Is “The Fourth Kind” real? Is the documentary footage shown in the film real or staged? In the wake of “Paranormal Activity,” is reality horror the new craze?

The new thriller “The Fourth Kind,” which opens with star Milla Jovovich speaking directly to the audience about the movie’s authenticity, has raised some suspicions about the credibility of its claims and supposedly “real” footage. While the jury’s still out 100 percent, it’s safe to assume that the footage used and the alien abduction story upon which the film is based are a total crock. Simply put, it’s fake.

In 2006, the Anchorage Daily News did a story on the disappearances in Nome, Alaska (the town in which the film takes place) and provided the FBI’s conclusions about them. What were those conclusions? That the winter climate and alcoholism were to blame for the disappearances of 24 people over 40 years.

Additionally, All Business‘ article on the matter states that there isn’t even any evidence to support the movie’s main character ever existed at all. The movie uses what it terms “aliases” throughout.

To further propagate the film’s cheap reliance on its dishonest tactic, Universal has released a featurette with “paranormal researcher” Marie D. Jones (embedded below), asserting that the footage used displays genuine signs of alien abductions. Sure, but that’s because that information is only available inside the brains of paranormal researchers! It’s not something that could be found independent of their guidance and replicated in a film.

With films like this and “Paranormal Activity” being widely distributed, the horror pseudo-documentaries might very well become fashionable (or, at least, profitable) again. Let’s hope there’s a change of pace and the next ones to assuredly come out are substantially more convincing.

Tags: alien abduction, documentary, fake, faked, false, fiction, fourth kind, REAL, STORY, THE FOURTH KIND, TRUE

George saw the movie during Fantastic Fest last month. Read his take here. Mine follows below:

Rarely do movie critics talk about the actual experience of seeing a film in the theater in their actual review. It happens sometimes, but it’s usually presented as an aside (the film broke, the crowd responded this way, the sound was bad, etc.) and not something that’s necessarily essential to the enjoyment of the film.

For this review, there is simply no way around it.

First off, the ultra-low-budget suspense flick “Paranormal Activity” has based its entire ad campaign around audience reaction. The trailers and ads show movie theater crowds jumping in their seats and screaming in horror while viewing the picture.

Secondly, Paramount has been rolling it out at midnight shows only in select cities (until this weekend’s wider release), so the viewing hour limits the movie to its intended demographic—college kids up for a late-night scare. It also means that with only one showing a night the shows sell out quicker.

This means the movie’s been playing to packed crowds who are already predisposed to buy into its premise of a young couple haunted by a demon who tape the bizarre happenings in their home on a video camera, especially if they watch any number of the night-vision “reality” shows based on supernatural phenomena on A&E or MTV.

One thing must be mentioned: Since 1999’s similarly themed “The Blair Witch Project,” audiences are smarter about the way their images and movies are presented, so filmgoers going in believing that this is documentary footage left behind by real people are probably few and far between.

All of the above-mentioned points factor into how this movie played for me. To put it simply, it didn’t.

Is that the fault of stars Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat? Not really. The acting is quite naturalistic, considering some of the contrived things they have to do and say to hit the beats of the screenplay while convincing us that the footage is real.

Is it the fault of writer/director Oren Peli? Partially. His adherence to the premise that all video was shot by Micah and Katie is part of the movie’s fly-on-the-wall appeal, but it’s also its biggest stumbling block when it comes to plot. It’s hard to believe the couple wouldn’t leave their home or seek help outside of a psychic who leaves them high and dry, bolting from the front door because of angry demon vibes.

Mostly, it’s the fault of a friend of mine who sat two people down from me.

To put it mildly, the movie is a slow build. In fact, like “Blair Witch,” there’s barely any onscreen “action” at all. The whole less-is-more approach wasn’t working for my friend, who made it known about 20 minutes into the movie that something “better happen soon.” As the movie wore on, it wasn’t simply whispers to his girlfriend or the guy next to him anymore, it was loud exhortations directed at the screen or to everyone else in the theater.

When I hate a movie, I’ll admit that my body language can give it away sometimes. I’ll even admit to a groan or loud sigh every now and then. For the most part, though, I try to keep that stuff in check.

When my friend started reaching across the guy between us to tap me on the leg and talk to me, I knew I was sunk. I waved him off and gave him dirty looks, trying to show my displeasure silently (while still concentrating on the film), but he continued to show his disgust with the movie out loud. (And with a great big “rock fist down.”)

Here’s the funny part: For some of the film, I was right there with him. I agree with him that it was hard to get into and slow to get going. There is a certain amount of suspension of disbelief, however, that you must accept in order for the movie to work for you. My friend was “out” of the film early and stayed out. (Another friend was literally out—he left 30 minutes into the movie and decided to have a drink at a nearby bar until the movie was over!)

So the bottom line is—did “Paranormal Activity” work for me? No. That night, it didn’t.

I tried to concentrate on the movie, but my environment conspired to get the best of me. (Admittedly, I even dozed off for a second or two towards the middle of the movie and was jarred awake by my friend in kind of a “ha ha—gotcha!” moment for him.)

But this brings up an interesting question: If the suspension of disbelief is such a hurdle, how does the movie play in huge, sold-out theaters, where one would expect that more people means more hecklers? I would think there would be a lot of haters, but maybe the rest of the crowd would intimidate them into shutting up.

The theater I saw it in held about 100 people, fairly spread out, and there were waiters bringing food and drink orders and checks. Their mere appearance tended to draw me out of the movie a little more too.

Or—am I simply making excuses for a movie that I never really believed? There was an impressive level of skill on display in shaping the threadbare story around the reality-style limitations it required. But I only noticed these things occasionally and on a formal level, rather than actually getting into the movie on an emotional level.

Will the movie play on TV better because the cheapo camerawork suits the medium better or will it be impossible to stay involved in with interruptions galore at home?

I can only tell you about my experience and it was mixed at best. I guess this is one of those times where I’m glad I have a rating that doesn’t commit too firmly in either direction. Instead, it’s complete neutrality. I’m happy to give “Paranormal Activity” the Swiss fist and I’m happy to ask you about your experience seeing the movie.

Comment away …

Tags: angry, audience, crowd, hated, is paranormal activity real, loud, movie, noisy, paranormal activity, paranormal activity movie review, paranormal activity review, REAL, review, sold out, theater

“Paranormal Activity” movie review

Find out why Eric’s actual theater-going experience ruined the movie for him here.

I try really hard to go into movies without prejudice. But with the advertising tactics being employed to push “Paranormal Activity,” I’ve found it very difficult to not be extremely skeptical.

Take a look at the posters. They’re going for an amateur/home-made/printed at Kinko’s look I find almost infuriating. Of course, the trailers that contain more scenes of people reacting to the movie than actual scenes from the movie is a pretty brilliant way to sell it. The midnight screenings in college towns and the whole “demand it in your area” campaign is also clever, if also slightly annoying.

I get it. They’re trying to capture that “Blair Witch” magic. But this Herculean task is difficult particularly because of the backlash “The Blair Witch Project” inspired. The movie that launched a thousand shaky-cams disappointed those who thought the footage might be real, or didn’t care about the characters, or were expecting more scares or gore.

But while Paramount has been careful to not explicitly state that the footage that comprises the movie is real, they’re being coy in a way that will leave many people to assume it is. Nowhere is this more clear than in the introductory text, which is something to the affect of “Paramount Studios would like to thank the families of Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat, and the San Diego Police Department.”

I don’t think the movie needs it, but I can appreciate that it ratchets up the suspense by narrowing down the places it can go. But its inevitable that some people are going to take that it at face value and assume its real. Make no mistake, this isn’t real. These are actors.

Fortunately, they’re good actors. I don’t know if any of the dialogue is improvised, but the way they talk to each other will feel very familiar to anyone who has ever been in a long term relationship that is facing a crisis. Both characters are charming and amiable in the same way that makes reality television appealing. Even when both have their stubborn moments, this movie never falls into the trap of making either character an illogical stereotype. They’re not movie star attractive, and actually look and talk like an average couple. This is a big part of a definite sense of realism that really grounds the proceedings.

Of course, realistic can be good, but also boring. Thankfully, the tight editing and smart pacing keeps that from happening. The plot is simple: A couple in a long term relationship have recently moved in together. As they start to notice strange noises and other unexplained phenomena, the girl reveals she’s been seemingly followed by those phenomena since she was a young girl. Confident that there’s a rational explanation, the boyfriend buys an expensive camera that can also record in the dark. He figures that after a few days of nothing strange captured on video they can both put it to rest.

Of course things don’t quite turn out that way, and a visit from a psychic leaves him more skeptical and her more afraid of what they’re dealing with. It seems the more attention they grant the phenomena and the more they fight over what to do, the more empowered and active it seems to become. What is it exactly that’s toying with them? And is there anything they can do? Are there lives in danger? These questions all make for an engaging and suspenseful movie, filled with some of the most affecting jump scare moments I’ve ever experienced.

There are also a lot of filmmaking lessons to be learned by how this movie builds its suspense and payoffs. First off, the movie’s assembled as if from found footage, and only things of interest pertaining to the haunting is shown. This makes for some skipping around in time and fast forwarding through long, static shots. As most of the strange things that happen occur at night while they’re asleep, the static camera angle it returns to is a cue to the audience that something bad is about to happen. This just ends up putting you on edge so that you’re still caught off guard once something does happen.

In addition, nearly all of the camera work is brilliantly executed. Sure, there’s some dreaded shaky-cam moments as one character or the other begin to play with the camera, but on my first viewing I didn’t notice any “cheats.” No moment stuck out that seemed unlikely it could have naturally occurred the way it did by incorporating the camera.

The special effects themselves also deserve credit for being fairly seamless and really selling the proceedings. In fact, nearly all aspects of this movie are stronger than expected. This really is the little scary movie that could, and I have no doubt it will find a huge audience that will appreciate it. Ultimately, “Paranormal Activity” is disturbingly good and good at disturbing.

Tags: activity, katie featherston, movie, paranormal, paranormal activity movie review, paranormal activity review, REAL, review, scenes

Last night on “Late Show with David Letterman,” Sacha Baron Cohen responded to the host about his reality-based humor being difficult to pull off and dangerous to carry out in public by saying, “I won’t do it again.”

It doesn’t surprise me. What’s fascinating is finding out what amount of the shoot was planned, what was improvised, and what actually put the comedian in harm’s way. (Here is our on-camera review of “Brüno” with clips from the movie.) This press release from Universal is uncharacteristically candid about the making of “Brüno.” Sure, it’s got the normal publicist’s spin, but there’s plenty of interesting information here. It’s a look behind the scenes at this risky and fearless style of comedy. WARNING: SOME SPOILERS IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THE MOVIE. (Kansas City residents, scroll down to “Finding Lutz” to see what was filmed here.) Here’s the highlights:

Following the global spotlight cast on Borat, the worldwide filmic journey of Austria’s most famous fashionista (and the host of Funkyzeit Mit Brüno) began with the filmmakers’ simple question of “Can we pull this off again?” Turns out it was possible…if they could keep their star and creative force both out of jail and alive until the end of the shoot.

If director Larry Charles and producers Sacha Baron Cohen, Dan Mazer, Jay Roach and Monica Levinson discovered nothing else from their time on Borat, they learned to live by one rule: “Know and obey the law, and always have an escape plan.” They were sure that if Baron Cohen got arrested or hurt, the production would have to shut down and they could be delayed for weeks. That maxim informed every aspect of the production, and they were able to stick to that plan.

Well, all but once.

While the majority of films have a strict daily schedule in which cast and crew know what is expected of them, the Brüno team didn’t enjoy that luxury. Each afternoon before a day of production, the group had to determine what they would lens the next day. They plotted their course, got on the scene and shot in rapid-fire succession. Then, it was off to the next locale to push the limits without breaking the law.

Believing it was crucial to top the extreme comedy they’d achieved with Borat, the team moved the needle much further on this production and had more serious police encounters than before. It didn’t stop there. The crew found themselves receiving calls from the FBI warning of death threats and dodging clenched fists, angry mobs and loaded guns at every step of the way.

Experience from Borat had taught that the entire cast and crew had to be on board (and working with the utmost confidentiality) to make sure that the guerilla filmmaking worked. From Baron Cohen’s getting hauled away by the Milanese police after filming a show-stopping appearance at designer Agatha Ruiz De La Prada’s event to his interrogation and strip search by the officers, there was never a dull moment on the globetrotting set.

Once initial scenarios (e.g., Brüno will be tossed out of a big fashion event, flirt with shocked subjects and interview celebrities on their humanitarian efforts) were agreed upon by Baron Cohen and his fellow writers, research began to find the best venues to visit and people to experience. The results captured on film would dictate next steps.

Over the course of 19 non-consecutive weeks during an entire year, the “well-oiled and completely disorganized machine” shot footage. By staying small, stealthy and relying upon the talents of a confidential pack of people, they were able to capture what’s never been seen before on film.

Traveling in five vehicles (three vans, one getaway minivan and one RV that doubled as a production room and changing room), the cast and crew made their way across America, Europe and the Middle East. Traversing Los Angeles, New York City and Washington, D.C., to Kansas, Texas, Alabama and Arkansas in America to London, Berlin, Paris and Milan in Europe and Jordan and Israel in the Middle East, they kept an exhausting schedule. Below is only a sampling of their outrageous stories.

Strip Search Me: Fashion’s High Price

When Baron Cohen and his fellow writers imagined setting up Brüno as a reporter at a European fashion week where he would meet his Waterloo, they explored the various events that he could attend in a time frame that would work for filming. Not wanting to hedge their bets on one location, the filmmakers went to New York City, Paris and Milan and secured credentials for multiple seasons of those cities’ respective fashion weeks.

The team made it to Milan Fashion Week in late September 2008. They had imagined a gag in which Baron Cohen as Brüno would, dressed in a suit made entirely out of Velcro, exit a car outside a fashion week arena and sneak his way onto the runway; director Charles and the camera crew would capture it all. Early attempts to get into other shows failed when security recognized and banned all the key players of the production. The officers called the police and threw Camp Brüno out while they accused them of stealing clothing.

Brüno had been blackballed from Milan Fashion Week. The Italian Chamber of Fashion issued a press release to designers and warned them of the possibility Baron Cohen would try to crash their events; the chamber further advised access be denied to Brüno’s production company. With an image out on television stations and across the Internet, Baron Cohen was a man on the run. For their part, the Milanese police declared he would be arrested on sight. Everyone was looking to take down the fabulous talk-show host with the acerbic wit.

While any future attempts appeared fruitless, the team was not accustomed to throwing in the towel. Their solution? Baron Cohen insisted that they change everyone’s appearance and create an entirely new crew. Director Charles shaved his beard and modified his hairstyle; likewise, producer Mazer cut his hair, as did other members of the Milanese camera crew. Everyone involved in the final stunt changed his or her outfits.

Complete with haute couture scarves and funky glasses, they became entirely new fashionistas to fit in with the others. This would be the team’s last chance to get the Velcro scene the writers had carefully constructed. Standing between them and the stunt? Extra police and tighter security were brought in to comb the area for Brüno.

Seizing an opportunity 30 minutes before designer Agatha Ruiz De La Prada’s fashion show began, the man who created Brüno knew what he had to do. The team secured him the proper credentials, and he walked in…not as the host of Funkyzeit Mit Brüno, but in the guise of an Italian photographer in a fabulous new outfit.

Accompanied by his hair and makeup artist and co-writer Hines, Baron Cohen found a hidden nook backstage and transformed into Brüno. He attempted to reduce his rapid breathing as, inches away, models and security walked by him in disguise. The performer knew that if he were discovered that the team’s last, best chance of locking this critical scene would be over. Shortly after the show began, he seized his chance. Bursting out of his hiding place and onto the backstage, Baron Cohen sprinted past stunned models and lunged by waiting security guards.

The producers were euphoric when Baron Cohen (as Brüno in a Velcro suit covered with clothing) fell onto the runway. The crowd went wild in outrage while the cameras rolled. Just as the team caught the footage they needed, security shut the lights off and dragged Baron Cohen off the stage. Police cuffed the actor and hauled him to jail while his fellow crewmembers chased him down. Though he claimed that he’d made an honest mistake—he’d simply put on a Velcro suit and walked in—Baron Cohen was strip searched and questioned by seven police officers.

Undaunted, the team moved on to their next adventure. It wasn’t days later when Baron Cohen threw out the question: “Can we go to Paris next week for Fashion Week?” The other producers’ weary response: “Fine…we’re going to Paris!” They shot for two days in October and landed prime seating at such coveted events as Stella McCartney’s line unveiling and Jean-Charles de Castelbajac’s show. Brüno was clad in another outrageous outfit at the latter and, of course, making comments as the cameras rolled.

That was not the last that self-professed style makers would see of Brüno.

Though the sequence wasn’t used in the final cut of the film, the production shot a scene at a Berlin nightclub where Brüno gave his farewell address to the fashion world. In the middle of an all-night rave, Brüno snuck into the deejay booth, killed the music and proceeded to deliver a 10-minute speech to the bewildered patrons.

According to the delusional fashionista, his audience was the recipient of “the most important speech since Martin Luther King, Jr.’s ‘I Have a Dream.’” Needless to say, the hyperkinetic ravers did not take well to their music getting cut and began taunting the strange man giving the unsolicited lecture. Bottles and cups full of beer began pouring down on Brüno. As the nightclub’s security muscled Baron Cohen from the club, the drunken ravers began lunging after the man who had interrupted their fun. During the melee, an assailant hit the performer in the neck while others tore at his clothing.

Brüno was officially out.

Finding Lutz

When the writers were crafting Brüno’s journey, they realized he needed a partner in crime as he traveled the globe. To cast the part of the fashion host’s second assistant, the initially meek (and hopelessly in love with his boss) Lutz, the production conducted an exhaustive search; casting sessions were done in the U.S., Germany, London and multiple other locales. Lutz would be the perfect “straight man” for Brüno, going along with his insane ideas such as swindling a baby from an African tribe and trying to become heterosexual. And he did it all in the name of love.

During auditions, producer Dan Mazer recalled an actor from one of his favorite films, a Swedish comedy from writer/director Lukas Moodysson called Tillsammans (Together). He had been moved by Gustaf Hammarsten’s performance and insisted the team bring in the actor to try out for the part. When he read for the role, they knew they found their Lutz.

Along with the film’s star, Hammarsten took many risks during the shooting of the film and was an unflappable player in the troupe. From being manacled to Baron Cohen in a hotel room in Kansas City to swapping blows in an Arkansas cage match, the actor was astonishing in his versatility and bravery. And just as Baron Cohen had, Hammarsten studied German in school and knew enough to engage in conversation with Brüno in this language.

Roof Jumps and Broken Heels: Fame is Painful

In Brüno’s quest to be über famous, he would find some curious interview subjects. None were more fascinating, however, than those who should be much more media savvy: celebrities. From Paula Abdul and La Toya Jackson to Brittny Gastineau and Ron Paul, Baron Cohen managed to have singers, reality stars and politicians say and do more on camera than you can even imagine.

One of the more astonishing social experiments was the use of “Mexican Chair People.” The team had staged an outrageous gag in which Brüno realizes he has no furniture upon which to seat his subjects. What to use as chairs and benches? Latino gardeners, of course. Naturally, they didn’t expect anyone to actually sit upon the men (all of whom are stuntmen and actors) without serious pressure being applied. It proved to be stunningly easy to get compliance from the talent. Every celebrity sat right down.

American Idol judge Paula Abdul and infamous Jackson sister La Toya Jackson agreed to be interviewed by Herr Brüno and sit on the help. Both were very game to rest on the backs of the supposed day laborers. Hard to comprehend? Director Charles helps piece it together; he believes it is human nature to want to have our egos fed and we’ll forgive “small” transgressions in the process.

From his work on such films as Borat and Religulous, Charles realized that, simply put, people just want to be interviewed. With on-air talent, they believe it is part of their job to promote their project, and neither they nor their publicity team need to be too fastidious about the details.

For regular people, the rule of “everybody wants a little piece of fame” applies. With many subjects, if you put a camera in front of and a lapel mike upon them, they’ll say whatever they’re thinking for the possibility of 15 minutes of attention.

While Abdul, Jackson and Gastineau were interviewed in Los Angeles, the production spent time in Washington, D.C., to get the thoughts of a certain politico. During the time period he was running for U.S. president, Ron Paul was interviewed for the film

It was an elaborate, risky set-up on the part of the Brüno team. They had to deal with U.S. Capitol police and Secret Service, not to mention the army of handlers working with Paul. As soon as the interview wrapped (and Paul stormed off the set), Baron Cohen was whisked out of the suite, into a fake police car, and onto a flight headed for New York City.

The arduous work of shooting Brüno finally took its toll. The performer was bedded by a case of the flu and wasn’t permitted to fly. Production had to shut down for two days. Though not fully recovered, he was propped up long enough to shoot the Mexican Chair bit, then flown to Kansas for integral scenes in which he was manacled to Gustaf Hammarsten as they made their way through a hotel and a mall.

During the hotel room scene in which Baron Cohen and Hammersten were chained together on the bed, word arrived that the police were in the lobby. As Kansas City’s finest rode up the elevator, both men made a mad dash down the emergency exit staircase. To their alarm, they discovered the staircase ended at the second story. They were trapped.

It was time to choose between facing the police (read: possible arrest and deportation for the Europeans) and a 15-foot leap to freedom. Both men took the plunge and fled into the escape vehicle.

Baron Cohen was officially down for the count. His antibiotics gave him thrush. The hair depilatory he was using gave him a strong reaction. After recovering from sinus infections, and forcing himself to recover, Brüno was back in action. Until his alter ego broke a heel while wearing platform boots during a Stunt in the Midwest and production had to shut down for another seven weeks.

Terrorists to Supremacists: Engaging Fundamentalists

While director Charles and the other producers learned to expect the unexpected when it came to the mind of Sacha Baron Cohen, one thing they were not prepared for was the actor’s intentions for Brüno to help negotiate peace in the Middle East.

The production’s general policy for interviews is that Baron Cohen allows subjects to keep going and give the most honest reaction they can to the scene he’s created with his fellow writers. With the suggestion that the company mingle with terrorists, however, the reaction among the normally brave key players was: “How the hell are we going to be do this and not get everyone killed?” They knew they couldn’t safely go to Jordan, Israel or the West Bank to set these up.

Well, at least that’s what they thought.

Before they embarked upon the plan, the team met with Middle East experts to learn what lines could never be crossed; they engaged the help of key Palestinian, Jordanian and Israeli advisors to understand these unwritten codes of conduct. Whether they followed them, however, was another story.

This region proved to be the most intimidating and life-threatening location in which the team would shoot. After slyly getting the former Jordanian prime minister to take part in a 90-minute interview at his home, Baron Cohen needed to meet with the country’s royal family to smooth things over. And if that—coupled with engaging members of Mossad and other fundamentalist politicians in the region—wasn’t enough, Baron Cohen as Brüno headed to an area of the West Bank (in Zone C) that is not under Israeli control. If anything went wrong, there would be no help from the Israeli army. The filmmakers were truly on their own.

Surprisingly, the head of the Bethlehem unit of terrorist group al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade agreed to meet with this correspondent. The leader of a sect known for suicide bombings sat with Brüno while an aide translated curious, highly offensive statements from the interviewer. And while they spoke, they were surrounded by the terrorist’s bodyguards…who grew more and more agitated by the barbs.

Once Baron Cohen and Charles arrived at the secret location in the West Bank, they were informed that Palestinian intelligence knew they were there and were keeping an eye on their every movement. With no time to waste, the team got the footage they needed and quickly headed back into protected territory.

What peace process would be complete without getting feedback from the other side? One of the more rapid experiments for the production was Brüno’s sashay through a Hasidic neighborhood in Israel. Among this conservative community, men and women are forbidden from showing much skin (including legs and arms). In retaliation for his offenses, furious members of the crowd chased Baron Cohen after Brüno took a stroll in skin-tight short shorts and a Little Debbie-inspired bonnet.

They were out for blood. A large, angry crowd of Hasidic Jews began to gather, intent upon harming Baron Cohen for his actions. The performer was forced to hide in the store of a compassionate shopkeeper until a van could reach him and assist his getaway. Only then could he hunch down on the floor of the getaway vehicle and avoid the growing potential riot situation.

Back in the U.S., the production assumed it would be on safer ground. Wrong. They engaged with a domestic terrorist who was as dangerous as any they’d encountered overseas. While the scenes they shot didn’t make it into the final cut of Brüno, the team lensed at a prominent white supremacist’s house. The man who had spent a decade in prison for violent hate mongering did not take it very well when Brüno introduced him to his then-gay lover, Diesel. The supremacist cocked his fist and went to attack Baron Cohen, who was able to avoid his punch and make it safely out of the house.

Ruthless Stage Parents

Another area of interest to the team was the worldwide fascination with celebrities’ lives and the mixed messages performers give when showcasing their families to an eager public. The creative team realized that if Brüno tried to appear to be a selfless, doting father, he could (in his mind) vault his status in the celebrity community.

Naturally, he should adopt a child. And what could make him seem to be a more caring, famous parent than bringing an African baby from a tiny village into his unorthodox home? If Madonna and Angelina could do it, so could Brüno.

Much like a fashion accessory, Brüno would cart his adopted son (played by twin boys) everywhere he went…from casting sessions and impromptu weddings in California to talk shows in Texas. Of course, the boys’ parents and a social worker became part of the camp’s lean team and provided support for the twins at every step of the way.

Nowhere was he a bigger surprise, however, than at the Dallas-Fort Worth international airport. While director Charles shot the scene and fliers’ reactions, Brüno and his assistant pretended to pick up his newly arrived child from the baggage carousel. The jetsetter had just been on an African safari, and this child was his most precious and fantastic new souvenir.

However, Brüno was not the only one who wanted to be a superstar.

Few find the quest for fame as enticing as some parents of aspiring child actors. The filmmakers wanted Baron Cohen as Brüno to examine the players of that world, and he conducted multiple casting sessions with caregivers of “aspiring” child actors in Sherman Oaks, California, in February 2008. Interviewees were instructed that their children were being considered for an upcoming photo shoot with the host’s baby. For all involved in the production, it was stunning to listen to the bizarre and dangerous lengths to which some parents would go for their children to become a part of the public eye.

When it was Brüno’s time in front of the camera, Baron Cohen posed ever-more exaggerated questions to find out the extent to which these parents would allow their children to be in jeopardy. After the performer wrapped the final auditions, the team was so unnerved by the parents’ bizarre reactions to increasingly shocking scenarios that they made sure the eager parents didn’t follow through. Members of the team called and advised the eager stage moms and dads that they shouldn’t proceed as if their child got the part; he or she wouldn’t be a part of a photo shoot.

Locked and Loaded: Hunting Brüno

When he began production of Da Ali G Show several years ago, Sacha Baron Cohen believed he would have to use all his improvisational skills to lead people down a path and get them to react for the camera. Turns out he was quite wrong. Much goading or antagonism wasn’t necessary at all. He found that once interviewees had a lens in front of them and were prompted with uncomfortable scenarios, they reacted incredibly honestly. People don’t say or do things on camera that they don’t mean.

Likewise, director Charles and the producers were fascinated to realize the levels of anger that came when some subjects were confronted with Brüno’s homosexuality. A simple act such as a kiss between two men enraged certain people, and all their reactions were caught on camera. Sometimes, they were infuriated to the point that they wanted to physically harm Baron Cohen.

This was most definitely the case when traveling with four hunters in Alabama. The men agreed to take the foreign correspondent and his crew along with them as they went hunting, but they wouldn’t be giving up their guns at any point. The crew attempted to get the men to relinquish their weapons during filming, but that wasn’t as easy as it sounds. In fact, when things got heated, guns got drawn.

Once the hunters realized Brüno was gay and believed he was hitting on one of them, they readied their rifles. The production found itself in a standoff in the dark with armed men who were growing increasingly agitated by Baron Cohen’s pranks. The hunters were stewing by the time the team pulled up stakes, and their reactions were soon reaching a boiling point. During one discussion, one of the men actually pulled a weapon on a crewmember and pointed it at him.

It was time to get out of Dodge.

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell: Breaching National Security

After Brüno decides he must become straight to find fame, he goes on a cross-country journey to eradicate any hint of his homosexuality. A logical stop to do such complicated work? The U.S. Army National Guard headquarters in Anniston, Alabama, about 65 miles from Birmingham. Unfortunately, this unit of the National Guard was unable to guard its own base from one canny British infiltrator.

The production lucked into the scenario when they asked a contact at the National Guard if the production could imbed on-air talent for the day. They explained that the purpose of the visit was to let their audience know what it was like to live and work as a candidate in officer training school. While there, Baron Cohen, dressed in the latest style of fatigues (read: Dolce & Gabbana), perplexed his fellow soldiers with his stunts.

It was not one of the finer days for national defense. When the production’s van came into the training ground, no one was asked for identification. Oddly enough, it turned out to be the perfect storm of confidentiality for the team, as the younger recruits were not allowed to speak freely unless they received the go-ahead by a commanding officer. If they had given permission earlier, the senior members would have known what several of the 20- to 22-year-old guys did: The man behind Borat was in their midst.

Once the crew heard the buzz that some of the young men suspected Baron Cohen was there, they packed up the team and got them out ASAP. As they were loading the performer into the van and driving rapidly off the base, the guards yelled out for them to stop and began to close the gate. Ten seconds too late, as Brüno (and the perfect amount of footage of his acting up during officer training school) were out the door. Had the team been moments later in their exit, the National Guard could have confiscated the tapes and they wouldn’t have seen the light of day.

When finally confronted with the question of “Did you know who that trainee was?,” the recruits responded with a firm: “Yes, sir! Sacha Baron Cohen, sir!”

Dangerous Cage Fights: Unmasking Homophobia

Aside from interviewing the terrorist leader in the Middle East, one of the most dangerous stunts during the production was the cage fight in which Brüno realizes the love of his life is in the ring with him. As they ensured during most scenes shot for the film, director Charles and the producers booked a back-up venue in case they didn’t get the right material on the first day of shooting. If needed, they could intercut with footage and salvage the bit. They knew that once word was out that the production was in town, it would spread like wildfire; they had to stay one step ahead of the public.

Nowhere did the filming get more dangerous, however, than when interviewees and other subjects of the film saw the relationship develop between Brüno and his traveling companion, Lutz.

In early June 2008, the production worked with a venue in Texarkana, Arkansas, to host a night of “Blue Collar Brawlin’” in which audiences would watch ultimate wrestling and get cheap beer. Brüno, transformed from hard months of life on the American roads learning how to be heterosexual, would battle it out with anyone who dared to challenge the macho man he’d become. This set-up would involve pushing the strict local and state morality standards to the edge.

It was vitally important for the production to avoid breaking any statutes or codes, and they always made certain they were on the right side of the law. As well, the team didn’t want to take chances with angry officers and made every effort to keep the police apprised and on their side. It didn’t hurt, however, to know they were close enough to two other states if they had to escape Texarkana.

The first night, the venue in Southwestern Arkansas would initially only supply police to serve as the arena’s security guards. But once the production told the officers that the audience might get unnerved when—during the course of the evening’s entertainment—two men kissed, the police reply was that they wouldn’t cover the event. They would, however, come back if any audience members called in a complaint and problems arose. And did they ever.

The cast and crew were now on their own.

As a producer, writer, creator and star of the comedy, Baron Cohen knew that it would be impossible for him to perform in character if he was concerned about his team’s safety. Moments after the first embrace between the two men, chairs were pulled up and tossed, a fighter who had been watching from the audience climbed into the cage and challenged Baron Cohen to a fight. Director Charles got none of the footage he needed, but Baron Cohen and the crew escaped just in time. The police did not return to the scene.

Overnight, they moved the entire operation several hours to the north to Fort Smith, Arkansas. Once there, the Brüno team was contacted by the Fort Smith police about what happened in Texarkana; these officers were reluctant to cover the event. As police were the only security certified to man the convention center, the production thought they were out of luck. Fortunately, the producers met with the chief of police and several other officers to secure the clearance needed. They left the meeting armed with a list of city ordinances that were stricter than the Arkansas state rules.

Lessons learned, for the Fort Smith event, the team made sure there were no glass bottles that could be used as projectiles, and they wired chairs together so fans couldn’t pick them up and lob them into the ring.

Seconds after the kiss, attendees became furious. Soon after, one member of the crowd unwired a chair and threw it at Baron Cohen’s head. At that point, it was a near riot and the performers were rushed from the premises. Audience members and other fighters alike were screaming epithets and surrounding the bus and the field team. It ended after a stand off that lasted many hours, with 40 police officers from the Fort Smith division helping to rescue the cast and crew and quell the angry mob.

Tags: behind, Bruno, did, film, filming, how, it, last, making, movie, of, REAL, scenes, STORY, the, they

I’m so proud of our sitegoers. Less than a week ago, I said we would give away 50 free passes for a KC advance screening of “The Hangover” to the readers with the best hangover/Vegas/drunk/bachelor party stories. We only had two days, though, to collect them all and give out the tickets.

Boy, did you ever respond.

We got so many responses that the studio upped our ticket count from 50 to 100! I have to assume that some of these stories were made up just to get tix, but some of them have a level of detail so high and personal that they can only be true (even if they “happened to a friend”)!

First we’ll start with a highlight reel; then we’ll get on with the longer, really scary stories. Remember, these were all submitted by you. Again, you guys rule. Plain ans simple. We have the best readers and we love you.

It’s a good thing that social media tools like Twitter and facebook have taught us to overshare. Congratulations to everyone who opened up these painful moments to the public for a pair of free tickets to a movie. WARNING: THE STARK FACTS AND PHOTOS CONTAINED BELOW MAY SHOCK AND DISMAY MORE SENSITIVE VIEWERS. Here is a highlight sampling (with the names of the submitters removed to protect the not-so-innocent) of some of the scariest entries:

“…came home, went to the refrigerator looking for something to sober me up. Dove into what I thought was corned beef hash. Woke up the next day, suffering from a severe hangover headache and a churning stomach only to discover an empty can of dog food sitting on the counter.”

“I woke up with my partner and 2 other persons naked in one of the other person’s condo.”

“…many hours later, I awoke to find my friend Ted asleep on the floor of the guest room at the end of the bed. I was cold. And wet. And smelled of urine. Awesome. He’d peed on me in my sleep.”

“The lenses were basically stuck to her eye because they had dried out from the smoky atmosphere of all the bars, plus keeping them in while she slept. She got the contacts out of her eyes, but her eyes burned like hell. Turns out she the dried contacts absorbed moisture from her eye and caused her to tear off several layers of her cornea.”

“My old roommates and I got drunk in Manhattan before a Ultimate Fakebook/Anything But Joey show and found a [severed] turkey head and leg in someone’s lawn while walking to the venue. A “certain band member” watched us put the dead animal on Anything But Joey’s van. The best part is—we carried it with bare hands, but the band removed it with plastic bags.”

“About 8 in the morning I awoke from a deep sleep on my porch swing which was covered in hair. My friend was passed out on a couch with a fresh, crooked mohawk that I found out later in the day I had given him around midnight…”

“I once went out for dollar drinks down at what used to be Mickey’s Irish Pub and ended up waking up next to Kohl’s under a tree not having a single clue how I got there, then I hitchhiked home in Overland Park! Still don’t know what happened that night.”

“You know that you did a good job of drinking the night before when you wake up someplace that you don’t recognize and the first question that you ask yourself is, ‘Wasn’t I wearing underwear last night?’”

“…the rest of the night is hazy, but I know it ended with me head-butting the door on the way out of the bar, followed by a midnight trip to a golf course to look for an alligator named Elvis.”

“I hollered up at a buddy of mine on the top of the houseboat and asked for a beer. Unfortunately he threw 2 - I caught the first one, but the second one hit me right above my left eye, knocking me out and cutting my eyebrow open in two places.”

“I tried to get her to leave with me so I could take her home; however, someone convinced her to go home with this guy so she wouldn’t get in trouble for coming in too late. It turns out that this “guy” was really a girl and my friend found this out the next day.”

“We drank 4 bottles of Hennessy, got kicked out of a few strip clubs because one of the girls said we ‘touched’ them, while they were dancing, in an inappropriate place. Then we drove and got lost, ended up in some corn field and passed out. Woke up and was being towed by a tractor.”

“Watching a random crazy girl COVER a passed-out friend in ketchup! Pictures do it more justice!”

Those were just teasers. The stories that follow recall in harrowing detail some very specific moments that will live in infamy. These are a little longer, but worth the time. Thanks again everybody, and enjoy the movie tomorrow night. (Just think, all the people whom these stories happened to will under the same roof tomorrow night watching the same movie. Scary. And awesome.) Here’s the full stories:

1. So me and my friends went out for my buddy’s bachelor party and got pretty wasted in the bar district. My buddy Clay wasn’t aware that the bachelorette party was also going on in the same area, but due to planning ahead of time, the two parties wouldn’t interact. After getting pretty toasted we all left the bar to go to another one and Clay wasn’t with us. He had wandered off and thought we had already left and was trying to find us at a random bar across the street. When he was there, he saw a group of hotties and approached them and they were doing a game for a girl who was to be married the next day. For a dollar, you could grab a lifesaver from her shirt with your mouth. Clay decided he didn’t want to pay for that and just threw his head straight into her boobies then looked up and kissed her on the lips. The girls around him went insane and got him thrown out of the bar. He then wandered down the street and found us at another bar and told us the story of how he got thrown out. Needless to say, we were all rolling in laughter and brought our buddy over to hear the story. Once Clay connected the dots and realized that he had just planted his face in the bosom of our buddy’s “bride-to-be,” he insisted that he took a slap in the face from him. What followed was the hardest slap I’ve ever seen which took Clay down to the floor. Next day at the wedding, Clay had a pretty noticeable hand imprint on his face and the look on the bridesmaids when they saw him was priceless!

2. I got married in my early 20s (the first time). My college buddies arranged for my last night out the night before my rehearsal dinner. To say the least, we tied one on. Though we did avoid arrest when a cop in the Westport area caught us relieving ourselves in the alley way…who can find a bathroom among all the bars in that area? That night we stayed at a friend’s apartment (instead of taking me back to the apt. I shared with my future first wife). I proceed to relieve myself of all my day’s meals in a visiting friend’s duffle bag…hey, it was the first thing I saw to throw up in! The remainder of the night, I spent on the cool relief of the bathroom’s tile floor. Sometime during the evening, my lower intestines relieved themselves of all of their contents. In the morning, I was found still asleep, but with very awake bowels. They helped me get cleaned up—helped lifting me into the shower with my clothes still on in a kind of combination body and clothes wash cycle.
I rested as much as I could, but to be honest I was never (and still am not) much of a drinker. When they took me home late in the afternoon. My fiancée was not amused, since I was still very, very hungover.
I made it to the church, with only one stop on the way to throw up. I made it through the rehearsal and only excused myself once to throw up.
Before heading to the rehearsal dinner, my father took me aside and commented how angry my soon-to-be-wife was with me…and he was justified in being upset and that it probably won’t be the last time. WOW, thanks Dad for the “rah, rah, go get ‘em tiger” speech.
I made it through half of the rehearsal dinner before throwing in the towel and excusing myself. I thanked everyone for attending and said I look forward to seeing them all tomorrow. To my fiancée’s credit, she gave me a few choice words that night, but put it all behind her the next day.
Being a good friend, he left my soiled jeans in an airtight plastic bag under his apartment stairs. Being frugal, I did pick up the jeans after our honeymoon. I think the jeans lasted longer than my marriage.

3. I went to Vegas on business with my secretary and we stayed at the Hard Rock. Our flight gave us no food so being very hungry, we decided to have dinner. Unfortunately, the restaurant was booked for the next 2 hours. We decided to start drinking martinis at the bar. After the 5th martini, I could barely stand and was feeling dizzy. We decided to adjourn to our rooms. When we got to my room, I opened the door and pretty much we both fell through the door and landed on the floor. Sorry, this is not going to be a Penthouse forum story. After about an hour, she started to wake and did some of those dry throw-up heaves, but nothing was coming out. This went on for a few minutes and it was making me sick. As we were laying about a foot away on the floor, I started to vomit all over her. Within about 30 seconds of this, the foul smell caused her to vomit, and of course, she aimed her vomit on me. We started to laugh at each other, and laughed so hard we again ‘purposely’ vomited on each other. We then dry-heaved (in rhythm) for a bit more (as we were out of stomach food) and then I walked her to her room to get cleaned up. The looks of people as we were both walking down the hall were priceless as we were covered from head to toes with smelly vomit.

4. Before kids, my girlfriends and I would hop a plane and head to Sin City for a weekend of frolic every Spring. This was long before the slogan “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas,” but the feeling was the same. I don’t know if it is all the oxygen they pump into the casinos or just the warm sunshine but Vegas has a way of allowing you to let go. And let go we did. A particular night in question involved riding the camels outside the Luxor until we got kicked off the property. Mind you - that isn’t a pun for something else. We literally jumped the small chain keeping you off the grass and hoped on the backs of three huge camels. I do have the photos - but you won’t find them on facebook. We staggered our way, cocktails in hand to MGM where we thought it would be “fun” to kidnap Toto from the Wizard of Oz scene and skip around the casino singing “Follow the yellow brick road” - I still don’t remember if Toto ever made it back safely to Dorothy but we definitely weren’t allowed back to MGM. Or were we? We ended the evening or should I say morning loading up on a senior tour bus to Lake Mead. Luckily one of us had the sense to realize we wouldn’t be able to get any more booze if we stayed on the bus and we headed happily on our way after well wishes of our new friends. It sounds juvenile and ridiculous in the recounting of it all. Of course it was but man did we have a good time. If posted, please use an anonymous name, since all these things really did happen in Vegas.

5. On my 21st birthday, I woke up in the hospital with my mom staring down at me. The last thing I remembered was leaving the bar with my girlfriend. Come to find out, I had gotten out of her car at my apartment without her assistance, stood up, and then fell face forward onto the parking lot cement - without bracing my fall. I then tried to get up, without using my hands and proceeded to push my face across the pavement.
My girlfriend, seeing my face covered in blood and one of my front teeth missing, took me to the emergency room. I passed out on the way there. After the nurses and docs pulled my shirtless, bloodied body from the car, they ran a blood alcohol test on me, and it came back at .342. No, that’s not a typo - my blood alcohol level was .342.
Hence, my waking up in the hospital looking up at my mom. My first questions was, “How f’d up is my car?”
She replied, “There wasn’t a car wreck, you did this to yourself.”
I spent the next week w/ relatives and friends parading in and out of my apartment, all stopping by to get a look at the toothless, scraped up, idiot who had just celebrated his 21st birthday. I also need a root canal to replace my missing front tooth.

6. There’s nothing unusual about drinking at a wedding. It’s not really that strange to jump in a pool, fully dressed, at such an occasion. But waking up the next day only to discover you’re still at the reception and were supposed to deliver the bride and groom to the airport for their honeymoon is a bit daunting.
The horrible feeling you get when you see you have no less than twelve voicemails waiting for you on your phone, which you left in your car, at someone else’s house, which you now have to walk to, in a wet, crumpled bridesmaid dress, while passing a church just ending its service on a Sunday morning, really is best described in three words: more alcohol needed.
Let’s just say there’s one anniversary I won’t be forgetting. And it’s not mine.

7. I had a great time at a friend’s bachelor party. A couple of weeks later, I was having a few beers with my wife and her father. The groom showed up and proceeded to tell every minutiae of his bachelor party with a bit of a focus on my part. A few of the anecdotes raised my father-in-law’s eyebrows–to say the least! I am not going to put the details of the party online. Imagination will have to suffice. That evening, I could not shut the guy down from spilling all the f#%king beans. All the fun and seemingly innocent insanity of the party became another night’s damnation. I will say I earned a greater respect for the reasoning behind the line, “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.”

8. The best hangover I had in Vegas was when I woke up in my hotel room with a 2500$ check on my bed…not remembering because I drank wwwaaaayyyyy tooooo much…i won a jackpot on at a slot machine..till this day I cant remember what kind it was… :):):)
The funniest part is…a month later I received a letter from the casino with my winning picture..boy did I look trashed, I’m suprised they even gave me the money.

9. On my one and only trip to Vegas I impulsively married a guy I barely knew. It quickly turned into a bad deal because as soon as we returned he took off with my car for 3 days, purse inside, cashed out and overdrew my checking account, and ran up my credit cards. There was nothing I could do at this point because this guy was now my “husband.” I was stuck paying the credit cards and overdraft fees with money I no longer had and of course eventually had to come up with money to turn around and divorce him so he couldn’t continue to take advantage of me.

10. Before I was even old enough to REALLY enjoy the fruits of Vegas, I was there with my Uncle and my cousin visiting for the weekend. To give us something to do, we picked up a mutual friend of my cousin and mine (a girl). Her parents looked skeptical, probably because uncle looks like the perfect Mexican stereotype; pudgy, with a mustache, just put a sombrero on him. Later that night, while my uncle went out to get drunk and gamble his money away, my cousin, myself and our friend wandered the streets of Vegas causing havok and picking up as many fliers with boobs on them as we could. The girl was supposed to be home at 10, but had to say the night because my Uncle was too drunk to drive her home. The next day we took her back to her house with cop cars in the driveway, only to find out we were hours away from an Amber Alert and a city wide search put out on my Uncle. The End.

WOW. A MULTIPLE OFFENDER BARES ALL: Well, I woke up recently after a pub crawl with a broken, bloody nose & 2 black eyes. I can put some of the pieces together, but still not 100% sure how it happened! Good news is that the hangover headache was dwarfed by the incredible pain I was in.
Or there was the time I went shot for shot with a bartender and woke up with a broken arm. My friends & boyfriend put the pieces of the night together for me and I guess the broken arm happened when I fell in between Lucky’s and The Claret Room. It obviously didn’t bother me at the time because I proceeded to go into the Claret Room and, after making an obnoxious scene, threw up in the trash can. Then we went back to my boyfriend’s place and I was still a bit wobbly. I bit it in the kitty litter and I just sat there with cat poop surrounding me for a second looking at the mess I made. I still have absolutely no recollection of any of this.
And then there was the time I went to the Plaza right after I graduated college and I was still living with my parents. We met up with some random dudes and went back to their place for an after party. I accidentally left my phone there when we got picked up from their house by my friend’s ex-boyfriend ‘ he took us to his place where we all crashed. I woke up with an awful hangover, but suddenly realized I had to go to my sister-in-law’s wedding shower at my mom’s friend’s house. I think the guys that had my cell phone called one of my friends, so we rushed to their place to pick it up … After which I noticed my mom had called me about 20 times wondering where I was, thinking I was in danger or something. We rushed back to Overland Park where we all made the walk of shame in front of my parents, my grandma and my aunt & uncle. I got ready as quick as I could and we all headed to the wedding shower. I couldn’t talk to anyone at the party because I reaked of alcohol and the second I stood up, I felt pukey, so I just sat next to my grandma (who had a touch of alzheimer’s, so I got to hear the same story over and over for 2 hours) the entire time. I finally couldn’t take it anymore, so I got up to talk to some of my mom’s friends (who were mostly my old elementary school teachers). Before I could say 2 words, I could feel the vomit coming up .. So I rushed into my mom’s friend’s bathroom and proceeded to barf all over the place. Not my classiest moments.
And, I had a pretty crazy bachelorette party myself. A bunch of girls went to the lake and rented a condo down there. We all went partying at the Horny Toad and had a fantastic time, but I was still ready for more action when we all came back (although everyone else went to bed). The first thing I did to continue the party was to give everyone a fashion show of my new lingerie - one of which was a naughty santa outfit. Of course, plenty of pictures were taken (and one of my friends actually has one displayed in her apartment for everyone to see - awesome). We got bored of that, so a couple of girls and I snuck into the community pool (at 3 am) where we met some guys who were celebrating a bachelor party. They promised us that they had an awesome “hot tub” back at their place, so we went with them to continue the party. The “hot tub” actually ended up being their jetted bath tub - and they didn’t even have any hot water, so they had to bring buckets of water from the kitchen sink to fill the bath tub up. We were about to leave when the strippers showed up. Now, strippers who come to you from the Lake of the Ozarks at 3:00 are not necessarily the classiest of ladies. One of my friends decided to tell them that it was my bachelorette party, too, so one of them made me lie on the floor (while I was still in my bikini), poured chocolate syrup all over my stomach and then gave me a very graphic personal dance on top of me. This was definitely one of the most unforgettable experiences in my life - not the most enjoyable, but very memorable!
I have a billion Vegas stories, as well, but I’ll leave those for another time.

Tags: BACHELOR PARTY, BACHELORETTE PARTY, DRUNK, EMBARRASSING, funny, HANGOVER, HAPPENS IN, Hilarious, LAS VEGAS, reader, REAL, STAYS IN, STORIES, STORY, TALES, TRUE