commando Tagged Articles at Cinematical
The Geek Beat: Dreaming of Paper Prequels
Filed under: Comic/Superhero/Geek », The Geek Beat »
Back in May, Boom! Studios announced that they would be bringing you a story you never knew you wanted: Die Hard: Year One. Penned by Howard Chaykin and illustrated by Stephen Thompson, it promised to tell the story of John McClane in his rookie year of 1976, during the heady time of the Bicentennial Celebration. If we know McClane like we think we know him (and after four Die Hard movies, I think we do), nothing is going to go very smoothly, peacefully, or without a Yippie-Ki-Yay Motherf******. The comic goes on sale this Wednesday, and I thought I'd use its fine timing to kick off a discussion about paper prequels. They're becoming more and more of a presence on comic book shelves, though they're generally tied into an upcoming release. This summer had a lot of them, as Star Trek, Terminator: Salvation, and Transformers all received a prequel comic. There's more to come, such as IDW's tie-in to Legion and Astro Boy.
But Die Hard: Year One is an entirely different sort of animal. I don't think it's the first of its kind, though it might be -- but it doesn't take a genius to figure out that if this high profile book sells well, it'll spur on a whole bunch of comic prequels. In the best case scenario, they'll add a little something to the character, or simply be a fun collectible for fans. Worst case scenario, they'll be grounds for a flurry of cinematic reboots. (That was Erik Davis' prediction back in May.) But I decided to jump on the bandwagon, and offer up a few movies I'd like to see comic prequels to. You'll probably roll your eyes at how obvious my selections are (and oh, some are painfully obvious) but I offer them purely to inspire you to make a list of your own.
The Best and Worst Action Movie Sidekicks
Filed under: Action », Fandom »
It's been a very long time since I watched Commando, and when it popped up on AMC a few weeks ago, I decided I really needed to hear its steel drum and saxophone theme again. (I really didn't. It was stuck in my head for days after.) Anyway, it had been so long that I had forgotten the ridiculous sidekick of Stewardess Cindy. She enters into the narrative in the silliest way possible (one of the bad guys hits on her, and John Matrix decides that this makes her perfect to assist him), she causes many innocent bystanders to be shot or seriously injured in a shopping mall, and she complains. A lot. Halfway through, it's like they had to come up with a better excuse for her to be there, so she supplies some knowledge about planes, fires a rocket launcher, and then steps in as a stepmom at the end.
Why is she here? Time is too tight for kissing or gratuitous sex, so there was no need for a love interest. She really does nothing that Matrix couldn't have done himself (I mean, shouldn't he know how to fly a sea plane and puzzle out fueling information? Isn't he one of those guys?), and the rocket launcher rescue could have been cut because, come on, Matrix was too badass to really get arrested anyway. It takes up time that he could have been shooting more of Arius' mercenaries in hilarious and gory ways.
I'd really like to nominate her for worst action sidekick ever, except that I'm sure there's far worse out there. I'm not talking about actual sidekicks, like Chewbacca or Samwise Gamgee, but the untrained citizens who get drawn into perilous situations.
Why is she here? Time is too tight for kissing or gratuitous sex, so there was no need for a love interest. She really does nothing that Matrix couldn't have done himself (I mean, shouldn't he know how to fly a sea plane and puzzle out fueling information? Isn't he one of those guys?), and the rocket launcher rescue could have been cut because, come on, Matrix was too badass to really get arrested anyway. It takes up time that he could have been shooting more of Arius' mercenaries in hilarious and gory ways.
I'd really like to nominate her for worst action sidekick ever, except that I'm sure there's far worse out there. I'm not talking about actual sidekicks, like Chewbacca or Samwise Gamgee, but the untrained citizens who get drawn into perilous situations.
Cinematical Seven: '80s Action Heroes Worth Resurrecting
Filed under: Action », Cinematical Seven »
Now that John McClane, Rocky Balboa and John Rambo have made their return to the big screen -- with Indiana Jones on his way -- the question seems pretty obvious: Who will be the next 1980s action hero to come out of retirement and enjoy one last explosion of mindless mayhem and crazy carnage? I have a few suggestions...Marion "Cobra" Cobretti (Cobra, 1986) -- After the original First Blood, Stallone went a little insane and not only directed the hilariously bad Staying Alive ... he also starred opposite Dolly Parton in Rhinestone. So obviously it was time for A) Rambo 2, B) Rocky 4, and a powerfully mindless cop flick called Cobra. It grossed only about $50 milion, but that's pretty solid in 1986 money. Oh, and Stallone's subsequent movie? The arm-wrestling one. Other options for Sly: Gabe "Cliffhanger" Walker (which is apparently already in development), Frank "Lock Up" Leone, Lincoln "Over the Top" Hawk ... and (of course) Detective Ray Tango.
"Dirty" Harry Callahan (Dirty Harry, 1971; Magnum Force, 1973; The Enforcer, 1976; Sudden Impact, 1983; The Dead Pool, 1986) -- Pretty damn unlikely, but I'd love to see Dirty Harry polish off the pistol just one last time. Hell, send him after the terrorists! (Another, more realistic wish: Clint Eastwood will deliver at least one more western in the vein of The Outlaw Josey Wales, Pale Rider, or Unforgiven.)
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