[JimmyDimples]

Okay… now I want to reassure all you worldwide folks out there, whether you're American, British, Canadian, French, Brazilian, Japanese, Spanish, Italian, Australian, Lower East Slobbovian, or whatever… I mean no knock against the non-American community.

I appreciate folks wherever they're from.  I've had my horizons broadened, and while I'm not going to say I'm a "citizen of the world," I do feel the international borders aren't quite as hard concrete as they'd been when I was younger. 

I mean, you can't be from Mayberry and live in China for years without being feeling that. 

BUT… when you're a boyhood fan of G.I. Joe… a Real American Hero™… and Hollywood pulls THIS on you…

THAT'S JUST PLAIN OLD HIGH TREASON!  >:(

[stmercy2020]

So… wait a minute.  The initials G.I. have traditionally standed for Government Issued.  It's been a staple of the American military culture ever since World War I (although it started life as an abbreviation for galvanized iron, referring to the metals used in American military equipment- thanks Wikipedia).

I am not against creating a highly fictional global military force (we've seen how effective they are in reality, of course) but raping GI Joe to do it seems like a cheap copout.  Worse, given that the impetus for the acronym change is Hollywood, is the fact that the change is pretty much certain to be in name only- the organization will almost certainly reflect conservative American ideals and act to protect American interests with little more than a wave and a nod at the concerns of other nations or cultures.

Sounds like a movie to ignore in theaters and wait to watch until someone offers to rent it for you for a dollar. 🙁

[JimmyDimples]

Uh, St. Mercy… nothing but love, luck, and lollipops for you, but…

"…will almost certainly reflect conservative American ideals and act to protect American interests with little more than a wave and a nod at the concerns of other nations or cultures"?

??? Uh… This is HOLLYWOOD, here.  To quote Greg Gutfeld:

This is an industry that drops a Vietnam epic every time it sneezes. Meaning: Hollywood will only make movies about the military if the military loses.

From “The Bourne Ultimatum” to “Shooter,” Hollywood wants our heroes to be battle-tough American soldiers. But they want that expertise focused against the government that trained them, not the enemy!

Hollywood capitalizes on the military's amazing supply of heroism, but it's too cowardly to attach moral value to it. That saves embarrassment in David Geffen's hot tub.

I'd give my back molars to see a film where the soldiers are Real American Heroes.  🙁

[stmercy2020]

Sorry- I should have clarified- American social values.  As a culture, we claim to like things like freedom of press, freedom of speech, freedom of religion; we also like to ridicule and condemn people who exercise them.  We are not an overly tolerant culture.

And, regarding Shooter:  As an avid Stephen Hunter fan, I have to say that movie was an outrage and a rape of his book.  I'm disappointed that he even allowed his name to be attached to it.

EDIT: Just as an aside, I really miss the days of movies like Kelly's Heroes and Heartbreak Ridge.

[cpbell0033944]

Sorry- I should have clarified- American social values.  As a culture, we claim to like things like freedom of press, freedom of speech, freedom of religion; we also like to ridicule and condemn people who exercise them.  We are not an overly tolerant culture.

And, regarding Shooter:  As an avid Stephen Hunter fan, I have to say that movie was an outrage and a rape of his book.  I'm disappointed that he even allowed his name to be attached to it.

EDIT: Just as an aside, I really miss the days of movies like Kelly's Heroes and Heartbreak Ridge.

I wish they still made films with people like John Mills and Alec Guinness.  I like British war films of the '40s, '50s and '60s like "A Bridge too Far", "The Dambusters" and "Dunkirk".  Surprisingly accurate, not too political, actors who, in the most part, had fought in the war themselves, (not like John Wayne) and not entirely devoid of deeper emotion or sentiment.

[Lingster]

I wish they still made films with people like John Mills and Alec Guinness.  I like British war films of the '40s, '50s and '60s like "A Bridge too Far", "The Dambusters" and "Dunkirk".  Surprisingly accurate, not too political, actors who, in the most part, had fought in the war themselves, (not like John Wayne) and not entirely devoid of deeper emotion or sentiment.

Speaking of Alec Guinness, Bridge over the River Kwai is one of my favorites, though it's more about Brits than Americans: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050212/

[stmercy2020]

Speaking of Alec Guinness, Bridge over the River Kwai is one of my favorites, though it's more about Brits than Americans: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050212/

Amen, brother.  Is it just me, or has the use of flashy special effects been used all-too-frequently to replace what used to be staples of good movies: plot and acting?

[cpbell0033944]

Amen, brother.  Is it just me, or has the use of flashy special effects been used all-too-frequently to replace what used to be staples of good movies: plot and acting?

I think the answer to that rhetorical question is YES! 🙂

[BENJAMIN O BLANDING]

Growing up with the 80's and 90's GI Joe which featured friggin' ninjas as it's most popular characters and was always jetting off to all parts of the world to fight Uber-terrorists Cobra It's honestly not that big a stretch to make it a global force. 

[David]

Not a big stretch at all. Anyone who has seen the recent cartoon would realize that the 'military' has sort of been taken out of it to make it more acceptable for kids to see the mayhem. Go figure.

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