Seven days away...
I can't wait...
Friday, July 31, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Friday, July 3, 2009
G.I. Joe "movies"
There's been lot's of discussions across the internet about this new G.I. Joe movie. The fans who grew up with these particular characters, at times, seemed disappointed that the 80's storyline was not used as a basis for the film.
I hate to be one to spoil the surprise, but it is 2009! Twenty-seven years have passed since the 3 3/4" line first appeared in toy stores. Surprise - things have changed! Life goes on, kids, grow up! I don't think that the storyline of the 80's line would be relevant today. But the concepts behind the overall storyline and the characters still works and will always work. It can be picked up out of it's original time period and dropped into any place in history, tweaking the story and updating the characters to reflect current events.
A lot of the Joes were originally Viet-Nam vets - no offense to those vets, but they'd be pretty old by now.
Other G.I. Joe collectors were upset that the original line of G.I. Joes was ignored in the new film. G.I. Joe, at that time, wasn't a specific character. He was an every-man, he became whoever the kid playing wanted them to be. Besides, there have been several films that, for me, brought about what G.I. Joe was all about - being heroes whether they wanted to be or not, being soldiers and fighting for the defense of liberty.
Here's just a short list of my favorite "G.I. Joe" movies -
I hate to be one to spoil the surprise, but it is 2009! Twenty-seven years have passed since the 3 3/4" line first appeared in toy stores. Surprise - things have changed! Life goes on, kids, grow up! I don't think that the storyline of the 80's line would be relevant today. But the concepts behind the overall storyline and the characters still works and will always work. It can be picked up out of it's original time period and dropped into any place in history, tweaking the story and updating the characters to reflect current events.
A lot of the Joes were originally Viet-Nam vets - no offense to those vets, but they'd be pretty old by now.
Other G.I. Joe collectors were upset that the original line of G.I. Joes was ignored in the new film. G.I. Joe, at that time, wasn't a specific character. He was an every-man, he became whoever the kid playing wanted them to be. Besides, there have been several films that, for me, brought about what G.I. Joe was all about - being heroes whether they wanted to be or not, being soldiers and fighting for the defense of liberty.
Here's just a short list of my favorite "G.I. Joe" movies -
- Saving Private Ryan - my absolute favorite war film - it's extremely tough to watch, but a very powerful film.
- We were Soldiers - another excellent war film - I need to watch it again
- Blackhawk Down - soldiers as heroes - even against overwhelming odds and facing their ultimate fate
- Bravo Two Zero - a little known movie with Sean Bean, British SAS go into Iraq on a covert mission and things go bad, very powerful
- Run Silent, Run Deep - classic goodness, submarine warfare in WW2 and the conflicts of command
- The Beast of War - a Soviet tank crew gets lost in Afghanistan and face a tyrannical commander and angry Afghans.
- Hamburger Hill - powerful Viet-Nam era film, need to see it again, been too long
- The Longest Day - more classic goodness, an epic war flim from the glory days of Hollywood
- Patton - you can't beat George C Scott's portrayal - epic story, epic battles
- Aliens - okay, it's Sci-Fi, but the colonial marines are just awesome - too bad they had to get trashed so badly by the bugs
Mini Review of New GI Joe books
I recently picked up the two G.I. Joe paperbacks currently on the market two days ago. The first is G.I. Joe: Above and Beyond, the prequel to the movie and, of course, the novelization of G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.
G.I. Joe: Above and Beyond takes place four years prior to the events of the movie and gives some important background information regarding the G.I. Joe team and Duke's impact into events that will become essential to the film.
As everyone probably knows b y now, Duke and the Baroness (Ana) had an early relationship, with Duke and Ana having been engaged. This story delves into what drove them apart and sets the stage for important character development for the movie - primarily Ana's brother, Rex.
Overall, it's a fun read. Lots of excitement, things blowing up, covert missions and an excellent introduction to the already established G.I. Joe team. They have been in existence for years are shadow Duke's military missions for greater purposes.
I won't let out too many spoilers for this book. Again, it's a fun book to read. It definitely is over the top in it's depiction of the action sequences, in the spirit of the silly cartoons from the 80's in which these characters first came to life.
There are some great battles between Stormshadow and Snake Eyes that should prove to be exciting on the big screen. I'm a little worried about Snake Eyes' transition to the big screen. I hope his "silent" character comes across just fine in the film.
The Doctor character is extremely interesting and how he becomes who he becomes is pretty cool! Not the used car salesman, but still a pretty decent origin. James McCullen's transition at the end is cool, but I would have preferred to see the "mask" much earlier in the film.
Cobra Commander and Destro are established at the end of the book/movie and I look forward to seeing more from them in full character mode in subsequent films. On that note, I hope that G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra does well enough to warrant at least a couple more films.
The very end of the book was a great turn of events, one that I saw coming earlier in the book, but it should still play out nicely on the screen and lead to some serious problems for G.I. Joe in future movies.
I read both books in just two days - I'm excited! I've been a G.I. Joe fan all my life, probably playing with my first G.I. Joe when I was around 6 or 7. I loved playing with the big guys when I was a little kid and I loved the Real American Heroes line from the 80's when I was a bigger kid. The toy line for the film looks incredible as well!
Now, as a 46 year old kid, I can't wait to see the movie during the weekend of August 7th. I don't think I'll make it for the opening night, but I'm making plans for August 8th!
A hearty Yo JOE to all G.I. Joe fans everywhere. Come out and support this film! This can set up the brand and keep it alive for a huge event in the future - G.I. Joe's 50th anniversary!
G.I. Joe: Above and Beyond takes place four years prior to the events of the movie and gives some important background information regarding the G.I. Joe team and Duke's impact into events that will become essential to the film.As everyone probably knows b y now, Duke and the Baroness (Ana) had an early relationship, with Duke and Ana having been engaged. This story delves into what drove them apart and sets the stage for important character development for the movie - primarily Ana's brother, Rex.
Overall, it's a fun read. Lots of excitement, things blowing up, covert missions and an excellent introduction to the already established G.I. Joe team. They have been in existence for years are shadow Duke's military missions for greater purposes.
I won't let out too many spoilers for this book. Again, it's a fun book to read. It definitely is over the top in it's depiction of the action sequences, in the spirit of the silly cartoons from the 80's in which these characters first came to life.There are some great battles between Stormshadow and Snake Eyes that should prove to be exciting on the big screen. I'm a little worried about Snake Eyes' transition to the big screen. I hope his "silent" character comes across just fine in the film.
The Doctor character is extremely interesting and how he becomes who he becomes is pretty cool! Not the used car salesman, but still a pretty decent origin. James McCullen's transition at the end is cool, but I would have preferred to see the "mask" much earlier in the film.
Cobra Commander and Destro are established at the end of the book/movie and I look forward to seeing more from them in full character mode in subsequent films. On that note, I hope that G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra does well enough to warrant at least a couple more films.
The very end of the book was a great turn of events, one that I saw coming earlier in the book, but it should still play out nicely on the screen and lead to some serious problems for G.I. Joe in future movies.
I read both books in just two days - I'm excited! I've been a G.I. Joe fan all my life, probably playing with my first G.I. Joe when I was around 6 or 7. I loved playing with the big guys when I was a little kid and I loved the Real American Heroes line from the 80's when I was a bigger kid. The toy line for the film looks incredible as well!
Now, as a 46 year old kid, I can't wait to see the movie during the weekend of August 7th. I don't think I'll make it for the opening night, but I'm making plans for August 8th!
A hearty Yo JOE to all G.I. Joe fans everywhere. Come out and support this film! This can set up the brand and keep it alive for a huge event in the future - G.I. Joe's 50th anniversary!