Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan

By Larry Anklewicz

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Borat is probably the most controversial film that will be released this year. It is outrageous; it is offensive; it is also one of the funniest films in a long time.

I guess the question is whether the film is anti-semitic, misogynist or anti-Kazakh. I would say that the main character, Borat, is so stupid and ignorant, that it is none of those things. In fact, if anything, it underlines the stupidity of anyone who does hold those positions.

This film makes full use of exaggeration and over the top humour to be funny, and there it succeeds. It is so hilarious, that a lot of people come out of it with their sides aching from laughing so hard.

But it is also true that a lot of people will find the film offensive and will walk out of it wondering why they even bothered to watch it. And I have to admit that I cringed at some of the scenes.

First of all, let me lay out the plot line, which is pretty straight forward. Borat is a television journalist is his home country of Kazakhstan. He is given an assignment to go to the United States and report on how life can be improved in Kazakhstan by what he sees in the greatest country in the world, the U.S.A.

Borat undertakes his assignment and is accompanied by his producer, Azamat Bagatov. The film is done in a documentary style and some of it was shot live on the streets of the cities he visited, but it is not clear how much of the film was staged for the cameras.

This is the story of a primitive trying to visit and adjust to life in a much more sophisticated and complicated country. He doesn’t understand all the nuances and quirks of life in a country like the United States and he happily goes from place to place in his own haze of incomprehension and naivete.

First of all, Borat visits New York and tries to make friends on the streets and on the subway, always alienating the people he wants to meet. He even brings a live chicken along in his suitcase, which certainly does not endear him to the people he meets.

At one point, Borat is watching TV in his hotel room and sees some old reruns of Bay Watch and immediately falls in love with Pamela Anderson. Suddenly, his whole purpose changes and he decides to go to Hollywood to meet and wed his Pamela. On the way he destroys an intimate little dining party, visits a bed & breakfast run by a Jewish couple, runs into a group of young Black kids, sings the Kazakh national anthem at a rodeo, comes upon an evangelical prayer meeting and joins several college kids in a RV. He also has a falling out with his producer and they get into a hilarious nude wrestling match that spills over into a mortgage brokers’ meeting. Eventually Borat makes it to California and meets his Pamela.

Borat is a character that Sacha Baron Cohen has created to make some points about how stupid people can be and to make people laugh. The character has appeared on a TV show in Britain called the Ali G Show, which has also had some air time in the U.S. Cohen himself is Jewish, although he rarely appears in public out of character.

It’s all a joke and a very successful joke. At the time of writing, the film has spent two consecutive weekends as the top grossing film in North America and is sure to be one of the most successful films of the year.

The Santa Claus 3: The Escape Clause

Another sequel based on a very successful film and a pretty successful sequel. This is the third film in the series and although it seems to have run out of some steam, it still provides some very funny and entertaining moments for the family crowd.

The Santa Clause 3 is a perfect Holiday film. It is funny, unpretentious and offends no one.

In this edition of the franchise, Santa has his hands full. He is trying to meet the deadline to have all the toys ready for Christmas Eve, his wife is very pregnant and expecting to give birth at any time, and Jack Frost is trying to take over the big guy’s holiday.

To make his wife feel better, Santa invites his in-laws to the North Pole to share in the holiday festivities. At the same time, Santa invites his extended family--his son, his ex-wife and her new husband and their daughter.

All these visitors sure make Santa’s life much more complicated that it need be, and also make the film very funny.

Jack Frost manipulates things to allow him to take over Santa’s job and Santa must battle back to retrieve his position as the big guy.

The film is certainly helped along by a terrific cast that includes Tim Allen, Martin Short, Ann-Margret, Alan Arkin, Elizabeth Mitchell, Eric Lloyd, Wendy Crewson, Judge Reinhold, Liliana Mumy and Spencer Breslin.

It’s not a great film. It’s not as good as the first The Santa Clause. But it’s a good choice if you want to take the kids out for a fun time.

Recent DVD’s

Cars

Cars has to be one of the best animated films to come along in a long time. Like all good animated films, it will entertain the kids, while also keeping the adults interested.

The story centres around a hotshot rookie race car with a passion to win. On his way to a big race in California he gets held up in the small town of Radiator Springs on Route 66. There he meets the town’s offbeat characters and learns that there are more important things than winning, fame or trophies.

Voices of Owen Wilson, Paul Newman, Bonnie Hunt, Larry The Cable Guy, Cheech Marin, Tony Shalhoub, Jenifer Lewis, Paul Dooley, George Carlin, Katherine Helmond, John Ratzenberger, Michael Keaton, Richard Petty, Jeremy Piven, Bob Costas, Darrell Waltrip, Tom Magliozzi, Ray Magliozzi , Dale Earnhardt Jr., Michael Schumacher, Jay Leno.

Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man

If you are a Leonard Cohen fan, this is your DVD. Constructed in the form of a tribute concert which features 14 live performances from such artists as Rufus Wainwright, Nick Cave, Beth Orton and many more, this film also includes interviews with people Cohen has known and has influenced.

But the heart of the film is in the concert that included some amazing renditions of Cohen’s greatest songs. In the end, Cohen does one of his own songs, backed by the rock icons, U2.

The DVD includes never-before-seen musical performances, stories about Cohen, deleted scenes and much more.

King Kong: Deluxe Extended Edition

King Kong was an amazing movie in its original form, but this DVD release makes it bigger and better than ever.

This 3-disc edition includes over 13 additional minutes and contains loads of extra features, including 40 minutes of deleted scenes, a special introduction by the director, several mini-featurettes, outtakes, gag reels, a commentary by Peter Jackson, plus much more.

Starring: Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Adrien Brody, Colin Hanks, Andy Serkis.

Strangers With Candy

Story of Jerri Blank, a 47-year-old ex-con who decides to return to her childhood home after 32 years away. Upon her return she learns that her father is in a self-induced coma and so Jerri decides to turn her life around, go back to high school and begin again.

Hilarious, twisted comedy put together by Amy Sedaris, Paul Dinello and Stephen Colbert, who wrote and starred in the cult Comedy Central series.

The Rodgers and Hammerstein Collection

Fox Home Entertainment has put together a terrific 12-disc box set of the greatest musicals ever written for Broadway and Hollywood. Six of most beloved musicals are included, each one received a grand 2-disc treatment that enhance each film and makes it sparkle again.

Included in the set are the 50th Anniversary Editions of Carousel and The King And I, a collector’s edition of South Pacific, and anniversary editions of The Sound of Music, State Fair and Oklahoma. The State Fair discs include the original 1945 musical starring Jeanne Crain, Dana Andrews and Dick Haymes, as well as the 1962 remake that starred Pat Boone, Bobby Darin and Ann-Margret