Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

You can go home again, but usually when you do you find a lot of things have changed. Unlike our first go round with Kazakhstan‘s most famous fictional son, this outing is uneven, less focused, and not exactly the laugh riot we got from the original. That’s not to say that this movie isn’t funny; there are a number of good bits within this piece that provide some laugh-out-loud moments, but those scenes are too few. The plot is more diffuse here; unlike the first movie’s relatively straightforward storyline of Borat's quest to meet his dream girl—alas, Pam does not make a return appearance—this time it is abundantly clear that his and his daughter’s journey is a scattershot tour of various points in the country, with Texas being a main theater for the action, with predictable results. Indeed, a lot about this outing is predictable, leading to the sense that these scenes, in contrast with the first flick’s impromptu, guerrilla-style comedy, were largely staged. It seems like fewer and fewer of the participants were unwilling dupes, and that makes a lot of the jokes come across as flat. Ultimately, the conclusion is inevitable: try as he might, Cohen tried to pull off for a second time what was a one-time only trick. And that’s the kind of thing that will get you banished to Kazakhstan...or someplace worse: irrelevance.

The Dictator

Sacha Baron Cohen's world absurdity tour continues, but with diminishing returns. It is instructive to do a compare and contrast with the auteurs most successful work, Borat. The earlier movie, made in faux documentary style, landed one uproarious laugh after another, while this effort, a more standard fictional comedic setup with Cohen playing African-Arab autocrat Aladeen, has its fine moments, but they come scattershot, mostly as jokes and one-liners that work in isolation. Clearly, the demands of a fictional narrative muted the impact of Cohen’s outrageous style of comedy. What you’re left with, then, is a film that represents probably the lower endpoint of this comedian's arc. It is no wonder that Cohen eventually moved away from this sort of movie and took on a number of smaller, often more serious roles in later years. As for this work, again, it has its moments, but given the expectations raised by the earlier efforts, it is difficult to view this entry as anything but a disappointment—and that verdict is rendered despite the presence of the normally reliable Anna Faris as Aladeen's foil/love interest. (The final joke, by the way, is fully telegraphed and comes as no surprise to anyone in the audience who has been paying the slightest attention.) Thankfully, those of us who do not live in Wadiya have the freedom to choose whether or not to watch this work. If you’re feeling as self-indulgent as your typical Middle Eastern dictator, perhaps you will wish to spend your time on this endeavor. Otherwise, you may seek the refuge of giving this one a pass.

Les Misérables

Simply spectacular stuff. I was surprised by all the complaints I heard and read about this film; the issues raised never amounted to more than quibbles in my eyes. What I got out of it was a great viewing experience: tremendous performances from several of the cast members (Jackman, Hathaway, and Barks in particular), a lot of memorable music, and a rich visual presentation that truly enhanced the complex and deeply emotional story. I was especially intrigued by how Javert prefigures the soldiers of Nazi Germany, and by the moral contrast between Javert's failures and Valjean’s powerfully redemptive story. Not just bang-up entertainment, but heavy, interesting stuff to think about, too. A must see.

Hugo

Martin Scorsese finally discovers subtlety. It's worth noting, perhaps, that if even one of the characters in this movie had simply told the honest truth from the beginning, much trouble could have been averted. Then again, we wouldn't have had much of a movie. And this is much of a movie: a wonderful, deeply involving--at times riveting--story about life, hope, and redemption that also makes a powerful case for the director's pet passion of film preservation. The film's look is gorgeous; the 3D aspects, even in a 2D presentation, never overwhelm the storytelling. And pitch perfect performances from the terrific cast (even from Sacha Baron Cohen's almost over the top station inspector) bring the story alive and make for a deeply affecting movie experience. A must see.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street

Occasionally too over the top, but the film brings us nice direction from Tim Burton, beautiful cinematography, and just the right touch of insanity in a surprisingly effective story. All in all, we'll call it a fine mess.

Madagascar

Another animated film suffering from Familiar Voice Syndrome. When will someone realize that when you get big names to voice-over these flicks, they're not creating characters--they're just doing their shtick? And, at this point, when we're well down the line of technical brilliance in computer animation, you've got to bring something more to the table than a nice look. This one has amusing moments, but a few laughs are not enough, and the overall story is weak. Mostly, this trip to the jungle is a very tame ride.

Borat

No, it's not the funniest movie ever made. But it has to rank up there. It's not an entirely original idea--the concept owes a lot to the Festrunk brothers from old SNL days, among others--but the trip is brilliantly executed here. Sacha Baron Cohen's particular genius seems to be a dogged determination never to break character, plus a great instinct for never letting a gag go too long (a common mistake in comedy). I don't know from offensive, so I won't warn anyone away from this hodgepodge of racial/ethnic humor; movies like this are for real adults anyway. Bottom line: if you have any kind of sense of humor, you will laugh