There are films in this world what are doing nothing more radical than demanding the respect of the viewer. Films what question us, the humble folks on the sofa, films what make us think, and what fuel conversations for a good few days afterwards.

And then we forget all about those films, those gallant examples of their medium which, whilst being intellectually and aesthetically pleasing, perhaps breaking any number of rules and conventions before our very eyes, leave us cold when the credits roll.

Nothing So Strange - "A New Film About The Assassination Of Bill Gates", is such a work. Easy to admire it certainly is, but it is also, sadly, almost impossible to love.

Adopting the ever-so-cutting-edge-back-in-the-fifties approach of the "mockumentary", the film begins with a spot of the old assassinating. Bill Gates (played by Steve Sires, who in fact worked as a double for the man himself, until the release of this film) steps onto a stage holding one of those big cheques what folks like to give to charities now and again. A shot rings out, he grabs his side and falls to his knees. Then his head spits a load of the skull across the stage. Bill Gates is dead.

From such a gleefully antagonistic opening, we could go anywhere. What, pray tell, might Brian Flemming do with such an arresting introduction? Might he use this as the basis to expose and dissect any number of Gate's real-life foibles and corruptions, actions which have led to this fictional bullet-bouncing? Might he ask questions about monopolies and what-not, how other companies are being marginalized or devoured by the gargantuan Microsoft Corporation?

No. What he wants to do is make a film about folks seek to uncover who the assassin is. The fact that the victim was Bill Gates is pure stunt-writing. It could just as easily have been Jay Leno, or David Letterman, or Ice-T, and the plot need be altered not one iota.

In an episode of Chris Morris' fantastically vicious Brass Eye, he interrupted proceedings to bring us a fake newscast. British TV personality Clive Anderson had, it was revealed, just been assassinated by Noel Edmonds, another Brit TV Fave. The reporters went out to social gatherings and questioned other celebrities, none of them aware that they were being most heinously wound the fuck up, regarding this diabolical act of celebrity skull-smashing.

It lasted no more than two minutes, and it was hilarious.

Nothing So Strange lasts an hour and 16 minutes longer than that, but rather than being witty or insightful or challenging for the duration, it quickly and depressingly runs out of ideas. It has one joke, which it repeats ad nauseaum over and over and over and over.