MOVIE REVIEW
Brüno (2009)
Mark Schwartzbard/Universal Pictures
“Brüno” pushes the boundaries of good taste by taking the ribald skits Sacha Baron Cohen performed as the character on “Da Ali G Show” and supersizing them for the big screen. It fulfills that base function in the same fashion as “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,” with each scene structured around the comic shock value of the star pushing the limits of taste and sanity. Yet, those individual set pieces lack the cohesive, nasty satiric sensibility that characterized the fictional Kazakh journalist’s jaunt through Americana hell.
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MOVIE REVIEW
Tulpan (2008)
Zeitgeist Films
There are no cross-cultural faux pas involving a clueless newsman who aims to benefit his glorious nation, but the new Kazakh film “Tulpan” is every bit as amusing as “Borat.” Come to think of it, the two films make for a truly fascinating study in contrasts. “Borat,” a faux-Kazakh mockumentary made by Hollywood, was bodacious because of its Candid Camera-esque pranks. “Tulpan,” an authentic import from Kazakhstan, seems miraculous for all the impromptu appearances by Mother Nature herself that constantly upstage an otherwise droll tale about the romantic misadventures of recently discharged Navy serviceman and aspiring herder, Asa (Askhat Kuchinchirekov).
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MOVIE REVIEW
Religulous (2008)
Lionsgate
Bill Maher doesn’t like organized religion – hates it, in fact. Anyone familiar with his TV shtick already knows that, and anyone that hasn’t gotten the message will find it delivered early and often in “Religulous.” The film is his crack at the guerilla style combination of documentary and performance art that might as well be referred to as the Larry Charles special, after the director of this picture and “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.”
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