sadly only the original goes this hard but yeah, first blood is an all time great
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i think first blood is very much a case of a movie that preceeds a coherent definition of āaction movieā at least in the sense those movies are thought of its more like a ā70s thrillerāā¦ rambo ii is basically the definition of a dumbass american action movie, kind of the crystalization of the form (tbh a form im not enamored with) james cameron was even pretty heavily involved in its production or w/e
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I was also surprised by First Blood. I had never seen any of the Rambo movies when I read that book a few years ago on someoneās recommendation. All I knew were the 1980s cartoon and toy commercials. After reading the book I watched the movie, which is quite a bit tamer.
The ending you see in the movie differs from that of the book. They also filmed the bookās ending but they went with the one that allowed for a sequel.
Morrell (author of First Blood) wrote the novelization of the second movie, oddly enough. I didnāt read that one but I did listen to this entertaining podcast about it:
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First Blood Part II ends with Rambo doing the MGS3 machine gun holler (of course Kojima cribbed it from here) while shooting a bunch of computers. A Luddite king.
Itās also why @Rudie and I will interject āYOU MADE IT JOHN RAMBOā when gaminā online.
3 is OK (bad). 4 is gory as shit and OK (bad but OK). 5 is repulsive.
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The most memorable part of Rambo 2 for me is the way the last scene freezes and Stalloneās brother starts singing the patriotic credits song.
He also sang this song:
Okay, itās actually a tie between the credits thing I mentioned and the part where he hides in the mud.
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was going to mention the links between Aliens (which Iāll be rewatching soon) and Rambo: First Blood Part II (what a title) but then I realised I could save my breath and just link this good olā video
also I only recently learned that the term āMIA/POWā achieved cultural significance (with its own Chuck Norris movie of course) as a Nixon-era propaganda tool to keep U.S. intervention on the table and be argued over as a culture war topic re: Vietnam (thank you Reaganland)
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yeah this is the part thats unshakeable, and theres obviously no easy answers - the movieās core point seems un-racist (like if anything in spirit its aimed at cultural apropriation, an anti-ROBOTECH cruise missile if ever iāve seen one) but i donāt think one can meaningfully untangle the two here. i guess the only reason iām interested in this is that i think thereās a lot of comedic value in some of the gags eg: opening fight scene, THATāS A LOT OF NUTS and i want to be able to recommend it but i think it just needs a generic disclaimer on it i guess.
we have been dying laughing over this for couple hours now, like, who the shit got this sticker printed, i want, nay, need to meet them
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somehow missed this, not at all surprising, do you remember where you got this? would love to read more
next up you gotta watch the official adaptation of the suntory beer commercial penguins, which is an incredible and poignant vietnam war movie
Penguinās Memory - Shiawase Monogatari
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I read it in Rick Perlsteinās Reaganland (Iām pretty sure, possibly The Invisible Bridge) he summarises what he said there here: https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/enduring-cult-vietnam-missing-action/
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invisible bridge is kind of a weak spot in the Perlstein oeuvre imo, whereas Nixonland and Reaganland are like required reading
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Thatās a semi-weird timeline but the POW issue reached cultural significance because of Rambo 2 (the Chuck Norris movie was made because a producer saw the script for Rambo 2 and turn around and made it for less money and two movies with walking cardboard.) we had fucking congressional hearings and long standing continued racism against vietnam because our boys were out there (they were not.)
We had to win Vietnam! Somehow. So we did in multiple dumb as hell movies that causes a bunch of tax dollars to be wasted.
You Made It John Rambo.
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i mean when it achieved maximum grip on mass cultural consciousness is one thing but i think it was culturally significant well before the revisionist hollywood catharsis was provided, the article i linked provides enough of a case for me at least
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I watched Banshees of Inishirin with my boyfriend and found it entertaining until I realized it was trying to be allegorical at which point it was immediately and permanently ruined.
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I watched Hou Hsiao Hsienās Millennium Mambo today at my local Alamo Drafthouse. Great movie! And the restoration or whatever they did to it looked wonderful. Or maybe it always looked this good. Iād only seen it on DVD before this.
Also, Kino Lorber was involved in this so maybe it will get a disc release sometime soon.
Anyway, HHH is my fav and Iām elated to add this to my list of his films that Iāve seen in a theater.
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The soundtrack is an alltimer for me
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Yes, so good. The main track that plays at the beginning and throughout the film really sets the mood for me and adds such poignancy to the film.
I love this collection of remixes: Spotify
The composer is Lim Giong, who would also compose for Still Life and Long Dayās Journey into Night. I highly recommend seeing these!
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Watching a 3-hour making-of documentary about Peter Jackonās King Kong. Jackson, Naomi Watts, and a bunch of the crew climb all the way to antenna at the top of the empire state building, and I felt like I was going to be sick or scream. I cannot handle heights or seeing a great scale drawn clearly and very suddenly before me.
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