Wow, over a month since I've last blahged. Nothing much to say here except I didn't want to let December go by without at least one post...
Sylvia and I just got back from seeing the Borat movie, and I have to say, while I laughed at some bits, the film left a bad taste in my mouth. And probably not for the reasons most people think. I wasn't offended by the potty humour, nor by the faux racism. I can't quite put my finger on what exactly bothered me about the film, to be honest.
Maybe I'm just tired of the "reality television" artifice that's sweeping popular culture. Films and television shows in the Borat mold are being sold as glimpses into the soul of ordinary people, but it's the old problem of anthropologists - the observer effect distorts reactions. The presence of the camera can't help but have a huge impact on the way people behave, but this film and others like it don't acknowledge the problem. And I guess that seems a little dishonest to me. I'd much rather see a straight comedy, or a straight documentary (recognizing that documentaries manipulate reality as well).
Anyway, 2007 awaits...
