Posts tagged chris morris
Four Lions Review – Hilarious & At Times Unexpectedly Moving
Apr 23rd
I had been looking forward to Four Lions for a while now, for one it will most likely give the Daily Mail a heart attack 
, and two, it looks hilarious. I did have a major worry that I would be butthurt though, my worries can be summed up by the following quote ‘There is a place in this world for satire, but there is a time when satire ends and intolerance and bigotry toward religious beliefs… begins.’ (Isaac Hayes) Thankfully my major concern about Four Lions was unfounded, for me it wasn’t offensive in the slightest, it’s truly a funny response to society’s failure to engage with reality.
Four Lions is the debut film from Chris Morris (Brasseye, Jam, The Day Today), it shines a light on modern jihadism through the prism of farce. It Showcases jihadists as human beings, very very ridiculous human beings. Four Lion is based around five bumbling anti hero’s who have a secret plan, the leader, by way of being the least stupid, is family man Omar (the brilliant Riz Ahmed) who is disillusioned about the treatment of muslims around the world and is determined to become a soldier. He is followed by his dense best friend Waj (Kayvan Novak the man behind Fonejacker and Facejacker), who Omar does the thinking for, opposed to Omar and pretty much everything is the white Islamic convert Barry (the hilarious and very loud Nigel Lindsay), who just seems like he wants to blow things up, rounding out the main five is Hassan (Arsher Ali) and Fessel (Adeel Akhtar) who’s a couple sandwiches short of a picnic, in fact a picnic short of a picnic, he’s that dumb.
This film follows a basic comic principle: people trying to be funny are never as funny as people trying to be serious and failing. A man wearing a funny costume is not funny. But a man who doesn’t know he’s wearing a funny costume…….then you’ve got something! There were a couple things in the film that didn’t sit quite right with me though, some of the jokes were a bit flat and I didn’t understand why Omar would want to leave behind his beautiful wife and son for which he clearly had mutual love from. The first three quarters of the film are a good old fashion comedic romp, yet the last quarter really raises the stakes and has some pretty touching scenes, one scene in particular, which I won’t spoil, really hit me. All in all Four Lions is one of the most original, provocative and timely comedies of recent memory, it brings the laughs, great comedic performances, entertainment, surprises and will move you, I’d definitely recommend it.
Four Lions is in UK cinemas May 7th. You can check out the trailer here.
Four Lions Trailer – Looks Great!
Mar 17th
I really like the look of this, it looks hilarious. When done well there is no better way of shining a light on aspects of the human condition than through farce. Four Lions was screened at the the Sundance Film Festival and earned glowing reviews. Riz Ahmed is an actor I’ve been keeping my eye on the last few years, he was great in Shifty last year and in The Road to Guantanamo. Four Lions is in UK cinemas May 7th, check out the synopsis and trailer below, I hope it lives up to my expectations!
Chris Morris’ “Four Lions” is a funny, thrilling comedy that illuminates modern jihadism through the prism of farce. It understands jihadists as human beings. And it understands human beings as innately ridiculous. What “This Is Spinal Tap” did for heavy metal and “Dr Strangelove” the Cold War, “Four Lions” does for the modern face of terrorism.
In a British city, four men have a secret plan. Omar (Riz Ahmed) is disillusioned about the treatment of muslims around the world and is determined to become a soldier. This is the most exciting idea Waj (Kayvan Novak) has ever heard. Better still it’s a no brainer because Omar does his thinking for him. Opposed to Omar and everyone else on earth is the white islamic convert Barry (Nigel Lindsay). He’d realize he joined the cell to channel his nihilism – If he had half the self knowledge of a duck. Faisal (Adeel Akhtar) is the odd man out. He can make a bomb – but he can’t blow himself up just now coz his sick dad has “started eating newspaper”. Instead he’s training crows to fly bombs through windows. This is what Omar has to deal with. They must strike a decisive blow on their own turf but can any of them strike a match without punching himself in the face?
Four Lions Trailer – Looks Great!
Mar 17th
I really like the look of this, it looks hilarious. I believe there’s no better way of shining a light on aspects of the human condition than through farce. Four Lions was screened at the the Sundance Film Festival and earned glowing reviews. Riz Ahmed is an actor I’ve been keeping my eye on the last few years, he was great in Shifty last year and in The Road to Guantanamo. Four Lions is in UK cinemas May 7th, check out the synopsis and trailer below, I hope it lives up to my expectations!
Chris Morris’ “Four Lions” is a funny, thrilling comedy that illuminates modern jihadism through the prism of farce. It understands jihadists as human beings. And it understands human beings as innately ridiculous. What “This Is Spinal Tap” did for heavy metal and “Dr Strangelove” the Cold War, “Four Lions” does for the modern face of terrorism. In a British city, four men have a secret plan. Omar (Riz Ahmed) is disillusioned about the treatment of muslims around the world and is determined to become a soldier. This is the most exciting idea Waj (Kayvan Novak) has ever heard. Better still it’s a no brainer because Omar does his thinking for him. Opposed to Omar and everyone else on earth is the white islamic convert Barry (Nigel Lindsay). He’d realize he joined the cell to channel his nihilism – If he had half the self knowledge of a duck. Faisal (Adeel Akhtar) is the odd man out. He can make a bomb – but he can’t blow himself up just now coz his sick dad has “started eating newspaper”. Instead he’s training crows to fly bombs through windows. This is what Omar has to deal with. They must strike a decisive blow on their own turf but can any of them strike a match without punching himself in the face? “Four Lions” plunges us beyond seeing these young men as unfathomably alien. It undermines the folly of just wishing them away or, even worse, alienating the entire culture from which they emerge. The film is neither pro nor anti religious. The jokes fly out of the characters’ conflicts, excesses and mistakes. Crackling with wit and tension, “Four Lions” is the essential response to our failure to engage with reality and a high toast to the idea that laughter is better than killing.