6 Arts^Entertainment
The
Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2006
Clackamas Print)
Borat, sexy-time-high-five, alright
Matthew Olson
The Clackamas Print
Sacha Baron Cohen is a
genius, pure and simple. Da Ali
G Show, his roll in Talladega
Nights and now his latest opus,
Borat:
Cultural Learnings
of America for Make Benefit
Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
cement his status as a prolific
comedic actor.
In Borat, Cohen portrays an
eccentric Kazakhstani reporter
who’s assigned to tour America
and bring back social, political
and economical improvements
for his country. When he arrives
in New York, he tours the town
trying to learn what he can of
American culture. Of course,
his absurd misconceptions and
prejudices prevent him from
really understanding the “U.S.
and A.”
Quickly, the main thrust of
the movie is revealed; as Borat
sits in his room watching TV,
Baywatch comes on, and he
is immediately enamored with
Pamela Anderson. The instigat
ing event is afterward, when
Borat gets a telegram from
Kazakhstan that his wife has
died tragically. His reaction is
classic Borat, as he celebrates
with the bellhop over her death,
and is then free to pursue the
busty blonde starlet.
This combination of real
reactions to Cohen’s character
and a coherent Actional plot
that motivates the trek across
America makes Borat a solid
film all around. Unlike the
sketches that Cohen does on Da
Ali G Show, where Borat sponta
neously shows up at events, the
movie has a cohesive plotline
that makes viewers curious as to
just how Borat will win Pamela
Anderson’s affections.
If there’s one movie this year
that earns the title of “must-
see,” Borat is that movie.
It’s easily deserving of mul
tiple Emmys, Grammys, Tonys,
Golden Globes, kudos, thumbs-
ups and high-fives. The movie
is generally offensive, obvious
ly controversial and immensely
entertaining.
Beyond just the plot, Cohen’s
brilliance in the movie should
require sunglasses to be worn
while watching ... but also bring
a blindfold for the random male
nudity. This is not the good
male nudity that female viewers
might enjoy; this is 300-pound-
foreigner-running-around-nude
wrestling with Borat over a sto
len magazine -so, uh, definitely
not the good male nudity (if
such a thing exists).
There may be points of hys
terical laughter during the film,
but there is also a downside
to the release of the movie.
Borat’s trademark greeting “jag-
shemash,” pronounced yaig-sha-
mosh, will be repeated over and
over by culture-consuming col
lege-age fans until even the deaf
will find the faux Kazakhstani
accent annoying.
Nonetheless,
Borat will
become an instant classic to all
“frat-pack” fans. Rivaling even
the likes of such great movies
as Wedding Crashers, Cohen is
taking his place as the king
of comedy films. This rise to
power is a long-time coming
and is well-deserved.
Borat lingo you should know
“Jagshemash” - Kazakhstani greeting
“Dzienkuje” - Means “thank you,” pronounced shen-qyi
“I like you, do you like me?” - Greeting Borat uses after “jagshemash”
“Sexy-time, high-five” - Celebration of erotic encounters
“How much?” - Means “I think you look pretty,” proposition
“When we have the sexy intercourse?” - Exactly how it sounds
“Romance explosion” - Again, self-evident
Internet Photo
IV/7í7í if Jon Stewart ran for prez?
David Stark
The Clackamas Print
Jon
Stewart
recently
announced his intentions to run
for the presidency of the United
States Qf America.
Stewart is best known for
hosting The Daily Show, which,
under his leadership, has won
nine Emmy awards and two
Peabody awards. Stewart is
also the author of the best
selling The Daily Show with
Jon Stewart Presents America
(The Book): A Citizen’s Guide
to Democracy Inaction, which
took the form of a mock high
school textbook and proceeded
with a no-holds-barred look at
the history of the U.S.
But the career of Jon Stewart
has been more than just come
dy; he has hosted the Grammys
twice, the first time in 2001 and
the second a year later. He also
hosted the Academy Awards
in 2006, a performance that
was quite popular, although,
like the Daily Show, having its
detractors.
Outspoken critics of the
George W. Bush administra
tion, Stewart and the rest of the
correspondents on The Daily
Show have often reproached
the many mistakes the admin
istration has made, reminding
viewers when things are said
but not done.
Stewart, a liberal beyond a
shadow of a doubt, could be
nothing less than a breath of
fresh air in the highly conser
vative, Republican-dominated
White House and Congress.
But even if he were to win the
election, what would he be
able to change if the House of
Representatives and the Senate
remained in the firm grasp of
Republicans?
Nevertheless, Stewart’s stat
ed opinions on policies, such
as the “War on Terrorism” and
the occupation of Iraq, can
only lead one to the conclu
sion that even a man with no
political background whatso
ever could better manage the
situation than a man whose
intelligence is lambasted on a
daily basis.
So good luck; Jon, you’ll
need it.
Note: Jon Stewart is not run
ning for president, and every
thing pertaining to such an
event in this article is entirely
fwtitious.
7V cartoons are OK
Tavo Stalnaker
The Clackamas Print
on Adult Swim. These shows
what I like to call “throw-bij
or “nostalgia” cartoons. Progn
such as Aqua Teen Hunger Fo.
The Venture Bros, and Rc
Chicken are filled with pop-culi
references from the days of y
ie. the 1980s. Anyone rem
ber the “Foreigner Belt” epis
of Aqua Teenl Yeah, that j
genius.
One of the best cartoon!
ever appear on Adult Swim
The Boondocks. Not only was
show hilarious, but it coritai
some very biting social comn
tary, especially when it cam
race. Come on, any show that
Samuel L. Jackson and Ch'
Murphy doing the voices of fl
guys who think they’re gangs
and in one episode attempt to
nap Oprah, deserves to be hi
as one of the greatest show
all time.
I happen to enjoy most oft
cartoons, and I hope more
them will be produced, howe1
do miss the sitcoms of die past
still waiting for the next M*A *
or Sanford imd Son, but for1
I’ll just watch Meat
Shake and Frylock get
psychotic adven
with their neig
Carl like a juk
hero with sti
my eyes.
Cartoons like The Family Guy,
The Simpsons, Aqua Teen Hunger
Force and South Park contain
more wit and laughs than their
five-action sitcom counterparts.
When I was a wee lad in the
80s, cartoons played a major role
in my life. I remember waking
up early on Saturday mornings
to watch Transformers, Teenage
Mutant Ninja Thrtles, Alvin and
the Chipmunks and Thundercats.
Sadly, those days are gone, and
children’s cartoons have gone
downhill ever since.
However, in 1989, a new age
of animation was formed when
The Simpsons premiered on Fox.
The Simpsons was one of the first
animated shows geared towards
older audiences and paved the
way for other brilliant “mature”
cartoons in the years to follow. .
The wonderful thing about
these cartoons is how much more
stimulating and clever they are
when compared to modern-day
sitcoms {Scrubs being one of the
few exceptions). For example,
South Park and The Family
Guy demonstrate how com
edy writers can fuse political
and social satire with crude
humor, and still be funny.
That’s what I call “smart
comedy.”
On
the
flip-side,
there’s
Cartoon
Network’s
crazy ani-
mated
shows
t. h a t j
appear |
nightly
(except
Fridays)
Photo Illustration
by Adam J. Manley Clackamai