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It's been a little while since we've heard from Sacha Baron Cohen on the solo comedy front. Back in 2006, every annoying person you know dressed up as Borat for Halloween, but increasing familiarity with his mockumentary tactics made it more and more difficult for Cohen to film without being noticed.

Cue "The Dictator," a classically Cohen character who isn't making his debut mockumentary style. The trailer for the film, which just arrived via Moviefone, reveals a very conventionally shot take on a very goofy character -- half the typical formula, updated for modern times.

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Tags ben kingsley, borat, bruno, john c reilly, megan-fox, Sacha Baron Cohen, the dictator

Sacha Baron Cohen has never been one to avoid controversy; in fact, he seems to crave it. Cohen's turns as Kazakh journalist "Borat" and gay Austrian fashion reporter "Bruno" (both characters from his HBO series "Da Ali G Show") drew criticism from various groups, as well as somewhere in the vicinity of 10,000 lawsuits (OK, that's a slight exaggeration). But Cohen's latest film could prove to be his most controversial yet.

Paramount Pictures announced today that Cohen will play the title character in "The Dictator," a comedy based on the 2000 novel "Zabibah and the King" by Saddam Hussein. Yes, former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein (though, to be honest, ghostwriters probably penned it under orders from the ruler). According to the press release, the book "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." Great stuff. Read more...

Tags borat, bruno, larry charles, Sacha Baron Cohen, the dictator

While the rest of the planet is looking forward to "New Moon," here in the world of home entertainment it's all about looking back...specifically to two of the summer's biggest films which are now hitting store shelves. From space cadets to a fashion-savy Austrian, this is your DVD Report for Tuesday, November 17.

You'd be hard-pressed to find a group more anxious than "Star Trek" fans on the date director J.J. Abrams was tapped to reboot the franchise. It was a tall order. "Trek" had notably faltered at the box office after the dreadful "Nemesis," and had been unceremoniously dumped from the airwaves after the lackluster "Enterprise." And now here was a guy who openly boasted that he had barely watched "Star Trek." Even his directing credentials were thin -- a few television episodes here and there and one feature film in "Mission: Impossible III." It all made for a very skeptical fanbase for a franchise many thought should lay dorment to catch its breath. Read more...

Tags bruno, fight club, kevin smith, star trek

After steamrolling the box office with "Borat," Sacha Baron Cohen came back for seconds with his flamboyant fashionista, Brüno. Like its predecessor, "Brüno" found Cohen crisscrossing the United States in-character to create awkward, often hilarious situations that push the boundaries of normal behavior.

One of those situations involved none other than erstwhile "American Idol" judge Paula Abdul, who was duped into meeting with Brüno under the auspices of receiving an award. As you'll see, it led to one of the more memorable moments of the film. "Brüno" hits DVD and Blu-ray on November 17.

Tags bruno, Paula Abdul

1. "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince." ($79.5 million)
2. "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" ($17.7 million)
3. "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" ($13.8 million)
4. "Bruno" ($8.4 million)
5. "The Hangover" ($8.3 million)

Box office successes! If there is such a cheesy spell, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" doesn't need it because fan devotion and critical enthusiasm has been enough this summer. The film has cast a spell over audiences, with $79.5 million earned so far this weekend, bringing the five day total to $159.7 million. For those not keeping score at home, this is the best debut yet for any Harry Potter installment yet. Read more...

Tags 500 days of summer, bruno, harry potter and the half-blood prince, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, the hangover, transformers: revenge of the fallen

1. "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" ($26.8 million)
2. "Ice Age:Dawn of the Dinosaurs" ($5.4 million)
3. "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" ($4.2 million)
4. "Bruno" ($2.9 million)
5. "The Proposal" ($2.7 million)

To the surprise of no one, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" has the top spot so far this weekend. Friday showings nabbed another $26.8 million, giving the boy wizard a cumulative of $107 million in just three days. The sixth Potter installment, "Half-Blood Prince" is set to be the record breaker, and will probably beat the five-day box office take of the previous film, "Order of the Phoenix," which netted an impressive $139.7 million back in 2007. Read more...

Tags bruno, harry potter and the half-blood prince, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, The Proposal, transformers: revenge of the fallen

"Brüno" star Sacha Baron Cohen has made millions at the box office by angering unsuspecting victims with his human chameleon talents. Now, for the second time, his antics have drawn the ire of the Ukrainian government. Cohen has survived altercations with presidential candidate Ron Paul, hip hop superstar Eminem, and even Donald Trump, but his latest film has now been shown the door with a country-wide ban in the former Soviet state.

Ukraine's culture ministry objected to Cohen's "artistically unjustified exhibition of sexual organs and sexual relations, homosexual acts in a blatantly graphic form, obscene language, sadism, anti-social behavior which could damage the moral upbringing of our citizens," according to Reuters. Read more...

Tags borat, bruno, Sacha Baron Cohen

How weird is it that, out of Sacha Baron Cohen’s three trademark characters, Ali G is now the least famous of them all? With this past weekend’s strong “Brüno” opening, the UK-born and raised funnyman has once again fooled the world into believing that he is someone else. Where he goes from here is anyone’s guess, but as we play Monday-morning quarterback there is an even more pressing question: is Cohen the greatest cinematic "chameleon" of all time?

There are few things I love more in a movie than when an actor fully immerses himself in another persona. Sometimes it’s for comedy, sometimes it’s for drama... but whatever the performance is in the name of, when done right it can make that performer a legend. Below are my favorite "chameleon" actors of all time. Post your thoughts in the comments section and tell us where SBC ranks among these greats or any others. Read more...

Tags ali g, batman, borat, bruno, gary oldman, Harry Potter, jon voight, mike myers, Peter Sellers, Pink Panther, the dark knight, transformers

Welcome all to yet another new running feature here on MTV Movies Blog. The film-loving Internet is a big place, and it's not always about the news and interviews. There are lists, editorials, point/counterpoints... really all manner of creative, opinion-oriented writing. Lots of stuff you should be checking out if you haven't already.

As I've said before, I'm all about turning this blog into a destination for intelligent, civilized exchanges on film. An essential component of that I think is joining in on the larger dialogue; it's a big Internet, after all. With that in mind, I've decided to bring you this daily look at the cool happenings going on around the blogosphere. Read more...

Tags bruno, harry potter and the half-blood prince, kevin smith, paul verhoeven, wall street

With "Brüno" now officially released in the wilds, cultural satirist Sacha Baron Cohen has exhausted his stock of pre-existing alter-egos. Before the gay Austrian fashionista, there was Khazakhstani journalist Borat and hip hop culture "expert" Ali G, both of whom have already enjoyed silver screen outings of their own.

The three personas together formed the core of Cohen's HBO series "Da Ali G Show." While they've continued to provide him with a wealth of material to draw from in the subsequent movie spin-offs, the release of "Brüno" also means that Cohen is going to have to start exploring new directions in his work. Unless he somehow figures out a way to deliver a sequel, that is.

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Tags Ali G Indahouse, borat, bruno, Sacha Baron Cohen, Video