"Bruno" disappointed me.

I'm a big fan of "Da Ali G Show," where Sacha Baron Cohen plays 3 characters in short scenes that wrap up in half an hour. But, having seen "Borat" and now "Bruno," I have to admit I don't want to watch one of the characters for 90 minutes, especially "Bruno." I'm not a fan of story arcs. I love disjointed little bits. I like Bruno as the Austrian fashion reporter with the microphone in his hand. People who want to get on TV and to appear trendy will tumble into agreement with praise for Hitler or take direction that makes them look gay. (Here's an example I find especially funny.) But in the movie "Bruno," Bruno is fired from that job and comes to America to try to get famous again. That's not much of a story. It's just a narrative thread to connect different scenes — possibly generated after many of the scenes were filmed.

But why am I complaining? Didn't I just say I liked disjointed little bits? Well, but now Bruno is kind of down and out, and much of it is Sacha Baron Cohen trying to show us what Americans are really like. Fortunately or unfortunately, Americans failed to give him the homophobia footage he seems to have hoped for. I'm sure a ton of unfunny footage was thrown out, and that what went into the film was the closest he could get to hilarious, but most of these Americans simply remained stone-faced and tried to preserve their professionalism and dignity in the face of a very clownish man. Cohen did what he could — for example, wielding multiple big dildoes at a martial arts instructor — to goad people into flipping out about the gay guy, but — other than getting Ron Paul to blurt out "queer" twice — it just wasn't happening.

And the struggling Bruno can't be so outrageously bitchy. He wants people to help him. He's needy. He's more like Borat. But he's not lovable. I don't want him lovable. The Bruno I like needs to believe he's wielding power so he is able to trick people into showing their desire to leverage their fame through him. We see that in the movie in the one scene where some parents are trying to get their little kids hired as models. They think Bruno has some showbiz power, and they grovel before it. One woman is ready to make her 30 pound daughter lose 10 pounds in one week and to submit to liposuction if she can't get all that weight off. Now, that was something! It would be daring as hell to have 90-minutes on that level of pain. But that wouldn't be too funny, and it wouldn't be a blockbuster.

Natalie Portman's MakingOf, Hollywood's Behind-The-Scenes Site

HatTip to Christine. Natalie Portman recently co-founded MakingOf which seeks to bring a behind-the-scenes look into the various creative processes in movie making. Christine Aylward is her Co-Founder and CEO. More from their site:

"MakingOf is a behind-the-scenes Web destination, founded by Natalie Portman and Christine Aylward, that provides an intimate, fresh look into the process of creating entertainment by the insiders themselves. Our mission is to champion the art and craft of entertainment creation. We started MakingOf because we realized that so much of what goes into entertainment creation is unavailable to the people who love and consume it the most. We wanted to give fans a way to experience that creation and learn from the insiders and thus MakingOf was born. When you visit MakingOf you will experience behind-the-scenes content, exclusive access to industry insiders, and an interactive, entertainment-focused community forum. It is your all-access pass to learn from and interact with actors, directors, producers, writers, and more. Film school for everyone! And film is just the start. Stay posted as we add additional features."

Here's a clip from the site, "Directing 201 with Shawn Levy, NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: BATTLE OF THE SMITHSONIAN | ON-SET"

Ratatouille

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Ratatouille ("Rat-a-too-ee") is a traditional French Provençal stewed vegetable dish which can be served as a meal on its own (accompanied by rice, potatoes, or simply French bread), or as a side dish. Tomatoes are a key ingredient, with onions, courgettes (zucchini), aubergine (eggplant), bell peppers, a little herb de provence, and sometimes basil. All the ingredients are sautéed in olive oil. Adding plenty of fresh coriander adds much flavor to the dish.
The movie Ratatouille tells the success story of an unlikely hero; a rat named Rémy who finds himself in a Parisian restaurant made famous by an eccentric French chef, Auguste Gusteau. Rémy is not only a gourmet (so quite an outsider among his kinfolk), but aims to become a fine chef. This far-reaching ambition, incredibly enough, he achieves.
This XML template include a 9 minutes preview of the film.

Ratatouille

» Download XML «

Ratatouille ("Rat-a-too-ee") is a traditional French Provençal stewed vegetable dish which can be served as a meal on its own (accompanied by rice, potatoes, or simply French bread), or as a side dish. Tomatoes are a key ingredient, with onions, courgettes (zucchini), aubergine (eggplant), bell peppers, a little herb de provence, and sometimes basil. All the ingredients are sautéed in olive oil. Adding plenty of fresh coriander adds much flavor to the dish.
The movie Ratatouille tells the success story of an unlikely hero; a rat named Rémy who finds himself in a Parisian restaurant made famous by an eccentric French chef, Auguste Gusteau. Rémy is not only a gourmet (so quite an outsider among his kinfolk), but aims to become a fine chef. This far-reaching ambition, incredibly enough, he achieves.
This XML template include a 9 minutes preview of the film.