Tropic Thunder
It's been hyped like a ************. It's got one of the most delicious comedy lineups of all time.
Surely this can't meet expectations.
Can it?
Well, that's why I'm here, talking to you lot. You see, Tropic Thunder had me by the short and curlies from the start, and the more I saw of it, the more excited I'd become, until I'd reached almost sexual levels of desire. And thankfully, this wan't a case of coitus interruptus, not at all.
Tropic Thunder is the sort of lover who makes your toes curl during the foreplay, then loosens your fillings for the whole duration.
Maybe that metaphor went a bit off. Anyway, onto the plot. As premises go, a bunch of primped actors being shoved into the heart of darkness is a pretty original concept, and as a matter of fact, it isn't the spoof-ridden cliche' we'd come to expect when a film is billed as a satire of tthe movie industry. This is the real deal, taking what we've come to know and love/hate about war films, spinning up up with a relatively subtle degree of humor and processing it through a solid roster of actors.
Robery Downey Jr, playing a Australian playing a black American who manages to beat an actual black actor for the key supporting role, is a little spoilt when it comes to gags, his 'Full Retard' speech in particular, but manages to never steal the main focus of the film away from the rest of the cast. Tom Cruise, not really mentioned that much in the marketing, manages to win back my heart from the Scientology hoo-hah with a stunning performance of the biggest, loudest, most foul-mouthed assholes in the business - a joy to watch in each and every scene.
The rest of the cast, Jack Black, Ben Stiller, Steve Coogan, Brandon T. Jackson and Jay Baruchel, all put in some pretty damn solid performances, although the latter two really only serve to push forward the story (although they do get to grab a few choice moments all of their own, which is always welcome). Nevertheless, it's an enjoyable lineup, and actually shows some real characters with some actual depth, ironically showing more accessible personalities than the characters they're spoofing.
Overall - Tropic Thunder is a suprisingly good film - not that I wasn't expecting a plethora of great gags, it's that this film actually manages to serve as a pretty damn good action film in its own right. A must-see for anyone who can laugh at a fat man trying to eat a live bat.
Seriously.
9/10
-
The Trailers
You'll probably know this by now, but for those of you who are unaware, there are a selection of related trailers to the cast of Tropic Thunder, designed to grab some early laughs and set out some character. And the nominees are:
Booty Sweat/Bust A Nut:
First in line, this definitely gets the job done in establishing the twist in perspective - hell, it opens with some pretty decent, if crude, rap lyrics. It shut the chatty couple behind me up,that's for sure.
Scorcher VI: Global Meltdown:
Oddly, this was a bit of a let-down, although maybe that was intended, the trailer for Scorcher VI was so bad it really wasn't that funny. It felt like they were trying to peddle two feeble gags (the fact that it's a really long series, and that the spin this time is clearly a desperate attempt to make another film). Really, just works to establish Tugg Speedman as the twat we come to know. And hate.
The Fatties - Fart 2:
Oh God. If Scorcher was a one-trick pony, then this trailer is the steaming vat of glue at the Knacker's Shed, because this is just one huge fart joke. Really. If you like that sort of thing, you'll laugh 'til you crap yourself. Me, I laughed for about five seconds, then wondered what'd be next.
Satan's Alley:
And thank God, it was this. Robert Downey Jr. and Tobey Maguire as gay Irish medieval priests? Genuinely believeable concept? One of the finest displays of erotic fondling of rosary beads ever to be comitted to film? Without doubt the best trailer of the lot, and actually a film I wouldn't mind seeing.
All together, now: 'I've been a baaaad boy, father...'
It's been hyped like a ************. It's got one of the most delicious comedy lineups of all time.
Surely this can't meet expectations.
Can it?
Well, that's why I'm here, talking to you lot. You see, Tropic Thunder had me by the short and curlies from the start, and the more I saw of it, the more excited I'd become, until I'd reached almost sexual levels of desire. And thankfully, this wan't a case of coitus interruptus, not at all.
Tropic Thunder is the sort of lover who makes your toes curl during the foreplay, then loosens your fillings for the whole duration.
Maybe that metaphor went a bit off. Anyway, onto the plot. As premises go, a bunch of primped actors being shoved into the heart of darkness is a pretty original concept, and as a matter of fact, it isn't the spoof-ridden cliche' we'd come to expect when a film is billed as a satire of tthe movie industry. This is the real deal, taking what we've come to know and love/hate about war films, spinning up up with a relatively subtle degree of humor and processing it through a solid roster of actors.
Robery Downey Jr, playing a Australian playing a black American who manages to beat an actual black actor for the key supporting role, is a little spoilt when it comes to gags, his 'Full Retard' speech in particular, but manages to never steal the main focus of the film away from the rest of the cast. Tom Cruise, not really mentioned that much in the marketing, manages to win back my heart from the Scientology hoo-hah with a stunning performance of the biggest, loudest, most foul-mouthed assholes in the business - a joy to watch in each and every scene.
The rest of the cast, Jack Black, Ben Stiller, Steve Coogan, Brandon T. Jackson and Jay Baruchel, all put in some pretty damn solid performances, although the latter two really only serve to push forward the story (although they do get to grab a few choice moments all of their own, which is always welcome). Nevertheless, it's an enjoyable lineup, and actually shows some real characters with some actual depth, ironically showing more accessible personalities than the characters they're spoofing.
Overall - Tropic Thunder is a suprisingly good film - not that I wasn't expecting a plethora of great gags, it's that this film actually manages to serve as a pretty damn good action film in its own right. A must-see for anyone who can laugh at a fat man trying to eat a live bat.
Seriously.
9/10
-
The Trailers
You'll probably know this by now, but for those of you who are unaware, there are a selection of related trailers to the cast of Tropic Thunder, designed to grab some early laughs and set out some character. And the nominees are:
Booty Sweat/Bust A Nut:
First in line, this definitely gets the job done in establishing the twist in perspective - hell, it opens with some pretty decent, if crude, rap lyrics. It shut the chatty couple behind me up,that's for sure.
Scorcher VI: Global Meltdown:
Oddly, this was a bit of a let-down, although maybe that was intended, the trailer for Scorcher VI was so bad it really wasn't that funny. It felt like they were trying to peddle two feeble gags (the fact that it's a really long series, and that the spin this time is clearly a desperate attempt to make another film). Really, just works to establish Tugg Speedman as the twat we come to know. And hate.
The Fatties - Fart 2:
Oh God. If Scorcher was a one-trick pony, then this trailer is the steaming vat of glue at the Knacker's Shed, because this is just one huge fart joke. Really. If you like that sort of thing, you'll laugh 'til you crap yourself. Me, I laughed for about five seconds, then wondered what'd be next.
Satan's Alley:
And thank God, it was this. Robert Downey Jr. and Tobey Maguire as gay Irish medieval priests? Genuinely believeable concept? One of the finest displays of erotic fondling of rosary beads ever to be comitted to film? Without doubt the best trailer of the lot, and actually a film I wouldn't mind seeing.
All together, now: 'I've been a baaaad boy, father...'
