Brandon T. Jackson: The Tropic Thunder Interview

with Kam Williams

Headline: Brandon on Breakout Role in Tropic Thunder

Brandon T Jackson was born in Detroit on March 7, 1984 to preachers Bishop Wayne T. and Dr. Beverly Y. Jackson. One of seven siblings, he credits his father for his sense of humor, and says some additional inspiration comes from such icons as Sinbad, Martin Lawrence, Will Smith and Chris Tucker.
Ever the class clown, Brandon’s passion for comedy led to his doing talent shows and going onstage during youth nights at his family’s church. By age 14, his career as a stand‑up comic had already evolved from local school shows to community projects such as the Motor City Youth Festival.
After graduating from West Bloomfield High School, he headed to Hollywood to take a shot at showbiz as a standup comedian. Not long thereafter, he was discovered while performing at the Laugh Factory.
As his stature gradually grew, Jackson received offers to open for such stars as Chris Tucker and Wayne Brady. And he subsequently appeared on “Showtime at the Apollo” and BET’s “Comic View.” Critical acclaim eventually led to film roles in Ali, 8 Mile and Envy, as well as being cast as Bow Wow’s best friend, Junior, in “Roll Bounce.”
Recently, he launched the “Teens of Comedy Tour” presented by BET which featured Lil JJ’ and some of the nation’s funniest teenage comedians. He also hosted the “Up Close and Personal Tour” headlined by Chris Brown, Ne-Yo, Lil Wayne, Juelz Santana and Dem Franchize Boyz, and he can currently be seen as a cast member on MTV’s “Wild ‘N Out.”
Communicating with and motivating youth is a mission etched in Brandon’s heart, so when not working he spends his time reaching back to help kids take their lives to the next level. Here, the 24 year-old role model talks about his latest picture, Tropic Thunder, an action comedy co-starring Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey, Jr.

KW: Hi Brandon, thanks for the time.
BJ: Whazzup?
KW: Congratulations on Tropic Thunder!
BJ: Thank you, man.
KW: What interested you in this role?
BJ: You know what? I read the script and it was really funny. So, I decided to go audition for it. And after auditioning for the role about a dozen times, Ben [director Ben Stiller] finally said, “You’re the one for the part.”
KW: That’s a lot of call backs.
BJ: Yeah, it was a lot of work.
KW: How was it being directed by Ben after that?
BJ: When we got on the set, all this magic just started happening from there. It was great, man, because he’s so intense, and he knows how to get what he needs out of you. As an African-American comedian, I was used to playing more to the punch line, and he showed me how to stay within the character instead of going for the joke. It was all magic.
KW: So, did you have to stick closely to the script?
BJ: No, I had to stick closely to the character. Any deviations or ad-libs had to be consistent with the character.
KW: You co-starred with Ben and a couple of other big-name actors in Jack Black and Robert Downey, Jr., who was in blackface. How was that/
BJ: It was crazy! Robert would stay in character the whole time. Ben would yell “Cut!” and Robert would say things like, “I’m a go back to the trailer to get some barbecued chicken. You want to come with me Brandon?”
KW: Did you feel like you were making an action film, a comedy, or both?
BJ: Both. Unfortunately, a lot of the action sequences didn’t survive the final edit. I understand that a movie can only be a certain length, but why have us shoot so much stuff just to cut it out. It was very taxing on my body
KW: It’ll all probably be on the DVD. Did you have to adopt a special diet or training regimen for the rigorous role?
BJ: Yeah, I ate plenty of potatoes and fish. I was only 22 at the time, and needed to get bigger to hang with the big dogs. So, I was lifting weights, and working out in Ben’s gym.
KW: How did you do when you appeared on Showtime at the Apollo?
BJ: I killed.
KW: What’s it like trying to be a comedian when you’re the son of two preachers?
BJ: Hard. It’s tough. You have to try to balance both worlds. But it’s a job, and what I do in my personal life and my business life are two different things. It’s like how if you’re a lawyer and have to represent criminals, that doesn’t mean you don’t have certain core values. My personal beliefs are different from what I do for a living. In the final analysis, my job is to bring joy to people’s lives. If they’re laughing, then it’s not a bad thing. That’s how I feel about it. I’m a comedian.
KW: Do you ever feel pressure to work clean because of your folks?
BJ: I did at first when I was kid. Now, it’s a little weird when I perform in front of my father, and he sees me cussin’. I’m not really used to that, but at the same time, this is what I do for a livin’. You know what I mean?
KW: Yep. Everyone calls you Chris Tucker’s protégé. Who would you say are your main influences?
BJ: Will Smith and Chris Tucker.
KW: Are you thinking of doing your own TV sitcom?
BJ: No, I want to stick to film.
KW: Is there any question no reporter has asked you, that you wished someone would?
BJ: That one right there. That’s a good question.
KW: Bookworm Troy Johnson wants to know, what was the last book you read?
BJ: The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene.
KW: That’s the same book Mike Epps said he read last. The Columbus Short question: Are you happy?
BJ: Yeah, I am. It’s a good time in my life right now.
KW: “Realtor to the Stars” Jimmy Bayan’s question: Where in L.A. do you live?
BJ: The Valley.
KW: Are you ever afraid?
BJ: Yeah, I’m afraid of failure.
KW: Do you have website where fans can reach you?
BJ: Yeah, www.myspace.com/brandontjackson and you can even put my phone number in the article, (323) 622-8110, if anybody wants to talk to me on my fan line.
KW: How do you want to be remembered?
BJ: As one of the greatest comedians who ever walked the Earth.
KW: You’re from Detroit. What do you think of the city’s embattled Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick? Should he step down at this point?
BJ: He has to stop the b.s. now. It’s too much. Come on, dog, you can’t be doing all that. It’s too hot, If he’s going to step up and be a good mayor, then he should stop playing around. We need hope right now. The country has many serious problems which need to be addressed and too many politicians have failed us. Enough! Stop b.s’ing.
KW: Do you consider yourself religious?
BJ: How come only black reporters ask me that? Black and white people have a totally different view of religion. Of course, I believe in God, and I’m definitely a Christian, but at the same time, I’m in this business. So I find the question annoying, because I’d prefer to be able to keep my spirituality to myself.
KW: The only reason I ask is because your parents are preachers.
BJ: I hate to cut you short, but I have to go.
KW: Well, thanks for the time, and good luck with everything.
BJ: Cool man, I apologize. I never do people like this, but I’m really late for this other thing.
KW: No problem, just promise me another interview with your next movie when you’re a big star.
BJ: I will. You got it.

To see a trailer of Tropic Thunder, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pxOzSpUXtg

In Search of a Midnight Kiss

Film Review by Kam Williams



Headline: Lonely Hearts Rendezvous on New Year’s Eve in Offbeat Romantic Comedy



It’s December 31st, and Wilson (Scoot McNairy) is about to finish the worst year of his life. Since moving to L.A. recently, the struggling screenwriter hasn’t been able to sell any of his comedy scripts, plus, he’s been dumped by his girlfriend, Karen (Via Osgood). As a result, he’s lonely and practically broke with no plans for the night.

In the middle of the day, the miserable 29 year-old sits in front of his computer soaking his woes in beer and weed while pleasuring himself by looking at naked pictures of his roommate’s (Brian Maguire) cute girlfriend, Min (Kathleen Luong). Then, when the couple comes home unexpectedly and catches him in the act, she is flattered, but Jacob is infuriated.

The latter insists that Wilson ought to find his own woman, and suggests that it’s not even too late to find some companionship for New Year’s Eve. So, he places a personal ad on Craig’s List online, and soon sets up a 4 PM rendezvous with Vivian (Sara Simmonds), an inscrutable temptress who inaccurately describes herself as a 300 lb. dominatrix.

When they meet at a restaurant, it’s lust at first sight for Wilson, since she looks a whole lot better than billed. Still, because he’s only one of a number of strangers she’s invited there for a speed date, he has to wait for her to finish auditioning his competition.

And even after she settles on Wilson, it’s not exactly smooth sailing, as this girl has a lot of skeletons in her closet. First, the attractive weirdo announces that she’s only 17, then insists that they pray together, before then informing him that, “This isn’t get laid for free night.” Although it’s obvious Wilson won’t be by himself this New Year’s Eve, as you might guess, their ensuing date turns out to be anything but predictable.

So unfolds In Search of a Midnight Kiss, an offbeat romantic comedy written and directed by Alex Holdridge. Shot entirely in black and white, this endearing, low budget indie offers as compelling a combination of character development, credible dialogue and surprising plot twists as you’re likely to encounter between now and New Year’s Eve.

A sobering cinematic treat which puts a whole new spin on Auld Lang Syne!



Excellent (4 stars)

Unrated

Running time: 98 minutes

Studio: IFC Films



To see a trailer for In Search of a Midnight Kiss, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPQ-QGtegUI

Pineapple Express

Film Review by Kam Williams



Headline: Graphic Stoner Comedy Revolves around Slackers on the Run from Sadistic Gangsters



Typically, Marijuana movies revolve around a couple of spaced-out slackers on the run who end up embroiled in a series of madcap misadventures while stoned out of their minds. Whether they’re eluding the authorities, buying more pot, getting double-crossed by pushers, seeking sustenance to satisfy the munchies, or all of the above, the point of these otherwise pointless road pictures is simply to celebrate getting high and rebellion for rebellion’s sake.

Although the legendary Cheech & Chong (Up in Smoke, Still Smokin’, etcetera) seemed to have milked the genre dry back in the Eighties, that hasn’t discouraged other comedy teams such as Redman and Method Man (How High) and John Cho & Kal Penn (Harold & Kumar) from subsequently taking a shot at the dope-driven buddy flick. Now, Pineapple Express features Seth Rogen and James Franco as the latest duo endeavoring to generate a little chemistry while consuming cannabis.

This variation on the shopworn theme opens with a black-and-white flashback to 1937, where we find scientists in an underground laboratory closely monitoring the behavior of a U.S. soldier (Bill Hader) through a one-way mirror as he participates in a top secret study on the effects of smoking weed. The subject so thoroughly enjoys himself that the government decides to dispose of him and to declare the substance illegal.

From that irrelevant sidebar, the film fast-forwards to the present to introduce 25 year-old Dale Denton (Rogen), a very inventive process server who dons different costumes in order to serve subpoenas to unsuspecting defendants. After paying a visit to his teenage girlfriend Angie (Amber Heard) at her high school, he stops by his dealer Saul’s (Franco) place to buy a quarter-pound of a potent new strain of pot called Pineapple Express.

High as a kite, he leaves to serve papers on a guy named Ted Jones (Gary Cole), and arrives just in time to witness the ruthless mob boss murder a member of a rival Asian gang with the help of a crooked cop (Rosie Perez). They notice Dale driving off, but the only clue they have to go on is the roach of Pineapple Express he dropped on the street in all the panic.

It’s not long before they trace the weed back to him and Saul, and the chase is on. Ted sicks his goons (Craig Robinson and Kevin Corrigan) on the pair, and what ensues is an ever-escalating display of outrageously violent antics which might best be described as the Three Stooges, only with guns and gore, oh, and lots of smoke, too.

Sidesplitting, high attrition-rate, S&M slapstick where you get to savor the sight of characters getting tortured to death about five times each, if that’s your bag of grass. With memorable performances by Ed Begley, Jr. and Nora Dunn as Angie’s overprotective parents, and Danny R. McBride as Red, a fey, back-stabbing stool pigeon.



Excellent (4 stars)

Rated R for graphic violence, incessant drug use, pervasive profanity, crude humor and sexual references.

Running time: 112 minutes

Studio: Columbia Pictures



To see a trailer of Pineapple Express, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQqUyBN4g8M

I'm Through with White Girls DVD

DVD Review by Kam Williams

Headline: Comedy Comes to DVD about a Brother Cured of a Case of Jungle Fever

Although he’s African-American, Jay Brooks (Anthony Montgomery) doesn’t date black girls, basically because every one he’s met has been more interested in the athletic type of guy. And he’s a nerdy underachiever who not only wears glasses, but can’t dance, chain smokes and isn’t exactly good in bed. Worse, his salary isn’t enough for him to own a car, which makes it almost impossible to wine and dine a woman.
Still, these failings haven’t prevented the roaming Romeo from finding one white girl after another eager to sleep with him. The only problem is that none of those liaisons ever lasts because Jay always sabotages them at the first sign that a partner wants to get serious.
Reflecting upon his series of failed relationships with Caucasians, Jay decides it’s time to try to see if he can find a suitable match from among his own people afterall. So, he puts into motion Operation Brown Sugar, running a personal ad seeking a sister.
Jay proceeds to audition a string of losers without any luck, until by chance he is introduced by a mutual friend (Kellee Stewart) to Catherine (Lia Johnson), a free-spirit whose colorful hair extensions prompt him to remark, “I didn’t know black girls grew blue hair.” Not one to be intimidated, the feisty fiction writer snaps back, “I didn’t know you could smoke through a straw.”
So, unfolds I'm Through with White Girls, a battle-of-the-sexes comedy marking the delightful directorial debut of Jennifer Sharp. Alternately entertaining and enlightening, this hilariously funny flick is proof positive that it’s possible to shoot a sophisticated romantic romp on a shoe-string budget.

Excellent (4 stars)
Rated R for profanity, an ethnic slur and sexual references.
Running time: 93 minutes
Studio: Turn Soul Films
Distributor: Image Entertainment
DVD Extras: Deleted and extended scenes, Lamman Rucker audition tape, theatrical trailer, commentary by co-star/producer Lia Robinson and director Jennifer Sharp, and two featurettes.

To see a trailer of the film, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyMyjLUiu7o

Smart People DVD

DVD Review by Kam Williams



Headline: DVD Features Ellen Page in Familiar Role in Dysfunctional Family Comedy



Is Ellen Page capable of playing anything besides a wisecracking, suburban teen with a major attitude? If not, she’s in danger of being typecast till she’s too old to play another variation of Juno, the spunky, social outcast for which she landed her Oscar-nomination.

Meanwhile you’ll just have to settle for the latest incarnation of that flip persona in Smart People, a dysfunctional-family drama which might as well have been titled Smart Aleck. Ellen plays Vanessa Wetherhold, a high school senior who’s too much of an elitist to bother having friends or fun.

Instead, the academic overachiever spends her free time practicing for the SATs in quest of a stratospheric score. Ever since the death of her mother, her father (Dennis Quaid), a pompous college professor, has been emotionally-unavailable to her and her big brother (Ashton Holmes).

So, there isn’t much mirth in the lives of these three misfits until the fateful day that Lawrence hits his head and is treated by a former student (Sarah Jessica Parker) who still has the hots for teacher. At about the same time, who shows up but his ne’er-do-well brother, Chuck (Thomas Haden Church), a homeless bohemian in need of a place to stay.

Upon moving in, he becomes intent on bringing the uptight Wetherholds out of their shells via a combination of Marijuana and tough love therapy. In short order, he pressures Lawrence to date, James to loosen up and Vanessa to get high for the first time by telling her she’s a robot who needs to relax.

While the contrast between Chuck’s self-indulgent mania and their slowly-eroding conformity is often amusing, the film’s funniest moments by far, nonetheless, come courtesy of Ms. Page’s Juno, I mean, Vanessa. She has that terminally-sarcastic character down pat.

Juno 2, and just as inspired.



Very Good (3 stars)

Rated R for profanity, sexuality, and brief teen drug and alcohol abuse.

Running time: 95 minutes

Studio: Buena Vista Home Entertainment

DVD Extras: Deleted scenes, cast and filmmaker interviews, bloopers, outtakes, and a feature commentary by the director and the scriptwriter.



To see a trailer for Smart People, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=be0bBWnUrnY

Then She Found Me DVD

DVD Review by Kam Williams

Headline: Helen Hunt’s Directorial Debut Released on DVD

Based on the best seller of the same name by Elinor Lipman, Then She Found Me marks the directorial debut of Helen Hunt who stars opposite Colin Firth and Bette Midler. This bittersweet dramedy explores a host of universal themes, including love, loss, rebirth and redemption.
The story is set in Brooklyn where we find newlywed April Epner (Hunt) hearing her biological clock ticking and eager to start a family. Unfortunately the 39 year-old schoolteacher’s immature husband and colleague Ben (Matthew Broderick) is already having second thoughts about even having tied the knot. Soon, he announces that he’s decided to leave her after only 12 months of marriage.
The morning after being dumped, a Prince Charming comes waltzing into her life in the person of Frank (Firth), the father of one of her students. He’s recently separated from his wife and can barely hide his attraction to April. But before their love has a chance to blossoms a few flies land in the ointment.
First, April’s adoptive mother (Lynn Cohen) dies. Second, she finds out she’s pregnant by her ex. Third, the birth mother (Bette Midler) she’s never known, a flamboyant talk show host, shows up out of nowhere wanting to bond. So, April practically simultaneously sets about grieving, divorcing, getting acquainted with her long-lost mom, and preparing for the arrival of a baby. Oh, and she also starts dating the man of her dreams.
No need to spoil any of the picture’s surprising developments, suffice to say that the plot is anything but predictable. As for grading Hunt’s overall effort, other than perhaps being a little long in the tooth to play the girlish lead in a romantic romp, she did a decent job of directing a chick flick which ought to be a hit with the distaff demographic.

Very Good (3 stars)
Rated R for profanity and sexuality.
Running time: 100 minutes
Studio: THINKfilm Company
DVD Extras: Cast interviews, director’s commentary, behind-the-scenes footage, and theatrical trailers.

To see a trailer for Then She Found Me, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2UBHepKLak

Irina Palm DVD

DVD Review by Kam Williams

Headline: DVD Drama about Desperate Grandma Who Turns Tricks to Pay Bills

Maggie (Marianne Faithful) adopts the name Irina Palm while secretly employed at a whorehouse in London. This frumpy, overweight member of the geriatric set isn’t exactly what most johns are looking for when they come to a bordello.
Luckily, her clients don’t want to see who they are having sex with. No, they pay to stick their privates through a hole in the wall in order to be satisfied by the hands of whoever happens to be on duty on the other side.
To be honest, the movie is not as salacious as it might sound, as it is less about the goings-on inside the house of ill repute than about what drove Maggie to the world’s oldest profession. Turns out she has a seriously-ill grandson (Corey Burke) urgently in need of a life-saving operation, and his parents simply don’t have the money to pay for the operation. Desperate times call for desperate measures, hence this suburban granny resorted to a shady way to raise some quick cash.
However, Maggie’s predicament is complicated when her alter ego Irina proves to be one of the more popular “girls” in the club. And suddenly, she increasingly finds herself the subject of gossip among her suspicious neighbors.
Will she be outed before she makes enough moolah to retire? Or might she not even decide to quit? At heart, this intriguing character study poses the ethical question whether what would ordinarily be considered reprehensible behavior might actually become socially acceptable when done for altruistic reasons.
A thought-provoking drama, which arrives in a timely fashion, given these dire days of skyrocketing medical costs and politicians being caught consorting with high-priced call girls and playing footsie with police decoys in bathroom stalls.

Very Good (3 stars)
Rated R for nudity, sexuality and profanity.
Running time: 103 minutes
Studio: Strand Releasing
DVD Extras: Interviews with cast members and director Sam Garbarski, plus theatrical trailers.

To see a trailer for Irina Palm, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOooLNJj_R8