You have to give credit to some filmmakers. Tackling a topic about the assassination of a real person, specifically about the richest man in the world, takes guts, more so when that man is still alive. Brian Flemming did just that, stirring up some controversy in the process. The film itself is wildly uneven, but the effort to put together this mockumentary makes this worthwhile viewing.
During a December ceremony in Los Angeles, a sniper guns down Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates after two shots. Within a short amount of time, a group calling themselves "Citizens for Truth" begin to question whether or not the police have actually given the public the entire story. What follows is a deeper look into the sequence of events that led up to the murder. Numerous theories are presented, but the gaining the trust of the public and keeping themselves together may prove to be the downfall for the group.
"Nothing So Strange" comes out of the gate firing on all cylinders. The first half-hour (maybe even a bit longer) is an absolutely flawless look at the murder and the various evidence the group has compiled. In fact, you would be hard pressed to tell the difference between this film and something on Court TV. Complete with computer-generated scenarios, visits to the crime scene, pictures, magazines covers, and video shot after the assignation, the film covers all of its bases quickly in entertaining fashion.
Then, without any warning, the film suddenly tumbles into oblivion, completely changing the focus from the assassination to an inside look at the group trying to find the truth. Viewers who were glued to the screen, forming their opinions about the events, are tossed to the wayside. The final hour continues on this path, hardly ever mentioning the evidence again. The films ending is also highly unsatisfying, though the purpose it obvious. Watch this one for the earlier portions and then try and forget the rest. (** out of *****)
Shot in standard full frame, as expected, "Nothing So Strange" looks awful on DVD. The look of the film is obviously not very important here, but it's so jarring, you can't help but feel disappointed. The lower resolution and subdued colors are understandable due to the way the film was shot. Not acceptable are the garish compression issues that hinder every single frame of this film. The opening assassination is just a mess of giant blocks and rest of the running time is no better. The too-few scenes of clarity are still soft and lacking in fine detail. Regardless of the way the film was shot, this is just not acceptable. (*)
Article comments
1 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo
I agree Matt. i thought it was a great idea but that it wasn't carried out as best it could be. Should mention the "open source" nature of the film, tho, which means that the actual footage isn't copywrite, which means folks like you and me could go and make our own version, and not have to pay a penny.