistently brilliant he was in the first series of the IT Crowd, he really seemed to get Linehan's desire to have a very old fashioned sitcom.

Hope you enjoy the screening Jesse, and hopefully we will be hearing him on TSOYA... or JJGO????(Wishful thinking)

[BillBrasky]

I'm going tomorrow. So excited. Trying to convince Morris tocome on TSOYA... He's not agreeing to any interviews until after people see it. As in: I have to see it, then request an interview. We'll see.

It's amazing that you even have a chance to interview him at all. I have literally run across about 2 interviews with Morris from his entire career. He's very press-shy. Interviews with him are about as rare as appearances from Halley's Comet.

[YoungAmerican]

Just got back fom the premiere. Really enjoyed it. Much more character driven than I expected - not joke a minute at all. Pretty assured and I genuinely cared about the characters, but I didn't laugh the whole way through or anything. Still hoping Morris will come on the show - Iannucci and Linehan were both nice enough to email him for me.

[the groinery]

A clip from Four Lions:

http://www.youtube.com/v/dZVfyQyu9RY

[mezmorized]

I'm excited to see the film. I'm a big fan of the writers (Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain of "Peep Show" fame) as well as Morris who was just pure hilarious in "The IT Crowd".

Jesse I'd email Morris about doing your show as well, but I doubt it would influence him much.

[BillBrasky]

Well, he did at least one podcast interview, so maybe you might get lucky, Jesse:

http://daily.greencine.com/archives/007714.html

[Newt Floss]

A clip from Four Lions:

http://www.youtube.com/v/dZVfyQyu9RY

Look up, smarty.

[YoungAmerican]

Well, he did at least one podcast interview, so maybe you might get lucky, Jesse:

http://daily.greencine.com/archives/007714.html

Publicist told us if he did anything, it'd be TSOYA. Needless to say, he didn't. Greencine daily? Anyway, hopefully he'll do it when the movie hits theaters in the US.

I did interview Kevin Kline, and that was cool...

[YoungAmerican]

I just got this email from someone who heard Trevor Groth, the programming director of Sundance on my show. Groth and I briefly discussed the film.

I may be mistaken, but I think I heard this show last night on WHYY radio in Philadelphia. I am a huge fan of public radio, and a contributor to WHYY. But the show included a discussion of a so-called "comedy" film about suicide bombers, which was totally inappropriate, and offended me. The commentator suggested that suicide bombing was an appropriate subject for comedy because it shows the "humaness" in all of us. Are you kidding? Why would one try to show that a suicide bomber, whose goal it is to take innocent human life (children too!) to make a political point shares any real common human traits? They certainly do not share any traits with me. On this theory, why not produce a nice little comedy film about the lighthearted 9/11 bombers and their merry mission to kill thousands? Better still, how about a silly retrospective on the Nazi SS and their high jinx exploits in the concentration camps. Isn't someone at your shop exercising some editorial discretion over the content of your show? Apparently not. That show was enough to make me ask for a return of all the money I have contributed to public readio over the years. This is not a freedom of speech issue. Anyone has the right to produce a film about almost anything. But does your program have to promote it, and implicitly justify the bogus rationale for producing it? Have I made my point clear enough???????

[DocSportello]

Ugh. I hate the person who wrote that e-mail so much.

A terrorist cannot have any common human traits? Seriously? Does he/she think they also have little horns coming out of their foreheads?

Also, the point is not clear at all. The concept of the film is disgusting according to this person, but the film should be allowed to be made because of freedom of speech. However you discussing the film is simply inappropriate and offensive!
There is a giant leap in logic there, and then to arrogantly pose: "Have I made my point clear enough???????" To repeat: Ugh.

Sorry for the rant-iness of this. It just really got my goat.

P.S. When reading that e-mail I hear an angry version of Paul F. Tompkins' voice in his Letters to Magazines bit.

[crimestick]

That show was enough to make me ask for a return of all the money I have contributed to public readio over the years.

Sounds like a level-headed reaction.

[YoungAmerican]

The friendly fellow who's been emailing me. (Odd how many people send me hate mail from their work addresses).

Well, I wrote him back (whoops):
I really enjoyed the film in question ("Four Lions"), and think that any part of the human experience can be great fodder for comedy, especially the darker parts. I hope to book the writer/director of the film, Chris Morris, on the show. One point of clarification: he is opposed to terrorism.

Anyway, if you're looking for silly Nazi hijinks, I'd suggest the long-running sitcom Hogan's Heroes.

Thanks for taking the time to write, and I'm sorry a second-hand account of a film in an independent film festival is enough to make you want to ask for a return of all the money you've contributed to public radio over the years. Seems kind of capricious? Anyway, best of luck.

Jesse

And then he wrote me back:

Whether the account was “second hand” or first hand is besides the point. The comment in the piece that a purpose of the film was to humanize suicide bombers is the point. That you would consider booking the director on your show, for the apparent purpose of providing further publicity to his bizarre perspective is further evidence of your regrettable point of view.

By the way, the focus of Hogan’s Heroes, if you ever watched it, was on the success of American soldiers fooling their Nazi captors. If you can’t see the difference in the two genres, I suggest you go back to school.

I will do what I can to ensure that your show is removed from the WHYY line-up. This is not capricious; I would call it democracy in action.

I do appreciate the fact that you took the time to respond to my comment. I do not question your right to your opinion, only the discretion you failed to exercise in offering commentary on a film which I do not believe deserved public mention.

And then I wrote him:

Given the fact that you haven't seen the film (I presume you weren't in the crowd at its Sundance premiere?), I wonder whether you're qualified to offer an opinion on whether it deserves public mention. Like most reviewers at the festival, I thought it was excellent. Here's a review from Salon.com.

I think you might also benefit from reading this older piece, which while not strictly about the film, does have particular resonance for me given your comments.

Jesse

Maybe I shouldn't feed the trolls, but it's just too tempting.

[crimestick]

The whole "I haven't seen/read the thing I'm furious about, BUT..." never gets old.

[Nick C.]

He's right Jesse, maybe you should go back to school and take a class in "Dissecting the Ethical Exploits of Hogan and Klink 101."

[Ian Brill]

Sounds like he's been forced to marshal a campaign against you. All this time I thought it would be pigeon kicking jokes...