In the spirit of "Yes we can," let us encourage our fellow bloggers, Lady Liberty and Mr.Stringbean, to get off their asses and write a post. Yes. We. Can.
In other news, let us discuss the second film on my Virgin Atlantic odyssey, the shockingly Oscar-baity flick Tropic Thunder.
"Oscar baity?" you ask, awestruck.
"Oscar baity," I reply, definitively.
What does that mean? Well, it means there is a very very very excellent chance that Robert Downey Jr. could nab a Best Supporting Actor nom for his role in the film. Will he win? Certainly not. Comedic roles very rarely win anything, not to mention a certain Mr. Ledger who seems all but unbeatable at this point. That said, it will literally be an honor just to be nominated, because the film is vulger, hilarious, punchy, boundary-pushing, and outrageous.
And I loved it.
By now everyone knows about the movie within a movie (within a movie?) being shot in a remote jungle in Vietnam (hello, Hawaii!) the abandoned method actors, the exploding director, RDJ doing a stunningly successful job... in blackface. However, what is not mentioned nearly as loudly is the job done by Tom Cruise, who, while finding no friends in this blog, will find effusive compliments for his thoroughly out-of-character turn as the most obscene film exec this side of Harvey Weinstein. He came pretty darn close to complete redemption in the eyes of The Movie Girl, kids. Let's see how he follows it up. (And Valkyrie doesn't count)
What is the most fascinating thing about Tropic Thunder, though, is how easily it could have gone horribly, horribly wrong. It is a Hollywood insider's movie, complete with jokes about contract negotiations, agent-talent relations (Matthew McConnaughy shows up as a butt-kissing agent... one wonders how far he had to go for research), an analysis of how to do a film about a mentally challenged person ("Never go full-retard"). Tropic Thunder never once takes itself even remotely seriously, as the industry does all too often, and goes so far as to make the movie studio head a terrorist negotiator. A terrorist negotiator who scares the crap out of the terrorists.
Amazing.
Coming Up: Reaction to the Oscar Noms! And if you haven't already watched it, follow this link to watch a great little film called Oktapodi.
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