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benj clews 
"...."
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 Posted - 11/04/2006 : 21:10:54
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Well, I'm bitterly, bitterly disappointed with this film. It's possible that it's been overhyped to the point it couldn't live up to the rep- reports of people having asthma attacks (which smacks of the kind of publicity some horror films used years ago, claiming people suffered heart attacks during screenings) and even something I read that the genius that is Larry David asked for his private screening to be stopped because he was laughing so hard. It's also possible I found the whole thing wore a bit thin quite quickly and half the jokes were things from the Ali G show.
I dunno, but I quickly saw the pattern emerge- 90% of the film seemed to be either jokes about Jews being evil or women being inferior. All of these were funny first or second time around, but in no way held up for 90 minutes.
I also felt the switch from scripted material to genuine interviews with people didn't really sit well with each other- I started to wonder how much of the supposedly real responses were not just more set-ups. Seriously- can you do that kind of thing to Pamela Anderson and (a). not get arrested and sued by her and (b). regardless of point (a) not be all over the news? Also, how come the horse fell over exactly on cue at the rodeo? And just how shocking is the scene with the prostitute at the dinner party when you later find out she was an actress too? All these questions and more left me thinking it should have been one way or the other- all real, or all scripted, otherwise you start to feel manipulated.
To it's credit, there was a story there- it wasn't just random stuff slung together, and the ending did cleverly re-use earlier references to give some kind of circular completeness (the solution to the guy with only one arm, Borat's declaration to Pamela as he was dragged away "...NOT!"), so there was obviously intelligent planning put into how the story would begin and end, almost like an episode of 'Curb'.
Oh... and you just can't go wrong with two naked guys wrestling in front of a convention audience with a rubber dildo. It's just... well, was any of it real, or was the joke on me? 
P.S. Was there not some scene where Borat sang a song about "throw the Jew down the well" in a C&W bar? Does anyone know... has this been cut? |
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Sean 
"Necrosphenisciform anthropophagist."
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Posted - 11/04/2006 : 21:53:50
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Haven't seen it, but not surprised you didn't like it. I'm gonna wait for a lot more people to see it before I decide whether I wanna watch it or not. The snippets I've seen suggest the humour is aimed at teenagers. The IMDb scoring spread also suggests this is the case.
You're probably just getting too old for that kind of humour.  |
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benj clews
"...."
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Posted - 11/04/2006 : 23:29:11
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quote:
Originally posted by Se7n
You're probably just getting too old for that kind of humour.
I like to think of it as getting more discerning  |
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GHcool
"Forever a curious character."
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Posted - 11/05/2006 : 02:22:39
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I just saw it too. I saw it in a screening with a nearly full house in Los Angeles and the entire theater was rolling in the aisles. It was about as good and as funny as I expected it to be, so I guess in my opinion, it did live up to the hype. It was also more offensive than I expected it to be.
Yeah, after seeing the movie I'm pretty sure that the Pamela thing was scripted, but while I was watching the scene, I felt genuinely shocked and the thought didn't go through my head. |
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benj clews
"...."
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Posted - 11/05/2006 : 11:34:41
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quote:
Originally posted by GHcoo7
I just saw it too. I saw it in a screening with a nearly full house in Los Angeles and the entire theater was rolling in the aisles.
That was another odd thing during my screening- sure there were some moments where we all laughed, but never anything that got this kind of reaction. I'm starting to wonder if we even saw the same film  |
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ChocolateLady 
"500 Chocolate Delights"
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Posted - 11/05/2006 : 12:01:44
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quote:
Originally posted by benj clews
quote:
Originally posted by GHcoo7
I just saw it too. I saw it in a screening with a nearly full house in Los Angeles and the entire theater was rolling in the aisles.
That was another odd thing during my screening- sure there were some moments where we all laughed, but never anything that got this kind of reaction. I'm starting to wonder if we even saw the same film
Hm... LA: ...rolling in the aisles; UK: ...moments were we all laughed... Perhaps its a cultural thing?
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Edited by - ChocolateLady on 11/05/2006 12:02:15 |
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Whippersnapper. 
"A fourword thinking guy."
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Posted - 11/05/2006 : 13:16:51
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quote:
Originally posted by Chocolate7ady
quote:
Originally posted by benj clews
quote:
Originally posted by GHcoo7
I just saw it too. I saw it in a screening with a nearly full house in Los Angeles and the entire theater was rolling in the aisles.
That was another odd thing during my screening- sure there were some moments where we all laughed, but never anything that got this kind of reaction. I'm starting to wonder if we even saw the same film
Hm... LA: ...rolling in the aisles; UK: ...moments were we all laughed... Perhaps its a cultural thing?
Oh, do they have culture in LA now?  ... ...
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ChocolateLady
"500 Chocolate Delights"
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Posted - 11/05/2006 : 13:37:24
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quote:
Originally posted by Whippersnapper
quote:
Originally posted by Chocolate7ady
quote:
Originally posted by benj clews
quote:
Originally posted by GHcoo7
I just saw it too. I saw it in a screening with a nearly full house in Los Angeles and the entire theater was rolling in the aisles.
That was another odd thing during my screening- sure there were some moments where we all laughed, but never anything that got this kind of reaction. I'm starting to wonder if we even saw the same film
Hm... LA: ...rolling in the aisles; UK: ...moments were we all laughed... Perhaps its a cultural thing?
Oh, do they have culture in LA now? ......
Hey, there's a first time for everything!
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AC 
"Returning FWFR Old-Timer"
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Posted - 11/05/2006 : 16:39:13
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Hey everyone - a cameo on a Sunday morning for me.
I saw the premiere of Borat at the Toronto International Film Festival a couple months back, on the second attempt at a premiere after the projector broke down at the first try. Borat arrived at the premiere in a wagon, with a donkey sitting in the wagon next to him, with the whole thing pulled by a couple of Kazakh peasant women.
I'm pretty sure it's because it was a house filled with huge Borat fans, and because there had been next to no hype prior to the screening, but the hysterical reaction to the film was something I've never seen before. None of the best moments had been revealed in trailers, and no one in the room could believe the places Cohen was going with the character. I'm pretty hesitant to go back and see it again now - my memory of it is one of the most funny, awkward 90 minutes I've had in years, and I'd hate to ruin that for myself taking it out of the Film Fest context.
The Throw the Jew down the Well song wasn't in the movie when I saw it, and we got the uncensored version. I think it was just in the TV show.
Anyway, I just thought I'd chip in my two cents. I loved the film, and I don't think I'll go back to see it again just because I want to hang on to that feeling. Watching Borat on the Daily Show this week was pure genius though. And apparently the bidding war for the rights to the Bruno movie is approaching $50 million...
Hope you're all well. Things are good for me - ridiculously busy, but loving it. |
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GHcool
"Forever a curious character."
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Posted - 11/05/2006 : 22:31:14
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quote:
Originally posted by AussieCanuck
I'm pretty sure it's because it was a house filled with huge Borat fans, and because there had been next to no hype prior to the screening, but the hysterical reaction to the film was something I've never seen before. None of the best moments had been revealed in trailers, and no one in the room could believe the places Cohen was going with the character. I'm pretty hesitant to go back and see it again now - my memory of it is one of the most funny, awkward 90 minutes I've had in years, and I'd hate to ruin that for myself taking it out of the Film Fest context.
I'm not surprised at this. My screening was also on opening weekend with what I assumed were fans of the character. I probably will never see the Borat movie again because it won't be as funny the second time. It is not a very sophisticated satire in the same way that Thank You For Smoking was. Once is enough for Borat, and if you do see it, make sure to see it with its target audience. |
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Cheese_Ed 
"The Provolone Ranger"
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Posted - 11/06/2006 : 00:04:11
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My audience last night was rolling, and I pretty much was too. I came into it a BIG Borat fan and I wasn't disappointed... shockingly. Usually I ruin all movies I'm excited about with my expectations.
The C+W Borat song was form the American 'Da Ali G Show'.
I love the fact that I'm somewhat baffled by what was scripted and what wasn't.
And you were dead on, benj, those two "close the circle" references with the Not joke and the fake arm were exceptionally brilliant. |
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Demisemicenturian
"Four ever European"
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Posted - 11/07/2006 : 13:50:26
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quote:
Originally posted by benj clews
P.S. Was there not some scene where Borat sang a song about "throw the Jew down the well" in a C&W bar? Does anyone know... has this been cut?
Like A.C. and Cheese_Ed have said, this was from the television show. (A review in the Guardian or Observer also specified that this scene did not appear, so it is obviously a common misconception.) It was repeated on television on Wednesday night in a double bill. I was in stitches in my flat and that scene was particularly hilarious and disturbing, and worked better than the national anthem scene in the film. I saw the film on Thursday night (and was surprised that it had not sold out in advance, although the screen was full by the time the film started). I haven't got time before the end of lunch to write what I thought of it, but will do so later... |
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randall
"I like to watch."
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Posted - 11/07/2006 : 22:58:01
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quote:
Originally posted by benj clews
P.S. Was there not some scene where Borat sang a song about "throw the Jew down the well" in a C&W bar? Does anyone know... has this been cut?
And remember, benj: the proper title of this song is, "In My Country There Is Problem". It resides on one of the ALI G DVDs in the American incarnation. |
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Cheese_Ed
"The Provolone Ranger"
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Posted - 11/15/2006 : 13:42:15
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quote:
Originally posted by Salopian
quote:
Originally posted by benj clews
P.S. Was there not some scene where Borat sang a song about "throw the Jew down the well" in a C&W bar? Does anyone know... has this been cut?
Like A.C. and Cheese_Ed have said, this was from the television show. (A review in the Guardian or Observer also specified that this scene did not appear, so it is obviously a common misconception.) It was repeated on television on Wednesday night in a double bill. I was in stitches in my flat and that scene was particularly hilarious and disturbing, and worked better than the national anthem scene in the film. I saw the film on Thursday night (and was surprised that it had not sold out in advance, although the screen was full by the time the film started). I haven't got time before the end of lunch to write what I thought of it, but will do so later...
Still waiting for your review, Sal! |
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Yukon
"Co-editor of FWFR book"
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Posted - 11/16/2006 : 03:49:34
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Saw Borat on the second weekend in theatres so I don't think it was just die hard fans. Never scene Da ALi G show or any Borat before seeing the movie.
I haven't heard a crowd laugh so hard -- myself included -- in years. I'm very politically incorrect so the humour appealed to me.
I gave it 5/5. |
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GHcool
"Forever a curious character."
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Posted - 11/21/2006 : 04:32:59
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There's an article in the LA Times today about how the residents of the town where they shot the Kazakhstan scenes in Romania are trying to sue 20th Century Fox because they did not know they were being made fools of. The article says they were all Roma (aka Gypsies) that were paid a mere $4.00 per day to appear in the film. 20th Century Fox says that this was twice what the Romanian film commission recommended! The man that played the "town mechanic and abortionist" was especially insensed as was the amputee that gained a new "prosthetic arm." The residents said they were under the impression that they were acting in an American documentary on Roma life and culture, but 20th Century Fox says that the contracts they signed made it clear that they were not.
Of course, the Roma are going to lose the lawsuit. The law is probably on the side of 20th Century Fox, but it seems to me when I read the article that the producers acted unethically. In situations like this, my grandfather (who also comes from Romania) says, "Its kosher, but it stinks!" What do you all think? |
Edited by - GHcool on 11/21/2006 04:33:20 |
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Borat
