DVD
REVIEW: TROPIC THUNDER
2 DISC
DIRECTOR'S CUT
11/16/08
I was hesitant to
see “Tropic Thunder” when I heard that Ben Stiller was not
only starring in it, but was also the director and the
writer. Over the years, the only funny movies Stiller have
been in our “Meet the Parents” and “There’s Something About
Mary”. In all his other movies, Stiller pretty much plays
the same one dimensional character who has the same punch
lines and facial expressions. In Tropic Thunder, Stiller
does more of the same. So, why, if Stiller does more of the
same here and even dares to director and writer would I
give, “Tropic Thunder“, a good review, two reasons, Robert
Downey Jr. and Tom Cruise.
In “Tropic Thunder” Tugg Speedman (Ben Stiller), Jeff
Portnoy (Jack Black), Kirk Lazarus (Robert Downey Jr.) and
Alpa Chino (Brandon T. Jackson) are actors who are trying to
film a big budget Vietnam war movie written by Four Leaf
Tayback (Nick Nolte). The director Damien Cockburn (Steve
Coogan), gets angry when a very expensive scenes doesn’t go
well because of the actors diva like attitude. Damien is
further degraded by studio head Les Grossman (Tom Cruise)
and with the advice of Four Leaf decides to shoot the movie
guerilla style. Damien leads his actors into the jungle, but
ends up dying after stepping in a real landmine. The actors
think that it is just a special effect for the movie and
proceed, with their prop guns to the next scene: a forceful
engagement with a group of drug trafficking guerrillas who
happen to have real guns and ammo.
Robert Downey Jr. pretty much steals the movie. Robert who
is white plays an African American who sort of has an
identity crisis. Even when he knows they aren’t shooting the
movie any longer, he remains in character. Robert’s
performance is hilarious. Another scene stealer is Tom
Cruise. I’ll probably see the movie again just to see his
performance. You’ve never seen Cruise play this type of
character. I didn’t know he had it in him.
The low parts of the movie are Stiller and Black, which is
odd since they are comedians. Black is decent, but Stiller
is horrendous doing pretty much what he always does.
However, he does deserve some credit for writing what could
be the best comedy so far this year. Matthew McConaughey who
plays Tugg Speedman’s agent is hilarious. His whole mission
is to get Speedman a TIVO and it pays off at the end.
Film
Review
By Milton Brayson
milton@smartcine.com
DVD: This is one of
those 2 Disc Special Edition DVDs that it is a most
have. If you are thinking about buying the movie, you
should go for the 2-Disc Director's Cut. It
contains 15 more minutes of the film, behind the
scenes sections, deleted and extended scenes, as well as
an alternate ending. However it contains close to 1 1/2
hours of funny and fresh materials that will keep you
laughing for hours. In particular the featurettes "Rain
of Madness", in which is a fake news special report
about how the cast from the film Tropic Thunder
disappear while shooting the film. Also the featurette Dispatches from the
"Edge of Madness", which is s behind the scenes of
"Rain of Madness", also fake. Just this two section are
worth the extra money.
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VIDEO:
2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen 16x9
AUDIO:
English,
Spanish and French
5.1 (Dolby Digital).
Subtitles - English Spanish
French - Optional
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Filmmaker commentary
with Ben Stiller, Justin Theroux, Stuart Cornfeld, Jeff
Mann, John Toll and Greg Hayden
Cast commentary with Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert
Downey Jr.
Before the Thunder:
The filmmakers and cast talk about the idea for the film.
(4:50)
The Hot LZ:
In this selection viewers get the opportunity to see how the
cinematography of the film was created. Short but
interesting. (6:24)
Blowing S&*t Up:
Another interesting featurette, in which Special Effects
Supervisor Michael Meinardus talks about how some of the
special effects scenes were made. (6:17)
Designing the Thunder
Filmmakers talk about the creation of the set for the film.
(7:50)
The Cast of Tropic Thunder:
Includes interviews with Stiller, Black, Downey Jr., Jackson, Baruchel, McBride
and Nolte (22:02)
Rain of Madness
This is a fake news special report about the film "Tropic
Thunder" f. This is one of the best featurette of the DVD.
It is hilarious piece of work. In this section some fake
reporter makes a special report about how the cast from
Tropic Thunder disappear while making the film. (29:58)
Dispatches from the Edge of Madness
This is a behind the scenes of the fake special report. It
is as hilarious as "Rain of Madness"(22:56)
Deleted Scenes:
A total of 2 deleted scenes. Both with option commentary by
filmmakers. Definitely worth Watching (1:44)
Extended Sequences:
2 Extended scenes "Snorkels" and "Eight Minutes in Hell"
. Both with and option commentary by filmmakers. Worth
watching (11:34)
Alternate Ending:
It doesn't add to much to the film. It was a good idea to
keep the original ending. (3:30)
MTV Movie Awards—Tropic Thunder
(4:06)
Full Mags: In
this section we find improvisation for for scenes of the
film. All with introduction by Ben Stiller. Funny stuff in
here too (33:09)
Make up Test With Tom
Cruise: Tom Cruise show some dance moves wearing the
films makeup (1:40)
Video Rehearsals
(3:02)
RATING BREAK DOWN:
| FILM REVIEW |
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|
VIDEO |
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AUDIO |
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| BONUS
FEATURES |
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