Thunder, rumbling in the distance...

Tropic Thunder entered this summer with a lot of hype, and, as its release date neared, solid reviews poured in as well. Praise was heaped upon Robert Downey Jr. and a not-so-secret "cameo" by Tom Cruise. So, is it worth the hype? Eh... The film is decent, but hardly memorable. I won't bash it and say it's unworthy, but it's not as memorable as Stiller's ten-year-old hit There's Something About Mary. Downey is good, but his role isn't the classic it is portrayed as. Cruise, however, is hilarious, including some gut-busting dance numbers. Those along might be worth admittance, but, then again, can a YouTube appearance be far behind?

Have we seen this one before?

I'm not oblivious when it comes to movie reviews. In fact, I tend to peruse a great many of them, just to get a feel for the general consensus about a film - in addition to a little competitive snooping. That being said, I went into Doomsday with fairly realistic expectations. I heard that it was a knockoff of everything from The Road Warrior to Waterworld. Granted, I happened to like both of those movies, each more so than the average film buff. I gave Doomsday a try, and, while I wouldn't say that I regret it, don't look for a recommendation any time soon. Neat premise - a country is isolated after a plague outbreak, left to die over a period of 25+ years. Alas, the plague resurfaces outside of the quarantined area, just as life is spotted inside the quarantined area. How did they survive? Do they have a cure? Send in a crack team of military & scientist types to find a cure and bring it back. Well, at least I thought it sounded good. Alas, somewhere along the way, things got a little lost...