Sacha Baron Cohen

Review: The Dictator

Jokes are funny, aren't they? I don't mean in the 'Ha ha, Jimmy Carr is totes a legend LOL' kind of way; more I find them a strange way to get a laugh – painstakingly constructing sentences and cadences to maximise hilarity. It's a far more traditional, way more precise craft than surrealist, situational or observational comedy, and not one that's overly-familiar to Sacha Baron Cohen, who has thus far mostly traded on the comedy of embarrassment – the exquisite awkwardness that hidden cameras and unsuspecting participants provide. The Dictator represents his return to scripted comedy after the Borat/Bruno double-header, but any fears that Cohen's appeal would effectively be neutered while working with a safety net are swiftly allayed – this showcases his talents on the page as well as on the screen.

Why Martin Scorsese's Hugo will flop

Martin Scorsese has a new film out next weekend! Goodfellas! Mean Streets! Casino! The Departed! A new movie from one of America's greatest living directors! Then... how come nobody cares?

Review: Bruno

Let's get this out of the way early ' I didn't care too much for Bruno when he appeared on Da Ali G Show. He was nothing more than just a bit of filler between the funnier skits of Ali G and Borat. It may have been his hair, his general demeanour or just my total lack of interest in the industry he's mocking, but Sacha Baron Coh...

Review: Borat

All you need is a cliché. A walking, talking cardboard cut out of extremism. Clueless wannabe suburban gangster? Boyakasha, me be Ali G! Ignorant, sexist pig from a country most people haven't heard of? My name-a Borat! A dayglo east European camp fashionista? Ich bin Bruno, coming to ein multiplex near you! Borat: Cultura...

Review: Talladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby

That Will Ferrell is a Marmite kind of guy, but love him or hate him, there's a certain quality to him that you just can't ignore. Having graduated to the grand overlord of the Frat Pack over the last few years (by default more than anything: put out enough movies and you'll rise through the ranks), Ferrell divides audiences li...

Review: Madagascar

It must suck knowing that you can hire all the celebrity voiceovers in the world and create some of the most wonderful computer animation ever seen, and still have to play second fiddle to another company - compare any DreamWorks movie to any Pixar movie and they come off distinctly second-rate. Why? Pixar simply have a much b...