Episode 6 -Tropic Thunder

Dave and Diane review Tropic Thunder.

Acting: Both Dave and Diane thought the actors were wonderful. Diane remarked that they were so ingrained in their performances that she could barely recognize some of them. Both thought Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Cruise shined, and thought Jay Baruchel played a great support rule. Superb work here!

Directing: Though they are not traditional fans of Ben Stiller's, both Dave and Diane thought he did a wonderful job. Both noted that he was phenomenal as a director, actor and writer, and the project never seemed to loose focus.

Music: Once again, both Dave and Diane were big fans of the music. It highlighted the movie very well, and Dave liked how it truly captured the music of the Vietnam era. This is certainly a soundtrack to own.

Message: There was certainly a bit of controversy over the fact that Ben Stiller portrays a mentally disabled character, and to a lesser degree the fact that Downey Jr. plays an African American. Dave warns those who are sensitive to these issues may want to avoid this movie. However, both Dave and Diane agree that the issue was a bit misconstrued. The main purpose of this movie is to poke fun at Hollywood and actors, and these characters are merely commentary on the ridiculous roles that actors sometimes play.

Plot: Both Dave and Diane thought that the plot was great, and that it did a very good job at poking fun at the actors. Dave especially liked the fact that the movie began with fake trailers, and noted that the film felt both genuine and very over-the top. Diane loved the fact that, even faced with a very real situation, the in-movie actors continued acting.

Overall Grades: Both Dave and Diane gave it a B+, and thought that while it was perhaps a bit rough around the edges, it was a fantastic comedy. However, this ones just for the adults, its certainly a very-R rated movie!

Dave's DVD of the Week: This week, Dave viewed Patton. First, he remarked that it looked beautiful in Blu-ray, and was happy to find it came with a commentary track. This movie is certainly a classic, and George C. Scott gave a brilliant performance. The movie captured the nuances of General Patton's character well, such as his deep love of war, his belief in reincarnation, and his writing of poetry. This movie earns a well-deserved A, and Dave thought it was brilliant. Slight warning, this movie is three hours long (including a musical intermission!), and is probably not for people who don't like war movies.

Notes: Many apologies on the lateness! Let's just say it was Dave's first week back at school, and he had a lot of typing to do (procrastinating on summer assignments is not a good idea kids!). Also, we are aware of the occasional crackling in the audio. It appears that we had some programs running at the time of recording we were not aware of, and it should not happen again!

Until next week, don't procrastinate, and remember to Get Reel! (A goal which we apparently failed at this week ; ). Again, sorry guys!)

The music for this episode was provided by the Podshow Podsafe Music Network. Check them out here: http://music.podshow.com.

http://m.podshow.com/media/19061/episodes/124366/getreelpodcast-124366-08-31-2008.mp3