- But hey, in LA it's always warm and sunny, so ... eat it, east coasters! I actually did get in some more tennis this weekend, which hopefully will become more of a regular thing. Although, wow, it's been forever since I've gotten in a good game of basketball. Hope I can do that soon.
- Anyways, on another note, I can't help but channel my "inner fanboy rage" towards the buzz-killers at FOX, who have now been so aggressive in pursing legal action against Warners as relates to WATCHMEN that the entire film could now be in jeopardy. Are you kidding me, FOX? I understand that there is a long and tangled history around the movie rights to Watchmen, but to me it's a sad affair when corporate shenanigans actually stand to *prevent* a work from even being released. At this late stage in the game, that goes beyond just staking claim to one's legal rights and gets into book-burning territory. FOX had their chance to take legal action, and that time ended when the movie began to go into production. To ramp up the pressure only at this late juncture reeks of bad form and deserves a giant finger of shame. Watchmen is a DC Comics property, and it's right and appropriate that DC's parent company is the one to handle the film version. How about if FOX leaves well enough alone, realizes when an opportunity has passed, and focuses on shepharding its own franchises? This is definitely the ugly side of the movie industry, folks, the side that reenforces just how much the world of movies revolves around the almighty dollar.
And it's funny, too. Because up until recently, many fans would just as well never see a Watchmen movie see the light of day (hell, Alan Moore *still* wants nothing to do with the movie). But it goes to show how much good will Zack Snyder and his team have earned - people WANT this movie and can't wait for this movie. At this point, the reality is that any obstacle potentially preventing its release is a very bad thing - not just for Snyder and co, but for fans everywhere who recognize that this might be, finally, a Watchmen movie that all can be proud of.
- On the OLYMPICS ... I have to say I'm still just surprised at how many people in my peer group are 100% into the Olympics. This is definitely a fascinating sociological study in the making, because the interest level is definitely not what I would have predicted. And it's all happenning without even much of an emphasis on "big" sports with well-known participants, like basketball or tennis. But yeah, like everyone else I got a little caught up in the whole Michael Phelps / US Swimming thing, if nothing else just for the historical signifigance and also the hilarious reactions of his mother as he swims. I checked on the web to find out if he was Jewish (he's not) because I was like "wow, now that's a Jewish mother if I ever saw one." (and yes I can say that because I'm Jewish). But yeah, it's hard for me to find the actual races all that exciting because I always forget who is in what lane. And that one announcer sounds like he is a 14 year old girl. It's funny because tonight I watched a little diving, and I just don't get these aesthetic competitions. Like, all these athletes doing these crazy backflips, and the announcer is screeching about how the diver made about 14 different mistakes. And who decides on what the criteria is for a great dive anyways? Like, why not reward the diver who can make the *biggest* splash? It's like demoting a basketball player because he slammed the ball for a dunk rather than a layup. But anyways, that's all I've got to say about the Olympics.
- Dude, the COMEDY CENTRAL ROAST TO BOB SAGET was one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time. All I can say is, if you like good comedy, be sure to check it out by whatever means possible. The lineup of comedians was uniformly hilarious. Gilbert Godfried ruled it, proving once again that he is a master of old-school-style tasteless jokes. Jeff Ross, Greg Geraldo, Jim Norton, and even Jon Lovitz were all pretty consistently funny. Norm MacDonald did a set that was at first bewildering, but soon crossed the line from being completely random and confusing to being side-splittingly hilarious. Some great cameos from Lewis Black, Sarah Silverman ... and John Stamos did a good job of hosting as well. Saget himself was great. And holy lord - Chloris Leachman may be old, but she is still capable of being as profanely dirty as anyone. Yikes! But yeah, talk about must-see TV. These Roasts continue to be comedy gold.
- Meanwhile, I can't say enough about CBS' SWINGTOWN. No, I mean it. It kind of started as a guilty pleasure, but I was a fan of the script and the pilot since I originally saw them way back when. I got into the first few episodes, but man, for the last several weeks or so the show has REALLY kicked into high gear. I can hardly believe it's a CBS show - because, please take note CBS - this is the first time in my 25 year old life that I have EVER regularly watched a show on CBS. But unlike most CBS shows, Swingtown has style, it has great characters, it has that addictive, soapy-yet-smart quality that hooked me on shows like The OC and Gossip Girl. And yes, I realize those are teen shows - but Swingtown is essentially a teen show with adults who act like teens. But to its credit, Swingtown isn't all flash, despite its scandalous premise. The show is surprisingly contemplative, thoughtful, well-paced. And the sexual politics actually come within the larger social and political context of the 1970's setting, which the show does a pretty good job of exploring. Really though, what's made the show pop lately has been the side characters who have really come into their own. Pushover suburban dad Roger has slowly become one of the show's best characters, as has his on-screen wife, Janet, prim, proper, and a hilariously conservative foil to the show's more liberal-leaning characters. Of course, o nthe other end of the spectrum there's Grant Show, who is just endlessly entertaining as a swinging jet pilot who basically is a jet-flyin, kiss-stealin', wheelin', dealin' ... well, you know the rest. Plus he sports a hilarious, 70's-era swinger stache. In any case, the show has gone from an interesting oddity to a legitimately awesome series. It's crazy that CBS randomly moved it to Fridays to die a slow ratings death. Like I said, I NEVER watch CBS shows and I and at least a few friends are dutifully watching / recording Swingtown each week. I know prospects for renewal are bleak, but come on CBS, as the show's theme song says: "give it up" for Swingtown!
- Alright, so onto the movies, it's been one hell of a month for comedies. STEP BROTHERS was hilarious. PINEAPPLE EXPRESS was another great buddy comedy from the Apatow stable. So the question became - could Ben Stiller's TROPIC THUNDER complete the trifecta? Read on to find out ...
TROPIC THUNDER Review:
-Tropic Thunder is a movie that I think will surprise a lot of people who go in with the expectation that the movie is a hilarious, over-the-top spoof on the Hollywood movie-making process. In many ways, that's exactly what the movie is ... but there's no mistaking that Tropic Thunder, like Ben Stiller's previous directorial efforts, is a dark movie. In fact, I'd almost draw the comparison with Stiller's CABLE GUY, in that characters who you might presume to be goofy and inconsquential are actually somewhat disturbing, in terms of just how far Stiller takes them.
Ostensibly a satire of big budget Hollywood movies and the stars who make them, Tropic Thunder contains a lineup of characters who prove instantly recognizable as the usual suspects of Hollywood actor cliches. There's Ben Stiller as an action hero who's gone to the same well one too many times - a cross between Sylvester Stallone and McBane from The Simpsons (although, since the character still looks and talks like, well, Ben Stiller, there's a bit of a disconnect there). Stiller's character has tried unsuccessfully to branch out as an actor, going from action franchises to Oscar-baiting fare like "Simple Jack," in which he plays a mentally-challenged protaganist. There's Jack Black, whose character is kind of a mash-up of every lame comedian stereotype - he's like Chris Farley, Eddie Murphy, and, well ... Jack Black, all rolled into one. And then there's Robert Downey Jr., who kind of parodies pretentious method-actors, poking fun at the likes of a Russell Crowe, Daniel Day Lewis, etc. - he plays an Austrailian actor who wants to immerse himself so much in his new role, where he plays a black soldier, that he has a surgical procedure done to alter his skin pigment.
All three of the leads do a nice job. Robert Downey Jr. in particular tends to steal the movie - his line delivery as "the dude playing the dude who's playing a dude" is just pretty inherently funny, and even if half the time you can't quite 100% understand what he's saying, that's oftentimes what makes his unique brand of jibba-jabba so amusing. Like the character he plays, Downey Jr. really does immerse himself completely into the role, and it's actually a pretty amazing piece of acting. So give credit to RDJ - he's having one hell of a summer at the movies.
As for the other leads ... Stiller and Black are funny, but I guess their performances on further reflection had a little bit of smugness to them that ultimately rubbed me the wrong way. I mean, Stiller has done some great stuff, but he has done his share of clunkers. Same with Black. It seems like in a movie like this, the door is wide open for a Stiller or Jack Black to point the satirical lense at themselves a bit and lampoon their own careers, and the fact that they don't to me did give the movie a slightly holier-than-thou feel to it.
This was also apparent in Tom Cruise's unbilled supporting roles as the mother of all asshole studio execs. It's funny to me that people act so surprised that Cruise is so great in the role - the guy is ALWAYS good and really almost never disappoints in terms of his acting. It's just his personal life that is a little questionable. But yeah, Tom Cruise not only disappears under makeup for this role, but it's true - he is downright hilarious. Seriously, the guy has awesome comedic timing and totally nails the part. And he has THE line of the movie when he screams into a phone and tells a Vietnamese militant to take a step back and $#%$ his own face. Yikes! Still, this is one of those characters that's so darkly satirical in that it's almost depressing to watch Cruise bring to life this complete P.O.S. guy. And that's the thing, it's another instance where an actor in the movie makes fun of some OTHER Hollywood type yet never turns it back on themselves, not even a little - as if to say: "yeah, I may have my problems, but check out THIS guy!" Again, Cruise as the Studio Exec From Hell is a hilarious, memorable bit of acting - don't get me wrong. It's just weird to me that people are looking at this and reacting like "oh wow, who knew Tom Cruise had a sense of humor?" Newsflash: everyone has a sense of humor when it comes to bashing others - I would have been a little more impressed if a bit of self-deprecation was included as well.
And that's why, to me, some of the most memorable and funniest moments of the film came from some of the less well-known actors. For one, it was great to see Apatow favorite Jay Baruchel in a funny turn as the nervous, fledgling teen actor who is trying to fit in with the big boys. Baruchel's more relatable character helps ground the movie a bit and keep the more over the top tendencies of Stiller and co in check. I also loved Steve Coogan here as the movie-within-the-movie's experimental director. Coogan has some great moments and one simply incredible scene that may be the funniest part of the entire film.
Slightly less awesome was Brandon T. Jackson as a Chris Tucker-esque actor / rapper with a secret. His main purposes seemed to be to get annoyed with Robert Downey Jr. Also, after stealing the show in Pineapple Express, it was a bit disappointing to see Danny McBride not do too much here, playing an overeager explosives expert. McBride made the most of what he was given, but what he was given wasn't much. Same goes for Nick Nolte as a faux-badass Vietnam vet whose published account of the war serves as the basis for the Tropic Thunder movie. Nolte was occasionally funny, but ultimately didn't have enough great lines or memorable moments to really stand out.
Now, I know I've been a little harsh on the movie so far, but I want to emphasize that overall I really enjoyed it and it mostly kept me laughing from start to finish. I give Tropic Thunder tons of credit for having the same quality of a Pineapple Express or Hot Fuzz in that, in parodying huge, overblown action movies, the movie itself comes through with a lot of fun action and a more epic feel than your typical comedy. There's actually a really great soundtrack that accompanies the action as well - a pretty nice song selection that evokes the Vietnam era to a "T." And as far as the satire goes - despite my earlier criticisms, Tropic Thunder still stands as a pretty biting look at Hollywood movie-making, from the studio exec's Diet Coke obsession to Robert Downey's dead-on speech about going "full-retard" as being a deterrant to Oscar gold. That scene encapsulated the absurdity of the Oscars in one minute better than the entire film of For Your Consideration could manage, I think. I guess in the end though, the movie just left me with a slightly cold feeling. As I said, the more I thought about the kind of satire that the movie uses, the stranger it seemed that the film seems to poke fun at everyone BUT the actors in the movie - all of whom are big potential targets. Still, this is yet another Summer 2008 comedy that manages to elicit constant laughter, and it's a great way to cap off what's been a pretty amazing summer movie season.
My Grade: B+
- Alright, that's all for now. On a final note, I just FINALLY watched the series finale of EXTRAS, which I'd only been meaning to do for, oh, the last six months or so. Amazing is all I can say. So, until next time ...
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