Over the past 2 weeks, i’ve seen both Rambo and The Kite Runner. One is the 4th installment of the Slyvester Stallone killing machine saga and the other is the cinematic interpretation of the best selling novel about an afghan boy growing up around communist turmoil. They may appear to be completely different films, however, i found the two had some interesting similarities. For instance:
Point One: In Rambo some people get kidnapped by the nameless and faceless Myanmar military. Similarly, in Kite Runner the hero’s friend’s son is kidnapped from an orphanage and held captive by the faceless upstart afhgan terrorists.
Point Two: As a younger boy, Amir in Kite Runner witnesses some savage behavior and is forever haunted by these memories. Throughout the movie, he moves to a new land and tries to get on with his life, only to be pulled back and forced to face his demons. Rambo life follows a similar path as he is deeply impacted by his past experiences and although he tries to live a calmer life (by farming Cobras), he is forced back into battle to face his demons.
Point 3: Both men have significant father issues. Amir’s dad loved his other son more and he forever tried to live up to his dad’s expectations. Rambo’s only surviving relative is his father and his only reason for staying alive.
Point 4: The two little games played in each movie: Kite Fighting and Cobra Fighting are strangely similar. Kite fighting is a game played by people in another country where you try to cut other kites. How you do this, i have no idea. Corba fighting is where you sit in a ring with a Cobra and “fight” it by trying not to die. I also have no idea how this works. Both games seem pretty dumb.
Point 5: In Rambo, Sly breaks into a prison with no weapons or a plan to rescue a girl he barely knows even though he is being shot at the entire time. Similarly, Amir breaks into a Taliban guardhouse with no weapons and a horrible disguise to rescue a boy he’s never met. Both men narrowly escapes under heavy gunfire from automatic weapons
Point 6: The bad terrorists and the bad Burmese both enjoy raping little boys
Point 7: There is a General in both Rambo and Amir’s life. For both people, this General represents normal society – even though they hate him.
Point 8: Both Rambo and Amir have absolutely no game with women. They are barely able to speak in their presence. Amir asked his dad to go ask a girl’s dad for a girl. Rambo follows around a married
Live for nothing, or die for something. You choose.
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I got Steve Martin’s new book Born Standing Up: A Comic’s Life for Christmas and plowed through it in 2 days. It is a good quick read about Steve Martin’s early life and standup career. The most interesting part for me was hearing about how hard he worked at developing his craft. He did a routine 4 times a day, 5 days a week while also attending college. He is a very smart guy and spent every waking minute from age 18-30 working on his material and trying to get better. While doing this, he became known in the industry and used those connections to eventually “make it.” Performing on stage (magic and comedy) was a passion for him and he consumed it wholeheartedly. It’s no wonder he became successful. It’s the same with any profession. If you live it and breathe it and work intelligently on it, you’ll be successful and this book is just another example of that.
The book has lots of interesting facts about Einstein. Some that i remember: He was born in Germany but he had such a bad experience in his youth, he renounced his citizenship when he was 17
Last month, I read the book 
I just finished reading the book The Dirt, a semi-autobiography of the 80’s band Motley Crue. It’s a great read that is pretty mesmorizing. All four band members write about their childhood, the crazy period where they become the most famous band in America and then the post-fame period where they turn to drugs and amazingly hot chicks.