Friday, July 17, 2009

Audiences willing to give Baron Cohen money whether they like him or not - National Post

- reviews have been violently divided, with many people raising the question of whether Baron Cohen is exposing homophobia or enabling it with the controversial character of Bruno. Proving that rousing debate makes for strong ticket sales, Bruno raked in more than US$30-million during its opening weekend last week.

It is great excess - Panel movie review of Bruno - National Post

Alison I'm constantly amazed that Sacha Baron Cohen has managed to parlay his subversive, confrontational performance art into a successful mainstream Hollywood career. As a film (and as a character), Bruno is unpleasant and not particularly funny. Some of his stunts are cheap and unenlightening (I could have done without that scene at the swinger's party). But the climactic scene at the UFC fight is an incredible act of political theatre, as he effectively exposes the hypocritical fine line between homophobia and homoeroticism.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

’Morally dangerous’ Bruno banned in Ukraine - National Post

KIEV • Ukraine has banned the hit comedy Bruno on the grounds that its "unjustified" showing of genitals and homosexual sex could have a damaging effect on Ukrainians' moral health, officials said Wednesday.

The film, which stars Cohen as a gay Austrian fashionista with a habit of making outrageous remarks, has already hit the top spot at the North American box office.

But Ukraine's film censors were less impressed, with nine members out of the culture ministry's 14-person commission voting for a total ban.

"The Ukrainian ministry of culture has decided to ban all showings of this film on Ukrainian territory," the ministry of culture said in a letter to the Ukrainian film distributor Sinergia, a copy of which was obtained by AFP.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Terrorists threaten Sacha Baron Cohen - National Post















Sacha Baron Cohen's mockumentary hijinks have gotten him in trouble again, only this time it's not with university students worried about their street cred. It's with terrorists. WorldNetDaily's Jerusalem bureau chief Aaron Klein has announced that he received a statement from the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the terrorist group interviewed in Baron Cohen's new film Bruno:

"The Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the terrorist group depicted in the film "Bruno," is "very upset" their group's namesake and former member was featured in a film about a homosexual character that includes graphic depictions of homosexual sex. The group, as well as individual members, released a statement to WND's Jerusalem bureau chief Aaron Klein that includes a veiled threat against the movie's star, Sacha Baron Cohen:

"We reserve the right to respond in the way we find suitable against this man (Cohen)" said the statement. "This movie was part of a conspiracy against the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades," continued the statement, released through a senior member of the group in the West Bank. "According to what we checked there was no meeting about the real context of the film. This was a dirty use of our brother, Aiman, and we don't accept that the name of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades is part of the film."

Aiman is a reference to Ayman Abu Aita, who was interviewed in the movie "Bruno" and labeled as a "terrorist leader" from the Brigades division in the West Bank city of Bethlehem. Aita told Klein yesterday the movie mislabels him and that Cohen conducted the interview under false pretenses. Aita said he is pursuing legal action against Cohen."