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Movies: Tropic Thunder vs. Star Wars: The Clone Wars
 
The last time that Ben Stiller teamed up with Jack Black in any significant fashion, the result was the ridiculously unfunny Envy.  Let’s hope that things are different this time around.  Tropic Thunder is a movie about a movie.  A group of actors are dropped into an Asian jungle to shoot a movie, but things go wrong and they are forced to become real soldiers.  Crazy situations occur when the actors are put into dangerous situations while they still think that they’re shooting the movie.  Joining Black and Stiller is Robert Downey Jr., who plays an eccentric Australian method actor who has gone to extreme ends to prepare for the role.
 
If you’re a fan of Star Wars, you probably had your heart broken by George Lucas’s attempt to flog the cash cow that is one of the most profitable franchises in history.  However, you were probably also enthralled by the Cartoon Network Clone Wars miniseries that was incredibly badass.  That’s the style of Star Wars: The Clone Wars.  This CG movie is animated completely in the style of the Cartoon Network miniseries and features some pretty awesome scenes, if the trailers are any indication.  I for one am shaking with excitement over the release of this one.  Literally.  I am shaking.  And it’s not the giant pile of blow that I’m currently plowing through.
 
The Edge: Tropic Thunder.  Although Star Wars: The Clone Wars should be awesome, it’s more DVD material than movie theater fodder.  Tropic Thunder will be a crowd pleaser, plain and simple.
 
DVDs:  Smart People
 
Critics and audiences alike loved Ellen Page in Juno, even if the movie was incredibly contrived.  Ms. Page’s latest endeavor to hit DVD is Smart People.  The indie flick is about a college professor who lost his desire to teach when his wife died.  After a head injury and a trip to the hospital, the he is forced to rely on his freeloading oddball of a brother and begins to come out of his shell.  The DVD release includes audio commentary, interviews with the cast and crew, outtakes, deleted scenes and a feature about the film at the Sundance Film Festival.
 
Games:  Madden 09(Multiple) vs. Bionic Commando Rearmed(Xbox 360)
 
What’s that sound?  That would be every jock in the country screaming like a little girl because August 13th is the day of Madden.  Madden 09 is here and all of those asshats will be performing chest bumps and ass slaps over the slightest of gaming feats.  In all seriousness, the game is making a concerted effort to include those who are put off by the complexity of previous iterations.  A “Madden IQ” test is taken to determine your proficiency at playing the game and afterward, the game sets controls as well as difficulty settings to fit your skill level.  As you improve, the game adjusts to remain challenging.
 
A much cheaper offering this week is Bionic Commando Rearmed, which hits the Xbox Live Arcade this week.  This action/platformer is an update of the NES title Bionic Commando.  The premise is that you are…a commando who has a bionic arm.  The arm basically functions as a grappling hook, allowing the player to swing from light poles, buildings, and anything else with an easily grab-able surface.  Updated graphics, a slightly different story and fairly simple controls make this one a must for fans of vintage games.
 
The Edge: Bionic Commando Rearmed.  Madden games are basically the same thing every year, but with updated rosters.  If you have last year’s game you really won’t be missing out.