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| gromit |
 Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2009 3:49 am |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
Posts: 9010
Location: Shanghai
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Bruno is silly, puerile and full of dildos and anal sex references. I had to shut it off after one hour because I was laughing so hard. I was also hungry. Cohen once again proves to be ballsy as hell.
I think Bruno is better than Borat because the skits hang together better in a more coherent framework. I think Cohen and Charles took notes on how Michael Moore constructs his films of disparate parts, which makes Bruno a more well-oiled film. Nice transitions like the gay-converting counselor telling Bruno he should try to spend time around available women leads Bruno, who never does things halfway or even two-thirds, to a swingers party where a big blonde with a belt is much tougher and scarier than Bruno's drill instructor. Actually the gay counseling works very well as a set-piece in itself and as a transition to showing Bruno follow up on the advice he is given.
All of the gay jokes and homophobia uncovered are fairly easy targets, but still deserve skewering and are usually funny. Yet the film is probably best on mocking celebrity culture. Were those two airhead (twins?) who do charity consulting for real? They knew nothing about anything and could hardly formulate coherent sentences. Loved the Paula Abdul interview talking about her humanitarian concerns. Bruno's adopted baby provides some good moments. Who knows what those people pimping their kids for movies were thinking.
I got a kick out Bruno mangling and confusing English names. He calls Ron Paul, RuPaul. Will Smith becomes Wilhelm Schmidt; Brad Pitt, Bradolph Pittler. I even laughed when a chubby cop comes on to the public bus to arrest Bruno and he calls him Paul Blart.
On to the last 20 minutes, starting with Staright Dave's Man Slammin' Max Out ... |
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| lissa |
| Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2009 12:23 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 2148
Location: my computer
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Where The Wild Things Are is actually getting great reviews anywhere I've looked. I studied the book as part of my undergrad - some of the phrasing and how kids see things differently than adults, perception and reality as well as escapism and imagination. It looks like the film is a "loosely based" deal, with more of a storyline for Max than in the (perfectly) shorter book. But I'm curious enough, and utterly captivated (even these many years later) by the film. The costumes (or CGG) are spot on to the book's illustrations...to this day, I can feel the thrill of having read the book when I was a child. I think I'll see this one soon.
And yes, external forces can ruin the movie experience to the point where one's perception of the movie is skewed. I go to later movies if kids will be there, because chances are, there won't be tiny tots, just older - more movie-interested kids. |
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| lissa |
| Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2009 12:28 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 2148
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| gromit - Cohen is incredibly gutsy. But my favorite of his characters remains Ali G himself. Talk about mangling...watch the show (all available on DVD) and watch how he unnerves some of the most straight-and-narrow-minded people we know (watch Newt squirm). Of course, the Ali G show had Brüno AND Borat skits as well. It's all just great, in my opinion. |
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Statistically, 6 out of 7 dwarfs aren't happy. |
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| Joe Vitus |
| Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2009 6:26 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 14498
Location: Houston
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If you get a chance, see The Invention of Lying, a mordent little comedy that deserves better box office than it's gotten, and is likely headed for the sort of home video success of pictures like Office Space. Similarly, it is an ultimately depressing look at existence filtered through a fantasy that makes everyday life almost palatable.
It stars Ricky Gervais and is co-written/directed by him and Matthew Robinson. There's a cameo from the actor who played Garth on the original The Office. Jennifer Garner is a great female lead and Jeffrey Tabor, Tina Fey, Rob Lowe, give good support. Jason Bateman, Christopher Guest, and Ed Norton (the last uncredited), flit through in small parts. It may be somewhat tough to take for some, but I think it's worth a look.
Gervais lives in a world where no one has ever leared to lie. So people bluntly, but often politely, say exactly what they're thinking. When Gervais' character spontaneously develops the ability to lie in a moment of crisis (he doesn't even know what to call it because in a world that has never developed lying, there has never been a need for words/concepts like "truth" or "falsehood") he has a great deal of leverage over everyone else on the planet. But appealiingly, he doesn't want to use his gift cruelly or selfishly.
Lack of lying means something more in this world than simple lack of deception. It also means lack of imagination. Everyone is depressingly literal in their expectations, and their expectations are depressingly low. There is no art. Movies, for instance, are nothing more than one man reading accurate historical synopses to the camera. Lying encompasses every sugar-coated concept that makes life bearable, and even the imagination to see beyond literal truths.
SPOILER
The movie also posits that religion and any belief in a God or an afterlife is just a fantasy we tell ourselves to make the inescapable bearable. I don't think you have to agree with this point to enjoy the movie, but it may be too disturbing for some, especially for people who essentially believe this but aren't comfortable admitting it. An atheist comedy isn't likely to show up on many Top Ten Lists, but I think no matter what you think about its take on religion, this movie is more than worth seeing. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2009 6:38 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Location: New York City
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Joe--You've done it, and it rarely is accomplished, even here on the forums where I respect a lot of folks:
You've made me eager to see a movie I had almost absolutely no interest in seeing. Though I love Gervais on the original The Office, I am otherwise meh about him, and the premise for The Invention of Lying--you must admit--sounds incredibly contrived. Where is this world where no one lies? Maybe it existed back in the Jurassic era, but where in the modern world do you find this? Therefore my attitude was that the movie is like shooting ducks in a barrel.
But you compared it with Office Space. And that's enough for me. I can see the comparison even from seeing the trailers. And I'm renting it. |
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2009 6:59 am |
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| Billy, you didn't like Gervais in Ghost Story? I thought he was terrrific in a very good movie. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2009 7:11 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Location: New York City
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marantzo wrote: Billy, you didn't like Gervais in Ghost Story? I thought he was terrrific in a very good movie.
To be brutally honest, I thought the movie was only pretty good, and for me it was stolen by Greg Kinnear and--definitively--by Tea Leoni. Gervais IMO lacks charisma except when cast impeccably, as (brilliantly and memorably) in The Office, slightly less so in the very overrated Extras series. |
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2009 7:36 am |
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I think his role in Ghost Story was supposed to lack charisma. Kinnear and Leoni were very good and I've never liked Leoni in the least. I thought the scene where the doctors are trying to hide what happened during the operation was a comic classic. And I thought the love story was very touching.
I think you're just an unsentimental misanthrope.  |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2009 7:40 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Location: New York City
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| Of course Leoni's performance in Spanglish is one of the greatest litmus tests of them all. To some (me included) it's a riveting, brave, amazing achievement. To others it stinks. |
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2009 8:21 am |
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Haven't seen Spanglish, but I do remember your review of it. Meant to se it, but it never worked out. Maybe it will open here. It is Spanglish after all.
Oops, I just asked Marta if it had been here and she said that it has been. She hasn't seen it. |
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| lady wakasa |
| Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2009 12:12 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 5911
Location: Beyond the Blue Horizon
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| I read a bit of Gervais's blog when they were still filming. I really liked The Office, so I'll keep an eye out for this. |
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| lissa |
| Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2009 12:49 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Location: my computer
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Correction, y'all...it's Ghost Town and I did love that movie. I thought it was a throwback to the old-fashioned comedy romance genre and done very well.
I love Ricky. I've been wanting to see The Invention of Lying since before it came out - almost went this week but my friend from out of town wasn't into it, so we passed. Still, I'll see it - and thanks, Joe, you cemented it for me! |
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Statistically, 6 out of 7 dwarfs aren't happy. |
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| lissa |
| Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2009 12:53 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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billy - the premise is obviously contrived - that's the fun of it. Imagine a world where no one lies! Brilliant. Some of the trailers I've seen have been rip-roaringly funny (Garner and Gervais on a date while she speaks on the phone to someone about him...just priceless).
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Statistically, 6 out of 7 dwarfs aren't happy. |
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| Syd |
| Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2009 12:54 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12921
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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| I thought Ghost Town was easily Leoni's best screen performance. I used to like her on TV. |
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| Joe Vitus |
| Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2009 3:01 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Location: Houston
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billyweeds wrote: Joe--You've done it, and it rarely is accomplished, even here on the forums where I respect a lot of folks:
You've made me eager to see a movie I had almost absolutely no interest in seeing. Though I love Gervais on the original The Office, I am otherwise meh about him, and the premise for The Invention of Lying--you must admit--sounds incredibly contrived. Where is this world where no one lies? Maybe it existed back in the Jurassic era, but where in the modern world do you find this? Therefore my attitude was that the movie is like shooting ducks in a barrel.
But you compared it with Office Space. And that's enough for me. I can see the comparison even from seeing the trailers. And I'm renting it.
If it helps, the movie takes place in an alternate reality. And I agree that the premise is shaky. I expected a cute light comedy, and maybe that's how most people are taking it.
At any rate, I hope my comparison to Office Space makes sense when you see it. |
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