rambo iv Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Review: Rambo - Peter's Take
Filed under: Action », Lionsgate Films », Theatrical Reviews », Remakes and Sequels »
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.
Review: Rambo
Filed under: Action », New Releases », Lionsgate Films », Theatrical Reviews », Fandom », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Remakes and Sequels »
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.
Junket Report: Rambo -- Interview with Sylvester Stallone
Filed under: Action », New Releases », Lionsgate Films », Fandom », Scripts », Quentin Tarantino », Interviews », Comic/Superhero/Geek »
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.
Rambo Goes to Hell and Back
Filed under: Action », Thrillers », Fandom », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Remakes and Sequels », War »
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.
Rambo IV Begins Shooting This Month, Adds To Cast
Filed under: Action », Drama », Casting », Deals », Newsstand », Remakes and Sequels »
If you've been counting the months, weeks, hours, minutes and even seconds until you get a fresh helping of John Rambo, your wish is getting much closer to being fulfilled. According to Variety, filming is scheduled to being this month in Thailand on Rambo IV: Pearl of the Cobra -- the latest, and presumably final, chapter in the Rambo saga.
The article is also reporting that in addition to Sylvester Stallone's return as the title character, the film's supporting cast, which already includes James Brolin, Bruno Campos and the terrific Kim Dickens, has expanded by at least one more with the addition of up-and-comer Matt Marsden. Marsden, fresh from roles in DOA: Dead or Alive and the upcoming Resident Evil: Extinction, will play a mercenary in the film who works closely with Stallone's Rambo to accomplish whatever life-or-death mission he happens to be on at the moment.
Speaking of life-or-death missions. In cases you don't know for some reason, the plot of this latest Rambo film, which has undergone many revisions -- as our own Mark Beall reported before -- and title changes, including Rambo IV: Holy War and the more prophetic Rambo IV: End of Peace, involves Rambo working with Christian missionaries to protect them against pirates. Yes, pirates. Perhaps Stallone is looking to cash in on some of the business generated by those other pirate movies? They made a few bucks at the box office so if he is, that's not necessarily a bad idea.
Sly Stallone Answers Twenty Days Worth of Questions
Filed under: Drama », Fandom », DIY/Filmmaking », Remakes and Sequels »
Have you always wondered what Sylvester Stallone's version of Beverly Hills Cop looked like? Or how about which Rocky film he considers to be a personal favorite? Perhaps you'd like to know whether Sly kisses on the first date, and if flannel pajamas are reserved only for special occasions -- like the kind that occur when no one else is home and Lifetime is airing a really sweet original film. Okay, while those Lifetime kisses aren't on the agenda, AICN has kicked off its twenty days of Sylvester Stallone questions -- yes, for twenty days they'll be asking Rambo a slew of user-submitted questions, most of which are pretty damn interesting.
Say what you want about the guy, he's been around for a long time, starred in some classic films and has a lot to get off his chest. Tonight I'm checking out Rocky Balboa, and seeing as I've always been a huge Rocky fan, I'm about as excited as one can get to see a flick. Of course, once the movie begins, I will have to switch over to my critic hat (a darling little piece I found in the bargain bin at Wal-Mart) -- but, for the next few hours, I'll be playing some Eye of the Tiger to get in the mood. Anyway, if you're a huge Stallone fan, there's still some time left to submit your own questions through AICN -- who claim to have received over 40,000 so far. Geez.
A few interesting tidbits that have come up: Mr.T and Ivan Drago will have cameos in Rocky Balboa, but Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) is absent because he wanted way too much money for a three-second appearance. Rambo IV will not be called In the Serpent's Eye -- instead the current title is Pearl of the Cobra. Stallone is interested in voicing a character in The Incredibles sequel and there's a whole lot of stuff regarding his feature film about poet Edgar Allan Poe.
News on Rambo 4 (Hooray?)
Filed under: Action », Drama », Thrillers », Scripts », Remakes and Sequels »
It's been a while since we've had an update on Rambo IV, but it's back again now, and with a third new plot. It's really unclear whether all of these plots ever made it into fully-formed screenplays, but director/star Sylvester Stallone told EW that the both the kidnapped girl and the Islamic terrorists are out, and Burma is in. That's right, Burma. Apparently the people at Soldier of Fortune (hey, that's where I go for my movie ideas) told Stallone that the country is the site of the "most critical man-doing-inhumanity-to-man situation right now in the world." And, clearly, that's where we most need Rambo.The current story begins with old man Rambo "living ... a monastic lifestyle in Bangkok and salvaging old PT boats and tanks for scrap metal." When a group of volunteers bringing supplies to Burma goes missing, the parents of one of the missing come to Rambo for help. Since he can't say no to anyone in need of violence, he heads off with a "team of young guns" (apparently required by producers, in order to get someone in the cast who will draw the teenage demographic to theaters) to whup some ass.
In addition to finding a new plot, the movie's timeline has also changed; instead of the previously-announced next spring, it will start shooting in Thailand in October.
Indie Roundup: 'Sweetgrass,' 'Clarkworld,' 'Broken Embraces'
Shelf Life: Fight Club_thumbnail.jpg)
Watch: Famous 'Matrix' Scene Re-Created with LEGOs
Peter Jackson Says Spielberg's 'Tintin' is Done Filming, but...
Interracial Harmony: 'Ninja Assassin' vs. 'Blind Side'
_thumbnail.jpg)
