Chicago – In Dan Reed’s unmissable 2009 HBO documentary “Terror in Mumbai,” cameras captured the overwhelming carnage caused by ten young Pakistani men. They were obeying every word of their elders, heard in the film via phone correspondence. The terrorists gradually began to resemble wide-eyed kids, as they became dazzled by the lavish scenery in Mumbai, an environment that clashed with their sheltered existence.
It’s precisely the raw humanity and learned ignorance of these terrorists that make them so frightening, yet British satirist Chris Morris has utilized their fundamental absurdity to fuel his poignant, provocative and fiercely funny black comedy, “Four Lions.” As co-producer of the acclaimed mock news show, “The Day Today,” Morris has no interest in relying on safe comic caricatures to get a laugh. His goal is to subvert stereotypes, not reinforce them.
Blu-Ray Rating: 4.5/5.0
The fresh-faced protagonist of “Lions” is a British jihadist named Omar (Riz Ahmed...
It’s precisely the raw humanity and learned ignorance of these terrorists that make them so frightening, yet British satirist Chris Morris has utilized their fundamental absurdity to fuel his poignant, provocative and fiercely funny black comedy, “Four Lions.” As co-producer of the acclaimed mock news show, “The Day Today,” Morris has no interest in relying on safe comic caricatures to get a laugh. His goal is to subvert stereotypes, not reinforce them.
Blu-Ray Rating: 4.5/5.0
The fresh-faced protagonist of “Lions” is a British jihadist named Omar (Riz Ahmed...
- 3/16/2011
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant do good work in Cemetery Junction, Chris Morris is as brilliantly acerbic as ever in Four Lions – and John Cusack really should know better, writes Mark Kermode
Do comedies have to make you laugh? I ask because this week sees the release of two titles both of which will doubtless be shelved in the "comedy" section of your local DVD store, both of which I enjoyed and admired, yet neither of which had me rolling with laughter. Oh I chuckled, to be sure, as well as sniggered, grinned, and very occasionally guffawed. But the overwhelming tenor of both films was often one of melancholia and sadness – intentionally so, yet to very different ends.
Let's start with Cemetery Junction, a nostalgic coming-of-age tale from Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant which the marketing folk struggled to sell to potential cinema audiences as a "hilarious" comedy. Now on DVD,...
Do comedies have to make you laugh? I ask because this week sees the release of two titles both of which will doubtless be shelved in the "comedy" section of your local DVD store, both of which I enjoyed and admired, yet neither of which had me rolling with laughter. Oh I chuckled, to be sure, as well as sniggered, grinned, and very occasionally guffawed. But the overwhelming tenor of both films was often one of melancholia and sadness – intentionally so, yet to very different ends.
Let's start with Cemetery Junction, a nostalgic coming-of-age tale from Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant which the marketing folk struggled to sell to potential cinema audiences as a "hilarious" comedy. Now on DVD,...
- 8/28/2010
- by Mark Kermode
- The Guardian - Film News
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