Topic: Chris Morris - Suicide Bomber Project News

[An tSaoi]

Damn you JPA. Well that's me told then. As far as I'm conerned that is the end of the matter of me being a prejudiced bastard.

[ProvanFan]

How dare you wonder what the scene is about, An tSaoi. Shame on you.

[alan nagsworth]

I'm amazed how ludicrous this thread is.

I wouldn't mind so much if the bear-suit chap had actually been confirmed as a muslim/non-muslim. I saw the thread had increased greatly in size since my last visit and got excited. I'll never get those five minutes back.

[An tSaoi]

Here, have five minutes. I've got a spare set for times like these.

[klaus]

The actual title of the film could either be called Boilerhouse or Boiler House.  There are several actors who have added this to their CVs recently i.e. Chris Morris' feature filme Boilerhouse. 

Klaus

[Portaccio]

I noticed that, too, Klaus. A few people who saw some filming in Sheffield also said it was being referred to as Boilerhouse on set.

[mcbpete]

I read a rather familiar story in the Metro this morning:

Terrorist comedy show sparks fury

A new comedy series which mocks terrorists has sparked outrage among victims of the 7/7 bombings. The show, called Living With The Infidels, features a group of Muslims in Bradford planning attacks similar to the 2005 bombings in London. But Jill Tyrell, who was hurt in the Piccadilly line blast, said: 'There's nothing really comedic about terrorism, though I haven't seen it.' And Veronica Cassidy, whose 22-year-old son Ciaran died in the same attack, said: 'I can't see anybody finding it humorous.' The show, by ex-advertising executive Aasaf Ainapore, will be launched on YouTube later this month.

(my favourite quote in bold)

Have they just completely ripped the plot from Mr. Morris or is this some cunning advertising shenanigans ?

[Jemble Fred]

Have they just completely ripped the plot from Mr. Morris

Sorry to keep banging on about this ≠ and I'm not denying this movie's right to flippin' exist or anything – but how is it any different to the Monkey Dust sketches, besides not being set in the Black Country? You can't really accuse them of ripping off Morris.

[Ambient Sheep]

Sorry to keep banging on about this ≠ and I'm not denying this movie's right to flippin' exist or anything – but how is it any different to the Monkey Dust sketches, besides not being set in the Black Country?

I guess we'll find out how, or indeed whether, it is different when we see it.

For all we know, it was the Monkey Dust sketches that inspired him to make this, and the whole thing will be dedicated to Harry Thompson (RIP).

[purlieu]

But Jill Tyrell, who was hurt in the Piccadilly line blast

[Hank_Kingsley]

Just got an email from fundingmentalism with some dull as shit location photos. Anyone else got these?

[benjula]

yeah, boring.

[aaaaaaaaaargh!]

I've got them too, but I can't view them on my blackberry as it's a rubbish phone.  By the sounds of it they don't sound like anything to write home about, would I be correct in thinking that?

[aaaaaaaaaargh!]

Here's the content of the email folks, along with the pics:

Dear Fundingmentalist
 
The film that you helped & encouraged is now all but fully
shot.  Its small tornado of industry is now trapped and
humming in a box.
 
You may be disappointed to learn that the need for you to
run a marathon has diminished but we thought you’d be
pleased to know why.
 
The edit is well underway and we will complete filming
well before the end of the year. In the meantime – if you
haven’t noticed us doing press ups in SWAT or blowing up
shopping centres in Greenwich, here are some pictures from
the shoot you have supported.
 
Thank you
 
The Four Lions team

[klaus]

Boring??? Don't be crazy.  That those shots are part of a comedy are amazing.  I was worried when I saw the Bunny shot, which seemed a predictable route to go with a terrorist movie but these Mountain shots are fabulous teasers.  Terrorists at a training camp.  Comedy from that?  I wish I'd thought of it first.
  Also, boring?  What were you expecting?  Major jokes to be revealed?  And the movie is in the editing stage.  Great news.  They must have known CAB was celebrating its birthday this weekend.   

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Boring??? Don't be crazy.  That those shots are part of a comedy are amazing.  I was worried when I saw the Bunny shot, which seemed a predictable route to go with a terrorist movie but these Mountain shots are fabulous teasers.  Terrorists at a training camp.  Comedy from that?  I wish I'd thought of it first.
  Also, boring?  What were you expecting?  Major jokes to be revealed?  And the movie is in the editing stage.  Great news.  They must have known CAB was celebrating its birthday this weekend.   

Thanks Chris. No, seriously - aaah! - I agree: those pics do make the film seem more intriguing. They do quite clearly suggest that The Four Lions take part in a Middle-East terrorist training camp, which expands upon the little knowledge we have of the film already. Putting aside concerns that the film might be shit, it's still interesting to discover new hints about its plot. That's something to be moderately grateful for, isn't it? You people!!!*

_{* I love you all really.}
 

[vrailaine]

Is the film gonna be in 4:3 resolution(the last pic is a shot from the film right?)?

[mcbpete]

I dunno I doubt it, almost nowt is in 4x3 nowadays...

[Lee]

The film that you helped & encouraged is now all but fully
shot.  Its small tornado of industry is now trapped and
humming in a box.
 
You may be disappointed to learn that the need for you to
run a marathon has diminished but we thought you’d be
pleased to know why.

Does anyone else smell bullshit? ie. This was all just a ploy to get public awareness up so private investors would fund the thing, with there never being any intention of using public funding or a chance to appear in the film? Almost sounds Nigerian.

[An tSaoi]

I don't think it way all a ploy, because I don't think it got public awareness up. There was talk of it on his site, and the odd uninformative entertainment article and that was it. If they were trying to garner some publicity I'm sure they'd have done something more major than asking fans for partial funding.

Of course once they're closer to release date I'm sure there'll be some hugely controversial stunt, like pretend terrorist videos being sent to the news stations.

[Johnny Townmouse]

I am reliably informed by someone I know that has contact with Warp that there is a screenplay knocking about. Whilst this may be an obvious thing to say, what I mean is there is a renegade copy doing the rounds. I'm pretty sure this has managed to stay off the net, but surely it is just a matter of time? I will boycott it until I see the film.

[richey]

Article in the Guardian about it, doesn't seem to be saying anything not mentioned here.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2009/aug/12/chris-morris-jihadi-film

It does have a link to another article with a pic of Kevin Eldon as an armed cop though, glad to see he's involved.

[An tSaoi]

That article has made me pumped for this.

[Edley]

The picture of Kevin Eldon was enlightening for me - my dad watched them film that scene but, when he asked one of the crew what they were filming, all they'd say was "a pilot". It was a while ago now but my dad remembers there being a joke involving the honey monster which was, in his opinion, "fucking terrible". All very vague but it's nice to know what the filming was for. I'll browse through the photos he took this weekend and upload if there's much of interest.

[Neil]

Someone got a really clear shot of a scene filmed in Sheffield a few weeks ago. It's the only one on his Flickr account, though. View the bigger version here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/22458665@N05/3511648994/sizes/l/

Bumpety bump bump - did anyone save the larger version of this pic?  It's been removed from Flickr.

(apologies if you thought this was going to be news or something, just trying to gather everything together.)

[Marvin]

Dear FM
 
If you’re wondering what’s been going on inside that film
you so generously offered to support, here’s a lightning
summary.
 
In the spring, we shot five hard weeks in the Peak
District – using locations around Sheffield to cover all
our story settings apart from Pakistan. We had expected to
stage our training camp set pieces in Derbyshire – using
limestone quarries as the arid mountains of Pakistan's
NWFP but an eleventh hour rescue from our enlightened
independent funders meant we were suddenly able to shoot
in Spain. The blazing light and crumbled desert hills
provided an authentic landscape in which to play out our
large scale comic ballistics. This footage, added to our
smaller India/Pakistan shoot (no way we were going to get
our drones and rocket launchers in there) completed the
overseas chunk of the story and it was back for a two
month edit.
 
In September, we were back in Sheffield for our third and
final burst of filming. Riz, Kayvan Nigel, Arsher & Co
were reshaved & rebearded – and five manic days later it
really was over.
 
The edit is now “picture locked”.  The shape of the film
is fixed. From now on its polish.  We’re exactly on
schedule for our release next year.
 
And what’s it like? I’d be bound to tell you its good of
course, except that I haven’t seen it.  Cast and crew
should get a glimpse of what they’ve done in the new year.
Hopefully it won’t be long before you do too.
 
The team is long dispersed but some of us have been back
for a final clear up – to put props in storage or claim
souvenirs. Some of the large scale items (there’s a Buster
Keaton element to the film) are retained for now but we’ve
swiped a number of props and gadgets we hope to give away
in the future.  We may also be able to release some
rehearsal scripts at some point – you’ll get an idea of
the funny verbal duelling from those – but in the meantime
we’d like to offer you some film cells – as a thank you
for your support.  Write back to this address and let us
know where and to whom you’d like them sent. We’ll bin
your details as soon as we’ve sent the cells. Literally,
if we have anything else to give away we’ll have to ask
for them again. Khusam!
 
Best wishes and thanks from all on the production.
 
Deirdre Steed

[thugler]

The offer of free film cells is really nice I think, since all I really did was pretend I was willing to give money.

[Felix85]

There's an article here that mentions a Four Lions promo being played in Santa Monica: 

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/real-life-stories-from-the-film-front-line-1819399.html

"The film is about "a bunch of British jihadis" out to wreak havoc in a Britain they see as a "bullshit, consumerist, godless, Paki-bashing, Gordon Ramsay, Taste the Difference Speciality Cheddar torture-endorsing, massacre-sponsoring... Sky One Uncovered, 'who gives a fuck about dead Afghanis' Disneyland!" Judging by the screenplay, it will be both provocative and hilarious."

[weirdbeard]

Thanks for that.  To sum up:

Independent:

One of the more surreal sights in Santa Monica this week was of foreign distributors trying to make sense of the promo for Four Lions, the new comedy about terrorism from British satirist Chris Morris. The film's French sales agents, Wild Bunch, put subtitles on the promo because they felt the accents would be impenetrable to the distributors otherwise. The film is about "a bunch of British jihadis" out to wreak havoc in a Britain they see as a "bullshit, consumerist, godless, Paki-bashing, Gordon Ramsay, Taste the Difference Speciality Cheddar torture-endorsing, massacre-sponsoring... Sky One Uncovered, 'who gives a fuck about dead Afghanis' Disneyland!" Judging by the screenplay, it will be both provocative and hilarious.

The distributors seemed to like it, even if they were discomfited by just how politically incorrect it seemed.

Wild Bunch have a website - http://www.wildbunch.biz/

where you can find the following Four Lions info

Where's the joke in Terror? You're about to find out...

Rammed with belly laughs, razor sharp gags, satirical insight and pure silliness but firmly based on reality, FOUR LIONS tells the compelling story of a bunch of British jihadis who push their abstract dreams of glory to breaking point. As the wheels fly off and their competing ideologies clash, they stumble from misapprehension to cock up in a dangerous, hilarious but emotionally engaging and entirely plausible farce. FOUR LIONS is 90 minutes of pure entertainment. You will laugh your head off. But it will never be the same again.

DIRECTOR - CHRIS MORRIS
SCREENPLAY - CHRIS MORRIS, JESSE ARMSTRONG, SAM BAIN
ADDITIONAL WRITING - SIMON BLACKWELL
DP - LOL CRAWLEY
EDITOR - BILLY SNEDDON
PRODUCTION DESIGNER - DICK LUNN
LINE PRODUCER - GINA MARSH
COSTUME DESIGNER - CHARLOTTE WALTER
HAIR & MAKE-UP - VIKKI LAWSON
SOUND - MALCOLM HIRST
PRODUCERS - MARK HERBERT, DERRIN SCHLESINGER
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS - ANGUS AYNSLEY, CAROLE BARATON, PETER CARLTON, WILL CLARKE, MARK FINDLAY, CAROLINE LEDDY, ALEX MARSHALL

CAST:

RIZ AHMED
ARSHER ALI
NIGEL LINDSAY
KAYVAN NOVAK
ADEEL AKHTAR
BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH
JULIA DAVIS
CRAIG PARKINSON

Much bigger versions of these available at the Wild Bunch website.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Oooh!

I'm liking what I'm reading and seeing.