Tropic Thunder

Independent.ie catches up with "Tropic Thunder" star and director Ben Stiller. Stiller talks about his reputation for being serious and that he is not the type to try to be funny or the guy who tries to get laughs. Stiller also tells Independent.ie his humor is a combination of his mother and father, a hit comedy team in the sixties and seventies. "Tropic Thunder" is in cinemas nationwide.

"...My sister and I grew up watching them together and watching the hard work that they did to write their routines and seeing how hard they worked. There was a real work ethic there..."

Read the full interview here.

The Guardian catches up with "Tropic Thunder" director and star Ben Stiller. Stiller chats about the troubles of crossing over to other film genres because the public has always known him to be in comedy. He also explains that he actually had the idea for the film 20 years ago. Moreover, Stiller touches on the controversial "Simple Jack" film within "Tropic Thunder" which blatenly uses  the word "retard". While it was widely accepted as a simple joke, a coalition of disability advocacy groups organized a picket. 

"...If you take it out of context then of course you're going to have a problem. But I stand by the movie 100%. To me it's very clear that the joke is at the expense of the actors..."

Read the full interview here.

The List has posted an article on 'Tropic Thunder'. Written, directed and starring Ben Stiller, the film is a satire on Hollywood actors. Robert Downey Jr. and Jack Black co star in the summers hottest comedy, and discuss some of the controversy in the film. Downey says he had to be very cautious with his role.

"...Playing a white actor named Kirk Lazarus who plays a black man named Sergeant Lincoln Osirus, even though you have some aesthetic distance by the way it’s set up, it’s still potentially hazardous. But the whole premise of the movie ? Ben as this disaffected action star and Jack as the frat-boy fart gag comedy guy ? there would be something missing if somebody wasn’t going so method that it was really inappropriate and borderline psychotic..."

Read the full article here.

Expected: ''The Dark Knight'' crossed the $500 mil mark on a slow Labor Day weekend at the multiplex. Unexpected: ''Tropic Thunder'' repeated at No. 1, as several new releases, led by ''Babylon A.D.,'' generated little heat

Entertainment Weekly has posted an article on the weekend's box office results. For the third consecutive week, 'Tropic Thunder' has taken the number one spot, beating out 'Babylon A.D.' and 'House Bunny'. In a surprise move, 'The Dark Knight' move back up to 3rd place.

"...it remained champion for the third straight weekend, becoming just the second movie of 2008 to score a threepeat..."

Read the full interview here.
 

The Washington Informer has posted an interview with 'Tropic Thunder' star Brandon T Jackson. Writen, directed and starring Ben Stiller, the film also features such veterans as Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black and Nick Nolte. Jackson talks about auditioning for the role, working with Downey Jr and Stiller as a director.

"...When we got on the set, all this magic just started happening from there. It was great, man, because he’s so intense, and he knows how to get what he needs out of you. As an African American comedian, I was used to playing more to the punch line, and he showed me how to stay within the character instead of going for the joke. It was all magic..."

Read the full interview here.

IN his latest comedy, an MA-rated action spoof, Tropic Thunder, Ben Stiller doesn't just bite the hand that feeds him. He turns it into a three-course meal.

The Australian Herald Sun has posted an interview with 'Tropic Thunder' writer, director and star Ben Stiller. The film required a lot of explosion and action scenes, which in turn required a larger budget. Another challenge for Stiller was making a comedy for a large audience.

"...To me the challenge was making something that was entertaining for a bigger audience, because everybody in the movie business actually enjoys seeing that world made fun of..."

Read the full interview here.

Fresh from Iron Man, Robert Downey puts on an even more surprising performance in Hollywood spoof Tropic Thunder. He talks to Peter Mitchell

The New Zealand Herald has posted an interview with 'Tropic Thunder' star Robert Downey Jr. Directed, written and starring Ben Stiller, the comedy follows a bunch of actors into the jungle as they try to achieve a sense realism for their latest film. Downey plays an Australian actor who underwent a skin pigmentation operation to play an African American man.

"...If you read the script, initially you would say `This is probably a non-issue', but there's a lot of things that have to be managed and handled correctly down to the look and execution..."

Read the full article here.

When Robert Downey Jr. put on dark make-up for film comedy Tropic Thunder, the actor ventured into the racially charged territory of blackface, an old showbiz convention that is no laughing matter

Screen India has posted an article on 'Tropic Thunder'. Directed, written and starring Ben Stiller, the film features Robert Downey Jr playing an Australian actor who decides to go through a skin pigmentation operation in order to play a black character in a film. Although initially concerned the role would tarnish his reputation, critics and fans alike have been praising his performance.

“...The whole film is based on the idea that what we (actors) do at some level is offensive and who we are, at some level, is despicable and pathetic, which is the truth and not the truth. But the part of it, that is the truth, is entertaining...”

Read the full article here. 

Ben Stiller comedy ends four weeks at No. 1 for Christopher Nolan's Batman film, which now has passed ''Star Wars'' as No. 2 grossing film of all time. Speaking of the Force, ''Clone Wars'' clearly won't be a major one at the box office

Entertainment Weekly has posted an article on this weekend's Box Office results. 'Tropic Thunder' is the first film to take over the number one spot since 'The Dark Knight' opened.

"...The Ben Stiller-directed war movie-within-a-movie spoof starring Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr. took in more during its three days than Pineapple Express, though the Seth Rogen stoner movie generated a higher five-day gross of $41.3 million than Thunder's $37 million..."

Read the full article here.  

Film.com has posted a review of 'Tropic Thunder. The film stars Ben Stiller, who also wrote and directed, Robert Downey Jr and Jack Black as a group of actors out to make an action film, who venture into the jungle to find real danger. The critic argues that the controversy around the film should be dismissed.

"...you should see Tropic Thunder. Because it's damned funny, because it takes chances, and because it's innovative. This is how comedy evolves. Please don't let our culture become one that lauds fecal-matter comedy. Please tell me we're better than that with your box-office dollars..."

Read the full review here.