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Super Size Me (2004)

Supersize Me is a 'Big Mac attack'

[23 May 2004]

Another shot-on-video winner at Sundance makes a big splash in commercial theaters. Is Morgan Spurlock's fast food exposé "Supersize Me" really just a "Blair Sandwich Project"? Not quite. Unlike "Blair Witch," no one disappears in this movie. In fact, everyone gets noticeably bigger.

I just left the Esquire Theatre in Clifton (Cincinnati) feeling sick to my stomach. I haven't walked out of a show this queasy since my last special effects double-feature at the Imax. Can't rightly say whether it was the graphic rectal exam and vomiting footage, or motion sickness induced by jarring hand-held videography.

Calling this movie 'socially relevant' would be an understatement. That aside, "Supersize Me" is a must-see for advertisers, advertising professionals and TV commercial enthusiasts. Regardless of the shady motives of McDonald's and other crap-food corporations, Morgan Spurlock makes what may be the world's most compelling case for the power of television advertising.

Animated sequences spell out the relationship between advertising investments and consumer buying/eating habits in a way that would seem too pedantic if Spurlock hadn't given due screen time to the impact of the supersize phenomenon on America's children.

A few videotaped interviews did the trick for me. A family unsuccessfully tries to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, but when asked to list the ingredients in a Big Mac, one of the adults rattles off the "two all beef patties" mantra like a pro. In another interview, young kids hesitantly identify President George Washington's picture, and consistently draw blanks with a picture of Jesus Christ. Not surprisingly, every kid recognizes a drawing of Ronald McDonald with ease.

The thesis of "Supersize Me" boils down to a soulless megacorporation whose marketing approach deliberately makes consumers addicted to unhealthy foods in unhealthy serving sizes - in much the same way tobacco companies earned trillions of dollars while effectively killing and disabling millions of Americans.

The responsibility debate rages on, and I'll refrain from trying to settle it here (as if I could). "Supersize Me" deserves the attention it's getting, because whether we blame obese consumers or "fat food" companies like McDonald's, the number of American kids suffering from obesity has risen sharply in recent years.

See it while it's still in theaters. Fast food chains reportedly spend $3 billion per year on advertising (bonus points for the reader who can tell me how much of that is for TV commercials), so don't expect "Supersize Me" to air as a "movie of the week" on any major television network in the foreseeable future.

CSI: NY (2004–2013)

CSI New York's pre-pilot debut gets a boost from Miami

[17 May 2004]

Having watched my share of NYPD Blue some years back, it was strange seeing David Caruso in a crime drama set in New York without Dennis Franz at his side.

That's right: New York. Just prior to its season finale, CSI Miami sends Horatio Caine to the Big Apple in search of a killer. Caine's lead seems to dead-end when he arrives at another crime scene and discovers his suspect was murdered two days prior to the Miami crime he is investigating.

Enter Gary Sinise as Detective Mac Taylor. The scene of Caine and Taylor's meeting features a moment of lighting genius in which Caine stands in a beam of warm amber sunlight while Taylor's key matches the cool blue ambiance of his native New York atmosphere. (Who says these things only happen in films!)

In this pre-pilot, Taylor and Caine discover they are searching for the same killer. At first they refrain from joining forces, but once they establish through chit-chat their mutual admiration for the death penalty and its liberal enforcement, the two are inseparable.

While the CSI counterparts get acquainted, two more murders take place in New York. These are uncannily similar to the Miami slayings. A bloody fingerprint in Miami points Caine and Taylor to a convict, a rooftop chase and a narrow escape for their new prime suspect.

The New York CSI team pieces together the facts of the most recent murders. The introductions of Taylor's staff are brief and forgettable. This episode was created to establish an emotional connection between Caine and Taylor, presumably to generate interest in CSI New York's "real" pilot. If all goes well, the show will have an entire season to develop supporting characters.

For those who didn't see it and are hoping to catch the repeat, I'll refrain from revealing who hired the hit man and why. And for those like me who are contemplating whether to watch the CSI New York pilot, I say "go for it." If the pre-pilot (CSI Miami in New York episode) is any indication, CSI New York will probably build on the solid foundation of tough-but-approachable characters, clever episodic plots and fast pace that typify the first two CSI shows. The intense simulations of violent crime forensics (the CSI trademark device) also make for hypnotic viewing.