BRUNO (18)

2/5

SACHA Baron Cohen's follow-up to the smash hit Borat follows a similar template, gleefully poking fun at the vacuousness of both celebrity and American culture.

However, whereas protagonist Borat was a lovable innocent abroad – a naive Kazakhstani journalist travelling the US – gay Austrian fashionista Bruno is a crass, insolent media whore who needs to be taken down a peg or five.

Disappointingly, only once in the film does he get his comeuppance, when he visits a swingers' party and a pneumatic blonde whips him with a belt.

Bruno is a flamboyant gay stereotype writ loud and crude, and we frequently feel grubby watching the character's antics such as when he visits a medium to contact the ghost of Milli from disgraced 1980s pop group Milli Vanilli (he performs a lurid sexual act on the spirit) or an X-rated montage of bedroom scenes with pygmy flight-attendant boyfriend Diesel (Clifford Banagale).

Occasionally, Cohen hits his mark. Bruno's guest spot on Today With Richard Bey, a confessional in the style of Jeremy Kyle, warrants a few chuckles, as does a ham-fisted attempt to bring peace to the Middle East. "You are confusing Hamas and hummus, I believe," observes one beleaguered participant.

NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM 2 (PG)

2/5

BEN Stiller and Ricky Gervais return in this sequel to the 2006 family blockbuster, continuing the misadventures of the living exhibits from New York City's famed Museum Of Natural History.

This time, the story switches to the largest museum complex in the world, the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC – where revived pharaoh Kahmunrah is aiming to take over the world.

Security guard Larry Daley (Stiller) has left behind his old job at the Museum Of Natural History to front his own company, which has just launched a glow-in-the-dark torch.

Returning to his old haunt, Larry is distraught to learn from Dr McPhee (Gervais) that the old exhibits are being replaced by state-of-the-art holographic technology, condemning cowboy Jed (Owen Wilson), Roman emperor Octavius (Steve Coogan) and Native American tracker Sacajawea (Mizuo Peck) to storage in Washington.

On arrival at their new home, Jed and co are attacked by cranky pharaoh Kahmunrah (Hank Azaria), who has awoken from centuries of slumber and intends to take over the world with Ivan The Terrible (Christopher Guest), Al Capone (John Benthal) and Napoleon Bonaparte (Alain Chabat).

Larry races to the rescue, flanked by gutsy pioneer Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams).

Directed once again by Shawn Levy, the sequel allows the visual effects team to run riot.

Stiller generously surrenders the big laughs to Azaria's plummy pharaoh, who is momentarily distracted by the quest for "the cube of Rubik".

Night At The Museum 2, however, is a soulless exercise in digital might over emotional substance and subtlety.

THE INFORMERS (15)

2/5

THE late Brad Renfro makes his final big-screen appearance in this downbeat depiction of sex, drugs and infidelity in 1980s Los Angeles, adapted by screenwriter Nicholas Jarecki and author Brett Easton Ellis (American Psycho) from his own book of the same name.

The plot interlaces the misery and despair of characters, whose fates are linked by the bed partners they share at a time before the spectre of AIDS cast its long shadow over the pill-poppers and thrill-seekers.

Drug dealer Graham (Jon Foster) feeds the habits of his many clients, oblivious to the disintegrating marriage of his rich mother Laura (Kim Basinger) and film executive father William (Billy Bob Thornton), who is embroiled in an affair with television newscaster Cheryl (Winona Ryder). Meanwhile, crook Peter (Mickey Rourke) accumulates ill-gotten gains by stealing little boys to order, his nephew Jack (Renfro) pursues a hopeless dream of becoming an actor, and a beautiful starlet Christie (Amber Heard) sleeps with anyone and everyone if it will nudge her one step closer to fame and fortune.

BAABARR (15)

5/5

Described as the most powerful film to emerge out of Bollywood in 2009, this gripping urban crime drama pries into the underbelly of urban organised corruption and the battle against it.

This gripping and emotive drama depicts a 12-year-old committing murder in broad daylight and coolly walking through the streets, gun in hand. The fear that transmits itself to the crowd is indicative of the paralysis that has struck cities in the face of organised crime.

The specialist personnel brought in to deal with the criminals realise they have to act beyond the law in order to tackle this hydra which threatens to destroy the city.

Ashu Trikha's gritty drama is excellent fare and makes for compelling viewing.

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