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

Last night we got a chance to see a free screening of the new Borat movie. I was already a fan of the character, so I knew I would be entertained at the least. I didn’t, however, expect to see the funniest movie I’ve ever seen.

For the uninitiated, Borat is a character played by Sacha Baron Cohen, he of Ali G fame. Borat is a correspondent from Kazakhstan TV and has for years now “filed” reports from around the country about American culture. The shtick is pretty funny, as Borat is never able to bridge the gap in culture. He takes things spoken to him very literally and comes across as an innocent foreigner bumbling his way through an exotic country.

Borat is also racist as Hell. He hates Jews and Gypsies and calls black people “chocolate faces.” He thinks women have smaller brains than men and even refers to rape as being a hobby. In Kazakhstan, he covers the annual "Running of the Jew" and brags about his Gypsy-beating skills. As his interviews go on, his prejudices slowly start to show themselves, and better yet, his subjects, who have no idea that they’re being played, often start to lower their defenses and let their own prejudices and hidden racist streaks out.

The Borat movie is more of the same, but amped up to 11. Cohen is an amazing comedic actor and not once does he show hints of dropping the Borat character. He keeps his game face on at all times, even when people are threatening him with bodily harm and worse. He never cracks a smile, he never let’s out a self-conscious laugh, not even when he brings a bag supposedly filled with his own feces to a high society dinner table.

He’s also a master of physical comedy and makes some decisions that are out and out shocking. As one member of our party asked, “is there a line between funny as hell and gay?”

The movie also makes the wise decision to come in at just under 90 minutes. While some people may say that that does not give enough bang for the buck, you get the impression that Cohen and company decide to make a shorter movie so that Borat is on screen long enough to be funny, but not long enough to become grating.

Lastly, the movie serves as great commentary for us, the American people. Because of his bumbling natures, he gets people to admit to some embarrassing things. No, I’m not talking about odd bathroom habits, but honest to God opinions of foreigners, cultural difference, and alternative lifestyles.

I can’t recommend this movie enough. I could talk more about it, but honestly, much of the humor lies in surprise and shock and I don’t want to ruin that for anyone. So check out Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan

One of the many reasons why I’d never be given a power ring…

Because if I had one, I’d probably…

(click to enlarge)

D

You know who’s never out a costume on Halloween?

Mystique.

Not that her powers wouldn’t always be kick-ass, but they would kick even more on Halloween.

Just a random thought…

D

SUPERMAN DID IT!

So word is that a Superman sequel would go into development if the movie hit the 200 million mark domestically, which it did this past weekend. It took 117 days. (click here for the full, but small, article.)

If that's not good enough news for Superman, today is the day Richard Donner returns to Superman as co-writer of action comics!




For some reason Superman doesn't look happy about it...

Of course that's not the only medium Richard Donner is returning to Superman with and over on the Superman homepage is a copy of this print ad of Richard Donner thanking the fans for their support of the Richard Donner cut of Superman II





You can get the Richard Donner cut solo or as part of this 14 disc Superman DVD set which includes all theatrical Superman movies, the Fleischer Studio's animated shorts, the 1951 Superman and the Mole-Men movie, and loads of extras.


Want more Superman on DVD? Yesterday the Justice League Unlimited Season One box set came out on DVD. It contians 26 episodes of animated goodness, (which is odd since the seasons were only 13 episodes long...)





You know, it's a good week to be Superman.

You know what's scary?

Being a "blue" in a "red" state like Georgia.

I get hosed on all kinds of good shit because I happen to live in the Bible-belt and in a conservative state.

The latest "screwed without so much as a drink" is not being able to see a kick-ass, post-Halloween movie festival dubbed "Horrorfest".



8 movies that won't be released to the general public because they're all pussies. 8 movies that ought to be awesome to see, especially in a festival atmosphere with others who'd really enjoy them. 8 movies I won't get to see until they get released on DVD, and probably one at a time causing me a tremendous pain in the ass.

I had hoped that maybe Savannah would get it, due to it having a more of an artsy culture than say the 'Boro. But no, not so much. Hell, not even Atlanta is getting it.

Oh well. Not a whole lot I can do about it. Except rant and rave which I've already done. So I guess that means I'm done for now.

D

Guilty

What makes this video gut-bustingly funny for me is that I had the opportunity to meet Tom Wilson about three years ago. There wasn't a big line to meet him, but there were people about, and everyone asked the same questions.

I even asked him to call me a butt-head (which I have no regrets over). So enjoy this little bit of music on this cold (in Atlanta at least) Monday morning.

A great paper about Oedipus!

I think this guy had the right idea, and apparently he was a little high when he wrote and submitted this paper.

Check the link, and this is contains adult language, but mainly will make you laugh your balls off. So don't read this while wearing shorts (cause you might lose your balls), or if you are at work and you don't want to get caught goofing off.


http://www.eng.usf.edu/~dionson/ezzay/

The Perfect Pitch

Let’s have a little fun, shall we. Pretend that you’ve been called before some studio execs to revamp old properties ala Battlestar Galactica. What would you do with them? Would they be subtle updates or complete reimaginings? Here're some of my picks and what I’d do:

The A-Team- A great concept already, I would make my new version a conspiracy show. A group of military guys framed for crimes they didn’t commit learn that a shadow government bent on global domination is responsible. Naturally, they decide the only way to bring them down is from the outside. So they bust out of prison and travel the country, and eventually the world, uncovering secret plots, and hoping to bring down the men who not only framed them, but also are destroying entire nations from within.

Knight Rider- An independent think tank, Foundation for Law and Government, creates the world’s most advanced super computer, capable of either advancing mankind into the future, or of being the greatest weapon ever made. Now, every power broker on the planet wants it for nefarious reasons. During a terrorist attack to get the computer, it is decided to hide it in plain site; within a car. Everyone, save Michael Knight is killed. Now Knight has been entrusted with keeping this would-be super weapon out of the wrong hands. As he goes from town to down to lay low, he not only helps people in need, but evades the powers that want what he has, and want him dead.

G.I. Joe- Mine would be a live action show wherein the CIA learns that a new organization known only as “Cobra” is slowly uniting the world’s terrorist groups into elite armies capable of taking on almost any army in the world directly. To combat it, a group of soldiers is hand picked to take down this group before it becomes a true global power. The stakes are high, and become even higher when the off-the-books black-ops team, named “G.I. Joe” learns that Cobra has not only found powerful foreign allies and that its leader, the enigmatic Cobra Commander, has become a folk hero in the third world, but the terrorist group has even infiltrated almost every level of government.

Greatest American Hero- Keep the same basic premise that finds a normal guy that comes into possession of an alien suit that grants him super powers. Instead of bungling through his new powers, though, now he embraces being a hero. However, the suit, now permanently bonded to him, doesn’t always react the way he thinks it will, and he soon finds that the aliens who gave it to him may not have done so out of benevolence. They may have made him their first weapon in an invasion of Earth.

Lost in Space- Again, same basic premise. A family is sent into space but is sabotaged by the nefarious Doctor Smith. However, they actually make it back to Earth and find that hundreds of thousands of years have passed and the population is gone. All they find is one cryptic message that may or may not point to way to where humanity went. This would be one of those sci-fi shows with lots of aliens, many who have never heard of human beings before, and if they have, it’s only been in folklore.

So there you go. Those are just a few examples. What do you think? What would you do differently? What other shows would you tackle?

A year in Nerdom!

In celebration of The Nerduary’s one-year anniversary, I figured I would do a run down of what’s gone down over the last year in fandom. This list is by no means comprehensive, but I’ll try to hit as many high points as possible.

Superman Returns- Everyone was excited about this movie, but a lot of people just didn’t like it. Me? Well, I thought it was outstanding. Special effects caught up with the Man of Steel, and for the first time in live action, we really got to see Supes cut loose. Big bonus for continuing the Donner stuff, too.

Civil War- Marvel’s big crossover event may well do what most stories of its kind try to do, and that’s make lasting change. So far, Spider-Man has revealed his identity on national television, Thor has been cloned, the Fantastic Four have split up and super villains are being used as weapons. Sure, there are some minor plot holes and a some of the characters are acting a little off, but by and large, good reading from a big company.

Infinite Crisis- The sequel to Crisis on Infinite Earths saw the return of the Golden Age Superman and Superboy Prime. Not a bad series, though, in hind site, not as much bang for my buck as I was hoping.

X-Men 3- With one movie, Fox managed to ruin everything great that Bryan Singer managed to do with the first two movies. Even worse, this monstrosity actually drew more people into the theaters than X:2, proving once again that the American viewing public is stupid.

Live Action Transformers a go- I’m so torn about this move, for every cool announcement that comes out, two more vile ones follow. I still haven’t decided if I’m going to see it or not, but the fact that The Transformers is still so popular is something really cool.

Heroes- While I don’t like this show, the fact remains that there are super heroes on prime time television being treated with respect. I have to give props to that. While we’re talking about super heroes…

Who Wants to be a Super Hero?- Stan Lee is slumming these days, no doubt about it, but who knew this show would be so damned addictive? The special effects were awesomely bad, the costumes were lame beyond words and the names just sucked. But come on, who didn’t love Major Victory?

New Doctor Who on American Television- The Doctor came to America once again via the Sci-Fi channel, and a fan was made out of me. I’d seen Doctor Who in various incarnations and always thought it lame, but the new series has just consistently blown me away. It’s also made me look at pepper shakers a little differently too.

X-Box 360- I’m not really an authority on video game consoles by any means, but folks that have played this bad boy seem to really enjoy it. I’m wondering how it will not only old-up next to the PS3, but the low priced Nintendo Wii. My money’s on the Wii.

So there you have it. What do you think? Did I leave anything big off? Let me know what you consider great moments in nerdom from this past year.

If you're gonna mess with a classic...

Micheal Bay, lick my nuts!

Seriously if you're gonna change the Transformers this is a cool way to go.



I stumbled across this, but check out this page.

http://www.idwpublishing.com/titles/transformers/hos.shtml

Chris' TV round-up

It’s been a while since I put some heavy content up here, so I figured what better way to get back into the saddle than to do a little write-up on the state of the Fall TV line (or, the TV shows that I’m currently watching).

HEROES- I’ll go ahead and get this one out of the way. I don’t really like this show. There. I said it. A lot of people have told me that I should like this show as it’s about super heroes, but having given it a try, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s not for me. I think my biggest beef with it is that I’ve seen this all before. Despite a heavy ad campaign telling me that it’s the most original show ever, Heroes is just like a million comic books I’ve read over the years, and surprise, most of the comics did better by the premise. Rising Stars and the current incarnation of Squadron Supreme pop to mind as the most recent examples (along with the entire Ultimate line at Marvel).

Plus, and Logan will know what I mean when I say this, every bit of dialogue is spoken like the audience is supposed to get that “a moment” is happening. It doesn’t seem real. Dramatic pauses, intense monologues and meaningful stares off camera just get annoying after awhile. The only bright spot is the Japanese kid Hiro (Hiro.. get it?) but even he’s not enough to keep me watching.

Oh, and one last thing; the girl that is invulnerable is just annoying. I realize that the only way to really show that she can’t be hurt is to hurt her, but Jesus, if she gets mortally wounded this much in just a few days, I’m shocked that she survived past being a toddler.

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA- Ever since the mini series debuted on Sci-Fi, both Logan and Jake have been telling me to watch, but for some reason, I kept shying away. Well, it turns out that I’ve been missing the best show on TV. I’m not kidding when I say that Battlestar Galactica blows every show on television out of the water. I actually screamed at the TV tonight when the closing credit came up I didn’t want it end that bad.

The special effects are killer by even feature film standards, the cast is just incredible and the writing is unbelievable. You watch this show and wonder how something this great got approved. Really, they aren’t supposed to make television this good.

If you’re not watching Battlestar Galactica, then shame on you (except Logan, who has more books to read than most of us will flip through in a lifetime).

LOST- The show that Heroes wants to be is still kicking ass, though I think if the writers don’t start answering some questions soon, it’s going to make like X-Files and cave in on it’s own mythology. I do like, though, how the season is paced so far, slowly revealing what’s become of the different characters, and they’ve managed to completely throw me through a loop with The Others. Too bad Lost goes on a three month hiatus in a few weeks.


STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP- Not a genre show, but hands down the one of the best new shows on TV. I can’t recommend this show enough. The writing is outstanding, thanks to Aaron Sorkin, the cast is top notch, and it manages to be one of those hour long shows that, when it’s over, you wonder where the time went.

PROJECT RUNWAY- Yes. I am addicted to this show. Fuck you for judging me.

Happy Birthday Nerduary!

I'm never one to forget a birthday. At least, I try my best not to forget.

The Nerduary has been up and running for one year this month. We've had ups and downs in terms of traffic over the past year, but I think it's safe to say this has been a cool site for all of us to share our inner nerd. I know I've enjoyed this place and I hope everyone else has, too.

To celebrate the one year mark, I thought I'd post a poll. It's been a while since we've had a Nifty Nerduary Showdown or even a poll. I know, I'm sorry. So I just thought we'd post a poll today on the favorite Showdown Nerduary folks remember from the past year. I'm not even sure I remember them all so write in candidates are welcome and encouraged (I guess if I really wanted, I could run through the archives but that would be too easy).

Anyhoo, I just thought the birthday well wishes were in order this month. I look forward to reading everyone's responses to the new poll. I'll be sure to tally up next week.

In the mean time, keep on nerdin.

Star Wars--Weird Al style

I thought you guys would enjoy this--if you haven't already seen it. Pretty funny stuff.

Lord of the Rings ... by Lucas?

Hola Nerduary folks. I found this little beauty over the weekend and I just had to share. The short cartoon movie takes the premise of what Lord of the Rings would have been like had George Lucas directed the trilogy. Some of my favorite scenes are listening to Rick McCallum and other lackies kiss millionaire butt.

The movie was also a little sad to be honest. Who wold have thought back in the 90s when we first heard about the new Star Wars movies that everyone would be making fun of them the way we have been? Sometimes you laugh in life because it's funny and sometimes you laugh because it's true. This is one of the latter.

But enough of me. Take a look at the video and see what you think.

Disappointment Abound

With all the great highs I've had about TV lately, it was sure to have some lows as well...

Spike TV has confirmed for The Continuum that Blade: The Series has been canceled by the network.
Jill Wagner, who played Krista Starr, said on her MySpace page late Thursday that she was informed of the show ending.
According to the network, there will still be a DVD release of the series from New Line.

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And then I saw the promo pics of The Green arrow on Smallville.

He looks a little too much like Ultimate Hawkeye to me.

Oh well. Guess I'll have to take the bad with all the good and hope that the positive side of the scale stays a little lower.

D