Nothing So Strange

Rating:
Summary: Inventive
Review: A serious subject is dealt with here in a very real manner. So much so that you actually think it happened!! You'll walk away really wondering - is Bill Gates dead? Did I just wake up and miss the biggest news story since the Kennedy assassinations? It's a good look at what might just happen if there was a real class war in the United States, and under investigation in the notorious Rampart police division of Los Angeles. Like being fascinated by a car accident, you will find yourself mesmorized by the folks that are trying to get to the bottom of the mystery that surrounds this case.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting idea, poorly realized
Review: An interesting premise becomes an exercise in tedium, and I found my self constantly hitting the fast forward button. Everything goes on way too long; the characters get obnoxious very quickly, and the payoff is pathetic. I suppose for legal reasons, the name "Microsoft" is never mentioned, but that contributes to the film's failure to create any sense of reality: if Bill Gates really was assassinated, you'd think people from his corporation would be involved in investigating a coverup. But this doesn't happen, so it all seems pretty dumb. By the end, I was mad I threw away $15 and over an hour of my time on this very amatuerish production.

Rating:
Summary: Get it, watch the extras
Review: Great guerilla indie film making. I was lucky to see it on the big screen at a film fest. The director Brian Flemming is an inspiration for all want-to-be film makers. Solid performances, especially David James. The underlying social commentary is very of this moment.

Rating:
Summary: Not what you might think
Review: I saw this indie film in its blink-and-you'll-miss-it theatrical release, and I got this DVD at the official site. It's not what you might think. It's not really about Bill Gates so much as the investigation into his "death." And it's as much about that investigation as it is about the personalities of the people doing the investigation--a very flawed grassroots group called Citizens for Truth. In the Gates-killing parts, there's a lot of chilling stuff to turn on the conspiracy theorist in you, but the focus on Citizens for Truth is so true to life it is painful.

The DVD extras are all as if the movie is a real documentary. Even the director's commentary is in character, with director Brian Flemming and two actors hashing out a new "two years later" drama (I'll refrain from any spoilers). And the DVD links to the Web, where there are even more QuickTime movies, official reports, photos--all as if the assassination is real. So beware. This movie could take over your life.

Rating:
Summary: The truth and how we see it
Review: The old saying in marketing goes that people DO judge a book by it's cover and a company by it's slogan. This may be true. But I hope it's not the case with this film. Looking at the cover of the DVD people may get the idea that Nothing So Strange is some one joke gimmick on the death of Gates.
This is not even close. No way. The film in fact is a brilliant examination of truth in the media and a probing look into the nuances of a group dynamic.

Nothing So Strange is a film about a grassroots activist group called Citizens for Truth and their post assassination search into the truth behing the murder of Gates. The film succeeds as both a well crafted mystery and as a most convincing mock documentary. I had to stop and ask myself repeatedly throughout the film, "Wait. Did this really happen?" The filmmakers commitment to veracity is unflinching.

The performances in this film really make it fly. David James is fantastic in the starring role. Playing "David James" (many of the actors used their real names in this film) the fiery leader of Citizens for Truth, his work is truly worthy of awards. And the entire cast is top notch. I was amazed to learn that more than half of them are non-professionals.

If you're a fan of docs, mock docs or the daring and gritty cinema of the 1970's this film is a must see. I highly recommend it.