Movies about filmmaking, keep 'em comin'

As an entertainment reporter mainly focused on film, I love every aspect of the art. From the pre-production, production, to the final product it's a fascinating process to me, but what is more fun is when the act of film or television takes on the art with a funnier and surprising side to it.



Being a younger writer I would like to take on a more contemporary look at the world of films about film making with some recent films and television shows as well as some modern classics in my mind. I would like to take a look at several films including, "Tropic Thunder," "What Just Happened," "Get Shorty," "Ed Wood," "Barton Fink," the television show "Entourage" and the classic film "Singin' in the Rain." At the end I will give you a few other examples that you might want to add to your mental library.



Let's first explore the brilliance that is "Tropic Thunder." The film is about the production of a Vietnam war epic with the help of a has-been comedian with a drug problem, an action juggernaut with a brain the size of his latest box office intake, a thespian who takes method acting to the next level (that's putting it lightly), a young hip-hop star wanting to break into films, and the young lucky kid who got his first big role in a movie. On top of that it's got caricatures of famous directors, producers, and crew members. The reason the movie is so great is the attacks done upon the film business are so crisp and brilliant that they make Ari Gold of "Entourage" blush.



Ben Stiller directs the film with great ease and makes you want to see him actually take on a big budget war flick. He has never performed better as Tugg Speedman, action star who is losing his touch ala Steven Seagal or Jean Claude Van Dam. However, the actor that owns the film is Robert Downey Jr. in the role of method actor Kirk Lazarus who takes Stanislavski's teachings to far when he puts on black face and becomes Sergeant Lincoln Osiris. His portrayal of this true artist mocks any actor who might have taken a role to far just to reach for that Oscar gold. There are many other performances that stand out in this film including Tom Cruise, Jack Black, Steve Coogan, Nick Nolte and Danny McBride. This film has no limits on what they attack, ridicule and in the end greatly honor. It is a truly hilarious film that grows to be better each time I view it and I can always pick up on something new.



The next film I'd like to take a look at is "What Just Happened" it is an obscure film that I had heard of but never saw it in theatres. I was able to check it out on Netflix and found a gem of a film, simple but interesting. It is directed by Barry Levinson and follows Robert De Niro as a movie producer named Ben. He is encountered with a crap shoot of a film that ends with the violent murder of a dog and is a starring vehicle for the real Sean Penn. It is originally destroyed in early audience screenings with "F you's!" and flipping of the bird. It is obvious to Ben that something needs to happen and fast with the film so he takes his British overly artsy director and forces him to cut his "baby" to be more family friendly and less dark. During this tale Ben runs into marriage problems with his wife (Robin Wright Penn), issues with future scripts and a crazed bearded Bruce Willis who refuses to shave the animal that lives on his face. Ironic that Phoenix would eventually revolt against the establishment in the same way. He takes it as an attack on his artistic choice and has a hissy fit bordering on childish behavior. This was not a well reviewed film, but sometimes reviewers can't look deeper into the brilliance of this story with the real life actors and situations. The brilliance is not so apparent like that of "Tropic Thunder" with action packed scenes and perfectly executed caricatures. It is this simple approach that makes the film fun and intriguing as one man struggles through marriage and counseling while a Brit director tricks the establishment and gives a big middle finger to Ben with the newly cut final scene for his film. The movie has elements recognizable in "Entourage" with the use of actual celebrities, but instead of taking it on from an actors point of view it goes for the balls of the producer.



Mobsters, movies and money. That is the focus of the next selection, "Get Shorty" which takes on the movie business with a hint of mobster and a lot of laughs. This movie like many others in this time period has a lot of twist and turns that are similar to the films they parody. The film has an all star cast le by John Travolta and Gene Hackman and follows a film enthusiast mobster who is looking to change his scene to the land of glitz and glamour. "Tropic Thunder" is to war movies as "What Just Happened" is to simple indie films and "Get Shorty" is to mobster movies. To give you a synopsis of all that goes down in this film would pretty much destroy my brain so I'll just tell you "Get Shorty" takes you on a trip that will have you confused if you blink for just a moment. It explores all elements of the film industry from pre-production with Gene Hackman's Harry Zimm, acting with Danny Devito's portrayal of famous actor Martin Weir and financial efforts with Travolta's Chili Palmer and his mob ties. This film is great because it is the filmmaking equivalent of "Pulp Fiction" which I was misled by with people playing famous celebrities of course I now know that was for the Jack Rabbit Slim's scene. The movie uses comedy as an ally too, much like the previously mentioned films. There are some great scenes in the movie within the realm of comedy as well as crime. It is a great film overall, but certainly leaves you hanging just like any good crime film would in Hollywood.