Borat... omg what? - by Oneiroscope
Oneiroscope on 9/11/2006 at 08:49
I just saw Borat. I am still kind of in shock. On the positive side it IS funny. And while it is incredibly offensive, at least it should offend absolutely everybody. Right-wing, left-wing, jewish, christian, moslem, feminist, chauvanist, you name it they will probably be incredibly offended by this movie.
The humor, though, seems to depend on what I think of as the "Dead Alive" effect. I went to see Dead Alive in the theater when it first came to Seattle. Won tickets from a radio station. For about the first 15-20 minutes the audience tried to take it seriously. After that it was impossible. The movie was so over the top that you had no choice but laugh. The horror became humor. Well, the priest saying "I kick ass for the LORD!!" did a lot for that, but still. You get the idea.
Borat is kind of the same way. For the first 15 minutes you just sit there kind of dumbstruck. After a while you start laughing. Hard. But you feel ashamed for laughing.
A lot of the lingering ill feeling I had was eased by seeing the guys name at the end of the movie. Sacha Cohen. But still... WOW.
All I can say is Sacha Cohen has freakin balls of titanium steel.
Is the movie good? Ahhh. Errrg. Ummm. I dunno. I laughed a lot. But dayum. More outrageous than Jackass 2. Also funnier. I do kind of wish I hadnt spent the $9.25, but mostly thats because Imma poor sumbiotch.
PS: Flushed Away was funny, in a family movie pap kinda way. The slugs stole the show. And the "laaaaaarvaaaaaaa". :cheeky: Kinda wished I'd watched it AFTER Borat instead of before, lol. Like a breath mint for the mind after something with waaaaayyyyy too much garlic.
Scots Taffer on 9/11/2006 at 09:16
I am definitely seeing this.
DC on 9/11/2006 at 10:16
I haven't seen the movie yet, but Borat fucking rules anyway. Can't wait to see it. I have heard nothing but good things so far.
Also, it's been (
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6130918.stm) banned in Russia already. No idea about Kazakhstan.
Thief13x on 9/11/2006 at 13:15
Quote Posted by Oneiroscope
All I can say is Sacha Cohen has freakin balls of titanium steel.
dur! Havn't you seen the commercials with him saying "If my movie isn't success, I be execute":p
Anyone can have titanium balls, for the right price:sly:
by the way, my freind from Kazakhstan is pretty offended by it, I guess I can understand but I think he just needs to take a joke as a joke.
OnionBob on 9/11/2006 at 13:33
Quote Posted by Thief13x
by the way, my freind from Kazakhstan is pretty offended by it, I guess I can understand but I think he just needs to take a joke as a joke.
and to see that satire isn't something that you can just take at initial immediate face value.
yes, the kazakhstan thing is going to be superficially offensive to some people from the country who are insecure about their identity, but the irony (and real focus) of the film is not "kazakhstan totally sucks" but rather the fact that so many american (and not just american, remember Borat as a character started off in britain something like five years ago and mercilessly mocked our culture too) people are so insular and uninformed about the rest of the world that they just assume that it's completely plausible for a character such as Borat to exist.
That he's allowed to get away with so much indicates how little we know about the rest of the world, and the patronising assumptions that we are willing to make in our ignorance. he's really highlighting and mocking western cultural practices and oddities and our lack of knowledge about the rest of the world - kazakhstan should probably be welcoming this with open arms, because really if anything the satire and irony of the entire piece is an opportunity to explode every stupid myth that exists about former soviet bloc countries.
Scots Taffer on 9/11/2006 at 13:33
Quote Posted by Thief13x
by the way, my freind from Kazakhstan is pretty offended by it, I guess I can understand but I think he just needs to take a joke as a joke.
Well, anyone who drinks fermented horse urine is doubtful to hold high standards in comedy as their taste in wine is pretty terrible. I also hear that they fuck their own sisters, perhaps this is the reason he is disgruntled - people will come to seek her out as a prostitute?
David on 9/11/2006 at 13:57
This film is fucking fantastic, you all must see it. It's 100% laughing and/or cringing from start to finish.
GO BUY TICKET NOW
ignatios on 9/11/2006 at 16:00
Quote Posted by OnionBob
the irony (and real focus) of the film is ... the fact that so many american ... people are so insular and uninformed about the rest of the world that they just assume that it's completely plausible for a character such as Borat to exist.
While I'm all for funny and satire, his intended audience really isn't the one who needs to see it. Do his efforts work to solving the problem he's pointing out? or do they amount to little more than LOL PEOPLE STILL STUPID?
It's a legitimate question; I haven't seen it and I'm genuinely curious. I'm pretty cynical about comedy's ability to break down people's misperceptions, and while I'd love to be proven wrong, Borat doesn't seem like it helps.
Or have I missed the point?
Fingernail on 9/11/2006 at 16:08
also a lot of people do laugh it at like LOL THOSE FUNNY COUNTRIES
not everyone actually gets it properly, as it were.
ignatios on 9/11/2006 at 16:11
Yes exactly. I'm absolutely in favour of challenging people on their beliefs (especially when they're offensive), but I wonder if his efforts aren't misapplied.
