I went on a movie binge this week. I promised a review of Tropic Thunder, but I figured I might as well do the other two as well.
First off, my Tuesday night viewing: Pineapple Express. It's a stoner comedy. What more do you want me to say? It was a decent movie although I didn't find anything spectacular about it. The writing was decent, as was the acting. Still, I feel like it was missing something. I can't quite put my finger on it, though. Since I've never even tried pot, I think the stoner jokes may have slid past me on some level, leaving me wanting. Don't get me wrong, I did laugh. It just wasn't what I expected. To me, this fruit wasn't quite ripe for the picking. Probably my least favorite of the three, I still recommend giving it a try. After all, it wasn't a bad movie by any means.
Tropic Thunder was my Wednesday excursion. Unlike Pineapple, this film was right up my alley. The face comedy aside, TT has a nice second layer of satirical humor. This is a movie about the making of a movie as well as making fun of the making of movies. There are some funny-ass quotes, cameos up the rear, subtle (and not-so-subtle) movie references, and even faux trailers in the vein of the Grindhouse movies. Besides being pretty damn funny, there's a decent action movie dancing around the comedy. I've never been much of a fan of Ben Stiller but I've gotta give him props for this film--not only as the star (although I think he's overshadowed by Robert Downey Jr.) but as director and writer as well. If all of this isn't enough, who doesn't want to see a movie drowning in controversy? We have RDJr playing an Australian (some say his role takes a jab at Russell Crowe) actor who himself is playing a black guy. On top of that, we have organizations for the mentally handicapped boycotting the movie because Ben Stiller plays an actor who plays Simple Jack, a retarded farmboy. I definitely recommend watching this one, for [SPOILER] Tom Cruise's role if nothing else.
Finally, the non-comedy of the three: Mirrors. Alexandre Aja directs the newest Asian ghost story remade for American audience. I've gotta say, I'm a little torn over this movie. On one hand, I was hoping for a much scarier flick. On the other, the film was, stylistically, a treat. Slightly creepy with a few boo-scares thrown in for fun, Mirrors has a lot of ideas reminiscent of older horror movies and even a video game. That's right, I felt a Silent Hill vibe during this movie. If you choose to go see this, keep an eye open for references (intentional or not) to movies like The Frighteners, Army of Darkness, and House on Haunted Hill. I enjoyed this movie in much the same way that I enjoyed the American remake of Pulse; it wasn't scary, but it was interesting and entertaining; a lot of cool concepts and some decent gore effects. Flawed and yet still entertaining--maybe it's so bad that it's good (I think I need to reflect on it a bit more [sorry])? I recommend this one sparingly; chances are you won't be scared, but if you keep and open mind it still may be worth your while.
Until next time...
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