GRITZ Movie Reviews: Tropic Thunder, Mirrors and Clone Wars

Posted: Aug 21, 2008

TROPIC THUNDER
Ben Stiller has delivered his most creative, funniest film ever. I laughed so hard I thought my head would blow off. (Like the director?) Ben, along with Jack Black, Robert Downey, Jr and an all-star supporting cast are all excellent in the insider Hollywood film about the making of a Vietnam war movie. Of course nothing is what it appears to be, much like tinsel town itself.

Robert Downey, Jr shines as an Aussie actor who undergoes a skin darkening procedure in order to portray an African American soldier. The transformation is right up there with Heath Ledger’s Joker and Billy Bob Thornton’s Karl Childers.

The script is hilarious, and even through the blood bath scenes you find yourself holding your side to keep from splitting a gut.

I have to give huge Kudos to Nick Nolte as Four Leaf and Tom Cruise (himself doing a major physical change over) as the fat, bald, cursing Hollywood film exec. Yes, I said Tom Cruise.

Be sure to watch for the “Sneak Preview,” just before the movie and right after the legit trailers. The first one is a commercial for “Booty Sweat.” That’s all I will give away.

FIVE STARS

MIRRORS

Thank God Kiefer Sutherland has moved on to another day...

Mirrors succeeds on some levels as a horror film, but most of the time it is run of the mill, Sunday afternoon, Shock Theater on the TV kind of spooky.

Sutherland does an admirable job as Ben, the former cop trying to get to the bottom of a haunted, burned out department store in New York. Paula Patton is his wife Amy, and while she is easy on the eyes, there’s no danger of her winning an acting award.

I guess, in a summer that gave us The Dark Knight, Iron Man and Tropic Thunder, my expectations are up. But this one just didn’t cut it for me.

TWO STARS

BABEWATCH: At least Paula Patton gives the guys something to think about, especially when she is soaking wet.

STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS
Lucas is back with a new Star Wars, except this time it is animated. Well, let’s face it, he has been headed that way for years with all the CGI and computer characters. I was a little afraid the over exaggerated features of the humanoid characters would ruin it for me, but the truth is, the story was pretty damn good. In fact, it beats the hell out of that Jar Jar Binx debacle.

Anakin Skywalker and Obi Wan set out to rescue the kidnapped son of Jabba the Hut, and the action starts on a roll and rolls all the way to the end of the film.

Pretty good flick for Star Wars fans, and all the kids in the theatre seemed to really love it.

THREE STARS

Reviews by Michael Buffalo Smith