Blood and Chocolate

M&M's have recently appeared in stores in Finland. They're such an institution in America and referred to so often in movies and TV that naturally I had to try them. Well, they're OK, I guess, but really nothing new. We've got plenty of brands already that taste pretty much identical to these. The smaller 45g packet size seemed convenient, though.

I finally saw the new Rambo. It was... well, shorter and simpler than I would have expected. But that's not necessarily bad. It seemed to capture the feel of the early movies well, with its grim message about the ongoing madness and tragedy of war. And of course it has some of the most impressive looking (and gruesome) violence ever seen. (And Julie Benz!)

First but Not Last Blood

Can you believe I only recently saw the Rambo movies for the first time? Yeah, I couldn't either.

For long I wasn't all that interested in them, as I thought they had a reputation as kind of macho, brainless action flicks. Well, I was wrong. Ok, the sequels, Rambo III in particular, are more straightforward action movies, but they're still relatively well made and entertaining in they're own way. (I haven't seen the new one yet, so can't say anything about that.) Undoubtedly the original is the best, though.

If I were to hear someone now connecting the name Rambo to cliched, macho action heroes, I'd have to object. Rambo is a true anti-hero, a tragic character who knows nothing but war and is forgotten and abused by the very people he went to war for.

I enjoyed the movies also as a video gamer, as it was immediately obvious that the Metal Gear series, which I'm a huge fan of, has taken lots of influence from these movies. The colonel, parachute drop, even the electric shock torture in Rambo II, and lots of other stylistic things seemed very familiar...

Next up: comics.