Empire of the Sun (film)
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| - | '''''Tropic Thunder''''' is a 2008 American action satire comedy film directed and produced by [[Ben Stiller]]. The film stars Stiller, [[Jack Black]], and [[Robert Downey, Jr.]] as a group of [[prima donna]] actors making a [[Vietnam War]] film. When their frustrated writer and director decide to drop them in the middle of a jungle, the actors are forced to portray their roles without the comforts of a film set. Written by Stiller, [[Justin Theroux]], and [[Etan Cohen]], the film was produced by [[DreamWorks]] and [[Red Hour Productions|Red Hour Films]] and distributed by [[Paramount Pictures]]. | + | '''''Empire of the Sun''''' is a [[1987 in film|1987]] [[coming of age]] [[war film]] based on [[J. G. Ballard]]'s semi-autobiographical novel of the [[Empire of the Sun|same name]]. [[Steven Spielberg]] directed the film, which stars [[Christian Bale]], [[John Malkovich]], [[Miranda Richardson]] and [[Nigel Havers]]. The film tells the story of Jamie "Jim" Graham, a young boy who goes from living in a wealthy British family in [[Shanghai]], to becoming a [[prisoner of war]] in [[Lunghua Civilian Assembly Center]], a Japanese [[internment camp]], during [[World War II]]. |
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| - | Stiller's idea for the film originated while playing a small part in ''[[Empire of the Sun (film)|Empire of the Sun]]'', and he later enlisted Theroux and Cohen's help to complete the script. After the film was [[greenlight|greenlit]] in 2006, filming took place in 2007 on the [[Hawaiian Islands|Hawaiian island]] of [[Kauai]] over thirteen weeks and was later deemed the largest film production in the island's history. ''Tropic Thunder'' had an extensive marketing promotion, including faux websites for the main characters and their fictional films, airing a fictional television special, and selling the [[energy drink]] advertised in the film, "Booty Sweat". Prior to the film's release, it was met with criticism from disability advocacy groups for its portrayal of [[mental retardation]]. | + | |
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| - | ''Tropic Thunder''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> soundtrack and score debuted on August 5, 2008, before the film's theatrical release. It received generally favorable reviews with critics approving of the film's characters, story, and faux trailers while criticizing its offensive content. In its North American opening weekend, the film earned [[United States dollar|US$]]26 million and retained the number one position for the first three weekends of release. The film and its cast were nominated for several awards from various groups including the [[Screen Actors Guild]], [[Broadcast Film Critics Association]], and the [[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]]. ''Tropic Thunder'' grossed $180 million in theaters before its release on home video on November 18, 2008. | + | |
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| - | ==Plot== | + | |
| - | During the filming of hook-handed [[Vietnam veteran]] John "Four Leaf" Tayback's memoir, ''Tropic Thunder'', the actors—fading action hero Tugg Speedman, five-time [[Academy Award]]-winning Australian [[Method acting|method actor]] Kirk Lazarus, [[Rapping|rapper]] Alpa Chino, and drug-addicted comedian Jeff Portnoy—behave unreasonably (with the exception of newcomer supporting actor Kevin Sandusky). Rookie director Damien Cockburn is unable to control the actors during the filming of a large war scene, and just five days into shooting the production is reported to be a month behind schedule. Cockburn is ordered by studio executive Les Grossman to get filming back on track. | + | |
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| - | Acting on Tayback's advice, Cockburn drops the actors into the middle of the jungle, where he has installed hidden cameras and special-effect explosions rigged so he can film "[[Guerrilla filmmaking|guerrilla-style]]". The actors have guns that fire blanks, along with a map and scene listing that will guide them to a helicopter waiting at the end of the jungle route. Unbeknownst to the actors and the production, the group have been dropped in the middle of the [[Golden Triangle (Southeast Asia)|Golden Triangle]], the home of the heroin-producing Flaming Dragon gang. Shortly after the group set off, the five actors are stunned to see Cockburn blown up by a [[land mine]]. Speedman, believing Cockburn faked his death, persuades Chino, Portnoy, and Sandusky that Cockburn is alive and that they are still shooting the film. Lazarus is unconvinced that Cockburn is alive, but joins the other actors in their trek through the jungle. | + | |
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| - | When Tayback and [[pyrotechnics]] operator Cody Underwood attempt to locate the now-dead director, they are captured by Flaming Dragon, at which point Tayback reveals that he fabricated his memoir (and that he has actual hands). As the actors continue to forge through the jungle, Lazarus and Sandusky discover that Speedman is leading them in the wrong direction. The four actors, tired of walking through the jungle and hoping to be rescued, leave Speedman, who goes off by himself and is captured by Flaming Dragon and taken to their heroin factory. Believing it is a prisoner-of-war camp from the script, he continues to think he is being filmed. The gang discovers that he is the star of their favorite film, the [[box office bomb]] ''Simple Jack'', and force him to reenact it several times a day. Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, Speedman's agent Rick Peck is trying to negotiate with an uninterested Grossman an unfulfilled term in Speedman's contract that entitles him to a [[TiVo]]. Flaming Dragon calls the two and demands a ransom for Speedman, but Grossman instead berates the gang. Grossman attempts to convince Rick about the benefits of allowing Speedman to die and collecting the insurance. | + | |
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| - | Lazarus, Chino, Portnoy, and Sandusky discover Flaming Dragon's heroin factory. After seeing Speedman being tortured, they plan a rescue attempt based on the film's script. Lazarus impersonates a farmer towing a captured Portnoy, distracting the armed guards so Chino and Sandusky can locate where the captives are held. After the gang notices inconsistencies in Lazarus' story, the actors open fire on the gang, temporarily subduing them. When the gang realizes that the actors are using guns filled with blanks, they begin firing. | + | |
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| - | The four actors locate Tayback, Underwood, and Speedman and cross a bridge rigged to explode to get to Underwood's helicopter. Speedman asks to remain behind with the gang which he considers his "family", but quickly returns with Flaming Dragon in pursuit. Tayback detonates the bridge, allowing Speedman to reach safety, but as the helicopter takes off, the gang fires a [[rocket-propelled grenade]] (RPG) at the machine. Peck unexpectedly stumbles out of the jungle carrying a TiVo box and throws it in the path of the RPG, saving them all. The actors and crew return to Hollywood, where footage from the hidden cameras is compiled into a feature film, ''Tropic Blunder'', which becomes a major critical and box office hit. | + | |
| + | [[Harold Becker]] and [[David Lean]] were originally to direct before Spielberg came on board. Spielberg was attracted to directing the film because of a personal connection to Lean's films and World War II topics. He considers it to be his most profound work on "the loss of innocence". | ||
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Empire of the Sun is a 1987 coming of age war film based on J. G. Ballard's semi-autobiographical novel of the same name. Steven Spielberg directed the film, which stars Christian Bale, John Malkovich, Miranda Richardson and Nigel Havers. The film tells the story of Jamie "Jim" Graham, a young boy who goes from living in a wealthy British family in Shanghai, to becoming a prisoner of war in Lunghua Civilian Assembly Center, a Japanese internment camp, during World War II.
Harold Becker and David Lean were originally to direct before Spielberg came on board. Spielberg was attracted to directing the film because of a personal connection to Lean's films and World War II topics. He considers it to be his most profound work on "the loss of innocence".
Unless indicated otherwise, the text in this article is either based on Wikipedia article "Empire of the Sun (film)" or another language Wikipedia page thereof used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License; or on research by Jahsonic and friends. See Art and Popular Culture's copyright notice.
