Following up Borat, Sacha Baron Cohen returned to shock and awe audiences with his outrageous character Brüno, an übergay Austrian fashionista. The film satirizes celebrity and homophobia as it documents Brüno's attempts to become famous and was previously reviewed.
Upon a second viewing, Brüno still offers plenty laughs, although certainly less are derived from being utterly stunned by what is taking place on screen. This allows the brain to get a better sense of what's going on and appreciate it; however, the satire still falls flat at times.
When the Blu-ray disc starts up, the first menu inquires if you want enhanced commentary, a PiP feature with Baron Cohen and director Larry Miller. They reveal making-of secrets, and at times, their discussions become so involved they pause the film to complete the stories, adding 26 minutes to the run time. It's a shame they don't record the film being made (or maybe they just keep it to themselves) because their stories are very compelling as they talk about evading the authorities to keep Baron Cohen from getting arrested and dealing with situations that could quickly turn violent.
Because of some of the guerrilla tactics involved, high definition doesn’t necessarily serve the consumer much better than DVD. The video is presented in 1080p in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, but the different source formats and uncontrollable light sources create quite a variance in quality, although it all works in the context of the film.
When in controlled setting, the video looks very good. The colors are vibrant, especially the primary ones. Flesh tones look accurate, although some viewers won't realize it as they cover their eyes or look away when there's too much flesh on the screen. The details and textures are clear and distinct, which help bring to life Brüno's outfits.
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