RSS 2.0 - News feed for Tropic Thunder

Jack Black Q&A

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 00:00:00 PST

Female First has interviewed funny man Jack Black on his role as Jeff Portnoy in 'Tropic Thunder'. Black talks about having the biggest guns, working closely with the military advisors, and fighting 12 years olds on set. The actor also touches on 'Kung Fu Panda', bonding with water buffalos and possibly taking on dramatic roles. 'Tropic Thunder' is out on DVD now!

"...Oh well, he’s definitely the more experienced and trained fighters, according to him. I’ve never actually seen him train. But he says, and claims, that he’s a ju-jitsu master basically. I don’t think they wear belts, but I think he would be a black belt. According to him..."

Read the full interview here.

Downey an Oscar nominee for Tropic Thunder

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 00:00:00 PST

Robert Downey Jr. has been nominated for Best Supporting Actor by the Academy Awards for his performance in Tropic Thunder. Nominations for the 81st Academy Awards were announced today by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Sid Ganis and Oscar® winner Forest Whitaker.

Academy members from each of the branches vote to determine the nominees in their respective categories – actors nominate actors, film editors nominate film editors, etc. In the Animated Feature Film and Foreign Language Film categories, nominations are selected by vote of multi-branch screening committees. All voting members are eligible to select the Best Picture nominees.

Official screenings of all motion pictures with one or more nominations will begin for members this weekend at the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater. Screenings also will be held at the Academy's Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood and in London, New York and San Francisco.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2008 will be presented on Sunday, February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

Stiller, the reluctant comedy king

Wed, 1 Oct 2008 10:37:31 PDT

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.

Ben Stiller - 'I wish people didn't see me like that'

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 10:03:16 PDT

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.

Reality bites

Thu, 4 Sep 2008 11:52:20 PDT

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.

Tropic Thunder: It's a Threepeat

Tue, 2 Sep 2008 14:15:06 PDT

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.

Brandon on Breakout Role in “Tropic Thunder

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 12:01:10 PDT

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.

Ben Stiller talks about playing for spoof for Tropic Thunder

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:45:06 PDT

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.

Robert Downey Jr. talks Tropic Thunder

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:31:22 PDT

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.

Robert Downey Jr.s risky role in Tropic Thunder

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 16:48:58 PDT

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.

Tropic Thunder Ends 'Dark Knight' Box Office Reign

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 12:13:53 PDT

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.

Tropic Thunder is Excellent

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 14:41:24 PDT

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.

Downey Jr., Stiller and Black mock the establishment in action/comedy pic

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 11:07:30 PDT

The Patriot Ledger has posted a review of 'Tropic Thunder'. Written, directed and starring Ben Stiller, the film is a goofy film-within-a-film comedy about a group of self-absorbed actors who set out to make the biggest war film ever. After ballooning costs (and the out of control egos of the pampered cast) threaten to shut down the movie, the frustrated director refuses to stop shooting, leading his cast deep into the jungles of Southeast Asia for "increased realism," where they inadvertently encounter real bad guys.

"...The actors, though, are consistently superb, including Matthew McConaughey as Tugg’s unctuous agent, Steve Coogan as an over-his-head British director, and a host of A-list cameos topped by an unrecognizable Tom Cruise as a fat, bald and blustery studio boss..."

Read the full review here.

Matthew had a ball on Tropic Thunder

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 12:47:31 PDT

Croydon Today has posted an article on 'Tropic Thunder'. A recent father, Matthew McConaughey had a small role in Ben Stiller's latest comedy.

"...My experience on this was a lot of fun, in four days of it. I got to come in and they had a huge production they had to do for months and I got to pop in and do three days and just go off and have a ball..."

Read the full article here.

Ben Stiller Shoots Tropic Thunder

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 12:18:06 PDT

Can Mag has posted an interview with 'Tropic Thunder' writer, director and star Ben Stiller. The last film he directed was Zoolander, a comedy about the fashion industry. This time Stiller takes aim at Hollywood, but he made sure to work with people he had a lot of respect for.

"...When we finally got to the point where we were filming I was just so happy that we were doing it and then we had to cast that we had and then John Toll shooting it, making in Hawaii, for me it every day there were definitely times where there was a lot of pressure, but I felt like I had such a good group of people around me. When you’re working with people at that level you feel very supported. I always felt supported by the other actors and it was the kind of movie that I wanted to see..."

Read the full interview here.

Robert Downey Jr. is a must-see in Tropic Thunder

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 11:02:16 PDT

The Daily News has posted a review of 'Tropic Thunder'. Written, directed and starring Ben Stiller, the comedy is a movie within a movie. Robert Downey Jr. gives an amazing performance as an actor that undergoes a skin tone surgery to play a black man.

"...No one but Downey could possibly embody a white man playing a black man who keeps forgetting he's an Australian, while making the audience feel ridiculous for even wondering if the whole conceit is offensive. And if your head is spinning just trying to figure out where he's going with such a risky notion, well, wait till you watch it in person..."

Read the full review here.

Tropic Thunder pushes envelope and then some

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 10:40:02 PDT

CNN has posted an article on 'Tropic Thunder'. The movie within a movie comedy was written,directed and stars Ben Stiller with Robert Downey Jr. , Jack Black, Steve Coogan and Jay Baruchel. The film is stirring up a lot of controversy, some of which is Downey playing an actor who surgically dies his skin black to play a role.

"...To me the most important thing was Alpa Chino has to give him a beat down and tell him that what he's doing is crazy the whole time," Downey said. "Otherwise it's just demeaning to Brandon's character. And if it's demeaning to an actual black man in the movie ... I would have run for the hills..."

Read the full article here.

Ben Stiller: Tom Cruise Has Moves in Tropic Thunder

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 10:15:20 PDT

People has posted an article on 'Tropic Thunder'. Written, directed and starring Ben Stiller, the film also features a memorable cameo by Tom Cruise. He plays a studio executive and had some specific ideas about what his character should do, which happens to be dance, and what he should look like.

"...He said, 'I really want to have some big, hairy hands,' " says Stiller. "I actually didn't have to sell him on anything..."

Read the full article here.