WTF: Bruno Takes 73% Plunge On 2nd Weekend?!

This is a bit of an interesting news item.

Over at The Movie Blog, the geniuses who pen that site noted the following:

It’s considered normal for a movie to take between a 45%-50% drop off in ticket sales between their first and second weekend out. If it only drops by like 30% you’re doing REALLY well. Borat was one of the VERY few films that actually took a jump UP on its second weekend in release.

Bruno however took a massive dive and dropped over 73% only managing to make about $8 million on it’s second weekend. I’m not surprised. I have not seen the movie myself, but even thout the film holds a very respectable 69% on Rotten Tomatoes, most of my friends who have seen the movie haven’t been impressed and usually say it’s “ok”.

So, as they point out, Sacha Baren Cohen's earlier film with Larry Charles, Borat, not only didn't decrease in it's second week, but INCREASED actually. However, after an opening week gross of right around $30 Million, which already was $20 Million below market expectations, to only gross $8 Million on it's second week is quite lackluster.

So why do you think this happened? I have a plan on blaming a certain young wizard and his newest film, but even there, the demographics for the two films are so VASTLY different, that it's hard to pin down. I personally lay blame on really really poor marketing and a lack of an opening weekend boom, which leads to a lower word of mouth which is really what Borat's mindblowingly retarded gross was based on, but what do YOU think?

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REVIEW: Bruno....

One of the most polarizing films of the past decade happens to be one of the most oft quoted films ever. Borat hit the states like a moustached sledgehammer to the proverbial Bible Belt of the American conciseness in what is not only an insightful look into the American idea of immigrants, but also one of the most overrated and over hyped films I've had the chance to see.

However, then there was last years Religulous, whose director, Larry Charles also helmed the afformentioned Borat. In place of Sacha Baren Cohen is Bill Maher, and in place of a turd of a film, we get a brilliant take on religion and what it's place is in the world. It's a vastly superior film, and was the second best documentary, and best comedy, of last year.

Now we have Bruno. Cohen has returned, as has Larry Charles, and so has the offensive comedy that ran rampant in Borat. However, instead of immigrants, we get homosexuality, and we also get a film that rests firmly in between the two butt cheeks that are Borat and Religulous.

Bruno features Sacha Baron Cohen who returns to the big screen to offer yet another stinging dose of sociopolitical satire. We now find him assuming the persona of gay fashion monger Bruno, the self-proclaimed "voice of Austrian youth TV." Originally conceived as part of Cohen's cult television series Da Ali G Show, the character of Bruno offered a cleverly costumed Cohen the opportunity to highlight the absurdities of the fashion industry by interviewing unsuspecting fashion icons and other haute couture hangers-on. It also now gives him a chance to repent for his past transgressions brought on by Borat.

When walking into Bruno, I honestly had an idea of what to expect. Offensive humor, full frontal male nudity, and a lot of laughs. However, while that was all there, I totally underestimated just how much of these three things there would be. Well, at least the first two.

The biggest complaint that this film will pull from me is something that plagued Charles' other two previous forays into docu-comedy. The film, instead of taking a look at level headed people and the inner demons that plague even the smartest of people, they take to the gutters of aptitude, and go to places which, while making for great comedy, really doesn't express any new points. Sure, the final scene, involving a masked UFC fight which goes into basically a gay romp taking place in the deep south, but it doesn't give us any intellectual insight into America and our fear of homosexuality. There are a few points where this isn't true, but those are so few and far between that it left quite a sour taste in my mouth.

Also, while the film is quite jarring and shocking, the shocks really mean nothing. There is a scene in particular, involving a group of hunters, that ends in a long period of silence, that was the most comedic thing during the entire film. However, instead of mining these situations, Cohen and crew resort to things that not only would more homophobic members of society would freak out during, but even the most level headed of us would feel awkward, most apparent during a scene involving a television test audience. It's not insightful, and while it may be funny, doesn't really make for multiple viewings.

However, the film isn't necessarily a comedy. The film, while being a documentary in look and feel, plays out much more like a candid camera version of a cinematic comedy. So, when evaluating a comedy, one major factor is heads above the rest. Laughs.

And boy did this film have some in spades. The film does tend to lag during the second act, and at the start of the third, but when the film is running at full steam, it's easily the funniest film so far this year. Sure, that's not saying much as this year has been quite low on comedic value, but it's still a feat. There are some really great satirical moments, but really, the film is about shock, and it works on that level. Other levels, not so much. The film is a bit long, a bit bloated, a bit one note, and a bit visually uninteresting.

All in all, the film is steps above Borat, which really isn't saying much. If the film looked at people who could actually bring up interesting issues, this would be something that would be looked at as a masterpiece. However, it's simply the film that came after Borat and improved upon it. Go see Religulous for a better look at American demons.

BRUNO - 6/10

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NEWS: Michael Jackson Jokes Out Of Bruno?

Last night was the official premiere of Sacha Baron Cohen's newest film, Bruno, out in LA, and with that came news out of the Risky Biz Blog, stating that a Michael Jackson-related scene was cut for the screening, showing Universal’s sensitivity to the news of Jackson’s passing.

Uni removed a scene in which Bruno, the flamboyant Austrian journalist played by Sacha Baron Cohen, interviews an unsuspecting LaToya Jackson about a number of topics, including her brother.

Among the gags is a joke about the King of Pop's high-pitched voice, as well as a reference to his trademark white glove, all done in Baron Cohen's characteristically absurdist tone.

It looks like Universal decided to pull the scene after having a few meetings, from which they decided to cut the scene, which had been previously in place for press screenings. The reason behind it, as director Larry Charles said, "We decided to take it out for tonight and we’ll reassess before the release whether to keep it out." So actually, the scene could very well be in the final cut. That said, sources have said, particularly The Guardian, that the scene won't be put in the final release, but probably on the DVD instead. I don't know really what to make of this news, as it does seem as a responsible play by Universal for PR reasons, but the price that they will be forced to pay to trim all of probably 2500 film reels is going to be pretty large. Also, reports are conflicting, so it looks like we will all have to wait until opening night to see what happens.

As /Film points out, the most famous example of a studio pulling something for a film happens to be the much talked about teaser for the first Spiderman film, which sees Spiderman hand a group of bank robbers between the two towers of the World Trade Center. Check out that trailer below, and let me know what you think of this news?



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EARLY BUZZ: Bruno Gets Its First Review...

So after last nights Paris premiere of Bruno, the first review has been released. The review comes to us from the British paper, The Sun, and along with other things, it mentions that "Hitler gets a mention every five minutes", and that “the pygmy sex scene is one of the most horrific incidents ever committed to celluloid.”

Here's just a snippet from the full review, which can be read here...

“To say Brüno makes uncomfortable viewing is an understatement of Battle of Britain proportions. When I wasn’t giggling like a 14-year-old, I was cowering behind my hands.” … “The character does lose a bit of steam towards the end but the musical climax … is a fitting finale.”

(Thanks to /Film for the heads up)

On a non-review note, the twittoshpere has had a few 140 character reviews posted, with the biggest one coming from the BBC's Jonathan Ross, who tweeted...

“Was very funny. Not as funny as Borat, but funny.”

What do you think of this news? I personally like the fact that it's pushing the limits, even more so than Borat, because if there is one thing I really enjoyed, was how ballsy Borat was. Sure, it's not a good movie, but it does show the awful side of America, and I hope this can kind of push the envelope even more. Plus that trailer is f***ing hilarious.

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TRAILER: Bruno...

It looks like despite the controversy, Universal has gone ahead and released the first trailer for Sacha Baron Cohen's next film, Bruno. It looks pretty damn funny! Check it out below!



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NEWS: Bruno Gets NC-17 Rating...

So, this news really comes as no surprise, at least to me. Sharon Waxman has reported that the destroyers of creativity, The MPAA, have decided to place the dreaded NC-17 rating on the first cut of Sacha Baron Cohen's next film, Bruno.

Universal’s ”Bruno,” the widely anticipated Sacha Baron Cohen docu-comedy opening in July, has been slapped with an NC-17 rating on its first submission to the Motion Picture Association of America because of numerous sexual scenes that the ratings board considers over the line, according to the studio releasing the film.

Among the objectionable scenes is one in which Bruno -- a gay Austrian fashionista played by Baron Cohen -- appears to have anal sex with a man on camera. In another, the actor goes on a hunting trip and sneaks naked into the tent of one of the fellow hunters, an unsuspecting non-actor.

A Universal spokesman confirmed the rating on Sunday, saying: "On its first submission the film did not receive an R but it is far too early to say that there is any struggle to get there as the process is only at its inception.”

Now, I'm not opposed to studios cutting films to get a specific rating, say from an R to a PG-13. However, the idea of a studio cutting a film from NC-17 to an R, kinda feels a bit weird, for a few reasons.

First off, the budget for Bruno is not large. 20-25$ million is what was reported early on in the start of production, and even if it ups a bit, it's not to much. Hell, Borat cost 18 million, and grossed 128$ million. For a small budget, from a big studio anyways, there would be little to no loss. The only difference between the rating is that if a film is an NC-17 rated film, then no one under 17 can be admitted, where as an R rated film can be seen by anyone, with a guardian (don't even get me started on parents who bring their kids to see R rated films like Last House On The Left). Also, it takes away the films overall creativity. If a film is cut due to time, then you can mess around with what to cut, but being cut for content seems to always leave a wierd film on the screen. Take Lust, Caution for example. That was the last film of note to be released with an NC-17 cut, and it faired well, not like gangbusters, but it wasn't a bomb either.

That said, there are monster problems with an NC-17 Rating. Most influential is the lack of any promotion by mass media. With an NC-17 film, you can't release tv spots, mainstream print ads, or really any trailers that will be seen by the mass public, ones that would need to know that this film is being released.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I see both aspects of this cut. What do YOU think?

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