Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (Jason Woliner)

[Stay Puft]

BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM: DELIVERY OF PRODIGIOUS BRIBE TO AMERICAN REGIME FOR MAKE BENEFIT ONCE GLORIOUS NATION OF KAZAKHSTAN
(Dir. Jason Woliner)

https://i.imgur.com/pDW4yUZ.jpg

IMDb page (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13143964/)

[Ezee E]

Enjoyed this a lot in a way that I would enjoy the Jackass movies. Granted, there is a character arc, but that's not why you're watching.

I do wonder how much is staged and what people are being real. It's funny at the moment, but also quite horrifying to think of the people singing emphatically with him when he says "chopping up the journalists like the Saudis do." Kudos also goes to the new actress Maria Bakalova who was just as convincing as Sacha.

[dreamdead]

I'm very mixed on this one... it's best in my eyes when it's testing people not in on the joke, as when Borat keeps having the gentleman in the copier send single word faxes back and forth. I could have watched another 5 minutes of that setpiece. It's a little more fish-in-a-barrel in mocking the South or paranoid set. He can't quite get close enough access to do any damage to any high-level Republican official--save for Rudy--and so it ends up more inert than the first one ever was in those areas.

Where it works is in Bakalova's commitment to the bit, which helps keep the film above water. It's... fine.

[Pop Trash]

Ehhhhhh. I don't know. Lightning doesn't strike twice I guess. I rewatched the first one and liked it again well enough, even if the comedy is now hit-or-miss (the Pamela Anderson bit is pretty lame and setup).

This one does that thing that annoys me w/ comedy sequels where they get a younger / smaller person to essentially be the mini me of the main character. Austin Powers 2 has a literal "mini me" while Blues Brothers 2000 did a similar thing with a lil' kid blues brother.

The Rudy Giuliani thing is much ado about nothing. People who work in audio and/or know editing tricks can see through that like a cheap tshirt in a rainstorm.

People are also croudfunding for the woman who helps out Borat's "daughter." Apparently Cohen cheaped out on her, paid her $3,600, and of course duped her into thinking the teenage daughter is really being sold off to a husband.


https://www.indiewire.com/2020/10/jeanise-jones-borat-2-fans-crowdfunding-pay-babysitter-1234595495/

[Peng]

I watched the first Borat for the first time this month, and am now mulling about how, contrary to most, I prefer its sequel by quite a bit. Even though the first one indeed feels like lightning-in-a-bottle phenomenon even now, it really only has one note to play. Granted, SBC utilized it brilliantly, but maybe my subjective comedy preference is that, as much as I was amused/entertained throughout, the feature length isn't as effective for its showcase as a TV series or online clips, and there's time for my mind to wander and be distracted by the real vs stage of it all.

The question of real vs stage is arguably thornier in this sequel, but it also has more story layers and comedic notes to play, with SBC retaining his ability to craft an outrageous situation (troubled by how catchy that rally song is) or dark zingers (the synagogue intro) as ever. It means that question doesn't have time to be pondered as much for me, and thus it's much more effective as a whole film. There's a more full-fledged narrative proper, with actual characters and their fleshed-out relationships. The former makes the film more engaging as a whole (the thread of 2020's US politics with its looming election; the pandemic that almost elicits an actual gasp from me when it's incorporated), while the latter proves quite a sneakily effective, surprisingly emotional landing.

That last aspect is so potent that I have to check afterwards, and sure enough, in between the two films SBC has become a father of three, including two daughters. Feels like the actor's real life seeps into both Borat's narrative and worldview, resulting in some touchingly hopeful, outright humanistic tangents (babysitter; Holocaust survivor) to contrast the ugliness, and especially in the Tutar character, brilliantly performed in both pathos and comedy by Maria Bakalova. That relationship's sweetness and real affection are so keenly felt underneath the vulgar jokes, creating a prankster version of Paper Moon dynamics that's genuinely moving. 7.5/10

[baby doll]

Goading people into making blatantly racist, misogynistic, and homophobic comments on camera seemed shocking in 2006 because such things weren't usually said in public. (In those days, Republicans who wanted to get votes from racists still had to use dog-whistles so they could deny they were courting racists, in case someone ever called them on it--not that anyone did.) In 2020, after Facebook and four years of Donald Trump as president, it's not shocking anymore. I'm not saying Americans are dumber and more bigoted now than they were in the mid-2000s; only the expression of stupidity and bigotry has become so commonplace (and so international), it's impossible to be shocked by it. Is anybody surprised at this point that attendees at an anti-masker rally would go along with idea of chopping up journalists like the Saudis do? Or that Rudy Giuliani would baselessly assert that the Chinese government manufactured the Coronavirus? I've seen him say worse things on CNN.

[baby doll]

it's best in my eyes when it's testing people not in on the joke, as when Borat keeps having the gentleman in the copier send single word faxes back and forth. I could have watched another 5 minutes of that setpiece.I got the feeling that he was in on the joke. Ditto the guy who sells him a cage for his daughter.

[[ETM]]

I'm sure people were in on it a LOT. Lots more emphasis on the "story" in the second one, and the entrapment element was far less important.

[Pop Trash]

Or that Rudy Giuliani would baselessly assert that the Chinese government manufactured the Coronavirus?

The etiology of the coronavirus is still a mystery and deeply strange to me. Even stranger that there isn't an independent, international coalition (outside of the WHO and the UN) to figure that one out beyond CCP propaganda.

[megladon8]

The etiology of the coronavirus is still a mystery and deeply strange to me. Even stranger that there isn't an independent, international coalition (outside of the WHO and the UN) to figure that one out beyond CCP propaganda.

This is pretty tinfoil hat-y.

[[ETM]]

What I've heard (and my source is a medical researcher who lives and works in the US, a longtime friend of my partner's) is that the lab that the virus originates from is a joint Chinese - US venture with tons of US funding, and that it got out purely by accident, so this is kept down low by both sides because obvious reasons.

[baby doll]

I'll admit I'm pretty ignorant of how medical research is funded and operates, but what's the motivation for manufacturing a deadly virus? Where's the profit (financial and/or humanitarian) in that?

[[ETM]]

Not manufacturing, research. There are so many of these strains that are potentially dangerous, I'm betting there are more of these places where they try to stay ahead of pandemics by collecting samples and working on them to classify and determine the danger. How it happened that this was released might never be known, but I'm pretty sure nobody MADE it.

[Pop Trash]

This is pretty tinfoil hat-y.

Not really. I'm not saying I'm 100% sure the CCP is lying, I just find it deeply strange the world community that isn't China takes the CCP at face value w/ the biggest economic destructor of my lifetime and 1.4 million (so far, will go up) deaths world wide. How are there any guarantees this won't happen again?

The coronavirus is the weirdest thing of my life (and I imagine most people's life) on a macro level and it's wrecking small businesses world wide. 70% of small and medium sized movie theaters are in serious danger of going out-of-business by January. Shouldn't this concern people on a fuckin' movie forum?

We should demand answers without being accused of being "tinfoil hat-y." I didn't vote for Trump, but it certainly gives me pause that our next president is nearly 80 years old, fairly checked out about this, and will undoubtedly treat Chinese issues with kid gloves.

[Pop Trash]

Sorry to derail the Borat thread btw. I realize this should go in the covid-19 thread we have. I only brought it up because even if you think Rudy G is a nut, we should be able to demand answers and accountability from our government. Joe Biden and his admin should not be off the hook here either.

[Pop Trash]

;629517']Not manufacturing, research. There are so many of these strains that are potentially dangerous, I'm betting there are more of these places where they try to stay ahead of pandemics by collecting samples and working on them to classify and determine the danger. How it happened that this was released might never be known, but I'm pretty sure nobody MADE it.

It's simply astonshing to me that all it takes is one disgruntled employee (or hell even one gruntled, lazy employee who doesn't use proper protocol in the lab) to kill millions of people and shut down the world economy. Often effecting small and medium sized businesses the most (Amazon and Big Tech actually made huge profits in the last nine months).

[transmogrifier]

...even if you think Rudy G is a nut....

I don't think there is much to debate about this anymore, is there? Just in general, I mean.

[megladon8]

Not really. I'm not saying I'm 100% sure the CCP is lying, I just find it deeply strange the world community that isn't China takes the CCP at face value w/ the biggest economic destructor of my lifetime and 1.4 million (so far, will go up) deaths world wide. How are there any guarantees this won't happen again?

You say this but then are also against the use of masks and think the 1% death rate is too low to care about.

Which is it?


The coronavirus is the weirdest thing of my life (and I imagine most people's life) on a macro level and it's wrecking small businesses world wide. 70% of small and medium sized movie theaters are in serious danger of going out-of-business by January. Shouldn't this concern people on a fuckin' movie forum?

Because most of us are more concerned with the immediate threat that is a deadly virus, than the survival of the theater industry.

I'm not saying that I don't have major sympathy for the people whose careers and businesses are being affected and/or ruined...but you won't have a business to ruin (or customers to give you business) if people are dead.


We should demand answers without being accused of being "tinfoil hat-y." I didn't vote for Trump, but it certainly gives me pause that our next president is nearly 80 years old, fairly checked out about this, and will undoubtedly treat Chinese issues with kid gloves.

Trump is literally in China's pocket, so I would say Biden has a better chance of fair dealings with China than what we've gotten for 4 years.

Plus, Biden wears a mask, and encourages others to do so. He is already doing more in the fight against COVID than Trump has done.

[Yxklyx]

It's simply astonshing to me that all it takes is one disgruntled employee (or hell even one gruntled, lazy employee who doesn't use proper protocol in the lab) to kill millions of people and shut down the world economy. Often effecting small and medium sized businesses the most (Amazon and Big Tech actually made huge profits in the last nine months).

I've read that it's impossible that this virus was manufactured because tell-tale signs would be found. However, I think that a naturally occurring virus could be found, studied, allowed to flourish and then released. I've also seen this question posed, "who has the most to gain from a pandemic?" and some have pointed out that Russia is in the worst shape of the major powers. I can understand the idea that a pandemic brings down the richest nations and levels the playing field. Immediately dismissing the cause as possibly linked to political reasons is very disconcerting though I'm not saying that it was. I just say we need to keep an open mind.

[[ETM]]

The problem I have with all of the "somebody is doing this on purpose" conspiracy theories is the sobering fact that pretty much everything human kind has ever done in its history points to an incapability of organizing and orchestrating events on any scale even close to global.

[Yxklyx]

;629579']The problem I have with all of the "somebody is doing this on purpose" conspiracy theories is the sobering fact that pretty much everything human kind has ever done in its history points to an incapability of organizing and orchestrating events on any scale even close to global.

Too true!

[Dukefrukem]

Goading people into making blatantly racist, misogynistic, and homophobic comments on camera seemed shocking in 2006 because such things weren't usually said in public. (In those days, Republicans who wanted to get votes from racists still had to use dog-whistles so they could deny they were courting racists, in case someone ever called them on it--not that anyone did.) In 2020, after Facebook and four years of Donald Trump as president, it's not shocking anymore. I'm not saying Americans are dumber and more bigoted now than they were in the mid-2000s; only the expression of stupidity and bigotry has become so commonplace (and so international), it's impossible to be shocked by it. Is anybody surprised at this point that attendees at an anti-masker rally would go along with idea of chopping up journalists like the Saudis do? Or that Rudy Giuliani would baselessly assert that the Chinese government manufactured the Coronavirus? I've seen him say worse things on CNN.

I haven't watched the movie yet but so this.

[Ivan Drago]

Some jokes go on for too long, but this still succeeds as a hilarious indictment of what America has become, and a biting but sweet narrative about a father's reconnection with his daughter as she discovers her self-worth. Maria Bakalova stole the show.