February 14, 2008
Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden?That's the question posed by Morgan Spurlock's latest film, a work which employs video game-like conventions to spin the Super-Size Me director's examination of the U.S. foreign policy and the so-called war on terror.
Aside from the obvious Carmen San Diego homage in its title, the Hollywood Reporter remarks on the video game angle in the film:
In an entertaining animated sequence that sets up Spurlock and Osama bin Laden as battling video game characters and serves as a framing device throughout the film, the director outlines his mission: travel to a series of Mideast hotspots to investigate bin Laden's background, pinpoint his location and track him down.
Despite the game special effects, the Hollywood Reporter is not high on Spurlock's latest:
Although he makes an amusing comic foil, Spurlock is ill-equipped to either evaluate or report on Middle East foreign policy. His methodology is disturbingly casual and conclusions woefully simplistic. Noticeably lacking is any analysis of the role that oil politics play in the region and how those machinations determine U.S. policy, forming the root of many of the problems he superficially addresses.
No release date has been specified.
Comments
It sounds like an interesting documentary topic and I will see it to see if it sheds any new light on the topic of bin Laden, al Qaeda, Wahhabi'ism, Salifism and the Saudi regime.
For anyone who doesn't know, the bin Laden family made their money by being THE construction company that built the modern cities in Saudi Arabia. I think this movie will fail on substance if it doesn't connect the Saudis promotion of an extremist totalitarian religious ideology with bin Laden's call for the reconstitution of the caliphate system. But we shall see...
Explain.
I say, he should make another documentary-movie that really connects with the audience... without the major risk for his health this time!
Its never been about oil to Osama.
A bit like the Bush administration's foreign policy and lame rhetoric then? Bin Laden is still alive because he is the best PR face for terrorism and the US couldn't wage their fake war without him.
/sarcasm
Gimme a break.
why is this 'news' even here to begin with?
Problem?
And Super Size Me was a great movie.
Yep.
Please, nobody on either sides will ever give anything to the other side. Its pointless.
Of course they are. He's Michael Moore's prodigy.
Agreed
@ GP
I spy with my little eye personal imput in a news story.
And why is this guy famous for telling us what we already knew? And how in anyway shape or form does this connect to gaming aside from the title?
I have a great link for a video profile on the documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock. Best known for his 2004 breakout film Super Size Me, he was recently at the SXSW film festival promoting his Oscar nominated film Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden? Filmed in the Austin City Limits Studio, Spurlock talks about filmmaking, blogging and interactivity between the two mediums. Here is a link to the video from the website of the show Docubloggers on the PBS station KLRU in Austin, Texas. Enjoy!
http://www.klru.org/docubloggers/?p=262
OR
http://youtube.com/watch?v=7WN4hu63tzM
-Heidi