Last year was a year that saw a great range of films hit the silver screen. From some epic popcorn flicks, such as Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, to great dramas like The Departed, to some welcomed surprises such as Little Miss Sunshine, it was truly a good year for movie fans. And while all of these films earned the spotlight (and some Oscars), there was no film that was more talked about than the story of a Kazakh journalist, a character whose previous exposure to the world was a mere 5-10 minutes at a time on a cult-ish TV show on HBO. Little did writer/star Sacha Baron Cohen know then that his character Borat would set the world of film ablaze in the winter of 2006.

When I first went in to screen and review Borat: Cultural Learning of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan in late October, there were no expectations to be had other than the fact that I had seen Da Ali G Show and enjoyed it. Upon exiting the screening, I was still in tears. It was a film that caught myself (and so many others) completely off guard with its rampage of inappropriate and devious humor. From moment one when Borat declares that he likes you and sex, then proceeds to show off his country, you are captivated in a state of constant laughter. Not in a long time has a film been so raw, so offensive and so smart. Loaded with gratuitous male nudity, Antisemitism and homages to an increasingly ignorant American culture, this film packs a punch that transcends its gags and moves into the realm of being a razor sharp cultural observation.

So now, in a week when one of the most anticipated flicks of early 2007 (Zach Snyder’s 300) is to be released, Borat’s movie-film will go from being the most talked about film of 2006 to the most sought after DVD of 2007. If you haven’t seen Borat yet, then you are selling yourself short of a very hilarious 84 minute experience. And if you have seen Borat… well, then you are probably ready to run out to your local retailer and get this tomorrow morning or you’ve already pre-ordered it from Amazon. Yeah, it is one of those DVD’s.

Also in stores this week: Richard Linklater’s anti-Whopper fest Fast Food Nation; Dax Shepard’s tragically unfunny Let’s Go to Prison; and a 2 Disk Platinum Edition of the Animated Disney Classic Peter Pan.

Technorati Tags: Borat, DVD, New Release, Sacha Baron Cohen