Three Mini Movie Reviews

Borat: I finally saw this movie and frankly, I'm just a little disappointed. Much of this movie was pretty funny. The first half of the movie is really funny. However, after the halfway point, things get a little tired. It feels like you're watching the same thing over and over. Some scenes just fall flat. Once you get past the “OMG! Two naked dudes fighting!” shock of the fight scene, it just seems to go on. The sequence at the revival was not nearly as funny as it should have been. Ultimately, Borat was a funny movie but not as great as many made it out to be. I will give Sasha Baron Cohen credit for being one of the most fearless comedians the world has ever seen. He is great and I want to see him in more stuff. Even though I'm not as high on Borat as others are, I am looking forward to seeing Bruno. Given the polarizing nature of gay issues in America, that movie could be what Borat wanted to be.

Stranger Than Fiction: I really enjoyed this movie. It was great to see Will Ferrell be a normal character in a movie. As good as he is playing self-absorbed, over-the-top characters, he also shined playing the relatively normal, mundane character he played in this movie. I'd like to see him balance his career out with more stuff like this. In addition to Ferrell, I enjoyed Emma Thompson as the author and I appreciated the film's low-key style. I have heard this film referred to as “Charlie Kaufman-lite” and to me, that's not an insult. Sometimes, I want quirky without all the complexity, dammit.

The Prestige: This was a surprise. I thought it would be good, but I didn't think it would be as good as it was. This film reteamed Batman Begins director Christopher Nolan with Christian Bale along with Hugh Jackman, and Michael Caine. Quite simply, this was just a solidly made drama through and through. It was immensely interesting to watch and even though it had a complex narrative structure, things never get too confusing. After watching it, I firmly believe that Christopher Nolan could make a film where the scenes are shown in random order and still make it entertaining and understandable. Also, I have to wonder why it didn't get more love at Oscar time. As much as I enjoyed Little Miss Sunshine, this could've taken its place in the Best Picture category and I would not have complained.