Cinema Science

In honor of Sacha Baron Cohen's retirement of Borat and Ali G the LA Times has posted short article and a top ten list (posted below) of the best moments of the characters. My favorite moment for the show is actually much simpler, just Ali G and a furry chicken (see the video at the end of the list).

10. Andy Rooney Interview ("Da Ali G Show," Season 2). Someone finally has the guts to toss Ali G out the door. Who else would it be other than "60 Minutes' " elderly curmudgeon? You can almost hear Rooney's blood pressure spike when Ali G asks, "Is it because I's black?"

Very Nice Quote: "Has journalists ever put out tomorrow's news by mistake?"

9. Borat's Sister ("Da Ali G Show," Season 1). Borat attends a wine-tasting with a pair of older gentlemen. After one too many, he produces a stack of Polaroids of his "beauty queen" sister ("She wants to move to U, S and A"). The jaw-dropping payoff is unforgettable.

Very Nice Quote: "We make a joke! We pretend to be husband and wife!"

8. United Nations ("Da Ali G Show," Season 1). Ali G tours "the United Nations of Benetton," with representatives from "the three corners of the world." The highlight is a chat with former Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, who seems genuinely amused by such questions as, "Is Disneyland a member of the U.N.?"

Very Nice Quote: "Big-up yaself, Boutros Boutros Boutros Boutros-Ghali. Respect."

7. Kazakhstan vs. Borat. Borat's greatest piece of living theater took place off-camera. Representatives of the actual Kazakhstan battled him in the media (Borat responded with a press release of randomly-arranged Cyrillic letters); on the Internet (the suspension of his website, www.borat.kzi) and even at the White House (Borat arrived at the gates one day before an official visit by Kazakh President Nursultan A. Nazarbayev).

Very Nice Quote: "[Kazakh] women can now travel on inside of bus."

6. Noam Chomsky Interview ("Da Ali G Show," Season 2). Baron Cohen clearly loves playing with the English language. To see Ali G share a mangled discussion with the famed linguistics professor and political activist is surreal, hilarious -- and so Chomsky-esque.

Very Nice Quote: "Me know loads of words: Parachute, photograph, spaghetti . . . "

5. Dropping Science ("Da Ali G Show," Season 1). This panel segment of "Da Ali G Show" brings together doctors, a futurologist and a creationist to discuss "techmology" ("Is it good, or is it wack?"). It all ends with the creationist struggling to defend his bathroom habits. A perfect example of the way Baron Cohen mocks the dumbing down of our culture -- by dumbing down our culture.

Very Nice Quote: "So you's saying we ain't come down from monkeys. Has you ever eaten a banana?"

4. Naked Wrestling Match ("Borat: Cultural Learnings . . .") Borat and his "producer," Azamat (Ken Davitian), engage in a full-frontal brawl over their mutual love of a Pamela Anderson bikini photo. Later, Borat will claim he can still taste Azamat on his mustache. P.S. "Borat's" screenplay got an Oscar nomination.

Very Nice Quote: "How dare you make hand-party over Pamela!"

3. Pat Buchanan Interview ("Da Ali G Show," Season 2). No other exchange better displays Baron Cohen's gift for leading his victims into Abbott and Costello-style lunacy. Ali G wants to know if Saddam Hussein does indeed possess weapons of mass destruction, " . . . or, as they is called, BLTs." It's hard to tell if Buchanan's just playing along, or if he truly is concerned about what Ali G calls "a war over sandwiches" -- with or without mustard gas.

Very Nice Quote: "So how long was you president for?"

2. In My Country, There is Problem ("Da Ali G Show," Season 2). In front of an audience of Tucson locals, Borat and His Cowboy Astoni-Band perform an original composition. The lyrics are viciously anti- Semitic. But what comes off more offensive is the crowd's enthusiastic response, singing along with glee. A dark, amoral bit that's as disturbing as it is funny.

Very Nice Quote: Too hurtful to be repeated here.

1. The Star-Spangled Banner ("Borat: Cultural Learnings . . ."). Borat hogties a sacred cow. In January 2005, Baron Cohen made headlines when he attended a rodeo in Salem, Va., and butchered the "Banner." The result was the tuneless debut of Kazakhstan's national anthem ("All other countries are run by little girls"), and the "Borat" movie's definitive set piece.

Very Nice Quote: "May you destroy their country so that for the next thousand years, not even a single lizard will survive in their desert!"