Are we raising a nation of wimps by castrating movie heroes?

Inception and Kick-Ass.... Leonardo DiCaprio and that geeky teenager, respectively. Not exactly John Wayne and Clint Eastwood, are they?

I like DiCaprio's work, don't get me wrong. But he's not the testosterone pumping action hero that we used to have in movies.

 

It's amazing how much the Twilight story stole from "Interview with the Vampire". Almost as if they watched the movie and said "Yeah, we can teeny-bop this!"

 

No, the tough guy movie stars help raise a few generations of warhawks who would buy into every imperialistic motive, and join the military to fight for several reasons which rarely included protecting our nation.

Don't worry, they're still making warhawks out of the children with the popularity of shoot'em'up games. If you're a marine, you get a nice clean suit and a shiny new sword. Maybe they can grow up to go die in a desert to topple a dictator and install another one over backwards thinkers.

 

Weren't all those steroid-pumping shirtless sweaty rocket-firing action heroes of the eighties just a bit more on the homoerotic side than most of the modern action movies?

By the way, I really liked The Killer Elite -- Jason Statham and Clive Owen tear it up.

 

Anne Rice had it perfect.

Romantic Creatures that were nonetheless free from sexuality, they couldn't be "gay" or "straight". They were just..dead. They certainly didn't sparkle in sunlight,get married and have babies! LMAO

 

Short description of Red: It's like The Expendables, but with actors instead of bodybuilders.

 

Screw Chuck Norris! THIS is what kids should be growin up with

 

The definition that I give to my customers -- which sometimes gets me in trouble -- is this:

A guy movie is a movie that tries to convince you that the hero is really cool!

A chick flick is a movie that tries to convince that the heroine is someone you should feel very sorry for.

It's fortunate for me that I live in a community with a sense of humor.

 

I will give you guys this: modern action heroes are marketed as much toward women as they are toward men. Sometimes this can mess things up a bit, when you're talking about concepts and characters that were originally not just marketed toward men, but actually toward small boys who are very impressed with massive muscles.

I disagree that it's an application of political correctness that is adding layers of character to the action figures. It was political correctness that made the big white guys the heroes and the hordes of tiny Asians into villains. The practicioners of that type of political correctness aren't used to thinking of it as political correctness, but that's clearly what it was, and wishing for its return is a wish for political correctness.

 

You realize Twilight is mostly intended for teenage girls right?

Jason Bourne
Machete
Aldo the Apache & the Bear Jew
Hell, even Lisbeth Salander.

All pretty badass.

 

I was thinking more about Joseph Gordon Levitt and Tom Hardy from Inception, and Nicholas Cage in Kick-Ass. Regardless of what you think of Levitt and Cage, Tom Hardy is a badass. See the movies Bronson and Warrior for all the proof you need of that.

Also, with Kick-Ass, a geek goes out on the street, stands up for his convictions, wails on people and gets wailed on. That is not the message that you convey if you want to raise wimps.

 

Which is bull(*)(*)(*)(*), because vampires have always had homosexual tendencies.

 

Sorry, but no.

It was Ann Rice who first gave them homosexual tendencies.

Then Twilight came along and made them child molesters. Which is why they repeat high school over and over again, so they can prey on young children.

 

I was in the military at that time; I didn't refer to the CINC as a "warmonger". In fact, I was especially careful about disrespecting the military since DADT wasn't repealed. All they had to do was look on here, trace it back and see that I was in the military.

Even now, I say things very respectfully about politicians. I surely disagreed with Mr. Bush, but I wasn't being derogatory toward him, especially not back then.

Really, the "market" determines what movies are made and how they are made. I have to ask you: How 'popular' was the Iraq War? Even so, I'm sure there will be more movies about that in the future.

I absolutely LOVE America, I'm a patriot to the BONE. But I know and understand that not ALL of my fellow Americans are like me. I wear the Red, White and Blue within my heart; it's not just a sticker on my car.

Having said that, I would say that I don't believe in BLIND patriotism... I see certain good AND bad things about my country, yet I am faithful to it period. I see what is wrong and has been wrong... I don't abandon my people or my nation, because I see/know something is wrong. I hold on to it like a relative, and try to CHANGE IT when/where I can.

So, when I go see a movie about America or ANY war... I know that a good film in these times will NOT show America in a perfectly 'positive' light; I really don't expect that. Maybe as an African American, I learned to QUESTION America as a nation, but accepted that it was all I had... so I dug-in and tried to make myself and my nation BETTER in the process.

I don't need a rosy picture of this nation, to embrace and do right by it. And frankly... some of the superficial patriots who cannot accept the good with the bad, annoy me to no end. If they are not out being PIOUS in their patriotism, they are out criticizing those who do not agree with them about America.

I didn't see that one. Even so, I ask you: Do you want a depiction of America which is somewhat truthful (that there are 'negatives' about us)... or do you want some SANITIZED WW2 type movie where we are shown as near-perfect or flawless?

Okay. I get it. But even when I watch a war movie from the 50's, I realize and accept that there is some kind of artistic license being exercised. If I REALLY want to feel good about good triumphing over evil/enemies... I'll go watch "Star Wars" or "Independence Day".

Considering ALL... do you think that we could say that America has done only what is "RIGHT"?! Do you really want to live in some patriotic fantasy-land? I don't, and I wear that flag in my heart and on my uniform EVERY DAY.

This isn't a courtroom, and no one is on trial here. Stand down man. I'm just saying that people don't have to see America as being perfectly good or right, to have faith in this nation. Again, as a Black man... I'm TELLING YOU THE TRUTH... I know of an weigh the serious EVIL done by this nation. Why would Black people NOT take that kind of thing into account? Even so, if this is OUR nation along with everyone else... why NOT make it better, at least by admitting that at some points in history, WE have been less-than-perfect?

Yes, they are "movies". People should know (by now) that they are part entertainment, part reality and part agenda...etc. A little critical thinking keeps one's head screwed on properly, after stepping out of the theatre.

Really?! I don't know... "Lord of The Rings", "Serenity" and "Air Force One" had some mighty STRONG characters in them.

BTW, I have known thousands of military people; and I can tell you that it is foolish beyond belief, to think that there aren't emotional problems which they typically overcome and adapt to DAILY. For example, I personally escorted a buddy of mine to Walter Reed Army Medical Center, to have his cancerous leg amputated. While there, I looked right into the very sad eyes of many men who had lost 1 to 3 limbs.

I cried about it AND felt it, even personally. Yes, it was emotional and as unglamorous as you or anyone might ever imagine. It made me "stronger" and more of a realist. Let me tell you... a HERO in reality, is no one's macho fool (as we so often see in war movies). We do what we have to do as military men; it's a mission and it can get ugly in the blink of an eye.

I know "Liberals" all over the world, fighting for your rights/safety. Think about that.

Most movies DO glorify violence; it is a part of the packaging in which they are sold. Still, nothing is as grim and hits the spot, like a DOCUMENTARY (History Channel...etc.) on war... I personally get a better sense of the destruction, death, sacrifice, pain and suffering than watching any movie drama (but that's just me, I suppose).

Please, stop being so critical of your fellow Americans... none of us are perfect in any way.

 

And a script......

Hey I really, really wanted to like the Expendibles....Jason Straicham(sp?) is just too cool. Heck I like Stallone, but that movie was almost unwatchable.

 

Dude, Dracula shoved poles up people's bums.

 

That's not a homosexual metaphor, especially in its historical context. Thinking it is is mostly someone in the modern age would do.

But in hindsight, I do take my previous statement back. Hammer films was featuring movies with lesbian vampires in them long before Ann Rice did so.

The Kiss of The vampire (1963) and
The Vampire lovers (1970).

Were two such movies who did so.

 

No. Machete was a (*)(*)(*)(*)ing movie. That is all. Nothing more, nothing less.

I know you Neo-cons believe in some grand conspiracy going on to poison the minds of those who are weak minded and unaware to think for themselves. But it's quite obviously time for a number of you to seriously think about seeing a Shrink. Cause (*)(*)(*)(*).

Were talking about (*)(*)(*)(*)ing movies and entertainment. My god people.

Oh wait, you know something, the OP makes a great point! How dare Hollywood have the nerve to make movies such as the Dark Knight. I see absolutely no entertainment value in a masked criminal breaking the law of the land by being a vigilante and chasing around other criminals wearing clown makeup. I wanna see movies where good ole America bombs the (*)(*)(*)(*) out of some Muslim Country simply because they had the gall to exist on the same planet our Country is on! TEAM AMERICA! (*)(*)(*)(*) YEAH!!

 

John Wayne ruined Westerns for me. I was certain that all Western movies were about some jack ass do gooder running around saying dumb lines and acting like a (*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*) bag until I finally saw an Eastwood movie.

 

*sigh* You guys are ruining Vampire movies for me.

This one though: I'd watch.

 

Just one thing, I don't think in homosexual metaphors. And BTW, it isn't just homosexuals who have hind end activity.

 

So true. Eastwood movies make Wayne movies look like cheesy pieces of garbage. High Plains Drifter is a real mans western.

 

I guess so. (*)

 

I saw Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol last weekend and it has strong male characters in it. I don't think the genre has gone away. Twilight specifically appeals to females, and after watching about 5 minutes of the movie when it aired on cable...horrendously bad.

I recommend Ghost Protocol however, and without giving away spoilers, the sandstorm scene is enough to inspire flashbacks. Tom Cruise makes the occasional good movie and this MI delivers.

 

I don't understand why Twilight appeals to girls or anybody else, to tell you the truth. Edward Cullen is pretty much a child molester and a creepy dude.

Any normal person would be creed out by the fact that he wants a girl more than a hundred years younger than him.