Rated: R

Release Date: October 16, 2020

Director: Aaron Sorkin

Stars: Eddie Redmayne, Sacha Baron Cohen, Mark Rylance, Alex Sharp

Plot: Seven people are charged with inciting riots surrounding the 1968 Democratic National Convention

 

 

Aaron Sorkin is a master story teller. He is one of the best ever at writing compelling and dynamic dialogue. In this film he takes that skill to a new level and delivers a powerful story that may be the best film of the year. 

 

Not only is the screenplay near perfection, but it is performed by an ensemble of actors that absolutely nail their roles. It would not surprise me at all to see multiple Best Supporting Actor nominations from this movie. 

 

If you are a fan of fast-moving, high-stakes drama you need to see this movie. It will entertain you, make you feel things, and give you different ways of looking at world events. It is based on real events from 1968, but it feels like it could have been written about current events. 

 

This is a film that anyone who loves cinema should see. 

Rated: R

Release Date: October 23, 2020

Director: Jason Woliner

Stars: Sacha Baron Cohen, Maria Bakalova

Plot: A Kazakh reporter returns to the US to try to repair the damage he did 14 years earlier

 

 

Sacha Baron Cohen is a man of many talents. He is incredibly funny, he seems to always be topical, and he's an equal opportunity offender. This film is filled with all of those elements. 

 

While this sequel isn't as good as the original, it has several moments that are laugh-out-loud funny. It also has many cringeworthy moments as well. And then there are all of the completely offensive moments.

 

Here's the deal: If you are a Trump supporter that doesn't like people making fun of him or his administration, you should just skip this one. If you are someone that thrives on seeing Trump and his administration treated like fools, you may consider this to be one of the best films of the year. However, if you are easily offended by jokes about the pandemic, the oppression of women, or making fun of other cultures you should probably watch something else this weekend. If you are someone that is fine with people in real life being pranked for a farcical story, and you can separate comedy from real life, then you'll enjoy this movie. 

 

The good news for everyone is that this film actually has a decent story and character development. Rather than just throwing together a bunch of prank interviews and calling it a day, there is an underlying story behind the madness that is, believe it or not, endearing and heartwarming. That doesn't mean that this is some incredible tale that must be heard by all. It just means you have something to keep you interested between the laughs and the groans. 

This film is probably spectacularly funny if you are a male between the ages of 15 and 25. Anyone else should skip this movie entirely. It is full of stupid anatomy humor, sex jokes, and Sacha Baron Cohen. 

 

I would like to say that at least the story line was good, but I can't. It was lame ans cliche. Basically, the story was just a conduit for Cohen to slap us upside the head with male elephant parts. 

 

If you are in a particular mood for really stupid humor you may want to give this flick a shot, but even then you'll probably walk away feeling annoyed that you paid to see it.