Apocalypse kapow

Tropic Thunder

Crit

An intermittently hilarious mess--the comedic strategy is to throw a lot of shtick and see what sticks. Downey continues to make a career of being way better than his context, while the usually cuddly Jack Black is damn nigh unwatchable. Oh, and yes, Tom Cruise's bald asshole studio exec is just as sensational as you've heard--and no, it's not anti-Semitism, it's anti-Hollywoodism.

Trailers

• Lakeview Terrace--In 48 Hrs. Eddie Murphy's Reggie Hammond tells a redneck in a bar, "I'm your worst fuckin' nightmare, man: I'm a nigger with a badge." In this film, Samuel L. Jackson is the worst nightmare of a liberal interracial couple: a racist, bullying African-American cop who happens to live next door. Note to Sam's friends: it may be time for career intervention.
• Sex Drive--Think American Pie (or, I don't know, maybe American Pie 3: The Wedding), only without the wit and biting social commentary.
• Eagle Eye--Stars Shia LaBeouf; need I say less?
• The Brothers Bloom--Saw this yesterday, actually, but I forgot: basically, looks like Ocean's 3, with Adrien Brody, Mark Ruffalo, and the ever more adorable Rachel Weisz.
• The Express--And these next few I saw on vacation. This one's based on the story of Ernie Davis, who followed Jim Brown to Syracuse and became the first black Heisman Trophy winner. Dennis Quaid plays another wizened sports dad, this time coach Ben Schwartzwalder. A sure heart-tugger, and it might actually be good.
• Rachel Getting Married--I was all ready to say no to this romcom starring Anne Hathaway, but then I noticed it's directed by Jonathan Demme, so who knows?
• Miracle at St. Anna--Looks grotesquely sentimental, but behold the magic words: a Spike Lee joint.