On the same day that Sacha Baron Cohen, in character as General Aladeen, led an elaborate, absurd, and hilarious press conference at the Waldorf Astoria for his new film, The Dictator, a slightly more serious press conference was conducted with the films supporting actors, Sir Ben Kingsley (Gandhi, Schindler’s List) and Jason Mantzoukas (Baby Mama, The League). The Dictator, which is now playing everywhere, stars Sacha Baron Cohen as Supreme Leader, Chief Ophthalmologist, and excellent swimmer, General Aladeen, a misogynistic, anti-Semitic dictator of a fictional country in northern Africa called The People’s Republic of Wadiya. Sir Ben Kingsley plays Aladeen’s scheming uncle and Jason Mantzoukas plays Aladeen’s Chief Nuclear Scientist.

Along with other members of the press, I had a chance to sit down with Sir Ben Kingsley and Jason Mantzoukas to discuss The Dictator. The actors discussed the energy of New York City, what it was like working with Sacha Baron Cohen, trying not to break character, the phrase ‘just kidding,’ improvisation, Arab Spring, accents, and beards.

Supreme leader, Chief Opthamologist, and excellent swimmer, General Aladeen of the People’s Republic of Wadiya, addressed hundreds of journalists from all over the world recently in New York City. General Aladeen is the latest alter ego of Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, Brüno), a comedian known for promoting his films with in-character stunt appearances. In his latest film, The Dictator, which opens Wednesday, May 16th, Cohen plays a misogynistic, anti-Semitic dictator of a fictional country in Northern Africa, called Wadiya.

This Wednesday, Sacha Baron Cohen's latest comedy The Dictator arrives at theaters across the nation, but today, a new extended clip reveals just about four minutes of the movie.  Considering that the film clocks in at a brisk 83 minutes, those four minutes represent a pretty good little patch of The Dictator.

The clip has Baron Cohen as the de-bearded Admiral General Aladeen and the always-welcome Jason Mantzoukas as sidekick Nadal.  Many a trailer and teevee spot has featured the two of them horrifying a couple of tourists on a helicopter flight over Manhattan, but this clip provides the full sequence of Aladeen and Nadal's helicopter adventure.

Synopsis: The heroic story of a dictator who risked his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed.

Five years ago, while the central characters in Knocked Up were dealing with an unexpected pregnancy, supporting characters Pete and Debbie struggled through their marriage and parenthood.  For his fourth feature as writer-director, Judd Apatow and stars Leslie Mann and Paul Rudd are doubling back into their relationship with "the sort-of sequel" This Is 40.  The first trailer has arrived online, and it doesn't disappoint, promising that potent blend of Apatow-approved drama and comedy (both observant and over the top).

Paramount Pictures has let loose just under two minutes of new footage from The Dictator.  The clip is actually the opening of the movie, quickly introducing the entirely-fictitious Republic of Wadiya and its in-no-way benevolent leader, His Excellency Admiral General Aladeen.  After mixing in some real footage of world leaders and situating Wadiya geographically, The Dictator's opening minutes provide a brief biographical view of Aladeen's life, from his already-bearded birth to his 14 Gold Medal triumph at the Wadiyan Games.

It's pretty much standard operating procedure for oppressive totalitarian rulers to plaster their visages over every available surface.  The promotional campaign for the comedy The Dictator has adopted the style of repressive egomaniacal dicksplashes by relying on portraits of Sacha Baron Cohen as Admiral General His Excellency Aladeen, overlord of the fictitious Middle Eastern nation of Wadiya.  By now, audiences are familiar with the sight of Baron Cohen in his ridiculous beard and sunglasses.

Earlier this week, we learned that it'll be five extra days before The Dictator arrives in theaters, but a taste of the comedy is already online.  The first official clip from the comedy has arrived, and it demonstrates that while star Sacha Baron Cohen and director Larry Charles have a made straightforward narrative, they've maintained their commitment to brazenly presenting insulting ideas with a straight face.

There's a new trailer for The Dictator, the latest comedy starring Sacha Baron Cohen as an original character.  Previous promotion worked to establish the title character, His Excellency General Admiral Aladeen, as the full-on despotic dicksplash lording over the fictitious Middle Eastern nation of Wadiya, positing him as the comedic equivalent of, say, a Colonel Gaddafi or President al-Assad. 

This trailer, though, offers a good idea of The Dictator's actual plot, so if you're looking to stay spoiler-free, give it and this whole post a wide berth.

Synopsis: Friends With Kids is a daring and poignant ensemble comedy about a close-knit circle of friends at that moment in life when children arrive and everything changes. The last two singles in the group observe the effect that kids have had on their friends’ relationships and wonder if there’s a better way. They decide to have a kid together – and date other people. There are big laughs and unexpected emotional truths as this unconventional ‘experiment’ leads everyone in the group to question the nature of friendship, family and, finally, true love.