Friday 19th October 7.30pm, Fram Theatre

Peter Fincham is currently Director of Television for the ITV network and was formerly controller of BBC 1. Educated at Tonbridge School and Churchill College, Cambridge, Peter was a member of the Footlights production team alongside Griff Rhys Jones, Rory McGrath and Clive Anderson. As executive producer for TalkBack Productions, he was involved in the creation of numerous popular television comedy programmes including Never Mind the Buzzocks, I’m Alan Partridge, Smack the Pony and Da Ali G Show as well as dramas such as Stephen Poliakoff’s, Shooting the Past. In 2001 he was presented with an Indie Award for outstanding contribution to the independent television production sector. In his role as Controller for BBC1 he was responsible for an annual programming budget of £873 million before his resignation in July 2007, following controversy surrounding the documentary, A Year with the Queen. In February 2008 he was appointed Director of Television for the ITV network. The Headmaster, Paul Taylor, will host the evening, interviewing Peter about his innovative and fascinating career at the very pinnacle of the television industry.

Non-Members £5.00

Aladeen (Cohen) is a dictator from the North of Africa. In the sweltering heat and tossing sands (a la Hussein), Aladeen lives his life as dictator in luxury. His WMD’s are coming

Aladeen and his majestic hawk, in luxury.

along, he has an all female amazonian entourage and guard, and his palace is so gigantic and wonderful, especially with his fleet of golden Hummers. He’s had sex with everyone (including the great Schwarzenegger. Megan Fox makes an appearance. I wasn’t surprised.) and he is an unforgiving ruler. He sends so many people to death that it’s expected.

As I expected Megan Fox to be in a situation like this…

And then, with the U.N. meeting in NYC looming, Aladeen is kidnapped and tortured. Clayton (John C. Reilly) is a forgiving CIA operative and lets Aladeen off with a shaven face (and then he accidentally burns to death). Stuck in America with only his wits and nobody who believes he’s the real thing, Aladeen’s uncle Tamir (Ben Kingsley) is planning on making Wadiya into a democratic country with the ability to sell their oil. Aladeen must stop them and keep Wadiya a dictatorship. This is the only time you’ll see a dictator as the hero/protagonist (unless you’re watching a film in their country, then probably you will).

This movie is full of a bunch of funny satirized stereotypes and Middle Eastern humor. As usual, Cohen self deprecatingly attacks his Jewish heritage once again. The Chinese law of one child per family is attacked with the baby birthing scene (as seen in the trailer) and masturbation has never been so patriotic. Sacha Baron Cohen is rather tame in this film in

The Man.

comparison to others, only one or two penises on screen and a handful of sexual references (unless you mention the Saw like birthing canal scene).

I really hoped this happened on the streets of NYC.

There’s a great supporting cast of cultural ecclesiastics  in this film. There’s Ben Kingsley, using his darker complexion to play a Middle Eastern man in this film. I’m always surprised when he pops up in comedies. Jason Mantzoukas plays Nadal, the weapons expert and friend to Aladeen in this movie. This man of Greek descent has been doing comedies for a while now and this is just another one. Bobby Lee rears his freaky head in this movie as a U.N. representative who can get a B.J. from whatever celebrity he wants (insert Ed Norton cameo here). His outrageous nature is made for this movie, and that dude will do anything to strip down into a thong. And one of my favorite appearances was Adeel Akhtar as one of Aladeen’s posse, Maroush. Throw in Fred Armisen and the revitalization of Anna Faris’s career as the love interest hippy, Zoe, and you got yourself a satirical comedy.

The best scene.

I really don’t think there’s anywhere that Sacha Baron Cohen won’t go. His terrorist attack scene in the tours helicopter is hilarious. Ironically, he and Jason Mantzoukas are speaking Hebrew. This points out the fact that a lot of languages, although all different may sound similar to an American audience. And all the iconic songs that he turned into an Aladeen medley! Everybody Hurts, 9 to 5, Let’s Get it On, how much that the way the songs were sung alone made me laugh! Cohen even goes to a black man’s funeral in order to procure a beard from a severed head that reappears constantly in the movie. With no bounds and no forgiveness, Sacha Baron Cohen delivers on all cylinders. 8.1 out of 10.

He does so many different characters he’s like a one man Saturday Night Live.

He also reminds me a bit of Sasha Baron Cohen (Borat, Da Ali G Show) because he satys in character and pranks people.   Ed  has THE BEST poker face I’ve ever seen!  He pranks like The Jerky Boys.  Ah-Mazing.

Here are 2 hilarious videos.  You have to watch the whole clip and then go on his Youtube channel and have at least an hour to spare. 

DIE NEUE WOOTY-SEITE GIBT ES HIER:

WWW.WOOTY.DE

Richtig was zu lachen gibts mit dem Comedian Sacha Baron Cohen. In seiner Comedyreihe

- ALI G. SHOW (bei uns unter “Serien” zu finden)

schlüpft er in die Rollen Ali G., Borat und Brüno und bringt uns alle durch seine Tabulosigkeit zum Staunen und Lachen.

Viel Spaß!

Cu: Sacha Baron Cohen

Plot outline: Dupa un faux pas, Bruno, gazda emisiunii Funkyzeit din Austria, este concediat, decide sa emigreze in America, incercand metodele clasice de a deveni un star, in stilul lui personal.

Pentru inceput, trebuie sa mentionam ca sunt doua perspective diferite de a vedea acest film, cea a femeilor, care vor considera filmul amuzant, si cea a barbatilor heterosexuali, care vor vedea filmul ca deceptia anului. Mentionam ca recenzia aceasta este una feminina, treimea masculina abtinandu-se, deci vom spune ca ,,Bruno” este o comedie reusita, care starneste rasete prin absurditatea situatiilor si a comportamentului lui Sacha Baron Cohen.

Actiunea filmului se invarte in jurul misiunii lui Bruno de a deveni faimos in paralel cu neobisnuita poveste de dragoste intre acesta si asistentul sau,Lutz.

Filmul caricaturizeaza toate metodele clasice de a deveni faimos rapid la Hollywood. Intai incearca o tentativa de emisiune in care intervieveaza celebritati. Dupa ce este invitata sa ia loc pe niste muncitori mexicani, Paula Abdul pleaca rapid din pilotul emisiunii, astfel ca Borat e obligat sa recurga la o alta metoda clasica, de a filma o caseta porno cu un politician. Dupa ce esueaza si in acest caz, recurge la sustinerea unei cauze caritabile originale, incercand sa impace prin muzica de suflet palestinienii cu israelienii. Nereusind, infiaza un copil african, caruia ii da un nume african ,,traditional”, OJ. Dpa ce copilul este luat de serviciile sociale, decide sa devina heterosexual. Cand lucrurile se complica, reuseste sa devina celebru, preluand o noua identitate (Straight Dave) si regasind dragostea care a fost tot timpul langa el.

Personajul lui Bruno este un Borat austriac si homosexual, trendsetter, astfel ca umorul urmeaza aceasi traiectorie ca si in ,,Borat”, originalitatea reiesind din faptul ca acest subiect al comediei nu a mai fost exploatat atat de dur precum personajul antisemit si antiamerican al lui „Borat”.Din aceasta cauza, scene precum cele in care poarta costumul de scai sau cea cu penisul atletic si vorbitor sunt o gura proaspata de aer(no pun intended).
Ceea ce displace la film sunt exagerarile ridicole care ar amuza doar o maimuta cu un IQ subdezvoltat, pe de alta parte, scenele acestea reprezinta semnatura lui Cohen. Britanicul (fost membru al trupei de comedie The Cambridge Footlights, ai carei alumni numara pe Steven Fry, Hugh Laurie, Emma Thompson) reprezinta, in acest sens, un nou tip de comediant, apartinand momentului, emisiunea sa, The Ali G Show, alaturi de filmele sale, influentand tipul de comedie abordat in acesta perioada, abordand problemele contemporane intr-un mod vulgar sau, daca preferati, lipsit de inhibitii. Scena finala, a cantecului caritabil, e un exemplu bun in acest sens, preia o idee deja caricaturizeaza de majoritatea mediei, in modul sau personal, reusind astfel sa starneasca rasul.

Sacha Baron Cohen reuseste sa starneasca din nou rasul (si in unele cazuri greata), si cum tipul său de comedie starneste fie respect fie ura, depinde de tine daca accepti comicul cohenian sau nu.

The latter proves particularly tricky: in Da Ali G Show, Brüno was merely camp, now he’s waving his member around at every opportunity. Un-PC stereotype? Yep. Funny? You betcha, mainly because of the reaction it elicits in Brüno’s (mostly) unwitting subjects.

Sacha Baron Cohen is out to shock in Brüno

Of Brüno’s interviewees, it’s Americans that prove the best value. Brüno doesn’t have to look far to find homophobes: a cage-fighting fan virtually bursts a blood vessel when Brüno and his assistant Lutz hit the ring.

Baron Cohen is openly taunting ready-made lynch mobs and it’s borderline terrifying.

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Another disturbing moment includes a former reality TV star voting to abort ugly foetuses.

This is jaw-on-the-floor time: like Brüno, these people will do anything to achieve fame. But Brüno isn’t some kind of political statement.

The key agenda is shock humour; the set-ups are one-note and the plot is negligible. Brüno also lacks Borat’s naive charm: this guy is only good for (dirty) laughs.

Luckily, there are plenty of them, with the funniest coming from a consultation with a psychic during which Brüno asks to be reunited with his former lover from Milli Vanilli.

Asking if he can kiss him, he starts to tongue the air and then… well, things just kinda go from there.

Image via Wikipedia

Besides Where The Wild Things Are, the other “But will it be any good?” movie mystery of the upcoming year is Bruno, the newest prank-cum-performance art feature length by foul-mouthed chameleon Sasha Baron Cohen [trailer here]. Despite its popularity, Borat was a divisive comedy, with some decrying its cruelty on unsuspecting victims and others declaring it nothing more than cheap laughs.  I, for one, don’t care about the cost of my comedy as long as I’m laughing.  A cheap laugh is still a laugh.  As far as cruelty, I think America suffers its fools way too gladly, and, besides – in satire, there can be no mercy for the stupid.

And as Bruno’s main beat is the fashion world, we can be rest assured there will be plenty of stupid – along with self-absorption, ego, and all-around lack of self awareness – to puncture.  Hopefully, the movie is at least half as funny as the Bruno spots on The Ali G Show. A couple favorites below.

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Paramount’s DreamWorks is now running with the project after bringing on writing duo David Guion and Michael Handelman to pen the script.

Is the comic set to star in Dinner With Schmucks?

The 35-year-old comedian has been linked to the project for several years, with different writers working on the script, including TV scribe Jon Vitti, who helped pen the gags for Sacha’s Da Ali G Show.

In the new comedy flick a group of friends organise a weekly dinner party where everyone brings the dumbest person they can find as a guest.

It is thought Sacha would play a guest full of “schmuckiness” who tops all the others.

Writers Guion and Handelman have penned forthcoming rom com Fast Track, starring Zach Braff and Amanda Peet, which opens at the end of the year.