At the Movies With Jen Chaney

Wondering whether to see Tropic Thunder or Hamlet 2 in theaters this weekend? Or are you just curious about what's out on DVD?

Jen Chaney, movies editor and DVD columnist for washingtonpost.com,  answered your questions this Friday, Aug. 22 at 12:30 p.m. ET about what's worth watching (or avoiding) in theaters and on DVD. She's also happy to field any lingering queries you may have about the flicks that were promoted at this year's Comic-Con.

A transcript follows.

Chaney oversees movie coverage for washingtonpost.com and writes the Bonus Points DVD column, which appears every Tuesday on washingtonpost.com and each Friday in the Post's Weekend section. Along with her co-hort Liz Kelly, she also obsesses daily about the TV show "Lost."

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Jen Chaney: Good afternoon, everyone. I'm happy to talk about what's worth seeing in theaters this weekend (uh, obviously, this is a movies chat). But I welcome questions about DVD releases, Comic-Con (really, still feeling the afterglow of that little event) or anything else that may be on your mind.
Let me throw this out as a potential conversation starter: Is anyone else infuriated by those JCPenney commercials that completely rip off "The Breakfast Club"? I don't know if John Hughes had to give permission for those, but if he did, I kind of want to give him detention with Mr. Vernon, then force him to write an essay telling me who he thinks he is.
OK, let's get to chatting.

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Laurel, Md.: Hi Jen!

"Tropic Thunder" was HILARIOUS!!! I laughed through the entire movie but Robert Downey Jr. sealed the deal. His character was so real and authentic (I'm a black woman so I should know) that I was sitting there in awe. What a great job he did. Between "TD" and "Iron Man" isn't he having a fantastic year?

Jen Chaney: Downey Jr. was quite good in "Tropic Thunder" and pretty tremendous in "Iron Man," I agree. It's so nice to see him working steadily, and doing well at the box office in addition to earning critical accolades. He has to stand as one of the best comeback stories in recent Hollywood memory, and maybe ever.
He's got another movie coming out later this year, "The Soloist," co-starring Jamie Foxx. That one has Oscar hopeful pretty much tattoed all over it, so hopefully it will live up to that.

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Really, NO: "Hamlet 2?" Say it ain't so. I've been under a rock all summer with a new one and this strikes me as something I wouldn't even rent 'cause sequels employing the number 2 just...well, they just don't hold up, do they? (this would be a good list for Liz, but I'm sure she's already done one of this ilk.)

Also, Season 4 of "Lost" -- and good easter eggs or extras there?

Jen Chaney: Well, "Hamlet 2" is not a sequel. That's sort of the joke within the movie. It's about a drama teacher who stages a musical sequel to "Hamlet." Time machines and Jesus are involved.
After Comic-Con -- where guys in Steve Coogan's "Rock Me, Sexy Jesus" outfit were running rampant -- I got a bit weary of the marketing behind this one. But the movie, I am happy to report, is very funny. Coogan does eccentric-guy-teetering-on-the-brink-of-sanity to a tee. Would make a sublime doubel feature with another hilarious movie about theater types, "Waiting for Guffman."
Now, to your "Lost" question: There are always solid Easter eggs on those DVDs. And I am hoping to catch a glimpse of the Blu-ray release, which should have even more gems embedded on it. Is anyone going to watch "Lost" when it starts airing in syndication on Sci-Fi and G4 in a couple of weeks? I have all the DVDs, but I can totally see myself wasting hours of my life watching the broadcast versions. Because I am just that geeky.

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Alexandria, Va.: Is it worth going to see The House Bunny just to see Anna Ferris? And are you a subscriber to the Anna Ferris fan club?

washingtonpost.com: Also Opening: House Bunny (Weekend, Aug. 22)

Jen Chaney: I haven't seen "House Bunny," but I do like Anna Faris. And so, apparently, does Slate's Dana Stevens, who wrote this piece on how she still hasn't gotten the role she deserves.
Given the fact that they barely screened "House Bunny" in advance, I would say that you should opt for a matinee. That way you get your Faris fill and still have enough cash left to buy gas (okay, a single gallon of gas) on your way home.

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I'm missing your chat! So positng early since i'm going to the beach: ...and reading Prince Caspian along the way.

I just wanted to lament the movement of HP6 to July. Though now with the word out on the Watchman lawsuit I guess WB needs the money.

Still stinks.

Jen Chaney: Oh, so glad you're already into "Caspian." For those of you have not gotten sucked into the post.com "Lost" universe, that Narnia novel is our first installment in this year's "Lost" book club.
Regarding the movement of "Harry Potter," to recap: The sixth movie was supposed to open this November, but has been bumped to next summer, a decision that did not come early enough for Entertainment Weekly, which has Potter as its fall movie preview cover.
That switch has had a domino effect; "Quantum of Solace," the new James Bond movie also moved to Nov. 21 or 22, to be closer to Thanksgiving since Harry vacated the spot.
My sense is that Warner wanted to beef up its summer slate for '09. Releases for next season are, relatively speaking, a little on the slim side because of the writer's strike. It's a gamble, though, because it means two years with no Potter movie in cineplexes.
Lastly, the "Watchmen" lawsuit is fascinating. Fox claims it has the rights to that comic book movie, due out in March, and is trying to stop Warner Bros. from going forward with the release. I am not sure Fox should start this fight. I've heard the Comedian isn't someone you want to mess with. Alan Moore, on the other hand, is probably in England somewhere having a hearty laugh.

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Breakfast Club commercials: They are vile. I hate them with the passion of a million burning suns. No self-respecting Ally Sheedy, Emilio Estevez, Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall or Judd Nelson would have ever purchased clothing at JC Penney. Also -- those kids in the commercial have probably never even seen the movie they are ripping off. To be clear I hate these commercials. Thank you for letting me vent.

Jen Chaney: Wait, I am sorry, you weren't clear enough.
My friend, you and I are singing the same Simple Minds song. Those commercials are an affront to the entire Bender family, and really, humanity at large.
Did you also notice that one of the girls in the commercial is wearing a Nirvana shirt? I mean, why don't they just poke Gen X in their collective eye and get it over with?

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Falls Church, Va.: The last movie I saw in the theater was "Dreamgirls" (sad, I know). Now my friend was to go see "Mamma Mia" Ugh! She won't consider "The Dark Knight". Is there a movie out there now that we both could sit through? Thanks.

Jen Chaney: She won't CONSIDER "The Dark Knight?"
Okay, right away, I have serious doubts about your friend.
You could try "Hamlet 2." There are musical elements in it and, as I said before, it's very funny. I actually laughed more frequently in "Hamlet 2" than I did during "Tropic Thunder." (Watch, that comment will end up in a "Hamlet 2" commercial.)

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JC PenNAY!: I die a little inside every time that I see that commercial. I'm going to force my teenaged nieces and nephews to watch the movie so they'll understand my rage.

Jen Chaney: Here's the thing: They won't understand the rage. They can't. To fully understand, you have to have been 12 or 13 when "The Breakfast Club" came out, and you have to have begged your parents for weeks to let you see it, and then you need to have watched it about 100 times on video until you had all the dialogue memorized.
Not that, you know, I did that.
All right, I did. And I still know all of Bender's "impression of life at big Bri's house" speech.

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McLean, Va.: I don't want Death Race to be good, I've been hoping for enjoyably bad...did it hit that mark?

Jen Chaney: I am afraid I didn't see that one. But the review in today's paper makes it just sound plain bad.
I attended a panel discussion on "Death Race" at Comic-Con, and the scenes they showed didn't really bowl me over. And poor Joan Allen! Someone asked her why she decided to do this movie, and she gave what sounded like an honest answer about how it was such a departure for her and it sounded like fun, blah, blah, blah. But I have to wonder if maybe she just hasn't gotten any juicy offers lately. Tends to happen in Hollywood to women of a certain age, which is so frustrating because she's a fine actress. She deserves better.

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Falls Church, Va.: Jen, can you tell me -- where are the huge summer blockbuster movies these days? By this I mean the very special movie that brings in hordes upon hordes, wins multiple Academy Awards and that people want to see over and over again, willing to wait in long lines for that rare theatrical experience?

These days it seems nearly every summer movie is marketed as a blockbuster. They have huge budgets, huge opening weekends and do well in the Euro, Asian or Australian markets complete with product tie-ins. But that rare monster of a movie is rarer than it's ever been before. Maybe $50M opening weekends are too common now, and blockbusting required numbers nearing half billion.

Is this because of the usual formulaic cycles of production in Hollyweird, or maybe due to the high costs of production and insurance and investment into marketing that prevents the "over the top" spending like in years past? I recognize the movie industry is a system, often unoriginal, and SOP involves taking a formula and squeezing it until nothing is left to maximize the dollars spent vs. dollars earned. Or are actors paid to much, contracts gauranteed to many gross points, or what?

Are producers weary of taking chances these days to make a huge blockbuster -- how do you see it?

Jen Chaney: Wow, this is a meaty question.
For starters, I would say that summer movies and winning multiple Academy Awards rarely go hand-in-hand. Even the ones who break through and get Best Picture nominations rarely win.
But I think your larger point is about how uncommon it is for a single movie to dominate a summer, which was a much more common trend 20 years ago. For a while there in the '80s, almost each summer was synonymous with a mega-blockbuster. '82: "E.T." '83: "Return of the Jedi." '85: "Back to the Future."
Now you don't see films very often with that kind of staying power, that just hang out in the No. 1 spot for weeks on end. There are more movies, and they open the major releases on many more screens than they did a couple of decades ago. And I think that means people's interests are diverted and divided. And what's No. 1 one week usually isn't the next.
That said, this summer was an exception to the trend because of "Dark Knight." That was undeniably the movie of the summer, quality wise but also in terms of revenue. It had staying power and many did go back and see it multiple times. But it's rare to see that kind of phenom these days.

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The Uptown Theatre, D.C.: I saw that horrible JC Penney commercial with the boyfriend when we saw "Dark Knight" and I commented to him that none of the kids in the commercial were even alive when "Breakfast Club" came out. He then made the same comment to the guy next to him, who responded, "Well, neither was I."

Ouch.

But to be fair to Gen Y and the Millennials (which sounds like a new band), they were all laughing derisively along with my boyfriend and I during the commercial. So there's some hope.

Jen Chaney: Oh, I don't mean to pick on the Gen Yers at all. My anger is aimed at squarely at JCPenney. Some movies should not be coopted for commercial purposes.
I am encouraged, though, to know they were laughing. Together, we can all fight this thing.

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Waldorf, Md.: "Here's the thing: They won't understand the rage. They can't. To fully understand, you have to have been 12 or 13 when "The Breakfast Club" came out..."

I'm 13, and those commercials annoy the crap out of me. I've seen the Breakfast Club multiple times and it's one of my favorite movies ever. The JCPenney commercials are a disgrace and really stupid. Why would they make anyone want to shop there?

Jen Chaney: Okay, I definitely have hope for future generations.
I'm glad to hear that they annoy you, too, and that you love "TBC." Don't you forget about me, and I won't forget about you.

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Falls Church, Va..: Jen,

Entertainment Weekly predicted that out of the top ten grossing movies of the summer "Iron Man" and "Dark Knight" would be #5 and 6 respectively (Indy is predicted to be #1). Boy were they WAY off!

Jen Chaney: Interesting. I honestly wasn't sure how "Dark Knight" would do since it's (duh) dark. I assumed it would have a big opening, but I didn't expect it to become one of the all-time biggest grossers in such a short period of time. I'm not sure Warner Bros. did either.
To be fair, "Indy" and "Iron Man" both did very well, too. So even if the order was wrong, they were right to predict those would be at the top of the heap. Not that that's rocket science, but you know...

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Silver Spring, Md.: Any advance word on the new Coen Brothers movie? It looks like a comedy, but is it more Big Lebowski or Ladykillers?

Jen Chaney: "Burn After Reading" looks more "Lebowski"-ish to me. I have not seen it yet, but the trailer amuses me. I mean, Brad Pitt's hair in the movie is a comedy in itself.
I'm looking forward to that one.

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washingtonpost.com: Video: JC Penny - High School Cinema -- Breakfast Club

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Silver Spring, Md.: Okay -- I loved Mamma Mia and can't wait for it to come out on DVD... any idea when it will be released as a DVD?

P.S. Enjoyed your work at the Gazette.

Jen Chaney: I haven't heard a DVD release date for that one yet, but chime in, readers, if you have that info. I still haven't seen "Mamma Mia!" myself. I'm interested for the Meryl Streep factor, but I really didn't like the show when I saw it. But that could be because the actor who sang "Knowing Me, Knowing You" butchered it beyond recognition.
And thanks for the compliment about the Gazette work, which now seems like eons ago.

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Washington, D.C.: Re: Anna Faris

Because of Dana Stevens' persuasiveness, I gave Smiley Face a try a while back. Quite possibly the worst movie I've ever seen. I didn't, no make that couldn't, even finish watching it through.

And, I DO like Anna Faris. I think she's been underutilized in roles so far. I also think stoner comedies can be funny (See Harold and Kumar -- the first, not the second). But, Happy Face only delivered a frown for me.

Jen Chaney: I can't comment on that particular film, but if it was anything like another stoner comedy -- "Dude, Where's My Car?" -- then I will continue to avoid it.
I have actually had arguments with people about "Dude, Where's My Car?" I honestly see very little redeeming qualities in that movie. I am sure someone will happily challenge me on that, assuming they are sober enough to type.

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Blockbuster trend: I would second your insight, Jen. "Dark Knight" notwithstanding, the 'big' blockbusters have all been franchises that are unlikely to be up for the Oscar (Spiderman, Pirates). I think DK is a lot more like "Titanic", in terms of staying power and being both a critical and commercial darling (Spiderman 2 came close, but it was no Oscar bait).

I still can't believe they made "Watchmen" because of development hell, being considered unfilmable, and because Alan Moore despises Hollywood for what they do to his films.

Jen Chaney: Yeah, I remain very cautiously optimistic about "Watchmen." Based on the trailer and the additional footage shown at Comic-Con, it looks visually impressive.
But I am not sure Zack Snyder is up to the task of translating such a complex, dense and intellectually challenging work to the screen. Maybe he's smarter than I am giving him credit for, and I will reserve judgment until I see the finished product. But holy Moses, he is not the most articulate guy on the planet.
To be fair, I think this is a daunting project for anyone, as you said. If it's not good, the fanboys will no doubt make their voices heard.

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Cube Land, Md.: Lesser of two evils: Space Chimps or Clone Wars? My 6-year-old son wants to see both and the reviews for SC are less hateful than the ones for Clone Wars. Thanks.

Jen Chaney: Oy. I haven't seen either of these, but I wonder if "Clone Wars" might be too violent? I mean, it's PG, but 6 is still pretty young.
"Space Chimps" just looks insipid. Can't you just take him to "Wall-E" again and hope he doesn't notice it's the same movie he already saw?

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Boston, Mass.: Anything offensive in Tropic Thunder? If you weren't offended by either of the controversy-starters, please make something up.

Jen Chaney: I am deeply offended by Booty Sweat, the energy drink promoted by Alpa Chino in the movie.
Actually, I'm not. I thought they handled the racial issues relatively tastefully by having two black characters. If it had been Robert Downey, Jr. on his own, it would not have worked as well. He needed an actual black man as a foil, acknowledging his ree-donkulousness.
As far as the whole "Simple Jack" thing, I think they really were attempting to poke fun at Hollywood's treatment of the disabled more than anything. But there were a couple of times when Stiller was doing that character that made me shift uncomfortably in my seat a little. If I had a mentally challenged child or sibling, I might have been offended.
The mistake they made there was not reaching out to Special Olympics. If they had, I think there might have been no controversy, or at least less of one. There was that Johnny Knoxville movie, "The Ringer," that seemed ripe for a similar controversy for the same reason, and the Special Olympics actually endorsed the film. So ignoring the mentally disabled advocates entirely probably made them feel slighted before they even saw the movie.

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TBC: I don't want to start a generational fight. But still now you can feel the same pain us boomers feel. If we hear TV audio play a song that was popular when we were in college, we know it's a commercial.

Jen Chaney: Ooh, fight! Fight!
No, I hear you. When they used The Who in a car commercial, I was really offended, too. But I suspect it cut you to the core in a different way since you were raised on that rock. I kind of was, too, but it isn't "mine" in the same way, if that makes sense.
There's a generational pride that comes with pop culture, isn't there? Certain moments really belong to a certain age group. Woodstock and the Beatles belong to the Boomers. But "The Breakfast Club" belongs to the Xers, man.
Keep your hands off our John Hughes, Corporate America. That's all I'm sayin'.

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Anonymous: Space Chimps is brilliant by the way -- subtle and nuanced, not to be missed.

Jen Chaney: Signed,
The director of "Space Chimps"

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Gotham City: Summer movies are so over. Let's talk about fall and winter movies. What looks promising and what has "stinker" written all over it?

Jen Chaney: Here's one that reeks already from two weeks away: "Bangkok Dangerous." The trailer looks awful. Not to keep harping on people's hair, but Nic Cage's looks laughable in this one, and not because it's a funny Coen Brothers joke.
It's also opening cold, so no previews for critics. That's never a good sign.
As far as what to look forward to, I am very eager to see Baz Luhrmann's "Australia," which comes out in November. Really want to see "Doubt," the movie version of the play, also coming in November. And I am very curious to see how the adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's "The Road" turns out. It's a wonderful novel, but terribly bleak and not exactly overflowing with characters. Not sure how that will play out on a big screen, but I look forward to finding out.

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Alexandria, Va.: JC Penney specifically did this to appeal to GenXers who now have kids (which is frightening enough in itself).

Jen Chaney: Well, guess what? Mission not accomplished.
I refuse to shop there now in principle. Of course, there isn't even a Penney's near me, so that makes it very easy to stand up for those principles.

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New York: Jen: What's with Nick Cage and the Marvel Comics bug? Ghost Rider was gone before it even came out and now he's doing another comic book movie. Can someone please give this guy some career advice or at least a strong sedative?

Jen Chaney: How about a new haircut? I think that's a good idea, too.
I'd like to see him doing more "Adaptation"-type stuff, and less action. I really do like Nic Cage. I mean, he's responsible for my favorite monologue in a romantic comedy, the "Love breaks your heart" speech from "Moonstruck."
Man, I love that movie. Never gets old.

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L' Enfant Plaza, Washington, D.C.: What was the weirdest thing you ran into at Comic-Con? I go to a lot of conventions and I know the weird can run pretty rampant.

Jen Chaney: Wow, that's a tough question. That's like asking, "So what was the most political thing you observed on Capitol Hill"?
The whole thing is weird, but in a wonderful way.
I'd have to say it was the World of Warcraft people who would challenge each other to duels while waiting in line for panel discussions. And I saw about 300 weird costumes per day. No, wait, per minute. So it's hard to make a call there.
I really hope to go back. It is such a good time. Even the freaky people are very nice.

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K Street: What do you think of the upcoming movie "Righteous Kill" starring both Godfathers Al and Bobby D? If they weren't starring in the pic would this had gone straight to DVD?

Jen Chaney: It's exciting to think of both of them sharing so much screentime. But the trailer doesn't excite me. And neither of them has had the best track record lately for choosing projects. So we'll have to see if it's the real deal or, as you suggest, a lousy movie starring two greats.

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Gainesville, Va.: A commenter on your live blog from the Lindecuse session at Comic-Con mentioned an EW-sponsored session that the two participated in, along with other producers, that had a large number of Lost-related Q's and A's. I believe you replied that you had been at that one as well. Anything else you could share with us Lostie die-hards from that session -- Doc Jensen didn't really address it much in his column.

Jen Chaney: Sorry, movie people, have to take a "Lost" question.
Yes, I did go to that other session, which featured LindeCuse and several other TV show exec. producers as well. Jeff/Doc Jensen actually moderated that panel.
I don't have my notes (yes, I took notes) in front of me, so I'm trying to remember. They did say they'll tell the story behind the freighter folks this season. They also talked about how they wish they could bring back Mr. Eko. They definitely had other plans for that character that they never explored because the actor, whose name I won't even try to spell since I am typing quickly, didn't want to be on the show anymore. I touched on that panel specifically in this blog post; just scroll down and read the sixth graph.

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Washington, D.C.: Nic Cage is a comic book geek. For crying out loud, he named his child (an actual human being!) Kal El. That should tell you all you need to know.

Jen Chaney: I know he is. But that doesn't mean he only can appear in comic book movies.
The ones he chooses to do aren't usually the best of the lot, either.

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The Breakfast Club: "But "The Breakfast Club" belongs to the X-ers, man."

Possibly. But the current generation wants to borrow it, too. I taught a youth group class last year and all the teens LOVED "The Breakfast Club." They said it was the most accurate portrayal of high school and how they felt about their peers that they'd ever seen. So for what it's worth...

Jen Chaney: They can love it, and I encourage that. Same way I love "The Graduate" even though it's not "mine."
Borrowing is most definitely allowed and encouraged. Great movies should be shared.
Also tells you how timeless that movie is. Even more reason why it's too sacred to use in a dumb commercial.
Climbing off my soapbox now...

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Glover Park, Washington, D.C.: "Anything offensive in Tropic Thunder?"

Am I the only one annoyed by the depiction of women in the "Fatties" faux trailer -- played for the lowest-common-denominator-type laughs (and played by a man in drag)?

Jen Chaney: Shouldn't you just be offended by the depiction of overweight people in general?
That was clearly a jab at Hollywood to me. I thought the faux trailers were one of the most brilliant things about that movie.

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Watchman: Watchman as a graphic novel was ahead of its time. The movie will be ahead of its time. People are not ready for a deconstruction of the super hero archetype/genre. Have you read the graphic novel? It makes "Superman" look stupid. I have high hopes for the film, but big budget and black comedy/irony do not tend to mesh well. Also, do you have any contacts at Warner Home Video? Could you tell them their DVD of "The Ninth Configuration" is NOT closed- captioned or subtitled (it says CC on the DVD box). Amazon kept sending me copies of it because they were trying to be nice, but they finally realized Warner never had the DVD captioned. Warner will not answer my e-mails. I have been trying to see this movie for years (I am deaf).

Jen Chaney: I have read the graphic novel. We'll see if the movie is ahead of its time. If it's done properly, maybe it will be.
I do have Warner contacts. If one of them doesn't see this note, I can pass it on to them myself. That sounds really frustrating.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Okay, maybe one more, then I wrap up since I am way overtime.

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Germantown, Md.: Gee, Jen, if you are so upset about JCP ripping off the Breakfast Club, how do you feel about using Creedence Clearwater Revival to sell Wrangler Jeans -- or any of the other companies trading on my boomer memories to sell stuff?

Jen Chaney: I think that stinks, too, as I said before. "Breakfast Club" just bugs me because it's more personal to me.
Some songs don't bother me when they show up in ads. For example, that Killers song they are now using in the Nike commercials they have been showing during the Olympics? Love that. But using Led Zeppelin and the Clash to sell cars? That ain't right.

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Washington, D.C.: The Fatties trailer was a direct hit on Eddie Murphy.

Jen Chaney: Yeah, I thought so, too. A little gross but, admittedly funny.
Okay, seriously, I am signing off. Thank you so much for all the great questions and for sharing your insights about this John Hughes/JCPenney debacle.
Hopefully I'll be back to do another chat next month, date TBD. In the meantime, don't you forget about me.
(Yeah, I had to go there. My apologies to Jim Kerr.)

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