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Borat Got a Beating!

#221
Most expensive place to study in Britain?

I have friends going to Oxford and they're paying more per term than I will per year.
A freaking pint of Guiness can reach prices of up to £4 and almost every club has ridiculous entrance fees.

...and since drinking and partying is a huge part of uni... :D

Brighton is one of the best places for a night out IME, so "benefits" are relative.
 
#222
bmc said:
Being big in the states doesn't make him an international sensation. He's known over here, but he ain't no sensation. His movie is not selling out. I guess people over here are more aware of different cultures and cultural differences to not see humor in misrepresenting them.
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Yeah, you're absolutely right. We Americans are SOOOO high brow. That's why Borat outperformed all other movies its opening weekend - $26.4 million versus $20 million to Santa Clause 3.

More important is that Borat was only released in 837 theaters while "Santa Clause" was in 3458 theaters nationwide. That means that on average, while Tim Allen was grossing an average of $5800 per theater, Borat was raking in over $31,500 per theater.

In its second weekend, as it expanded to 2500 screens, it thoroughly defeated SC3, Flushed Away, and Stranger Than Fiction, which debuted at #4.

Yup, we're SO high brow... :rollno:
 
#224
studentaccount1 said:
Dude... No one told you? That IS the American way. What cultural learning did you think he was going to accomplish if not how to exploit cheap labor in order to maximize profit?
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Good point. In my own cultural smugness, I tried to put some distance between the USA and the movie by noting that Baron Cohen is British. Of course, it was distributed by 20th Century Fox and produced, at least in part, by US-based companies; so we deserve our share of criticism on this point.
 
#225
Yep.. so if no longer a man with a point to make, poking fun at the inflated egos of the world, Sacha Baron Cohen is at least a man with a large bank account and perhaps a bully. A bully with a fat man's sack on his mouth.

Just what the world needs most.
 
#226
Bruce Lindfield said:
I agree and that's exactly why I don't like it - it's smug and superior, but picking on very soft targets!

So - here am I, a product of the best schools money can buy and the Cambridge University Footlights review - making fun of all you "plebs" out there in stoopid America - give me money - it's soooo easy! :rolleyes:
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Good point. I'd add four thoughts.

1. I am not a fan of outright deception even for hard targets.

2. To those who claim comedic genius for Baron Cohen - how is his act that different from Howard Stern's sidekick Stuttering John Melendez who didn't have the need to create an elaborate ruse to engage his victims or for real genius Stephen Colbert who can get great interviews from people who are in on the act?

3. I am not sure it is all about the money for Baron Cohen (but I am not naive enough to believe that money doesn't have something to do with it.)

4. The Internet Movie Database reports that the police were called 91 times during the filming of Borat. We don't know how many TV stations the production crew scouted or tried to book Borat on before the Jackson, MS station allowed him on. I am hopeful that the US is not quite as soft of a target as we looked in the film.
 
#229
Dr. Feelgood said:
Most expensive place to study in Britain?

I have friends going to Oxford and they're paying more per term than I will per year.
A freaking pint of Guiness can reach prices of up to £4 and almost every club has ridiculous entrance fees.

...and since drinking and partying is a huge part of uni... :D

Brighton is one of the best places for a night out IME, so "benefits" are relative.
Click to expand...

It's the highest cost of living for students in the country - according to the Times and Guardian articles I read...

Brighton is also the most expensive night out in Britain!! ;)
 
#230
dangnewt said:
4. The Internet Movie Database reports that the police were called 91 times during the filming of Borat. We don't know how many TV stations the production crew scouted or tried to book Borat on before the Jackson, MS station allowed him on. I am hopeful that the US is not quite as soft of a target as we looked in the film.
Click to expand...

I'm sure it's not and that's a big part of why I don't like the film and feel it's "dishonest" - it's also why I feel he heartily deserves any abuse, physical or otherwise - that he gets!! ;)
 
#234
Dkerwood said:
Yeah, you're absolutely right. We Americans are SOOOO high brow. That's why Borat outperformed all other movies its opening weekend - $26.4 million versus $20 million to Santa Clause 3.

More important is that Borat was only released in 837 theaters while "Santa Clause" was in 3458 theaters nationwide. That means that on average, while Tim Allen was grossing an average of $5800 per theater, Borat was raking in over $31,500 per theater.

In its second weekend, as it expanded to 2500 screens, it thoroughly defeated SC3, Flushed Away, and Stranger Than Fiction, which debuted at #4.

Yup, we're SO high brow... :rollno:
Click to expand...

So what?
 
#235
Dr. Feelgood said:
Apparently the woman who organised Borat to come on the show was fired. There was an article (in a REAL newspaper) talking about how she felt disgusted by Sacha Baron Cohen's malice. He didn't give a damn about what happened to her.
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Yeah I heard her talking on the radio - apparently she's investigating suing - I hope he gets taken to the cleaners!! :)
 
#236
Bruce Lindfield said:
Yeah I heard her talking on the radio - apparently she's investigating suing - I hope he gets taken to the cleaners!! :)
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Well, how much is he really going to lose, in terms of money?

Probably close to nothing compared to his new fortune. The guy must be seriously rich!

If she does take legal action, the case will probably be settled out of court: she'll be ecstatic with her "massive" sum, whilst Baron Cohen knows he's giving her peanuts.

If she's dumb enough to get fired for hiring a fake Kazahk reporter who wreaks havoc on set, who knows what she is capable of?
 
#237
I agree that some sort of settlement would be the most likely result of the TV producer who was released from her contract early. My gut tells me that she wasn't fired solely for this lapse in judgement; but if they were not particularly happy with her work prior to Borat, that would push them over the edge. As a legal issue, she may not have the best case, but on a human level, she suffered real damages that Baron Cohen and the production company contributed to and should attempt to redress if only because karma can be a b****.

The Romanian villiagers are planning a suit.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-borat20nov20,0,1256926.story?coll=la-home-headlines

Contrary to what I previously believed, it appears that at least some of them had some idea of what was going on. It also looks like perhaps the Romanian production company that assisted them did not clue in the villiagers as well as they should have; although responsibility ultimately lies with Baron Cohen. A settlement in the offing?

In 20/20 hindsight, it looks like being more upfront with the villagers would have saved him a lot of money. Instead of negotiating with a local mayor and perhaps a federal filming authority and striking a fair deal; he has a top US attorney leading an international team of lawyers to contend with.
 

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