Thursday, July 09, 2009
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"Bruno:" You Don't Have to Wait for The End (Guest Blog by Diane Medved)
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Posted by:
Michael Medved at
6:13 PM
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Last night, my husband invited me to a pre-release screening of the new Sacha Baron Cohen flick, "Bruno." Our son has been anticipating this for weeks, because he just loved "Borat," where Baron Cohen plays a bigoted, backward "innocent" journalist from Khazakstan interviewing and grossing out people across America. I happened to attend the Borat screening and found myself at many points laughing (and feeling guilty about it) and at other points completely revolted.
I felt guilty because the Borat character created hilarious situations by taking advantage of people. Kindly, helpful teachers, dinner companions, hoteliers and others were exploited and made to look either stupid or prejudiced. A scene where children run in real terror from an ice cream truck equipped with a ferocious live bear is funny, but at the same time painful. I think my son liked Borat because it's the kind of immature humor that 15-year-old-boys appreciate, in which scatology and others' embarrassment serve the cause of personal kicks. Luckily, he got an invitation to go camping with a friend, so wasn't in town for the Bruno screening.
From the buzz about the new film and a few teaser clips, I knew that Borat would be tame by comparison. I'm not eager to focus on anyone's rear end, and the word about Bruno was that orificial humor was prevalent. So, much as I enjoy an evening out with my husband, I chose to skip this one.
I'm so glad I did.
My husband--who was highly disappointed in the movie--came home ready to give me a detailed description, but had to phrase things carefully, and even then several times I stopped him mid-statement. The plot sounds not only disrespectful of gays, but downright degrading of them, as well as of straights. Inserting items in dank receptacles apparently comprises a large portion of the action.
The Internet Movie Data Base features a "Parents' Guide" page listing potentially objectionable scenes. There are no entries under "Profanity," "Alcohol/Drugs/Smoking" and "Frightening/Intense Scenes" for Bruno. But what's provided under "Sex and Nudity" sounds frightening enough to me; I'm uncomfortable repeating them. "Grade inflation" or crafty producers managed to nab the film an R rating; my husband felt this was a definite NC-17.
After hearing the contents of this film, my only question was, "who'd want to see this?" It's certainly not a date movie. All women, lesbians included, would be turned off by the exaggerated gay stereotypes, and certainly by the anal fixation. Heterosexual males won't be attracted to the crude overt homosexuality; it's not politically correct even to laugh at it. And I'd guess that gay guys wouldn't find Sacha Baron Cohen's crass portrayal of their sexuality either arousing or supportive of their cause.
I could be wrong, however.
There might be enough immature guys who enjoy watching animated, talking members, champagne bottles in unusual holders, and cage-fighting that devolves into men making out, to carry this film to success. But, to the credit of our national sensitivities, I doubt it.
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Enjoy (if that's possible).
However, have you directly asked people across the world what they think of American "Culture" or is that just your opinion? Like your nose, I and everyone else has one about our culture today. Muslim extremists for one have made very plain what they think of our culture. I tend to agree with them when it comes to gratuitous displays of adults with no self control and indulging every whim no matter how degrading, disgusting, and of no social merit what-so-ever.
Mine wrinkles at the smell of what passes for humor these days. It's childish, boorish, and just downright unfunny. But again do enjoy tonight's entertainment, just don't get any on your feet. That stain won't come out of the carpet. |
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good points.
What I don't get is why TH types, and Medved, have to act all offended by Cohen's movies. Don't go. Instead, they have to make an attack on why foreigners 'hate us', which is kind of funny considering that 2/3 of the American people don't have passports so they wouldn't know what a 'foreigner' thinks at all. They have no contact with 'foreigners'. That may be a reason why they think foreigners 'hate us', they've never had a discussion with anyone outside of their social group.
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You said that 'My daughter is 20 years old
therefore she has never been exposed to quality entertainment. If talented people, writers and actors and such can hold the attention of the audience without using foul language or sexual content that is quality entertainment."
Really? My two kids (19 and 26) are extremely well-read, do well in school, write brilliantly, are well-traveled and are movie buffs. My older son's favorite movies are Strangelove and the Godfather, my younger one's are Kill Bill and Pulp Fiction. All of those movies are for mature, curious minds. We all go to see movies like UP (truly charming) or James Bond and Bourne movies.
Did your daughter see Schindler's List? Not a lot of swear words, but surely a lot of horror. How about Doubt? Monty Python movies?
I will simply never understand why so many get upset by so-called 'foul' language. You have an on/off switch on the tv, and no one makes you go to movies.
Sacha Baron Cohen is a highly educated man (Cambridge) who unmasks liars and haters. What better movie for your daughter (who at 20 surely picks her own entertainment) to see...one where the hypocrisy of people is exposed. No one would watch a preaching movie about hypocrisy and evil...what better way to get a point across (go see a Chaplin, Marx Brothers or Monty Python flick) than through comedy? |
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Is a lot like Andy Kaufman, Alice Cooper, Marilyn Manson in that the point of their act is to make people uncomfortable and get a "rise" out of them.
If you don't get the joke then the odds are it's on you. I am still amazed that he has turned late night TV comedy from Britain into two feature length American films but they are still funny (I'm assuming I will like Bruno as I loved Borat.)
From what I heard the point of the movie is for Bruno to get famous by doing publicity stunts like adopting the African baby. He is mocking celebrity culture and our fixation with it. But the thing I want to see is his attempt to make a celebrity sex tape with Ron Paul, yes that is why Ron Paul is in the movie. |
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last time I checked, Sasha Baron Cohen is British. So I don't know who the 'us' is in your expression 'why they hate 'us'. If you mean Americans, no one really hates Americans. They may hate what our government has done to them or their countries and people, but, one on one, oftentimes you find that non-Americans love things American people have created and sell, esp. our films. They don't like our wars based on lies like wmd, or helping remove their democratically elected governments, or helping the taliban types because we hated Saddam....
Bruno will be a great success, as Borat was, for exposing people's true beliefs. You all rant about 'pc', but think about it...if you are in a room with a 'flamboyant' gay man, you're too chicken to say what you really think, but when you think you are not being watched or heard, you say what you really think. What better way to expose Americans who are homophobic, or stupid?
The movie tonight will be GREAT! |
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Check out Metacritic as it gives pretty good information about upcoming and current movies. I have no desire to see this movie as that type of "humor" makes me very uncomfortable. |
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Ever consider Netflix? They are great when looking for classics! |
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The previews were enough to turn me off. |
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can be best defined by the following quote (name that author):
"A man's character may be learned from the adjectives which he habitually uses in conversation."
or vomits up on the cinema screen. It was said above on this thread:
"Conservatives don't get humor. Sad."
Most "comedians" today quickly bore me anymore as I'm not impressed by the character they display on the stage. After the 50th or so f-bomb, I start questioning their intelligence as well as mine for having spent my hard earned money to listen to their sludge. So I don't go to comedy shows anymore, nor tune into Hollyweird award shows. It's not "enlightened" or a sign of societal advancement over the puritanical past to appreciate a dirty joke, be it visual or spoken. It's just a sign of poor character, low grade intelligence, and a self indulgent lifestyle.
That, Mr. Plumber, is why some people across the world hate us. We take our enormous gifts of health, wealth, education, and freedom they dream about every night and act like unappreciative pre-pubescent boys and girls. |
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Correct me if I am wrong herre. I believe you said this movie "nabbed" an 'R' rating. At the very least, you attach an 'NC-17' to it.
QUESTION: How is it that you reconcile sending your 15 year old son to an 'R' rated movie---exposing him to all of this content?
I mean, you did say that his "camping" trip is all that precluded his viewing of it with dad. |
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God knows I'm no prude, not by a long shot. But there is no doubt that most images the world gets of America comes from Hollywood.
Even moderate social conservatives would be offended by this trash. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to know that hardcore social conservatives, like many Muslims, would be more than offended. Some may even go so far as to point to such movies as an example of the product of a "Great Satan".
The USSR played "Dallas" as propaganda against the West because it was rife with drugs, drunkeness, divorce, infidelity,...
Some of the 9-11 terrorists visited a strip club on 9-10. I get the feeling that it wasn't to get their rocks off, but to see the reason they were going to do what they did. |
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Sasha Baron Cohen has one goal - to create faux outrage among viewers. I see that Town Hall is following the script. |
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Hey, numbnuts, this isn't a movie review in the commonplace meaning of that term. This is a woman's opinion about the crassness of Hollywood using the movie Bruno as an example. Try to keep up. |
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Because we are crass, immature and otherwise objectionable with no sense of decency. And 'Bruno' in America passes for 'art'. It's not hard to make that connection to people who prefer to wrap their women head to toe.Now he may mean fundalmentalist and was too broad but our society does look more and more depraved to the average person. |
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writes:
And people wonder why
Muslims hate us.
---------
I'm wondering what your statement has to do with the movie ...
What do you mean ?______________________________ |
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If one is going to provide a review of a movie, shouldn't a general pre-condition for writing a review be, you know, actually seeing the movie? We conservatives constantly complain about liberals who hate Rush or Sean or even Diane's husband without ever having listened to their shows, but Mrs. Medved apparently has no qualms about reviewing a movie based on her husband's description, which she apparently wasn't even willing to listen to!
I'm not saying that "Bruno" is high art or even a movie worth seeing, but aren't we better than writing a review of a film that we aren't even willing to listen to a general description of? |
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Now add in a little Bush bashing and this movie could be OSCAR worthy. |
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therefore she has never been exposed to quality entertainment. If talented people, writers and actors and such can hold the attention of the audience without using foul language or sexual content that is quality entertainment. |
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58 year old man, and we've already bought our tix for our local theater for Bruno, theater is sold out. We cannot wait to see this movie.
Borat was hysterical, because it exposed bigotry, as will Bruno.
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The Medved's love their free movie tickets. If he didn't review movies on the air or at TH they might lose them.
That's the only thing I can come up with.
I just don't understand the Medved's sometimes. |
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Boy, that's a shock. Conservatives don't get humor. Sad. |
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we don't waste hard earned money,going to see worthless hollywood crap. |
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"I think my son liked Borat because it's the kind of immature humor that 15-year-old-boys appreciate, in which scatology and others' embarrassment serve the cause of personal kicks."
Don't insult us. |
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