super size me Tagged Articles at Cinematical

I've been known to frequent certain fast food establishments far more than I should, to the extent that the employees recognize me and greet me warmly upon my return. So my guilty conscience prodded me to revisit Morgan Spurlock's Super Size Me, which is available for free online viewing via our friends at SnagFilms. We've embedded it after the jump so you can view it right here at Cinematical.

SnagFilms is celebrating their one-year anniversary, and Super Size Me is currently the most popular title. Clearly it's not just guilty consciences that make the doc essential, and surprisingly enjoyable, viewing. Spurlock sets out to test the boundaries between personal and corporate responsibility, to see if eating every meal at McDonalds every day for 30 days would be dangerous to his health -- as one judge indicated would need to be proved if a lawsuit against the fast food giant could proceed. Spurlock establishes his baseline medical condition with three physicians, who anticipate that the diet may only affect him to a limited extent.

What starts off as "wish fulfillment of an eight-year-old child quickly turns to drudgery. A healthy man and a healthy eater, Spurlock finds no joy in his self-imposed diet, and has a tendency to be strident. Yet the medical risks are real, as is his concern about waking people up about the dangers of a fast food nation. Coincidentally (?!), McDonalds started to phase out super-sizing -- right about the time of the film's release. Super Size Me remains a vital document and a plea for the healthy, responsible consumption of food. It's funny, too!

Watch Super Size Me after the jump!

Outside the festival circuit, you don't get much of a chance to watch a movie followed by a Q&A with the director, so here's a nice opportunity for you fans of Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me, 30 Days) to see his new film and meet the guy afterwards. (On a personal note, I've met him twice and he's a very chilled out dude.) Unfortunately, this is only available to those who live in and around the New York City area -- so if that's you, and you're interested, pay attention. Morgan Spurlock will be holding a Q&A after the following NYC performances of Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?

Thursday, April 17th @ 7:10PM
AMC 19th Street
890 Broadway
New York, NY 10003

Friday, April 18th @ 7PM
Bam Rose Cinemas
30 Lafayette Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11217

Saturday, April 19th @ 5PM
Landmark Sunshine
143 East Houston St.
New York, NY 10002

Saturday, April 19th @ 7:45PM
AMC Kips Bay
570 Second Avenue
New York, NY 10016

If you meet Morgan, tell him Cinematical said hi.

Cinematical has just received this exclusive poster (click on the image to enlarge) for Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?, director Morgan Spurlock's follow-up to the ultra-popular documentary Super Size Me. The first poster for the film (which we debuted here) spoofed Indiana Jones. This new one seems to have a Lawrence of Arabia vibe to it, which I totally dig. The film, which premiered earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival, follows Spurlock to the Middle East on a journey to track down the world's most elusive criminal: Osama Bin Laden. But what awaits our heroic documentarian upon arrival? And will he find a way to make it out alive ... with Osama in his backpack? You'll have to see the movie yourself for the answers to those questions, but in the meantime feel free to check out James' review from Sundance and his interview with Morgan Spurlock.

Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden? arrives in theaters on April 18.

During Sundance, Morgan Spurlock's (Super Size Me) new documentary Where in the World is Osama bin Laden was the talk of the town. Prior to the film's first screening, Scott and I ran into Spurlock at a party, where Scott put the director on the spot and demanded to know whether or not he had found ... the Cloverfield monster. Seriously though, there was a lot of hype before the movie was shown -- speculation around whether Spurlock did, indeed, find the world's most wanted man. When Cinematical's James Rocchi sat down for an interview with Spurlock, however, his first question was: "Were they any people out there stupid enough to believe you actually found the guy?" And it's true, when you think about it. But that doesn't mean Spurlock didn't return home with a wonderful little film.

You can watch the new trailer for Where in the World is Osama bin Laden above, and I have to say I loved the little National Treasure-style opening. I dig Spurlock; he's a lot more likable than, say, Michael Moore, and he's the kind of filmmaker you can really relate to. Yes, his docs do come with a bit of popcorn fluff (mainly for commercial appeal), but it never gets annoying, at least in my opinion. Though the cat is out of the bag, and we now know that Spurlock did not find Osama bin Laden, that wasn't really the point in the first place. As James noted in his review, "And while Spurlock may not actually answer the question of where, he actually tackles, with humor, probing wit and a certain grace, the much more important question of why."

Morgan Spurlock's new documentary Where in the World Is Osama bin Laden? sees the abominable showman, who lived on fast food for a month in Super Size Me, tackle an even more indigestible subject -- the complex and challenged relationship between America and the Middle East. Spurlock spoke with Cinematical about his globe-spanning adventure, the possible personal payback from living his life on-camera, how his life's changed since he first came to Park City, and how it felt to be in real danger on his surreal journey: "When we were embedded with the military ... they target the military. Being with people who are automatic targets is really hard; those (soldiers) are heroes for what they do."

This interview, like all of Cinematical's podcast offerings, is now available through iTunes; if you'd like, you can subscribe at this link. Also, you can listen directly here at Cinematical by clicking below:

Out of the initial, pre-Sundance buzzed-about films, I'd have to say Morgan Spurlock's Where in the World is Osama is the one flick everyone is talking about. Spurlock, as you know, is the filmmaker behind the hit documentary Super Size Me, where he documented himself eating McDonalds (and only McDonalds) for 30 days straight. Now Spurlock is back with his second feature-length doc, and it apparently follows the man to the Middle East in search of the elusive Osama Bin Laden. Earlier in the year, 15 minutes of footage was shown to an elite group of buyers at the Berlin Film Fest, and it was all anyone was talking about for a few days. Just recently, the film's DP, Daniel Marricone, went on record saying Spurlock "definitely got the holy grail" with regards to the film, prompting the entire internet community to ask: So, is it possible that Spurlock actually found Osama?

Well, with the film's official Sundance premiere only a few days away, the big secret might have been revealed. Slashfilm received an email from someone in Utah who claims to have seen the film, and they go on to spoil exactly what happens at the very end. Of course, we cannot confirm this information to be accurate, but it definitely seems in line with everything we've heard about the doc thus far. Don't worry, I won't ruin it for you, but I will give away the premise (spoilers ahead): Apparently, Spurlock's girlfriend is pregnant and giving birth in 8 weeks. So, in an attempt to make the world a safer place before his child is born, he decides to head out to the Middle East and track down the world's most well-known terrorist, Osama Bin Laden. Does he find him? Head on over to Slashfilm to find out that answer, or don't and wait for our review from Sundance next week.

We don't know, but we're sure to find out in a little over a month from now as Morgan Spurlock's Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden is scheduled to premiere at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. It's taken some time to get a new feature doc out of Spurlock, who arrived on the scene in a Big (Mac) way following his break-out hit Super Size Me. Since then, he's shelled out a couple seasons of the very entertaining TV show 30 Days, as well as attached himself as producer to docs like What Would Jesus Buy. Above is our first look at the new Spurlock film, which follows the filmmaker as he attempts what the United States government hasn't been able to do: Find the elusive and infamous Osama Bin Laden.

The film first screened for a select group of buyers earlier this year at the Berlin International Film Festival. At the time, it was the talk of the town (mainly because those in attendance were asked to sign some insane confidentiality agreement) -- and I remember the buzz could be heard in front of every screening for the next several days. Eventually, The Weinstein Co. wound up with the doc and, according to some involved, Spurlock uncovered some insane stuff. But did he find Bin Laden? I, personally, cannot wait to find out. Currently, no release date is scheduled, though we'll have a full review of the film once our Cinematical team arrives in Park City, Utah next month.

[via Slashfilm]

Eating has become more and more difficult in the 21st century. Food isn't always the wondrous, romantic thing depicted in most movies. Recently we have learned about MSG, GMOs, polyunsaturated fats, trans-fats and the presence of the horrid "high fructose corn syrup" in just about everything. (It's in bread. Bread!) Sales of organic foods have increased drastically, and everyone has become an ingredient-reader and an amateur foodie. Now multiply this by about fifteen and you've got Thanksgiving dinner. Who's a vegetarian? Who's a vegan? Who's on the Atkins diet? Does putting the stuffing inside the turkey actually make it poisonous? Were those slivered almonds made on machinery that also processed peanuts? Who's allergic? What's the difference between yams and sweet potatoes? To get yourself prepared, I've assembled a chronological list of food cautionary tales, or hard culinary lessons learned.

Soylent Green (1973)
Is there anyone out there who doesn't yet know the secret component of everyone's favorite future foodstuff? If not, watching this film, directed by Richard Fleischer, will make you want to read the ingredients more often.

The Phantom of Liberty (1974)
The key scene in Luis Bunuel's film takes place at a dinner party. Guests gather around the table, pull down their pants and sit on toilets. They talk, rifle through magazines and otherwise engage in casual conversation. One guest rises, politely excuses himself and shyly asks for the dining room. Once inside, he shuts the door and begins eating. That's really funny, and in the joke, Bunuel asks why we perform one bodily function with great dignity in public and another with shame in private. As humans, our beliefs and behavior are utterly arbitrary. Try not to think about that at the dinner table.

Morgan Spurlock is at it again with another spellbinding documentary. This time it has nothing to do with feeding on heart-stopping foods like in Super Size Me, but with the continued search for one of the most famous men in the world, Osama bin Laden. The doc apparently details the hunt for Bin Laden, and Spurlock is currently rushing back and forth from the Middle East to capture completion footage in time for the Toronto Film Festival.

The film is already greatly anticipated and its rights were purchased (by The Weinstein Co.) during the Berlin fest -- few details have been released to date, however. Spurlock's lips, along with anyone working on the project, are tightly sealed. Here's one detail -- the director of photography, Daniel Marracino, told Variety, "Visually, this film is going to be gorgeous."

Spurlock's body of work often puts him right in the middle of the danger zone. In Super Size Me his doctor pleaded for him to quit the diet for fear of severe liver damage, and in his FX series 30 Days he put himself in jail for a number of weeks in an attempt to document the experience. The passion and ferocity in his filmmaking may help us gain some new understanding in the seemingly anti-climactic search for the world's leading terrorist. So when can we expect to see the film? As of June 5, Spurlock stated he was 95% finished, and the opening date for the Toronto Film Festival is September 6. Good luck Spurlock, see you in September!

John Hart and Jeffrey Sharp have said goodbye to partnership and are moving on to their own film production companies. Hart Sharp Entertainment has been responsible for films such as the Academy Award nominated You Can Count on Me and documentary Super Size Me. They also have numerous films and Broadway plays in production that each partner has decidedly left with.

Variety stated that the 10-year-old company's split was eminent and even predicted but the full reason for the split is unknown. Irreconcilable differences? The company has produced numerous successful independent features that have walked away with great honors. Boys Don't Cry for one provided Hilary Swank with her first Best Actress Oscar win.

Who is taking what with the divorce? It's reported that John Hart has created a company named Evamere that will produce Life During Wartime by filmmaker Todd Solondz -- director of Palindromes -- and Revolutionary Road by Justin Haythe. Nothing yet has been announced on what Sharp will depart with.

Thus I say ado to the partnership that has created so many films I love to watch. It's sad to see them go as they were so great at fulfilling their company's mission statement which was "to produce socially relevant works that entertain, engage, and ultimately tell a good story."