There I was, fully convinced I was never going to encounter a Groundhog Day (1993)–type movie that I liked, except Groundhog Day itself. Then, Ladies First happened.
I’m not saying that Sacha Baron Cohen and Rosamund Pike’s latest comedy is close to the best thing I’ve seen in 2026. But I found it a pleasant watch that kept me engaged until the end.
The story follows Damien (Cohen), a male chauvinist who is transported to a matriarchal society, where he faces challenges at the hands of a formidable female counterpart.
I found director Thea Sharrock’s film charming. I also loved the British talent involved, especially Fiona Shaw. It was a fun exercise, perhaps for ladies, especially, to see Damien’s world flipped upside down. I certainly found it satisfying to see an empowered and confident version of Pike’s character, as unlovable as some of her actions or attitudes may have been.
Give Ladies First a chance when the mood for some easy-viewing fun hits.
Madagascaris an animated movie I remember enjoying a lot in 2005.
The Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath-directed film about animals from New York Zoo that find themselves in the jungles of Madagascar has some very memorable characters.
Madagascar (2005), Universal Pictures
Though the resourceful penguins are fantastic, King Julian has my heart, not just because of the words that come out of his mouth, but equally because of his gloriously joy-inducing dance moves.
Also, as I rewatched the movie, I suddenly found myself dreaming of a pet lemur. However, I’m sure it’s best to get a King Julian plushie instead; ideally, one that’s motorised so he can dance to my heart’s content.
Have you seen Madagascar recently? It’s not a perfect movie, but it’s fun and stars Sacha Baron Cohen, Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett Smith, David Schwimmer, and Cedric the Entertainer.
I say watch Madagascar at once, and see how you smile!
Disclaimer is a new seven-part miniseries written and directed by Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity (2013), starring Cate Blanchett, Lesley Manville, Sacha Baron Cohen and Indira Varma.
It’s a drama/mystery/thriller that follows Catherine Ravenscroft, a television documentary journalist whose work reveals the transgressions of others. Except now, the focus is on her transgressions
Oh, oh. What did she do? I want to find out, and I’m curious to see Cohen and Blanchett acting opposite one another.
If you were thinking that this trailer plays very much like the kind of story based on novel/book; you’d be right ,and the book in question is Disclaimer by Renée Knight.
Kevin Kline, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Hoyeon, Louis Partridge, Adam Szabo, Whitney Kehinde, Daniele Nicoli, Leila George, Liv Hill, Youssef Kerkour, Christiane Amanpour and Dorotea Mercuri also star.
The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020), Eddie Redmayne, Netflix
Master of great dialogue Aaron Sorkin is the writer and director of new historical drama/thriller The Trial of the Chicago 7.
Set around the 1968 uprising at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois and focused on the seven people on trial for various charges at the time, I found Sorkin’s story adequately engaging.
Starring Eddie Redmayne, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, to name just a few, I enjoyed the dialogue – as expected. I mean, Sorkin did, after all, write the words in one of my favourite screenplays, The Social Network (2010). Even though I didn’t find the dialogue quite as scintillating as in his Mark Zuckerberg movie, I certainly wouldn’t call it bad, because there are moments that delighted, several of which take place in the courtroom.
The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020), Jeremy Strong, John Carroll Lynch. Sacha Baron Cohen
The movie starts with an editing style that felt disruptive because it wasn’t as easy to keep track of timelines as I’d have liked. Luckily, things do eventually settle into a better rhythm, after which I enjoyed TheTrial of the Chicago 7 as a brilliantly performed tale, especially by Redmayne, Abdul-Mateen II and Mark Rylance.
In addition to the engaging and dramatic courtroom scenes, you’ll enjoy watching the evolution of the relationship between the seven-plus men on trial. Sorkin’s is going to break your heart as his film puts up a mirror to some of America’s ills, especially when you realise how very little seems to have changed where racial injustice and abuse of power are concerned. Yet, I wouldn’t say that The Trial of the Chicago 7 will leave you hopeless.
In addition to the earlier editing and the dialogue being good but not as scintillating as the words in The Social Network, the only other thing that didn’t stand out in the best way is Sacha Baron Cohen’s American accent. It’s also not the worst I’ve ever heard, so give Sorkin’s film a chance if you’re curious. You’ll likely become an even bigger fan of Redmayne while also finding that Abdul-Mateen II is now on your radar, in case he wasn’t already.
Directed by Jason Woliner; it’s time to go on another real-life adventure with fictional Kazakh television journalist Borat.
It’s hard to imagine that there are very many American’s that haven’t heard of Borat by now. A reality that poses an interesting challenge for this movie.
Will this be as good as the first Borat movie? Probably not, but I’m watching it anyway, just in case and also because I really do enjoy a lot of what comes out of Cohen’s comedic brain.
Mike Pence, Ken Davitian, and Rudy Giuliani also star.
