I've been a fan of Brian Flemming's other work including his segments on the old IFC show Split Screen, but Nothing So Strange is just plain irrelevant. I saw it on DVD as part of the Had to Be Made film fest which included an interview w/ the director.
Bottom line is the film is a take off of the whole cult like conspiracy mania surrounding the JFK assassination. In this case Bill Gates is substituted for JFK, MacArthur Park in LA for Dealey Plaza in Dallas. Guess what? JFK was killed in 1963.... Oliver Stone's JFK, which rekindled the whole thing came out in Dec. 1991. Flemmings film started making it's rounds in 2002, really, who cares? It's pretty well executed and convincing, but quite frankly not all that funny and not all that satirical. I think much of it stems from Flemming's misguided mind set and his total lack of understanding about the JFK conspiracy theories.
In an interview after the film Flemming reveals he got the idea when he was researching the whole JFK thing and noticed the religious like quality of the conspiracy buffs. Then he states, almost as an aside, "I found no evidence supporting the conspiracy." Huhhhh! No matter what your feeling or opinion is, it is clear there is some kind of evidence to suggest more than one person was involved in the plot to kill JFK, hence a conspiracy. Therefore, all the controversy that's surrounded JFK all these years later!!! Hello!!! As a matter of fact, a special committee set up by the U.S. Senate did an exhaustive investigation and concluded in 1978 that indeed there was a conspiracy...I guess this little tidbit must have escaped Mr. Flemming's thorough research on the internet... If there were no evidence to suggest anything but a lone killer, obviously the issue would be dead and buried. Because of Flemming's lack of understanding here, or rather lack of knowledge, his total dismissal of any possibility of conspiracy, it makes the whole film fall flat and lose any satirical edge. You've got to fully digest and comprehend something to lampoon it. I feel the choice of subject was the problem.
In reading about the film I thought it would have more to do w/ Gates and Microsoft and greedy corporations, etc. With all the things going on in the world in the last few years:, Iraq, Enron, 9/11, the corruption of the Bush administration, etc. Let's pick on the crazy conspiracy buffs. Once again totally irrelevant film...
