I liked Creed. I have Feelings™ about Rocky IV. It stands to reason that I’d feel at least minor trepidation about a Creed movie that addresses the events of Rocky IV, even though down the line the Creed chapters in the Rocky franchise would need to address Rocky IV out of continuity necessity. So consider it a Thanksgiving miracle that Creed II, which opens today, the … Continue reading
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
Fair warning: I really didn’t want to write this piece, and I’m doing it out of misguided obligation. Maybe I’m whining, but cut me some slack; I’ve already written about the #OscarsSoWhite fracas, and also contributed a handful of yadda yaddas to Paste Magazine’s annual Oscar preview (though I spend most of my yaddas turning my nose up at the … Continue reading
I woke up this morning and it struck me that last night was the air date for this year’s Golden Globes ceremony. Following being struck that first time, I was struck again by the realization that I have said nothing about them at any point; I have offered no commentary, presented no predictions, and yielded no … Continue reading
“There’s an alternate timeline in which Creed is a superfluous waste of nostalgia. In that universe, Warner Bros. gave the reins to a filmmaker other than Ryan Coogler, the young Oakland-born director who stunned viewers in 2013 with Fruitvale Station, a bio-drama about the death of Oscar Grant. Maybe Coogler is the last person anyone … Continue reading
A Constant Visual Feast 