What's Halloween in the 00's without a new Saw to dissect? We've received word from Lionsgate that Meagan Good will be featured in a supporting role in the upcoming Saw V as Luba, "a city planner who comes from a very wealthy family." That is good news indeed (sorry, couldn't resist ) for fans of the very attractive Ms. Good. I noticed her when she appeared as a tattoo artist in Biker Boyz five years ago, but she first made an impression in Eve's Bayou in 1997. Recently she's had substantial parts in Waist Deep and Stomp the Yard. As far as her horror credentials, she was all too briefly in One Missed Call -- I was disappointed she didn't survive her big dramatic moment -- and was also in the little seen Venom.

Monika told us last month that Julie Benz was cast in a starring role as a proper and elegant Brit, so it sounds like Jigsaw is planning to bring justice to the upper crust in this edition. That might help answer the question: Where do you go with a horror sequel when the arch-villain has already been sliced open on an autopsy table? If you caught Saw IV, you know that screenwriters Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan came up with a solution to that quandary. I wasn't entirely convinced, and the story as a whole felt too schematic and perfunctory to be fully satisfying, but I remain eternally optimistic. David Hackl is directing from a script by Melton and Dunstan. Saw V is set to open on October 24.

Just in case dating a serial killer and hanging out with Rambo wasn't enough horror for Julie Benz, The Hollywood Reporter posts that she's got herself a starring role in the next Saw movie -- Saw V. The film, which is currently filming in Toronto, is being directed by David Hackl, from a script by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan (as Scott mentioned back in February). Tobin Bell is returning as Jigsaw, but this latest victim isn't quite to his liking. As THR describes it: "Benz has been cast as a Brit with clothes and hair too proper and elegant to be a pawn in Jigsaw's latest games."

Well, at least she gets to be elegant. But really, when I see an actor like Benz who could be great on one show (or two, as in Buffy and Angel), top it off with a pretty notable gig on Dexter, but fill in the blanks with eh roles, I wonder if the real magic was just contained within one show or role. (The same could be said for Alyson Hannigan and her drama talents.) Is it just too hard to find a role similar to a snarky, strong, and in-control vampire woman? Benz can play a weak or troubled woman well, but she's at her best when she can command the screen and show her edge.

It's great that she's getting work; I just wish it was work that showed off more of what she can do, in roles that would give her some genre-free cred. At the very least, maybe she'll give Jigsaw a run for his money, even in fancy garb.

Saw V will be released on October 24.

The once and future action hero Sylvester Stallone delivers 9/10 of a taut, sobering, bloody thriller about the futility of trying to change people in Rambo, which opened nationwide on Friday. Director, co-writer and star Stallone has it in him to make a penetrating, multi-layered story that isn't afraid to look at the dark side of Vietnam vet turned murderous killing machine John J. Rambo. But in the end, just like Rambo, Stallone can't help being true to himself.

The fourth film based on a character originally created by novelist David Morrell in 1972, the newest edition posits that Rambo has returned to Thailand after his adventures in Afghanistan in Rambo III. Nearly 20 years have passed in real life, but in the film the time period is left unspoken. News footage refers to a breakdown in nearby Burma -- a country that officially changed its name to Myanmar in the late 1980s -- and atrocities being committed by the military against defenseless villagers. Whatever the year, Rambo has settled back into a peaceful lifestyle. He hunts snakes for a living and has lost any spiritual or political beliefs he might have once held.

When a Christian missionary relief group seeks to hire his fishing boat for a trip up river to deliver Bibles and medical supplies, he initially refuses. Michael Burnett (Paul Schulze), the group's leader, is earnest and stiff, imploring Rambo to help because they believe they can change people's lives. Rambo asks, "Did you bring weapons?" "Of course not!" Rambo replies, "Then you're not changing anything." Thus the seed is planted for a classic confrontation between good and evil.

Last week, Cinematical brought you an interview with Sylvester Stallone about his latest action extravaganza -- Rambo, the fourth film in the series. (Check out that discussion here.) This week, we have a junket report with the supporting cast. You probably know the lovely Julie Benz from her role as Dexter's girlfriend Rita on the Showtime drama Dexter. She plays Sarah in Rambo, a kidnapped missionary. Graham McTavish and Matthew Marsden play members of Rambo's ass-kickin' mercenary posse.

Julie, your hair looks so different!

Julie Benz: I know! I woke up this morning and I was a brunette, go figure! No, it's for The Punisher 2.

And in that movie you play --

JB: My character in Punisher 2 is Angela Donatelli, she's an Italian from Brooklyn, New York. My character in Rambo, Sarah, is very soft and vulnerable. Angela's got a bit more of an edge. She's a fighter, she's a mama bear, she has a child she's protecting. She's not really happy with anybody; she's in a bad mood!

As I eased into my seat to watch Sylvester Stallone crack some skulls in Rambo -- the first Rambo movie in twenty years -- I'll admit to feeling a bit giddy. A blast of 1980s excess is exactly what the slumping action genre needs right now, if you ask me. To paraphrase the old John Candy SCTV character -- I wanted to see everything get blowed up real good. So you can imagine my surprise when the film opened with a montage of real-life footage documenting atrocities in Burma. And this is serious stuff -- we're talking slaughtered women and children here. Quickly, my excitement turned to discomfort and disgust. But just as I was preparing to mount my high horse and cry "Exploitation!," I started to get excited again. Because I knew that Rambo was going to get the bastards responsible.

It's an uneasy reaction, but that's what Rambo does! Whether he's standing up to authority in First Blood, symbolically winning the Vietnam War for America in Part II, or saving Afghanistan from the Soviets (ah, how times have changed!) in Rambo III, Rambo's job is to take the action that no one else will. And it can be pretty exhilarating to watch. In interviews, Stallone (who also wrote and directed Rambo) has said he hopes the new film will force people to take note of the civil war raging in Burma. But let's be honest here -- the guy's using an immeasurably tragic situation to make his action movie more effective. And distasteful as it may be -- it works.

After the critical and commercial success of Rocky Balboa, which I adored, who can blame Sylvester Stallone for wanting to bring another of his iconic characters back to the big screen? Rocky Balboa surprised people with how heartfelt and genuinely moving it was. Rambo (and yes, it's just called Rambo now) will shock people with how serious and shockingly violent it is. Set against the very real, very disturbing situation in Burma, Rambo finds Stallone on a mission to rescue a group of missionaries from sadistic Burmese soldiers.

Do you ever imagine a world where you shot the original ending of the novel First Blood (John Rambo commits suicide), and you hadn't had Rambo with you all these years?

SYLVESTER STALLONE: Yeah, I think about that all the time. I had that debate with Quentin Tarantino, and he was vehement that I made a mistake. On an artistic level, he's probably right. But at the time, I had been spending a lot of time doing research with veterans, and it seemed like this terrible, nihilistic...they just reveled in complete despair. And at that time, we had had almost a quarter of a million Vietnam suicides. So I thought, do I want to end it on that note? Or make him more of a victim who has been created to do a job, does a job, comes home, and no longer fits in? It's like training a pit bull. You train a dog to become a killer and now what do you do? You gotta put him down. But what happens if that pit bull gets loose and you realize he's not as bad as you think, you can somehow redeem him. I thought that was more of an interesting story. As Kirk Douglas says, "Not artistic, but commercial!"

Did you have to go back and look at the previous Rambo movies to get back into character?

SS: The ponderousness that comes with aging, the sense of weight, knowledge, knowing too much, lack of naivete, which has happened in my life, sort of set the stage for me. I wanted Rambo to be heavier, bulkier -- that's why his first line of the movie is pretty negative, he's given up. The other Rambos had a bit too much energy, they were a little too spry. I'm not trying to run myself down, but there was much more vanity involved. It was all about body movement, rather than just the ferocity. This character, to me, is much more interesting. I like First Blood and I like this one. So it's like the first Rocky and the last -- Rocky Balboa. Everything in between is kind of trying to figure out what I should do.

Yeah, so I wasn't too into the whole John Rambo movie until I saw the trailer. Then everything changed. There's just something about a guy who is seriously, and not in a Kill Bill fashion, killing every guy in the goriest, toughest way possible. The trailer looks all sorts of campy, action-film awesome -- fresh-looking with that feel of the action-packed '80s where dudes like Sly, Jean Claude, Dolph, and a certain Chuck thrived. The only problem I have is with these damned pictures. Some are cool, but some, like the last one I blogged about, just slide into the goofy side of camp. And no, this isn't because I'm "too pink" as one commenter amusingly suggested.

When I see a picture, I just want to get amped about the film, not find myself giggling -- especially when it's a bloody action movie. The still with Sly and the snake -- it had some humor. The picture to the right, this one amused me even more. Courtesy of MTV, this puppy has Rambo taking aim with his bow while sporting his furrowed brow and pursed lips. Unfortunately, it looks like one of those times where you try to make the real serious face and it just tries to come off as a fake attempt. Stallone looks half tough here, and half pouty, like he's about to just thrown down his bow and complain. Or, that a guy behind the camera is telling Sly not to laugh, and he's trying so very hard to keep himself serious.

But that's okay. The actual action looks all sorts of awesome, and I'm ready to see him save Julie Benz. How about you?

Here's two more tasty casting bits:

• She played the eternal follower Marcie Fox in Jawbreaker, and even co-starred in the super-awesome George of the Jungle 2, but Julie Benz is definitely best known for her super-evil, drawling vampire Darla from Buffy and Angel, and from her recent time as the bad-luck love interest of serial killer Dexter. While her long-term television work is all sorts of tasty, I wish I could say the same for her film choices. She's co-starring in the upcoming Rambo flick, and then, hold onto your seats -- Variety reports that she's shooting Lionsgate's action film, The Punisher: War Zone. (Check out other casting news on the film here.) While I'd like to see Benz in some tastier work that pushes her a bit, I have to say that the cast has me kind of interested, especially with musician/actor and Toronto native Keram Malicki-Sanchez also onboard.
• With the seventies safely stored in the past, Danny Masterson continues to move on to other pastures. He played the tough, geeky roommate of Anna Faris in Smiley Face (which really, really should hit theaters), he just finished a flick with his brother called Made for Each Other, and now Variety reports that Danny Boy is going to star opposite Jim Carrey in Yes Man as Carrey's best friend. This means that Bradley Cooper (Failure to Launch), who was previously attached to play the friend, must be out. While it sounds like some rip-off to Liar, Liar, it's actually based on the true story of a man named Danny Wallace, who decided to say yes to everything that came his way -- from SPAM to party invites. Stay tuned for all sorts of advertisements that will beckon you to say yes to the film like Wallace says yes to life. It's just begging to be used as a marketing gimmick.
  

I'm not sure what a great-looking blonde is doing out in the middle of the Myanmar jungles, but apparently Sylvester Stallone needs a tad more tasty eye candy for his Rambo sequel. Variety tells us that Julie Benz has signed on to star as the female lead in John Rambo, however no further role description was given. Seeing as the plot revolves around a group of missionary aid workers who go missing, one has to assume Benz will play "the hot aid worker." For those who never managed to catch the 12 episodes of Dexter in which Benz starred as Rita Bennett, you might know her as the third jaw-dropping hottie in the 1999 flick Jawbreaker. Apart from that, the girl has done a ton of TV work (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, CSI, Roswell, Taken), as well as landed much-coveted leading roles in The Midget Stays in the Picture (as A-List Actress) and Shrek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the Thirteenth.

Due out next May, John Rambo also stars Sam Elliott, Matthew Marsden and Paul Schulze. Not long ago, Stallone tapped a retired rebel soldier from the jungles of eastern Myanmar to play a brutal Burmese soldier in the pic. I'm thinking he'll be the guy you want Rambo to lay the smackdown on. Sai Mawng was chosen out of 300 applicants who turned out for the part; the casting notice asked for an unlikeable 32-40 military man. In the pic, Rambo is pulled out of retirement and recruited by a group of Christan human rights missionaries to help protect them against pirates (and no, not the Johnny Depp-type pirates). Also, in case you're itching for more Rambo, the first pics of Stallone on set have recently appeared online. As I said before, John Rambo (which was previously known as Pearl of the Cobra, until Stallone realized that people might confuse the situation and think this film was instead a sequel to Cobra -- and, not for nothing, but that would've been wicked cool) is due in theaters in May 2008.