Film: Borat makes his mark, Ewan MacGregor lazes around and England win the World Cup
Borat's cultural learnings in America are out this week
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Monday, 02, Oct 2006 06:01
Sacha Baron Cohen has made his living for a number of years catching unwitting bigots off their guard. Now it looks like he's about to make his fortune.
The spoof star's latest film, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, is one of the most widely anticipated releases of its genre for some time. The formula is, in its rather unique way, a simple one. Take one fictional Kazakh filmmaker. Put him in a room and bounce his outrageous opinions off apparently normal people. The result? Revelations of prejudice and bigotry on the big screen, and a box office smash for the film's producers.
All the signs are pointing that way ahead of the film's release tomorrow, at least. The character of Borat has been the card up Baron Cohen's sleeve for quite some time, an ace ready to trump the dwindling popularity of his original faux character, Ali G. The genuinely clever overtones of Borat's satire, which somehow allows the audience to laugh at its own prejudicies as well as those of stupid Americans, is bound to be a surefire hit. "Cultural learning is emportant to follow on global basis [sic]," the film's publicity states. Too true.
Another big film out this week is Scenes Of A Sexual Nature, starring Ewan Macgregor and Sophie Okonedo. Directed by Ed Blum in his first major cinematic outing, this British-made film immerses the audience in the atmosphere of a summer afternoon on Hampstead Heath in London. The antics of seven couples are the device used to explore love, relationships, lust, loss and any other emotion that makes the heart go a little wobbly.
Reviews of the film have been somewhat mixed - it seems you'll either love it or you loathe it. While some have condemned it as nothing more than a load of portmanteau twaddle, others have said it provides a light opportunity for a bit of innocent voyeurism. If you've ever wondered what the next couple in the park are talking about, go and see the film.
If, however, you'd rather get up and play football with your mates, Sixty Six is probably a better bet. This Working Title film dredges up all the agony of the World Cup yet again, being set against the backdrop of the 1966 World Cup final. Sadly for 12-year-old Bernie, the final is on the same day of his bar mitzvah, leaving his big day inevitably to be ruined by England's clash with Germany. Light comedy ensues. Helena Bonham Carter puts in a good performance as Bernie's working class mother.
A far cry from the pleasant family values of Sixty Six is Waist Deep a rather gritty urban drama about an ex-con called O2 who is forced to engage in brutal violence, invoke gangland killings and enlist the help of a street hustler in order to save his son's life. This probably isn't one to take your granny to, but fans of Grand Theft Auto will probably find something here that could be right up their street.
As for the week's other releases, Mischief Night is a gritty northern drama of two colliding communities, Abbie Cornish and Heath Ledger combine the drug of love with a love of drugs in Candy and a nocturnal journey to Edinburgh unearths some very strange characters in Night Town. Take your pick.