John Wayne

On American Sniper or How Chris Kyle Put Aside the Cowboy and Became a Man

The late Chris Kyle was a highly decorated veteran, dubbed "The Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History". However, Kyle's story has also been polarizing, with seemingly everyone having an opinion on the man's actions. Nowhere has this debate been more recently visible (or more humorous) than in the Internet's response to Clint Eastwood's American…Read more On American Sniper or How Chris Kyle Put Aside the Cowboy and Became a Man

The Expendables 3: On the Grim Acknowledgement of the Action Hero’s Setting Sun

Sylvester Stallone's stubborn, borderline insane refusal to surrender to the normal human aging process is by now well-known. It has been well publicized for years, and the musclebound star has been communicative about it. In fact, a good majority of his work since 2006's Rocky Balboa has dealt with his rapidly advancing age in some…Read more The Expendables 3: On the Grim Acknowledgement of the Action Hero’s Setting Sun

Alright, Alright, Alright: Matthew McConaughey and the Inescapable Fusion of Player and Part

After a lost decade of rom-coms Matthew McConaughey roared back to life with a trio of indies in 2012. In each film he created lively even somewhat audacious performances. While all of these characters were embraced with  acclaim – particularly his turn as the chiseled strip-club owner Dallas from Magic Mike – dissenters began to rear their ugly…Read more Alright, Alright, Alright: Matthew McConaughey and the Inescapable Fusion of Player and Part