Sacha Baron Cohen

T he despot in "The Dictator" is a tall, fit, flamboyantly bearded goofball — Admiral General Aladeen (Sacha Baron Cohen) — who lords over a fictitious little North African country called Wadiya. Aladeen's misdeeds are denounced internationally — he's ordered the murder of thousands and is months away from achieving weapons-grade uranium, which, he winkingly announces, will be only for peaceful purposes. These early scenes have an easy whimsy. Cohen turns the character into a conceited ham with a taste for showmanship and a disdain for the competition.

Newest Releases ★ ★ ½ The Dictator The despot here is a tall, fit, flamboyantly bearded North African goofball (Sacha Baron Cohen) who winds up working in a Brooklyn food co-op. That's the best idea in the movie, which lacks the cultural tension in "Borat" and "Bruno," satires that Cohen and the director Larry Charles previously made together. This one is lazy. (88 min., R) (Wesley Morris) ★ ★ ★ ½ Once Upon a Time in Anatolia A police procedural set in the Turkish hinterlands, featuring a caravan searching for a recently buried...

London fans had better watch out: Sacha Baron Cohen is unleashing his latest satirical incarnation on Leicester Square for the world premiere of "The Dictator. " Cohen, who is known to court controversy, is expected to attend the red carpet event in character — but it's not yet known what his latest publicity stunt will be. His new character follows in the footsteps of his other outrageous creations — Ali G, Borat and Bruno — and sees the comedian play Admiral General Aladeen, the freedom-hating military dictator of the fictitious North African Republic of Wadia.

The despot in "The Dictator" is a tall, fit, flamboyantly bearded goofball — Admiral General Aladeen (Sacha Baron Cohen) — who lords over a fictitious little North African country called Wadiya. Aladeen's misdeeds are denounced internationally — he's ordered the murder of thousands and is months away from achieving weapons-grade uranium, which, he winkingly announces, will be only for peaceful purposes. These early scenes have an easy whimsy. Cohen turns the character into a conceited ham with a taste for showmanship and a disdain for the competition.

After touring America as the nincompoop Kazakh journalist Borat, Sacha Baron Cohen tries again (strains, actually) as Brüno, the flamboyantly attired nincompoop Austrian journalist who comes to America seeking fame by every means necessary. That includes throwing his crotch at the camera and trying to shoot a sex video with an understandably terrified Ron Paul. Like “Borat,’’ “Brüno’’ dares America to contradict itself, through a combination of documentary encounters and staged happenings in which many of the participants have little idea what’s going on. With luck, shrewd manipulation, and a beguiling...

The despot in "The Dictator" is a tall, fit, flamboyantly bearded goofball — Admiral General Aladeen (Sacha Baron Cohen) — who lords over a fictitious little North African country called Wadiya. Aladeen's misdeeds are denounced internationally — he's ordered the murder of thousands and is months away from achieving weapons-grade uranium, which, he winkingly announces, will be only for peaceful purposes. These early scenes have an easy whimsy. Cohen turns the character into a conceited ham with a taste for showmanship and a disdain for the...

**** HUGO Directed by: Martin Scorsese. Written by: John Logan, based on "The Invention of Hugo Cabret,"" by Brian Selznick. Starring: Asa Butterfield, Ben Kingsley, Chloë Grace Moretz, Sacha Baron Cohen, Helen McCrory. At: Boston Common, Fenway, suburbs. Running time: 127 minutes. Rated: PG (mild thematic material, some action/peril, and smoking). In "Hugo," an exhilarating tale of magic, machines, memories, and dreams, Martin Scorsese pulls off the neatest trick of all. He marshals the marvels of modern movie technology - up to and including the dreaded 3-D...

Outfitted extravagantly in character, Sacha Baron Cohen ran amuck on the Oscars' red carpet Sunday night and all over E! host Ryan Seacrest's tuxedo. After initially being dis-invited by the academy, Baron Cohen was allowed to attend the ceremony acting as the kind of Moammar Gadhafi parody he plays in his upcoming film, "The Dictator. " As expected, he brought his unique brand of publicity stunt and method comedy. It came at Seacrest's expense, though. Flanked by two flower girls, he jokingly claimed to be carrying the ashes of the late North...

Newest Releases ★ ★ ½ The Dictator The despot here is a tall, fit, flamboyantly bearded North African goofball (Sacha Baron Cohen) who winds up working in a Brooklyn food co-op. That's the best idea in the movie, which lacks the cultural tension in "Borat" and "Bruno," satires that Cohen and the director Larry Charles previously made together. This one is lazy. (88 min., R) (Wesley Morris) ★ ★ ★ ½ Once Upon a Time in Anatolia A police procedural set in the Turkish hinterlands, featuring a...

WASHINGTON -- Borat, that crass chronicler of the American condition, has been singled out by the State Department as a victim of suppression in his homeland. The department's annual human rights report criticizes Kazakhstan for taking action against the satirical website of Sacha Baron Cohen, creator of the fictional Kazakh journalist in the film "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. " Baron Cohen also starred in the movie.

T he despot in "The Dictator" is a tall, fit, flamboyantly bearded goofball — Admiral General Aladeen (Sacha Baron Cohen) — who lords over a fictitious little North African country called Wadiya. Aladeen's misdeeds are denounced internationally — he's ordered the murder of thousands and is months away from achieving weapons-grade uranium, which, he winkingly announces, will be only for peaceful purposes. These early scenes have an easy whimsy. Cohen turns the character into a conceited ham with a taste for showmanship and a disdain for the competition.

London fans had better watch out: Sacha Baron Cohen is unleashing his latest satirical incarnation on Leicester Square for the world premiere of "The Dictator. " Cohen, who is known to court controversy, is expected to attend the red carpet event in character — but it's not yet known what his latest publicity stunt will be. His new character follows in the footsteps of his other outrageous creations — Ali G, Borat and Bruno — and sees the comedian play Admiral General Aladeen, the freedom-hating military dictator of the fictitious North African...

ON WGBH Greater Boston 7 p.m. WGBH (Channel 2) ON CHRONICLE Main Streets and Back Roads: Plymouth, Mass. 7:30 p.m. WCVB-TV (Channel 5) RADIO HIGHLIGHTS The Diane Rehm Show10 a.m. WGBH-FM (89.7) Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein authors of "It's Even Worse Than It Looks. " On Point With Tom Ashbrook 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. WBUR-FM (90.9) Teresa Ghilarducci on problems with 401(k) plans. On Point With Tom Ashbrook 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. WBUR-FM (90.9) Sam Leith, author of "Words Like Loaded Pistols.

TALLADEGA NIGHTS: THE BALLAD OF RICKY BOBBY ★★★ (Comcast Movie Collections: Action-Packed Laughs) Will Ferrell brings us the sort of cheerfully asinine comedy that twists your arm until you submit. Ferrell plays a dim crew pit member who becomes a NASCAR star, and he's in fine untamed form. But he doesn't carry the movie alone. The rest of the cast - which includes Sacha Baron Cohen, Amy Adams, and a rarely funnier John C. Reilly - is equally hysterical. (PG-13; runs through March 27)

Outfitted extravagantly in character, Sacha Baron Cohen ran amuck on the Oscars' red carpet Sunday night and all over E! host Ryan Seacrest's tuxedo. After initially being dis-invited by the academy, Baron Cohen was allowed to attend the ceremony acting as the kind of Moammar Gadhafi parody he plays in his upcoming film, "The Dictator. " As expected, he brought his unique brand of publicity stunt and method comedy. It came at Seacrest's expense, though. Flanked by two flower girls, he jokingly claimed to be carrying the ashes of the late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il,...

In "Hugo," an exhilarating tale of magic, machines, memories, and dreams, Martin Scorsese pulls off the neatest trick of all. He marshals the marvels of modern movie technology - up to and including the dreaded 3-D - to create a love letter to the earliest of movies and, by extension, to every movie from then to now. Yes, "Hugo" is a family film and, yes, your children and your inner child stand to be enraptured, but the family Scorsese really made...

TALLADEGA NIGHTS: THE BALLAD OF RICKY BOBBY ★★★ (Comcast Movie Collections: Action-Packed Laughs) Will Ferrell brings us the sort of cheerfully asinine comedy that twists your arm until you submit. Ferrell plays a dim crew pit member who becomes a NASCAR star, and he's in fine untamed form. But he doesn't carry the movie alone. The rest of the cast - which includes Sacha Baron Cohen, Amy Adams, and a rarely funnier John C. Reilly - is equally hysterical. (PG-13; runs through March 27)

A lawsuit accusing Sacha Baron Cohen of causing injuries to a woman during the filming of "Bruno" should be dismissed because the comedian was exercising his right to free speech when the mishap occurred, an appeals court has ruled. The 2nd District Court of Appeal said Monday that the finding prevents Baron Cohen from being sued by the woman who tried to force him and his crew from an event being filmed. Richelle Olson sued Baron Cohen in June 2009, claiming she fell and hit her head moments after struggling with the comedian and his crew as she ordered him to leave a...

**** HUGO Directed by: Martin Scorsese. Written by: John Logan, based on "The Invention of Hugo Cabret,"" by Brian Selznick. Starring: Asa Butterfield, Ben Kingsley, Chloë Grace Moretz, Sacha Baron Cohen, Helen McCrory. At: Boston Common, Fenway, suburbs. Running time: 127 minutes. Rated: PG (mild thematic material, some action/peril, and smoking). In "Hugo," an exhilarating tale of magic, machines, memories, and dreams, Martin Scorsese pulls off the neatest trick of all. He marshals the marvels of modern movie technology - up to and including the dreaded 3-D - to create a...