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“Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan”
a review by Darby O’Gill
Hello, my name a Darby. I review movie for you… nice.
In the spirit of comedy legends such as Andy Kaufman, and the boys of Spinal Tap, comes Sacha Baron Cohen’s “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.” In “Borat,” Baron Cohen brings one of his beloved characters from the HBO TV series “Da Ali G Show,” to the big screen.
This mocumentary follows the journey of Kazakhstan’s fourth most famous celebrity, Borat Sagdiyev, as he travels to the US and A to document our nation’s culture for Kazakhstan. But when Borat catches a late night marathon of “Baywatch,” he quickly falls in love with its star C.J. Parker, a.k.a. Pamela Anderson, and high jacks the documentary in a cross country trip to California to wed her. The character of Borat has always lent himself to awkward interviews, so it was of no big surprise that he would also lend himself to awkward situations. Now, I don’t want to ruin the magic of Hollywood for you, but there is no such thing as “reality,” be it television or film, unless it’s a true documentary, which “Borat” is not. I don’t think the movie was ever meant to be seen as real, but some of the situations set-up in the film are clearly produced. Meaning, people pretend to not be in on the joke, when clearly they are.
This doesn’t ruin the film, it just takes you out of the spirit of the movie every once in a while, and you can’t help but feel lied to because they try to pass it off as real. The best example I can think of is “jackass: the movie,” at no point in that film does anyone being, for lack of a better word, punked, seem to be in on the joke. It’s a perfect example of what “reality” entertainment should be. I don’t mean to paint a poor picture of the film, because it really is a good movie. I would say about 80% of the people being interviewed or talked to by Borat, believe he’s a real person, and have no idea their reaction to him is the joke, which is pretty good. Sacha Baron Cohen is a brilliant comedian; his commitment to the character is truly a testament of his skill. He never seems to brake character, which just makes the character that much more believable to the unsuspecting victim. Overall the movie is truly entertaining and surely secures Borat Sagdiyev a much deserved place among beloved comic characters.
Rating:
DVD Special Features:
- Deleted Scenes
- Global P.R. Tour
- Music Infomercial
I wish the special features on this DVD were better. The deleted scenes are great. There are eight in all. But the thing I hate is there is no play all button. You have to push play for all eight. It really sucks. However, the deleted scene in the grocery store is just a testament to Baron Cohen’s talent to manipulate situations. You have to see it to believe it. The other thing I would have liked on here is a commentary track. Whether it be Sacha Baron Cohen talking about creating the character and the making of the film; or as Borat commenting on the making of his documentary, a commentary is desperately needed on this DVD.
DVD Special Feature Rating:
“The Transformers: Season 1”
a review by Darby O’Gill
It’s the show that started it all. And if you’re in your 30’s, chances are good you grew up with Optimus Prime and Megatron bringing the battle of Cybertron to Earth.
The toys were the most groundbreaking things of their time, and the cartoon series just brought things to the next level. I’m going to be upfront with you guys, I’m more than bias when it comes to “The Transformers.” This stuff was a BIG part of my childhood. Now, just like most childhood memories, revisiting them could always be rather dangerous. I’ll never forget the first time I watched “Davey & Goliath” in my adult years… Wow! But I am glad to say for the most part these cartoons do hold up. They may not be as flashy as the animated cartoons of today, but if you can get past that, they really do give you a taste of your childhood. It’s amazing to realize just how much “The Transformers” was largely responsible for my deep seeded imagination and love of story telling. The new 25th Anniversary transfer of the first 16 episodes is truly outstanding. It may not be Blu-Ray, but it still looks good on an HDtv. I think one of the biggest surprises for me, from watching Season 1 again, is just how early the Dinobots were introduced in the series.
For some reason I seem to remember the Dinobots being added to the show later, but the truth is they came into play in episode eight. How about that? The bottom line is, it’s a must have if you ever loved this cartoon. I don’t know about you, but I’m planning on sitting my kids down in front of “The Transformers” and not “SpongeBob SquarePants.” Now let’s see what we can do about getting “M.A.S.K.” on DVD.
My Bias Rating:
DVD Special Features:
- Triple Changer: From Toy to Comic to Screen – The Origins of “The Transformers”
- Printable “Transport to Oblivion” Script (DVD ROM)
- A Rare PSA
- Archival Hasbro Toy Commercials
There could stand to be some more special features here. The featurette about the making of the toys and cartoons is great, but something a little more would be great on here. It’s fun to see the old toy commercials, but for rights reasons they have to blur out the kids’ faces. And I thought they were scary before.
“Crips and Bloods: Made In America”
a review by Darby O’Gill
Stacy Peralta has once again showed us why he is truly one the best documentary filmmakers of our time. I’ve been skateboarding since middle school, so to say I was a fan of “Dogtown and Z-Boys” would be something of an understatement. His follow-up documentary “Riding Giants” was equally amazing. Both films gave the audience an inside look at the birth of skateboarding and surfing, with a beautiful mix of stock footage and truly amazing photographs. The passion of the subject matter in both films was not much of a surprise. After all, Peralta was one of the founding fathers of modern skateboarding, and was surfing even before that. So of course when I heard his next project was going to be a look at the infamous Los Angeles gangs the Crips and Bloods, my first thought was… Really?
Not that I didn’t think he could, it’s just not the first thing I would have guessed for his next project. But it wasn’t until watching his latest opus, that I realized the true genius that is Stacy’s documentary style. Michael Moore is a fantastic filmmaker, but his films are clearly of his opinion and view. Stacy’s films seem more like history books that bust into vibrant life on the big screen. It’s in letting these stories tell themselves that Stacy sets himself apart from all other documenarians. “Crips and Bloods: Made In America” is a testament to that. His ability to tell this story without placing blame, or taking sides, but rather just doing what he can to help, speaks to his unbelievable character. I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Stacy Peralta, but I did have the honor of working with his brother Craig for six years, and I think it’s easy to say that they must have the greatest parents ever! The morals, the decency, the compassion, that these two men have, is truly mind-boggling. Whatever their parents did, worked. If you don’t believe me, watch “Crips and Bloods: Made In America” and see for yourself what humanity looks like.
Rating:
DVD Special Features:
• Interviews with Snoop Dogg & Lil Wayne
• The Making Of Crips and Bloods: Made In America
• Deleted Scenes
Transformers (2007)
June 24, 2009 in DVD Reviews, Movie Reviews | Tags: 80's cartoon, Autobots, commentary, Decepticons, Die Hard, douche bag, DVD, Kevin O'Connell, Megan Fox, Michael Bay, Optimus Prime, Oscars, Peter Cullen, robots, Shia LaBeouf, sound mixing, Steven Spielberg, Transformers | Leave a comment
“Transformers” (2007)
a review by Darby O’Gill
Okay, this is the “Holy Grail” of my childhood. I’ve been looking forward to a live action movie of “Transformers” since 1984. So the first time I heard they were making a live action movie, and that Michael Bay was directing, to say I got worried would be something of an understatement.
The more I heard about the project, the more I feared its release. Not to say I wasn’t going to see it; I just couldn’t see how Michael Bay and Hollywood were going to do any justice to my childhood dreams. Fast forward to July 4th 2007, and see just how surprised I was. And believe it or not, I liked it.
The movie does a great job of bringing “Transformers” to the masses, and making it a big summer blockbuster movie.
I still don’t think this is the movie I dreamed of when I was a kid, but it’ll do. Shia LaBeouf is a big help. That kid is amazing! He really knows how to make you believe in the character he plays in every movie.
I think the one thing that scared me the most about a live action “Transformers” movie was that Hollywood would just simply over do it. There would be just too many robots and big in your face action scenes. This, amazingly, is not the case. The decision to have only a handful of Autobots and Deceptions was a smart move. Less is more in a Michael Bay film… I KNOW!!! I’m not sure who was pulling the reins on the project (Steven Spielberg maybe?), but thank God they did. If I wanted to nit pick the movie, I could, but I would rather just enjoy it for what it is. The special effects are great, but the sound mixing is amazing! Sound mixer, Kevin O’Connell, or as he’s better known, the man without an Oscar, is the record holder for the most sound mixing nominations and no wins. Twenty in all, with zero wins, which is a crime, because his work on “Transformers” was by far the best of 2007.
The use of the original sound effects of the transformation makes a world of difference. The other thing that helps make the world of “Transformers” come to life is the voice talent of Peter Cullen reprising his original role as Optimus Prime. It just would never be the same without that voice. The Mom and Dad’s back and forth is your stereo typical comic relief, but the family’s chemistry works so well. It just works. Look, the movie overall is entertaining. If you are a fan of the old cartoon, just let that love go for two hours, and watch something you never thought you’d be able to see on the big screen.
Rating:
DVD Two-Disc Special Edition Features:
Disc 1:
I think Michael Bay is a truly talented director. His sense of timing, movement, and action cuts makes him an editor’s director. With all that being said, I would never want to spend ten minutes in a room with him. The only person that would enjoy listening to this commentary is Michael Bay. He just tells you these stories about how great he is. “I was the first person to ever do this.” “’Die Hard’ couldn’t do that.” “I’ve got a direct line to the Pentagon.”
“My penis is this big. Beat that!” For two hours! If anything I proved my commitment to this blog by sitting through the whole thing, so you won’t ever have to. You’re welcome. I’m not joking, or as Michael Bay would say, “Teasing.” Let me tell you, there are two types of people in this world, those who say, “I’m just kidding/joking” and those who are douche bags and think saying, “I’m just teasing,” will make up for all the asshole things they do to people. I would never tease you. For the love of God, don’t listen to this commentary!
Disc 2:
There is truly hours of behind the scenes and making of footage here. If you enjoyed the movie the special features will be well worth your time… and money.
DVD Special Feature Rating: