[b]Ikiru (1952)[/b] [img size=150]http://www.filmforum.org/archivedfilms/ikiru/ikiru_02.jpg[/img] One of acclaimed director Akira Kurosawa\'s best-loved movies - this is the third of his films that I\'ve seen (the other two being [i]Seven Samurai[/i] and [i]Rashomon[/i]) and I think it\'s not only the most accessible but also my favorite thus far. Mild spoilers ahead. Takashi Shimura, a sympathetic if not familiar face, stars as Watanabe, an aging desk jockey who discovers he has only months before he succumbs to stomach cancer. He can\'t save his crumbled relationship with his son and he can\'t think of a single thing he\'s accomplished in the 30 years he sat at the same job protecting his position. A novelist he meets in a bar first shows him the night life and tries to help him live it up in clubs and partying. Then, he strikes up a relationship with a young co-worker which makes him happy for a time until she gets the creeps and calls it quits. Finally, he decides that he\'s going to use his soul-stealing job to make a difference in the time he has left. The story is almost a Japanese [i]It\'s A Wonderful Life[/i], certainly a melodrama but without the exuberance of Capra. This is a steady, somewhat drawn-out tale with a lot on its mind about morality, family, and bureaucracy. Of the three Kurosawa movies I\'ve seen it\'s the most accessible to western audiences, showing a lot of American post-war influence on Japan. It\'s not terribly subtle about its ideals and spends a good deal too much time outright discussing them, particularly in the final act that just doesn\'t have enough story to run out its 50 minute length. That said, there are some surprising turns of narrative, a lot of great direction and editing, and strong performances throughout. [b]Tropic Thunder (2008)[/b] [img size=150]http://www.filmofilia.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/robertdjr.jpg[/img] It may be Ben Stiller\'s movie, but make no mistake: this is Robert Downey Jr\'s show. To be Oscar nominated for a role in a ranchy action-comedy is pretty big feat anyway; but forgetting that for a moment, Downey plays an Australian method actor playing a black man who never breaks character. The setup is something like [i]Galaxy Quest[/i], in which television actors had to be real astronauts. Here, film actors have to be real soldiers when their war movie goes wrong in ways too complicated to explain. The movie\'s satirical meta- quality is one of it\'s best features. The fake trailers introducing the characters are a highlight, and frankly the movie never again reaches the heights of its opening scenes. Downey keeps it afloat while actors like Stiller and Danny McBride do their usual schtick, others like Jack Black and Bill Hader are wasted completely, and a juicy supporting role is giving to Tom Cruise, finally embracing his inner nutcase. The movie is flashy and funny enough to be entertaining, but also nasty enough to be off-putting to a lot of people. It\'s at its best when it\'s making clever jabs at the film industry (and surprisingly I didn\'t hate Matthew McCownoogaheya as Stiller\'s agent obsessed with the TiVo clause in the actor\'s contract) but collapses too quickly into physical gags and tasteless jokes. Occasionally these are over-the-top enough to actually be hilarious (the kid stabbing Stiller\'s neck near the end and the way he deals with it, for instance) but it\'s just not consistent. Some funny, some missed opportunities. Best line: \"Ain\'t nuthin but a thang.\" I lol\'d hard. Another link to [i]Galaxy Quest[/i]: Downey Jr.\'s character is named Kirk Lazarus; Dr. Lazarus is the character on the Galaxy Quest tv show played by actor Alexander Dane, played by real life actor Alan Rickman. Btw have Rickman and Downey ever done a movie together? Because both those guys are dynamite.