Gil Mansergh’s Cinema Toast
NEW RELEASES 11/03/06

Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation Kazakhstan (R)
Sacha Baron Cohen, Pamela Anderson
Directed by: Larry Charles
The Borat character has burst free of the oppressive chains which bound him to cable’s “Da Ali G Show.” Sent by the Kazakhi government to make a documentary about what makes the USA so great, Borat sees Pamela Anderson on TV and decides to make her his wife. Cohen combines scripted scenes with his candid man-on-the-street interactions with real people, and manages to offend almost everyone. ” As George Burns once said: ” “Acting is all about honesty. If you can fake that, you’ve got it made.”
3 and 1/2 pieces of satirical Kazakhi toast

Flushed Away (PG)
Voices of: Hugh Jackman, Shane Richie, Andy Serkis, Bill Nighy, Ian McKellen, Kate Winslet
Directed by: David Bowers, Sam Fell
What does happen to all those hapless pets that are flushed down the commode? The “Wallace and Gromit” Wizards at Aardman Animation have transformed their plasticine critters into CG critters (but retained an occasional fingerprint or two) and combined British humor with American Whiz Bang. The result is a film worth several viewings so that you can catch all the sight gags in the background and the sotto-voiced side commentaries. Fun for all ages, it will make you want to see the original stop-motion Aardman films (i.e. “Chicken Run”) again.
3 and 1/2 pieces of Aardman toast

Santa Claus 3, The Escape Clause (G)
Tim Allen, Martin Short, Elizabeth Mitchell
Directed by: Michael Lembeck
Allen dons the fur-trimmed red costume (hopefully for the final time) in this formulaic holiday movie guaranteed to have pratfalls galore. In this one, Short plays an irritated Jack Frost and Mrs. Claus is pregnant. Can’t you just imagine the jokes?
not available for preview

Old Joy (NR)
Will Oldham, Daniel London
Directed by: Kelly Reichart
An audience favorite at Sundance, two longtime buddies head into the Oregon wilderness for a camping trip that moves as slowly as, well, a camping trip. This film proves you don;t have to have bears or flash floods or attacks by crazed cannibals to keep things interesting. Just two guys talking about the past (”Didn’t that store used to sell used records?”) and the future (”What happens after my wife has the baby?”) works just fine. (At the Rialto in Santa Rosa)
3 and 1/2 pieces of Oregon forest toast

NEW on VIDEO & DVD

Mission Impossible III (PG-13)
Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames, Philip Seymour Hoffman
Directed by J.J. Abrams
Box Office: $133,382,309
The director who brought “Lost” and “Alias” to TV, and the actor who won the Oscar for playing “Capote,” combine talents to make a thoroughly satisfying Summer flick. Too bad that Tom Cruise fellow is still connected with the franchise.
3 pieces of the power of the impossible toast