History Literature / BlowingUpTheMovies

* ''Film/TheKiller'': Hyper-Romanticism

* UnreliableNarrator: Covered in the ''Film/{{Hero}}'' essay

* ''Film/{{Hero}}'': Path of the Unreliable Narrator

* SnarkBait: [[invoked]] ''Film/{{Equilibrium}}'' was one of the movies that gained inclusion via a poll of Kickstarter backers (the other was ''Film/TheRaid''), but Laws himself doesn't care for it, and the essay contains quite a bit of snark at its expense.

--> Creator/TsuiHark's {{Wuxia}} [[GenreTurningPoint game-changer]] ''Film/ZuWarriorsOfTheMagicMountain'' (1982) exists as a reference at this point, along with such early kung fu ghost comedies as ''Close Encounters of the Spooky Kind'' (1980, Creator/SammoHung) and ''The Dead and the Deadly'' (1982, Wu Ma). But as the film is being written (...) most of the HK supernatural fu classics have yet to be made. No ''Film/MrVampire'' (q.v.), no ''Film/AChineseGhostStory'' (q.v.), no ''Film/{{Swordsman}}'' (1990, credited to King Hu). The western fandom for HK films extant in 1986 revolves around Creator/BruceLee, Creator/ShawBrothers [[ChopSockey Chop Socky]], and real-world martial arts practice. It sure isn't ready for lightning-throwing warriors or ghostly sorcerors. Accordingly, ''Big Trouble'' flops on its theatrical release, joining the roster of [[CultClassic fan favourites that slowly grows its popularity on home video.]]

* ''The Mission'' (1999): Gestures of Comradeship

* ''Saviour of the Soul'': Crazypants Mixmaster

--> Creator/TsuiHark's {{Wuxia}} [[GenreTurningPoint game-changer]] ''Zu: Warriors of the Magic Mountain'' (1982) exists as a reference at this point, along with such early kung fu ghost comedies as ''Close Encounters of the Spooky Kind'' (1980, Creator/SammoHung) and ''The Dead and the Deadly'' (1982, Wu Ma). But as the film is being written (...) most of the HK supernatural fu classics have yet to be made. No ''MrVampire'' (q.v.), no ''AChineseGhostStory'' (q.v.), no ''The Swordsman'' (1990, credited to King Hu). The western fandom for HK films extant in 1986 revolves around Creator/BruceLee, Creator/ShawBrothers [[ChopSockey Chop Socky]], and real-world martial arts practice. It sure isn't ready for lightning-throwing warriors or ghostly sorcerors. Accordingly, ''Big Trouble'' flops on its theatrical release, joining the roster of [[CultClassic fan favourites that slowly grows its popularity on home video.]]
* RunningGag: One aspect of the "setup and callback" that forms the ''Hot Fuzz'' essay.

* TrueCompanions: Covered in the ''The Mission'' essay
* UnreliableNarrator: Covered in the ''Hero'' essay

--> Creator/TsuiHark's {{Wuxia}} [[GenreTurningPoint game-changer]] ''Zu: Warriors of the Magic Mountain'' (1982) exists as a reference at this point, along with such early kung fu ghost comedies as ''Close Encounters of the Spooky Kind'' (1980, SammoHung) and ''The Dead and the Deadly'' (1982, Wu Ma). But as the film is being written (...) most of the HK supernatural fu classics have yet to be made. No ''MrVampire'' (q.v.), no ''AChineseGhostStory'' (q.v.), no ''The Swordsman'' (1990, credited to King Hu). The western fandom for HK films extant in 1986 revolves around Creator/BruceLee, Creator/ShawBrothers [[ChopSockey Chop Socky]], and real-world martial arts practice. It sure isn't ready for lightning-throwing warriors or ghostly sorcerors. Accordingly, ''Big Trouble'' flops on its theatrical release, joining the roster of [[CultClassic fan favourites that slowly grows its popularity on home video.]]

* InsistentTerminology: "If, in 1977, when I am 13, you show me a movie called ''[[ANewHope Star Wars]]'', it's still called ''Star Wars'' now."

* FridgeLogic: In the ''Equilibrium'' essay, Laws points out that sending armed mooks against a GunKata expert is doing your enemy a favor, and it would have been interesting to show Preston going up against bare-handed opponents.

* OlderThanTheyThink: Laws points out that ''Film/BigTroubleInLittleChina'' actually predates many of the titles audiences might think it's referencing:
--> Creator/TsuiHark's {{Wuxia}} [[GenreTurningPoint game-changer]] ''Zu: Warriors of the Magic Mountain'' (1982) exists as a reference at this point, along with such early kung fu ghost comedies as ''Close Encounters of the Spooky Kind'' (1980, SammoHung) and ''The Dead and the Deadly'' (1982, Wu Ma). But as the film is being written (...) most of the HK supernatural fu classics have yet to be made. No ''MrVampire'' (q.v.), no ''AChineseGhostStory'' (q.v.), no ''The Swordsman'' (1990, credited to King Hu). The western fandom for HK films extant in 1986 revolves around Creator/BruceLee, Creator/ShawBrothers [[ChopSockey Chop Socky]], and real-world martial arts practice. It sure isn't ready for lightning-throwing warriors or ghostly sorcerors. Accordingly, ''Big Trouble'' flops on its theatrical release, joining the roster of [[CultClassic fan favourites that slowly grows its popularity on home video.]]

* ActorAllusion: In the ''Die Hard'' essay, on William Atherton's character:
--> "You'd think he'd have learned his lesson after interfering with the Film/{{Ghostbusters|1984}}."

--> Creator/TsuiHark's {{Wuxia}} [[GenreTurningPoint game-changer]] ''Zu: Warriors of the Magic Mountain'' (1982) exists as a reference at this point, along with such early kung fu ghost comedies as ''Close Encounters of the Spooky Kind'' (1980, SammoHung) and ''The Dead and the Deadly'' (1982, Wu Ma). But as the film is being written (...) most of the HK supernatural fu classics have yet to be made. No ''MrVampire'' (q.v.), no ''AChineseGhostStory'' (q.v.), no ''The Swordsman'' (1990, credited to King Hu). The western fandom for HK films extant in 1986 revolves around BruceLee, Creator/ShawBrothers [[ChopSockey Chop Socky]], and real-world martial arts practice. It sure isn't ready for lightning-throwing warriors or ghostly sorcerors. Accordingly, ''Big Trouble'' flops on its theatrical release, joining the roster of [[CultClassic fan favourites that slowly grows its popularity on home video.]]

''Blowing Up The Movies'' is a collection of essays by game designer Robin Laws, examining various action movies from both east and west, and how to apply the tropes therin to tabletop gaming. It was written as part of the ''TabletopGame/FengShui 2'' Kickstarter and, while it contains some discussion specific to that game, the overall examinations of action movie tropes can often be applied to tabletop gaming in general, and in many cases even to the action genre outside of gaming. Each of the essays focuses primarily on one aspect of the movie, as opposed to a more general overview.

* UnreliableNarrator: Covered in the ''Hero'' essay

--> "You'd think he'd have learned his lesson after interfering with the {{Ghostbusters}}."

--> Creator/TsuiHark's {{Wuxia}} [[GenreTurningPoint game-changer]] ''Zu: Warriors of the Magic Mountain'' (1982) exists as a reference at this point, along with such early kung fu ghost comedies as ''Close Encounters of the Spooky Kind'' (1980, SammoHung) and ''The Dead and the Deadly'' (1982, Wu Ma). But as the film is being written (...) most of the HK supernatural fu classics have yet to be made. No ''MrVampire'' (q.v.), no ''AChineseGhostStory'' (q.v.), no ''The Swordsman'' (1990, credited to King Hu). The western fandom for HK films extant in 1986 revolves around BruceLee, Creator/ShawBrothers [=ChopSocky=], and real-world martial arts practice. It sure isn't ready for lightning-throwing warriors or ghostly sorcerors. Accordingly, ''Big Trouble'' flops on its theatrical release, joining the roster of [[CultClassic fan favourites that slowly grows its popularity on home video.]]

--> Creator/TsuiHark's {{Wuxia}} [[GenreTurningPoint game-changer]] ''Zu: Warriors of the Magic Mountain'' (1982) exists as a reference at this point, along with such early kung fu ghost comedies as ''Close Encounters of the Spooky Kind'' (1980, SammoHung) and ''The Dead and the Deadly'' (1982, Wu Ma). But as the film is being written (...) most of the HK supernatural fu classics have yet to be made. No ''MrVampire'' (q.v.), no ''AChineseGhostStory'' (q.v.), no ''The Swordsman'' (1990, credited to King Hu). The western fandom for HK films extant in 1986 revolves around BruceLee, ShawBrothers ChopSocky, and real-world martial arts practice. It sure isn't ready for lightning-throwing warriors or ghostly sorcerors. Accordingly, ''Big Trouble'' flops on its theatrical release, joining the roster of [[CultClassic fan favourites that slowly grows its popularity on home video.]]

* OlderThanTheyThink: Laws points out that ''BigTroubleInLittleChina'' actually predates many of the titles audiences might think it's referencing:
--> TsuiHark's {{Wuxia}} [[GenreTurningPoint game-changer]] ''Zu: Warriors of the Magic Mountain'' (1982) exists as a reference at this point, along with such early kung fu ghost comedies as ''Close Encounters of the Spooky Kind'' (1980, SammoHung) and ''The Dead and the Deadly'' (1982, Wu Ma). But as the film is being written (...) most of the HK supernatural fu classics have yet to be made. No ''MrVampire'' (q.v.), no ''AChineseGhostStory'' (q.v.), no ''The Swordsman'' (1990, credited to King Hu). The western fandom for HK films extant in 1986 revolves around BruceLee, ShawBrothers ChopSocky, and real-world martial arts practice. It sure isn't ready for lightning-throwing warriors or ghostly sorcerors. Accordingly, ''Big Trouble'' flops on its theatrical release, joining the roster of [[CultClassic fan favourites that slowly grows its popularity on home video.]]

''Blowing Up The Movies'' is a collection of essays by game designer Robin Laws, examining various action movies from both east and west, and how to apply the tropes therin to tabletop gaming. It was written as part of the ''TabletopGame/Feng Shui 2'' Kickstarter and, while it contains some discussion specific to that game, the overall examinations of action movie tropes can often be applied to tabletop gaming in general, and in many cases even to the action genre outside of gaming. Each of the essays focuses primarily on one aspect of the movie, as opposed to a more general overview.

* FridgeLodgic: In the ''Equilibrium'' essay, Laws points out that sending armed mooks against a GunKata expert is doing your enemy a favor, and it would have been interesting to show Preston going up against bare-handed opponents.

* SnarkBait: ''ilm/{{Equilibrium}}'' was one of the movies that gained inclusion via a poll of Kickstarter backers (the other was ''ilm/TheRaid''), but Laws himself doesn't care for it, and the essay contains quite a bit of snark at its expense.

* ''Film/MadMax 2: The Road Warrior'': Chase Scene Masterclass

* SnarkBait: ''{{Equilibrium}}'' was one of the movies that gained inclusion via a poll of Kickstarter backers (the other was ''TheRaid''), but Laws himself doesn't care for it, and the essay contains quite a bit of snark at its expense.

* ''Film/Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame'': Investigating your next fight

* ''Film/StarWarsEpisodeIVANewHope'': March of the Archetypes

* ''Film/{{Hero}}: Path of the Unreliable Narrator

!''Blowing Up The Movies'' contains examples of the following tropes:

''Film/BigTroubleInLittleChina'': Pastiching the unfamiliar
''Film/AChineseGhostStory'' 1 & 2: Love amid the monster fights
''Film/CrouchingTigerHiddenDragon'': Endless sorrow
''Film/Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame'': Investigating your next fight
''Film/DieHard'': Upping the Hero
''Film/{{Equilibrium}}'': Power of the One Cool Schtick