He gave us Borat, Ali G, and Brüno – now we get The Dictator.  Sacha Baron Cohen stars as a Middle Eastern dictoator who gets sent to the United States, it tells the heroic story of a dictator who risked his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed.  Megan Fox, John C. Reilly, Ben Kingsley, Anna Faris, B.J. Novak, Aasif Mandvi, and Jason Mantzouakas also star.

I didn’t find it all too funny, but I may come round.  Cohen tends to get into a role 100% and give it his all which makes it great.  I’m not a fan of timey jokes (there’s a Kardashian joke in here), but it will work in a movie like this that won’t necessarily stand the test of time itself.

Watch the first trailer below, Directed by Larry Charles (Borat), The Dictator opens May 11, 2012.

Here is a short video of Martin Scorsese talking about his upcoming film Hugo. The behind-the-scenes look at the 3D film does a good job at growing my interest, after the first trailer I was still on the fence.

The cast includes Chloe Grace Moretz, Asa Butterfield, Sacha Baron Cohen, Ben Kingsley, Jude Law, Ray Winstone, Christopher Lee, Helen McCrory, Richard Griffiths, Frances de la Tour, Emily Mortimer and Michael Stuhlbarg.

Hugo tells the story of an orphan boy living a secret life in the walls of a Paris train station. With the help of an eccentric girl, he searches for the answer to a mystery linking the father he recently lost, the ill-tempered toy shop owner living below him and a heart shaped lock, seemingly without a key. Based on Brian Selznick’s award winning and imaginative New York Timesbestseller, “The Invention of Hugo Cabret,” this magical tale is Scorsese’s first film shot in 3D.

The film opens up on November 23rd 2011, check out the video below:

Martin Scorsese‘s 3D film Hugo has a trailer for your viewing pleasure below, it’s something very different from the legendary director and will be interesting to see how it looks on the big screen.  The trailer to be honest I felt was a little erratic, it’s all over the place as you will see.  It was nice to see the great cast in action, the cast includes Chloe Grace Moretz, Asa Butterfield, Sacha Baron Cohen, Ben Kingsley, Jude Law, Ray Winstone, Christopher Lee, Helen McCrory, Richard Griffiths, Frances de la Tour, Emily Mortimer and Michael Stuhlbarg.

Hugo tells the story of an orphan boy living a secret life in the walls of a Paris train station. With the help of an eccentric girl, he searches for the answer to a mystery linking the father he recently lost, the ill-tempered toy shop owner living below him and a heart shaped lock, seemingly without a key.

The film opens up on November 23rd 2011, check out the trailer below:

Tomorrow is the premiere of the Prince of Persia film and to say I have been torn would be an understatement. Hollywood is notorious for taking some of the most beloved video games and transforming them into steaming piles of cinematic rubbish. Super Mario Bros. had a humanoid Bowser, Mortal Kombat Annihilation utilized claymation, and House of the Dead was directed by Uwe Boll; just to name a few of the blunders. In the end, despite this track record of failure, I have decided that I will watch Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, and it is for these following reasons.

The actors work.

Test your might, try sitting through Mortal Kombat Annihilation.

When I originally heard that Jake Gyllenhaal would be playing the role of the Prince, I was mildly upset. There was no way Donnie Darko could portray the butt kicking, sword slashing, time rewinding Prince of Persia! That was however until I saw some ‘making of’ vignettes. The work ethic that seemed to be on display in the filming of each action packed scene was top notch. When the trailer finally came out, I had to admit, he looked the part. Of course his opposite, the antagonist of the film (Nizam), could not have been played by a more suitable actor: Ben Kingsley. Whether it is playing himself on an episode of The Sopranos (let’s not forget how highly Christopha’ thought of him.. initially) or as Dr. Cawley in Shutter Island, Kinsley is a quality actor, and I trust he will play a believable Nizam.

The budget seems to be there.
The problem with a lot of the video game movies out there is the total lack of a suitable budget to pull it off. There has been a long rumored Halo movie in the works, but sensibly it is being held back for budget constraints. There is no sense in creating something that is rushed and sloppy to cash in on a few cheap dollars. Well, try telling that to the claymation dragon fight scene in Mortal Kombat Annihilation. I don’t have the dollar amount with me on the final cost of Persia, but judging by the trailer and the cast, the studio didn’t appear to cut any corners in it’s production.

The games were freakin’ awesome.
If you couldn’t tell already based on the fact that I have put this much thought into this film, I love the Prince of Persia. The Sands of Time trilogy are some of the finest games to grace the previous generation of gaming consoles. They are the perfect mix of story, action, and environment that had gamers of all ages hooked. That kind of fan loyalty will have geeks (your favorite District Attorney included) lining up in droves at their local cinema to see how the Prince will hold his own on the big screen.

To conclude, I am still not totally convinced that Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time will be an action packed blockbuster to kick start the summer. I am however, willing to give it the benefit of the doubt that I don’t usually lend to films based off of video games. Who knows, in the end I may be wishing I had ‘sands’ of my own to rewind time if this one turns out to be a dud.

DA Out.

Click here to view the embedded video.

**This is a SPOILER FREE Review**

It’s safe to say that the partnership between DiCaprio and Scorsese has been a productive one for the famed director – Gangs of New York got 10 Oscar nominations, The Aviator got 11 nods (and 5 wins), and The Departed got 5 nominations and won 4, including Best Picture and Marty’s long-coveted Best Director Oscar [video].  So when it was told that the team was going at it again for Shutter Island, this fan was going to be first in line.  Did it live up to my own hype? It sounded like perfect thriller material, straight out of the third act of Scorsese’s Cape Fear remake, and an ideal fit for the legendary filmmaker.  I am glad to say I was first in line, last to leave and very satisfied.
Director: Martin Scorsese
Writers: Laeta Kalogridis (screenplay) Dennis Lehane (novel)
Cast: Leonardo Dicaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams
Synopsis: From Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese, Shutter Island is the story of two U.S. marshals, Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo), who are summoned to a remote and barren island off the coast of Massachusetts to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a murderess from the island’s fortress-like hospital for the criminally insane.
[Trailer]

The last thriller Scorsese delivered was the fantastic re-make of Cape Fear starring his other muse, Robert DeNiro.  With Shutter Island he proves once more that you don’t need jump out shockers or high octane action scenes to make you squirm in your seat.  Just ask my girlfriend who had her hand over her eyes – peeking in to see what was going to happen.  There are no clichés in this film, there is no rushed ending that will leave half the audience feeling cheated.  This film builds up to a strong conclusion of a twisted journey.

The gothic atmosphere and reality-shifting sequences were mesmerizing.  Bravo to Robert Richardson who made such a dark film as beautiful as can be with his cinematography.  The CGI effects are well crafted and don’t seem forced on us at all.  Add on the loud ominous score by Robbie Robertson that seemed to use the speakers to their max level, eerie as hell.  My favorite role for DiCaprio before this was that of Howard Hughes in the Aviator.  Another frazzled character.  He plays Teddy Daniels in Shutter Island much like he did that of Hughes; paranoid and alone.

The movie has a twist, this is not a spoiler.  From the moment they get on the Island you will be looking for it.  Do yourself a favor and don’t.  Let the film take you to this island and you will be glad you didn’t try to ‘beat the movie’ when it is all said and done.  I myself will be seeing this film again, and I know it will have new a meaning and resolve for me.  Don’t miss Scorsese’s latest, from every note of music to every frame of film and each performance, this picture brings a terrifying tale to screen that will stick in your mind for days.

4.5 Burned Matches Out Of 5

Today comes this following news: Mickey Rourke!  The recently resuscitated actor, riding THE WRESTLER (Mayors top pick for 2008? Find out soon), has joined Sly’s flick as “an unscrupulous arms dealer who becomes the go-to guy for a group of mercenaries planning to topple a South American dictator.”

The project already has Stallone Jet Li, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, Forest Whitaker, Robert Knepper, Juliana Paes, and possibly Sir Ben Kingsley. Plus a lead female role remains as yet unfilled.

Stallone brought Rourke on board his 2000 remake of GET CARTER, and Rourke just worked with Statham on the remake of the French thriller 13 TZAMETI.   I heard Sandra Bullock turned down a role which would have been some Demolition Man reunion, but I guess shes too busy with better things…Jean-Claude Van Damme reportedly passed on the project too, for JCVD he can be forgiven.  Release Date: TBA.

Stop! Or my Mom will rip out your throat!