TROPIC THUNDER

[maikuu]

[YihanLiu]

At the start of this movie I googled it actually, it says that this movie is an American action comedy film. Although there are lots of funny lines and scenes in it, I don’t think it’s a comedy. I’d rather call it as a black comedy, well probably due to different national culture.

There are some Chinese lines in it but the accent is so weird that we Chinese cannot understand. Faded star to be awarded with Oscar, rare animal protector to kill a panda for survivor. I think it’s kind of sarcasm. Maybe I should say it in another way, the film expresses the distance between reality and dream.

My favorite character is Tusk. He used to be a faded action star before the movie but in the real war he still thought he was acting a film. Finally, he won the Oscar. And when the casting group ran out of the village, he said he would stay and talk to the leader, for the safety of others. From him I see braveness and the meaning of friendship. Also, the dream.

[Miyu]

This movie surprised me because at the beginning of movie, many people fought each other and so many grorescue scenes. However, I thought that there are many characters in this movie and they had very unique personalities so they were interesting.

I think Simple Jack didn't make a good point but I think there are some kind of like this story of movie in reality because some people really need "special-needs", so Simple Jack was not simply offensive story. However, when Tugg performed to people on the stage, it was quite different from the story, so at this time, it was a little offensive.

My favorite character is Tugg because he is the most interesting person to taking movie seriously and he could not understand this situation was real or not. When he was really caught by people, he thought it to be 1 scene of the movie, and he performed. I really like this scene because of very fun.

[Nicole_Shan]

First thing I want to say that is I love this film, which is awesome. I like drama films when I was studied in the university, and I heat commercial films like this one. But now, I like this type of films, someone called “Popcorn film”. Is funny, relax and also can make money.

In this film, five Hollywood actors have difference issues around their life. Tugg Speedman, who used to be a famous action actor, but now he’s career is will be over, just some from poor country traffickers likes watch his film. Kirk has a white skin and from Australia but because too deep into the drama, he changed skin become to a black man. The real black man Alpa afraid to admit that he likes men. And comedy film actor Jeff that is rampant drug use patient. The last one is Mr. nobody wants to know who is he.I would like to compare these guys and three amigos. In the similar ways, they find themselves become a hero, solved their life’s problems.

In addition, because Iron Man is my favor film, I like Robert Downey Jr. and Kirk.

[siyu1012]

For me, “Tropic Thunder” is a movie sarcastically revealing the real film world to us. In “Tropic Thunder”, everyone had his own problem and some solved it at the end of the movie. The director didn’t know how to handle the actors; the producer could do anything merely for money; the scriptwriter cheated the whole country for achieving success; Tugg wanted to be a real actor, but he was remembered by the audience as the Simple Jack; Kirk was too involved in acting to remember who he really was; Jeff suffered from his drug addiction; Alpa tried to cover up the fact that he was homosexual…

My favorite character is Tugg Speedman, the actor who wanted to be appreciated by the audience as a real actor instead of the guy who can only play an idiot. The ironic thing was that only the drug gang cried and applauded for Tugg’s acting from the bottom of their heart. That’s the reason why Tugg wanted to stay when the actors ran out of the drug gang village. At that moment, a more ironic thing happened. The boy who used to be his biggest fan stabbed Tugg’s back with a knife. This is the funniest and saddest moment for me. Tugg thought he was recognized by the drug gang for his fine acting and had found where he belonged, but his dream eventually broke in the laughter of the audience sitting in front of the screen. Fortunately, at the end of the movie, Tugg won the Oscar and the other actors had taken the first step to face up to what they really were.

In my opinion, “Simple Jack” makes a good point about the “special-needs” characterization in Hollywood. To some extent, film industry is market-oriented. “Simple Jack” is created for the audience who like watching such kind of character who is stupid and touching. In “Tropic Thunder”, the drug gang forced Tugg to play Simple Jack and cried for this character, but actually Tugg wasn’t satisfied with being considered as Simple Jack at all. I think “Simple Jack” has revealed what happened in the film and TV industry nowadays.

[chihyi]

Compared to the general comedy, Tropic Thunder is a profound film that makes a parody of reality. After we watch the last moment in the movie, we finally know that everything is fake, because the story and the author are also super big lies.

My favorite character is Simple Jack. To tell the truth, Simple Jack is an fictional movie and not a popular movie. However, when Tugg is forced to play the role of Simple Jack at the village, he touched all the villagers’ hearts. There are clear distinctions between Tugg and Simple Jack.

The most impressive moment is the conversation between Kirk and Tugg, when approaching the end of the movie. They lost themselves and are confused between their own and characters.

Besides, the surprising part is Tom Cruise. I cannot recognize him. The role he played is interesting. Especially, he talked to Flaming Dragon.

Thanks for teacher Mike. It is an amazing and meaningful film.

[xunpengwu]

Not a simple comedy with funny idioms and exaggerating performance, to me, Tropic Thuder is a sarcastic revenge, from these eminent Hollywood movie stars.

It is ironic. Ben Stiller, a hardworking "goner", is so ironic that he tries to give the perfect performance but only isolated drug producers in Asia love his silly Simple Jack. Jack Black is addicted to drugs. In order to amuse audience, his performance is full of shit and fart and even the drug producers make fun on him. Robert Downey Jr. is too deep in his performance and he could not figure who his is. This white Australian with African American's accent and slangs says, "I'm a dude play a dude disguise another dude!" What about Brandon? He doesn't even know whether he is a gay.

Everyone seems like to have his own tragic destiny. However, everything changes to be fine in the end.

What about others?

The director, not able to lead these big stars, listens to Four Leaf's bad idea and takes all the casts to the forest. Then, he is exploded. Interestingly, Ben Stiller is the real director for this film. He, together with these famous actors, know how director treats actors well. For example, Leonardo was even drowned by crazy Cameron when shooting Titanic. I guess Leonard would want to kill Cameron if it was legal and that could be why Ben Stiller let the director to die in the first.

Four Leaf is fake. It could be a self-irony by showing actors not reading scripts. So it seems to equal that Four Leaf is not killed in the end.

Tom Cruise is impossible to recognize but he brings a real boss and investor figure in film industry.

Besides all of these, the best revenge is to the audience, those drug dealers. The little boy even makes Stiller to have the will of staying in the drug base and showing them his real performance. However, ironically again, the little boy, the most loyal fan of Simple Jack, jumps on Stillers back, then bites and stabs fiercely. And Ben Stiller throws his fan into the bush. Yes, actors revenges again.

Congratulations to these people. Tropic Thuder is absolutely a great reverse and funny victory of Hollywood performers.

[ptm9133]

I think Siple Jack was a offensive character.

My favorite character was Tom cruise. I could barely recognize it was him. His acting was very impressive, especially dancing. He didn't care about people's life. He just care about money.

My funniest monent was that when they were trying to escape vietnam using helicopter, tug speedman threw a baby because he made him annoying. It was funniest monent for me.

A group of people went to Vietnam to make a movie. But there were some troubles when they get there, and they had a 'real' war between drug people.

Actually I think this movie is little bit racist movie. It humiliates black people and Asians, even handicap people.

For foreigners I think comedy is the most difficult genre to understand.

I hope that I understood this movie wrong.

[ZiyuZhang]

“Tropic Thunder” gives me a glimpse of real movie world. Behind all the glamour and fortune, those movie stars also have their own suffer. Tugg Speedman, a fading star,tries hard to make a good movie, but only those drug dealers really like his performance. Jeff Portnoy, a so-called comedian with drug addiction, but only relied on toilet humor. I think he also has a sense of inferiority because of his fart and fat jokes. Kirk Lazarus is a real talented actor, but he is too engaged into his character. Just as he said, “I'm a dude playing a dude disguised as another dude.” He doesn’t know who he is at all.

Apart from these celebrities, “Tropic Thunder” also mocks the writer, director, producer and even audience. From this movie, we can see that, just like other industries, movie production also has a chain. Although it is the movie star that we audience know more about, the producer or maybe the investor is the real boss who actually make decisions. Just like Tom Cruise’s character—a mercenary and bad-tempered producer—who gave up on those actors without hesitation, still won 400 millions when Tugg Speedman succeeded.

Therefore, “Tropic Thunder” is absolutely successful on satirizing nowadays film industry.

[Miyoung]

My favorite character is Jeff Portnoy, who is Jack black in stage name. I really like him because I've been watching the movies about him. ( I like The School Of Rock, 2003). He is very famous Hollywood actor. In the movie, his role is comedy and I enjoyed watching the movie because of him. And then, I like Alpa Chino, also. His voice is so sweet. I like this voice like him. That's why I like him because of movie on Big Mommas's House. The funniest scene is drug smugglers, who is Tran is young boy. Although he is young boy, I was interested in people was moved and acted by his authority.

There are many sarcastic factor in this movie. Because they were filming wrong, to lose lots of money and forests were destroying, it may be making this movie self-reflection. Speedman filmed the scene about a mentally deficient person on "Simple Jack". But, It was failed even though he is famous actor. If famous actor take a role mental illness, it may be acknowledge a character actor. These settings are likely to sarcastic film industry climate.