MCP's Top Films of 2006 #8-9

#9 - Borat

It’s been a while since we’ve seen someone make comedy dangerous. In an age of Dane Cook style amusing observations, there really aren’t too many guys out there who can bring so much discomfort and laughter to an audience.
This movie pushes its audience with a cattle prod. It builds on itself so well you find yourself laughing at things you know you shouldn’t laugh at and feeling a little uncomfortable as to what’s going to happen next. But that nervousness is what makes it brilliant. There’s no predictability. You don’t know what the next joke is going to be or where it’s going to come from. We live in an age where most big studio comedies are almost identical in their setup & execution of jokes, that a film like this is almost jarring.
The thing I really liked about this film was that I had genuine feeling that the film had no boundaries. There was literally nowhere the film wasn’t willing to go. One minute you’re watching the “running of the Jew” and the next you’re watching the most outrageous fight scene you’ve ever encountered.
And I liked that they took the South Park method of jokes. Instead of picking on one race or country or people, Borat slings jokes at everyone. It’s equal opportunity mockery.
And really...you have to respect a movie in which most of the “supporting cast” sues the filmmaker.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating - 91%

8 - Hard Candy

I’m going to try and write a review for this movie without giving anything away. I want to ruin nothing about it if you haven’t seen it.
In a nutshell, this is about a 32 year old guy who meets a 15 year old on the internet. They meet in the real world, and all hell breaks loose. This film also marks the first movie produced by Paul Allen’s company Vulcan Productions.
This was the only movie I saw this year that had a moment that truly overwhelmed me. There is a scene about halfway in that is just so intense and hard to watch I literally had to close my eyes and plug my ears. I simply just couldn’t take watching it. And you know what the beautiful thing is about the scene? It’s basically comparable to the ear scene in Reservoir Dogs. It’s not what’s on screen that makes it hard to watch. It’s what your imagination does that amps up the horror of it all.
The film is very simple. It basically takes place in just one location and involves only two characters. And they are both completely believable and brilliant. The screening I saw this at had the screenwriter and lead actress, and I remember not even being able to look her in the eyes during the Q &A. If that’s not an effective performance, than I don’t know what is.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating - 66%