The operative word here is probably “relatively,” because even the very first Rambo movie, which, of course, you know is called First Blood*, isn’t exactly “grounded” as in “realistic.” I suppose there’s some element of realism in the sense that a guy like John Rambo would probably be pretty hard to catch and nail down if he … Continue reading
History is written by great rivalries. Montague and Capulet. Hatfield and McCoy. Sean Connery and Roger Moore. The Red Sox and the Yankees. Washing funky drawers or flipping ’em inside out for one more day’s use. Donald Trump and human decency. It goes on. I’ve been thinking about this a bit recently on account of … Continue reading
It’s all in the subject line: Rambo, the franchise, summarized. (There’s even a dismissive blurb about the Rambo kids’ show that no one likely remembers, which, honestly, that’s for the best.) I know we’re a ways out from Rambo V, but it’s never too early to do your homework, and there’s some homework to do on this totally nutty … Continue reading
“Rambo.” There’s a blast-from-the-past name, right? Bet you weren’t expecting to hear about Rambo anytime soon, huh? Well: Too bad. Rambo’s coming back. Is that a plus or a minus? Depends on how you like your action movies; Rambo (2008) sticks to a pretty classic 1980s aesthetic of “white dude kills scores of brown dudes,” but … Continue reading
Out with the old, in with the new, wake up with a hangover, bud, that’s on you. Continue reading
“Action cinema tends to elect its bogeymen based on current world events. In True Lies, America fought against Palestinian terrorists. In 2008, John Rambo brought down a brutal Burmese military regime almost singlehandedly. Most recently, The November Man and Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit took on Russian oligarchs and generals. But there’s a more widespread trend … Continue reading
Taking an everyperson– that’s an everyman or an everywoman for you PC types out there– and throwing them into an extraordinary circumstance can provide a path to success in storytelling if the person spinning the yarn knows what they’re doing. In a way, I think we respond more to the everyperson than we do to … Continue reading
A Constant Visual Feast 