A good comeback is like a great third act in American lives; it's the triumphant return, the end of the story. James Cagney retired in 1961, then made a triumphant comeback in 1981 with Ragtime. But a good movie never deals with the aftermath of the comeback. Just as often as not, the comeback leads to nothing. Cagney died a few years after the hubbub. Though we all love a good comeback, the following is a list of comebacks that weren't the end of the story, and didn't provide the inspiring coda that they could have.

1. Sylvester Stallone in Cop Land (1997)
Stallone's is one of the most fascinating, dramatic careers in cinema. His fame is so huge that his name and face -- or at least his characters -- are known the world over. He had a fairytale rise to fame with Rocky (1976), complete with tales of writing it in a weekend. He has a lot of charisma, and earned an Oscar nomination for acting. He has directed eight feature films and contributed to the screenplays for nearly twenty. People whisper about how smart and savvy he is behind the scenes.

Responding to Harvey Weinstein's comments last week that he would like to see more Rambo movies, since all that killing and grunting plays well internationally, Sylvester Stallone has come out and put the kibosh on that talk. The Guardian reports that Stallone has told reporters that there will be no more Rambo films after this one. "This is the last Rambo just as Rocky Balboa is the last Rocky," Sly said. "I can't go any further. It was a miracle that it even got done." Considering the dozen or so producers listed on the film's credits, that's probably true. Who knows how many people will have to get paid before this movie turns a profit. And without giving too much away, Stallone clearly went further than was necessary to put a stamp of finality onto this film, and there's really no reason other than raw greed to go any further with the adventures of John Rambo.

I'm glad of this decision, since this most recent Rambo film sucked. I wasn't quite as bamboozled as some others into passive appreciation of the severed limbs, exploding heads and dismembered torsos dished out in the film. (The squibbing alone must have eaten up most of the budget, and I'm not even kidding.) While I do respect that Stallone was making an honest attempt to reach what he perceives as a core audience who just wants to see Rambo knife people in the belly and call it a day, I'm more or less a lone supporter of the artistic integrity of Rambo: First Blood, Part II, a film that I believe surpasses even Die Hard as the exemplary action film of the 80s, and that's the bar I measure all subsequent Rambo films by. Seriously, when will George P. Cosmatos be recognized for his amazing skill as an action director? Anyway, so long Rambo.

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.

Sylvester "Sly" Stallone brought boxer Rocky Balboa out of retirement in 2006, and shocked everyone by making a movie that was better than expected / feared. He'll try to do it again this Friday as his other iconic character, Vietnam vet John J. Rambo, storms back onto the big screen in the simply titled Rambo.

With the renewed heat generated by these projects, Sly has talked recently about his plans to remake 1974's Death Wish. Upon further consideration, I think it's a mistake for him to remake a movie featuring another actor's iconic character when he has so many more characters of his own that need to be sequel-ized.

Saying no to continuations of his characters in Rhinestone, Cobra, Over the Top, and Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot was easy. But here are my picks for seven other characters Sly Stallone can sequel-ize, along with suggested storylines. They're yours for the asking, Sly: after all, you've already given me so much!

1. Stanley Rosiello (The Lord's of Flatbush)

In the pre-Rocky days, TV star Henry Winkler was the big draw in a supporting role, but Sly stole the show from everyone, including ostensible lead, Perry King. Sly played a greaser who got his girlfriend pregnant and is forced into marriage. His change from confident thug to fumbling husband was touching. I'd love to see what's happened to Stanley. Flashbacks could fill in the decades as Stanley reminisces about his life when he hears about the death of a former fellow gang member. Winkler could show up for one of his patented extended cameos.

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.

I recently attended a press junket for Sylvester Stallone's amazingly violent new Rambo (in theaters January 25th). There, he was asked about his plans to remake the 1974 Charles Bronson classic Death Wish. Peter told you a bit about the new Death Wish in November, when Variety announced that Stallone would direct and star. The film will be scripted by Michael Ferris and John D. Brancato (The Net, The Game, T3: Rise of the Machines). Stallone says he thinks Death Wish, done today "would be volcanic." And despite the lack of success for recent revenge thrillers like Death Sentence and The Brave One, I think he might be right. Below is what Stallone had to say about his take on the material:

The idea in the original of Jeff Goldblum as a mugger who breaks into an apartment seems very simplistic. It gives you an idea of how bad the elevation of violence has become. I want to focus on defense attorneys, on the people who are really allowing this crap to happen. Not so much the guy out in the street, but who permits it? What if it happened to you? What if your daughter down the hall was grabbed and her eyes were put out, would you want to defend that guy? There's moral questions here that are being presented that have not been asked in 30 years. So it's not the pacifist. This fella I see, and I'm giving you a little hint here, he was a very violent human being. An ex-convict who walked the walk, was accepted back into society, did everything he could to be clean. When the incident happens, he reverts back, and it's like "My God." Now you've unleashed a man who really understands the world of violence. He isn't burdened with this passive-aggressive conscientious objector thing that's been done. It's really what happens when the wolf in sheep's clothing goes back to the wolf.

What do you think? Does Stallone's Death Wish sound like something you Wish you could see?

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?

In honor of the Rambo site going live, I thought we could jump back into Sylvester Stallone's first role. Before he beat people up as Rocky and Rambo, showed his behind in Tango & Cash, or took part in a Death Race, he had some X-rated fun. The year was 1970, and Stallone had scored himself not only his first acting gig, but his first starring role as "Stud" in Italian Stallion, sometimes known as The Party at Kitty and Stud's. It was a role that took him two days, and it earned him a sweet $200 paycheck.

Have no fear, neither scene that I'm sharing is NSFW. Both clips contain scenes from the movie, but nothing raunchy, aside from some wild, living room dancing (clothed). In the above clip, adult filmmaker Gail Palmer introduces the film in a long, 3-minute trailer. Included are scenes of Sly, or rather, the Italian Stallion frolicking in the snow and falling around, I presume before he got the coordination that made him an unstoppable action hero. The trailer-makers were also nice enough to include a quote from Stallone in Playboy, where he says he took on this work because he was starving. As an added bonus, below there's a brief clip from the movie, where Stud talks about moving to California. So, when you set out to see Rambo, remember that the on-screen toughness has a little Stud behind it.

Before I even start, I should probably admit to you what usually will make my male friends' jaws drop in disbelief. I have never seen a Rambo movie. Sure, I have a passing knowledge of the franchise, but to be honest it was just never my thing. The official website for the latest installment has gone live with lots of flash, but very little substance. There is the promise of plenty of things to come, including shooter games, video mash-ups and something called Instruments of Force ... whatever that could be. Plus, there are the usual offerings of cast and crew profiles, downloads, and galleries in case you're in the market for a Rambo icon.

Sylvester Stallone wrote, directed and produced the story of the infamous vet now living in the 'wilds' of northern Thailand running a longboat and catching poisonous snakes for a living. After a group of missionaries go missing, our hero dusts off his headband for another adventure. After a few title changes and a couple of teaser posters (the Banksy-inspired one was definitely the strangest in the bunch); not too mention some pretty grisly teaser footage released for Cannes, the film finally revealed the official trailer back in October. Filled with plenty of explosions, machetes and a fairs share of mumbling -- even with my limited knowledge of Rambo, I know the film should satisfy those die-hard fans out there. Now that the site is live, the trailer has been yanked from most channels and the web site will be your one stop shop for all things Rambo. (John) Rambo is set for release on January 25th, 2008.

The long-in-the-works Edgar Allan Poe biopic may be a step closer to getting produced. Cinemablend is reporting this as an "unconfirmed rumor," but it sounds like Viggo Mortensen may take on the juicy role of one of the most famous (and famously drug-addled) horror authors of all time. Who is writing and directing this biopic? Why, Sylvester Stallone, of course! The site's source says "Stallone has recently met with Viggo Mortensen and has offered him the role of Edgar Allan Poe in the film. Mortensen is considering the role although he wants some slight revisions in the script."

Since Stallone announced this project years ago, various actors have been mentioned as possible Poes. That list includes Robert Downey, Jr. and Johnny Depp, who certainly seem like fitting choices. The Cinemablend source also mentions that Clifton Collins, Jr. (Capote) and John Hawkes (American Gangster), two solid actors who look a lot like the author, are being considered should Viggo bail. Back in 1994, Stallone spoke about his Poe biopic with Interview. saying "I could probably produce it or direct it. I couldn't play Poe, because there's no way the baggage that I would bring to the role could ever be assimilated by the public. But I should do it, because it's the best thing that I've ever written, including Rocky or Paradise Alley." Stallone may consider the Poe screenplay his best, but what is his deepest and most profound script? Quoth The Raven, "Rocky Four."

Additionally, for more Stallone, USA Today has published a photo along with a lengthy article on the new Rambo film, due out early next year.

Sylvester Stallone is ready to step into Charles Bronson's shoes. Variety reports that Stallone is in talks to direct and star in a remake of Death Wish, to be scripted by Michael Ferris and John Brancato. That's the writing team responsible for The Net, The Game, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines -- and Catwoman. Draw your own conclusions, but with Stallone in the director's chair, this could be another project that ends up better than it initially sounds.

Michael Winner's 1974 original starred Charles Bronson as mild-mannered Paul Kersey, a New York City architect transformed into a killing machine meting out street justice after his wife is brutally murdered and his daughter is raped. Four sequels would follow over the next 20 years, but with Bronson's passing in 2003, the search for a successor was inevitable.

Early September saw two new vigilantes hit the screen: Kevin Bacon in Death Sentence, a straightforward and enjoyable revenge flick misunderstood to be a message movie, and Jodie Foster in The Brave One, which drew more direct comparisons to Death Wish because it was set in Manhattan. It's hard to imagine that a new Death Wish will try to be profound or offer anything new on the subject, but if it's well made and Stallone restrains himself a bit, that may be enough.

Stallone has been working hard on the comeback trail and made some major coin for the backers of Rocky Balboa. He also has Rambo due out on January 25, 2008, a release date that's normally a death wish of its own, but the trailer looks fairly awesome as an action pic. If Rambo hits big, this deal for Death Wish will generate even more excitement. And if Sly's Death Wish hits big, MGM is prepared to make it into a franchise for him, which could sustain Stallone well into his 70s (Bronson was in his early 70s when he made his last Death Wish). While you contemplate that thought, MGM is hoping to start production before March 2008.

The first teaser poster for the new Rambo movie has debuted over at IGN, and with it comes another interesting development. Is that a new title we see on the poster? Is the sequel now simply titled Rambo? The last thing we heard was that Sylvester Stallone was going with Harry Knowles' suggestion to hang on to the working title, John Rambo, after internet criticism of "Rambo to Hell and Back" made the actor-director rethink that one. Of course, this poster would have had to have been designed before all that, so it's more likely that they went with "Rambo" because it's the most easily associated name to use for a tease campaign. It's like making a poster that just says "Indiana Jones". You don't need a full title to get people pumped.

As for the rest of the poster design, I'm into it. The black and white with rain thing makes me think of Sin City, and I'm always supportive of a minimal design with stark contrast. It is a little weird, however, that the background is white on one side and black on the other, only because the black background parts aren't as noticeable. If they're going for a representation of Rambo's internal conflict, they've allowed for the good (white) to be the focus. Of course, that could be the point. But then they shouldn't bother having Stallone facing his back towards us. Besides the fact that the pose is being overused in poster design this year (see this, and this, and this, and this, and this, and this, and this, and this, and this), the closed-off image makes us think about Rambo having some heavy issues. Then again, his head is turned toward the -- wait a second; I just realized I'm analyzing a Rambo poster. Sorry. Umm. Hey, look at that cool machete. This movie is going to rock!

As you may have heard, there's another Rambo sequel coming January 25th, starring and co-written/directed by Sylvester Stallone. IMDb lists a variety of considered titles for the movie, including Rambo IV: End of Peace (eh), Rambo IV: Holy War (it rhymes), and Rambo IV: Pearl of the Cobra (hilarious). Most recently it was called Rambo IV: In the Serpent's Eye -- obviously the greatest title in action movie history -- but maybe that sounded a bit too direct-to-DVD. So they changed it again. Following the success of Rocky Balboa (which I absolutely loved), the title switched to John Rambo. I'm all about that simple name title -- it brings a touch of restraint and class to a movie I'm fairly certain will have neither. "This January...spend Martin Luther King Day with an old friend...John Rambo." Perfect. Done. But no. They've scrapped the title yet again!

Now the movie is called Rambo to Hell and Back. I agree with Josh over at Cinema Blend that the title doesn't really work without a colon. Rambo to Hell and Back just isn't a complete thought. Titles like Ernest to Camp or Ernest to Jail don't make sense, you have to put a verb in there somewhere. I guess they're not using the word "Goes" (as in Rambo Goes to Hell and Back) because it would be to close to Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday (which, it is worth pointing out, was not the final Friday). But how about something like Rambo Rocks It to Hell and Back? Or Rambo Blows Dudes' Heads Up All the Way to Hell and Back? Too long? Not to worry, it easily abbreviates to RBDHUATWTHAB. Oh well. Never mind that Stallone looks like a 'roided up Liza Minnelli in the movie. No matter what they call it, all the Serpents, Cobras, and Holy Wars in the world couldn't keep me from seeing this film. I'd...to hell and back in order to see the thing.

UPDATE: Sly Stallone says he's staying with John Rambo after folks bashed this new title. Read all about it over on AICN.

Another macho man has made the obligatory leap into the kiddie pool. This time it's Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson who has gone and starred opposite a child in this weekend's new release The Game Plan. Could it damage his potential for further tough guy roles? Does he care? He's already signed on to another kid friendly part in Witch Mountain, so perhaps he's no longer worried about audiences accepting him as a muscle man with attitude.

The Rock, like Vin Diesel before him, may have jumped the gun on doing a Disney family film before securing an iconic place next to Schwarzenegger, Stallone and other action hero types. His movie may therefore lack that necessary extreme between the character we associate with The Rock and the character he must take on for the movie -- like the type of contrast that made Kindergarten Cop so funny.

But there are worse things he could do. Other action stars and macho actors have made some pretty terrible mistakes that had nothing to do with working with kids, and many of these mistakes were career altering. Let's just hope Dwayne Johnson never has to suffer such ideas as these:


1. Junior (1994, Ivan Reitman)

For a macho guy, finding out you have a kid is domesticating, but finding out you're pregnant is emasculating. Nothing says an action hero has gone soft like giving him a bun in the oven, and it's no wonder that Arnold Schwarzenegger had difficulty maintaining his image in action movies for the next decade -- until Terminator 3. I'm certain that if The Rock tried doing a movie in which he's with child rather than with a child, he'd cause far more problems for his career. At least Schwarzenegger had just a few months earlier released True Lies, and fans likely held onto the hope he would be back on top one day.