60-second cinema

8 out of 10 I reckon there’ll be 2 schools of thought on the Borat movie: those who found it a funny combination of satire and general tomfoolery; and those who found it distastefully anti-American. The latter camp, I’ll call the Mark Kermode position. Yes, a lot of it is puerile and a lot of it is poking fun at Americans. Sometimes, the fun is poked at people who’ve apparently done nothing to deserve it. The fact that these people are American, however, is mostly incidental. As I see it, Sacha Baron Cohen simply needed 2 things for this film: ‘victims’ who were unaware of the character; and a large target audience. Both of these things were to be found in the States. Racism, ignorance and misogyny, however, can be found worldwide. Anyway, yes, I found it funny. I laughed so hard at times, it hurt. Just as Chris Morris had seriously large balls to mess with drug dealers on the streets of London in Brass Eye , Baron Cohen appears brave to approach yout...

8 out of 10 Another Roald Dahl classic in which Tim Burton had a hand, but this was miles better than the frankly poor Charlie and the Chocolate Factory . I’d heard it was pretty good and I’m pleased it turned out to be so. Using part live action and part stop-motion animation (with the transition handled really well), it’s simple, wholesome story-telling that will work for children and adults alike. Good stuff. :)

5 out of 10 I really must be tiring of Miyazaki-san's work. This was a nice film, but nothing more. It didn't move me in the way that I know his stories are capable of doing. Granted, it's a surprisingly old piece of anime (1984), but that's not going to make me don rose-tinted specs. Not bad, but not great — just more of the same spiritual, nature-friendly indulgence in high morals. *looks up* Blimey. Am I jaded, or what? I should be lapping it up, but it just didn't do it for me. Never mind. :(