"Rambo" movie review

Sylvester Stallone's latest cinematic resurrection is Rambo ( R). In this fourth installment of the Rambo series, John Rambo leads a group of mercenaries into Burma to rescue a group of American missionaries who had been kidnapped by the Burmese army.

Andy: Rambo undoubtedly got the green light because of the surprising success of Sylvester Stallone's 2006 film Rocky Balboa. In that film, Stallone was able to put a nice coda on his most famous film and character. That movie seemed real without being campy and self-referential. With Rambo, I was expecting Stallone to play up the campiness of his second most famous character, and the trailer for the film made it seem like that was the direction it was going. Unfortunately, Stallone is taking everything a little too seriously in Rambo, and the movie falls flat on its face.

Ryan: I'll have to give Stallone a lot of credit. A few years ago he crafted a very enjoyable Rocky movie --when most people thought he was crazy for doing so. Here again, Stallone is attempting to revitalize another cinematic icon. Much like with what he did with Rocky, Stallone's latest Rambo movie is a thrilling success. The movie is exactly what one would expect a Rambo movie to be. It's light on story, dialog and character-development but heavy on action, violence and more action and violence.

Andy: Rambo does have its moments where it is somewhat entertaining, but even those end up feeling problematic. Many of the action sequences are full of over-the-top ultra-violence that moviegoers have come to expect from the Rambo franchise. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing is left for the individual audience member to decide. For me, this type of violence works one of two ways. Either it is done in jest, almost as a parody of violence (Kill Bill), or it is done in earnest to illustrate some type of horror (Saving Private Ryan). Rambo falls somewhere in the middle, and that makes the violence mostly awkward and sometimes offensive.

Ryan: I will agree with Andy that Rambo is one of the most gruesomely violent movies that I've ever seen. This movie is not for everybody. But with that said, I think most moviegoers who want to watch this movie know what they are getting into so the level of violence should not be a surprise. If anything it was a change of pace to watch a straight-ahead, in-your-face, R-rated action movie. So many action flicks anymore are either overly stylized or drastically sanitized. Rambo is neither of those notions. It's ironic to think of a Rambo movie as being refreshing to the action picture genre.

Andy: This movie is at its best when there is no dialogue. Stallone must have realized this weakness in his script because he gives his title character very few lines. He mostly mugs at the camera and doesn't talk. This is a good plan, because when the characters were talking, it was frequently inadvertently funny. The most guilty party was female lead Julie Benz, who may have an early edge for Razzie nomination for worst performance by a female in a leading role.

Rambo might work for some moviegoers but it didn't work for me. Final grade: D+.

Ryan: There's no denying that Rambo was a high-octane theatre experience. At the same time the critic in me feels like I should point out that the movie is absurdly ridiculous when one stops and thinks about it. Most of the time, that revelation hinders how much I like or respect a movie. I'm not trying to give Rambo a free pass. For whatever reason, I'm willing to overlook the obvious flaws of the film and accept the movie for what it is—a mindless action spectacle. Final grade: B.

The Screen Actor's Guild

The SAG awards were handed out last night. Not many surprises. The Sopranos, 30 Rock and The Office dominated the TV portion of the awards and most of the front runners in the film categories took home the statues. With No County for Old Men winning for best ensemble I would say that film is now primed to win Best Picture at the Oscars. For a complete listing of the winners, click here.

No question... the most memorable moment from last night ceremonies was the acceptance speech by Daniel Day Lewis (who won Best Actor for There Will Be Blood). Not only is he a tremendous actor but he is also a very humble person. He dedicated his win to Heath Ledger and then went on to effortlessly break down two of Ledger's past performances.

Daniel Day Lewis just "gets it."

Do It South Carolina!

Good job...South Carolinians. Barack Obama scored a dominating win in the Democratic Primary on Saturday. Hopefully this momentum will lead to more wins come Super Tuesday (on Feb. 5).

I think this quote by Obama (in last night's victory speech) best sums up why I fiercely support his candidacy..."The choice in this election is not about regions or religions or genders. It's not about rich versus poor, young versus old and it's not about black versus white. It's about the past versus the future."

That last line is the key...the past versus the future. This country needs a new voice...a new direction...and new leadership. Obama is that man.

Further bolstering Obama's momentum is Caroline Kennedy's endorsement of him that appeared in today New York Times.

R.I.P. Heath Ledger

A couple of things about Heath Ledger's untimely death.

1. I know that Ledger's death shouldn't affect me more than say any other 28 year old dying unexpectedly but the reality is that it did. Some of that has to do with my fondness for films but most of it had to with Ledger playing the Joker in the forthcoming Batman movie. Since I'm all about everything Batman...Ledger playing the Joker (and from the looks of it...doing a damn good job) was a big deal in Ryan's world.

2. The news coverage of this event...especially on Tuesday...was just filled with endless speculation that ultimately just made me shut the TV off. The media seemed certain to cast Ledger's death as not a surprise...that somehow Ledger fit into their preconceived notion of an out of control Hollywood star. Now...that seems to be the furthest thing from the truth. Furthermore there was this notion that was put out there that somehow playing the Joker led to Ledger's demise. That idea really made me sick. Fortunately over the past couple of days, the coverage has matured.

3. I wouldn't say that Ledger was one of my favorite actors but he was a darn good actor. When I heard that he was playing the Joker...I wasn't worried in the least. I haven't seen every film in his catalog but he showed a lot of range. He had a star quality that worked in big budget works--The Patriot and A Knight's Tale...but he also had the acting chops to hold his own in smaller films as well--Monster's Ball and Candy. When those notions came together...Ledger could rise to the occasion. His performance in Brokeback Mountain was the pinnacle of his career. I know the movie is easily dismissed by some people...but he was simply outstanding in the movie. If it wasn't for Phillip Seymour Hoffman...he probably would have won the Oscar. (...not that there's anything wrong with Hoffman winning...). Ultimately in terms of being a quality actor, Ledger was the real deal.

4. I'm not overlooking Ledger's death...but there's not question that what happens with The Dark Knight is of (some) concern to me. Batman-on-film reported that Ledger was completely finished with the movie--in terms of filming in post-production work. With Ledger's Joker being the center of the current marketing campaign, there's no doubt that Warner Bros. is at a crossroads in how to proceed with the marketing. And there's no question now...that the movie is going to take on a whole new meaning...in being Ledger's last work.

But all that will be dealt with in time.

"Cloverfield" Movie Review

This week we watched the J.J. Abrams produced, Matt Reeves directed thriller Cloverfield (R). Seen entirely through a handheld video camera, Cloverfield documents a night when New York City is attacked by some sort of giant monster and all of the ensuing chaos.

Ryan: It is has been awhile since I’ve been so conflicted about a movie. Cloverfield, from the film to my expectations of it, is draped in contradictions. On the surface the movie seems fresh and original but ultimately has a story that is about as traditional as a Hollywood story gets. It’s a film that promised a big payoff (of some kind) but didn’t deliver. It's a film that looks like it was made on the cheap side but in fact has a strong production value. My biggest dilemma with the movie is that I respect what the filmmakers did but don’t feel the need to go out and tell people that they have to watch this movie right away.

Andy: First of all, I was very entertained by Cloverfield. The entire movie is a gimmick, and sometimes that can be disastrous for a movie, but this one held up pretty well the entire time. As Ryan was alluding to, the inventive nature of the movie is what makes it worth watching. It’s nothing that hasn’t really been done before (Blair Witch Project), but the idea of having a movie that is simply a “found” piece of video is intriguing enough that it can work in moderation. If a whole lot of movies like this start coming out it will be annoying, but it nice to see someone play with this (sub)genre every 8-10 years or so.

Ryan: It is only credible to address the movie in the framework of the internet-driven marketing campaign which--at least for me--did hype up my desire to see the movie. From the very beginning the movie was cloaked in secrecy. The speculation ran rampant that it might be Godzilla or even a Voltron movie. And while those notions now seem completely ridiculous, there is no doubt that in the back of my mind I was expecting some sort of mind-blowing revelation with regard to what was going on in the movie. Normally I have nobody but myself to blame when my expectations go out of whack but in this I case I feel somewhat deceived.

Andy: It is clear that the way the movie was advertised had a strong affect on many moviegoers perception of the movie. For me, it was clear that something big is attacking New York City, and we are seeing through the eyes of an ordinary person with a video camera. I would have actually preferred less of a payoff than the movie ends up giving. We end up getting more information and better views of the monster than I expected. With an ad campaign shrouded in mystery, I would have liked to see the events of the movie remain fairly clouded even at the end.

Ryan: In the You Tube world that we live in it shouldn't be to surprising that a movie would come along and raise the bar that the Blair Witch Project set some eight-plus years ago. The fact that Abrams and company were able to shoot a melodrama-driven monster movie on nothing but hand held cameras with a largely unknown cast is impressive. Although the movie made me borderline nauseous at times with the amateur-ish camera work, Cloverfield does succeed in being different from the majority of genre pictures that make it to the silver screen. Ultimately I'm still processing exactly what the difference truly means.

Andy: Ultimately, Cloverfield is a clever piece of work. At times it seems to be focusing too much on the story of the people involved instead of the madness happening in the city around them. The “video” that the audience is watching is taped over a video one of the characters made of a random day a few weeks earlier, and occasionally a few seconds of that video creep into the disaster video. The device is effective, as it allows us to see some of the characters humanized in brief snippets. Just like the movie as a whole, it doesn’t work perfectly, but it is both entertaining and interesting.

Cloverfield is not great, but it is different enough that it is worth watching. Final grade: B-.

Tony Dungy is the Man

By now most everyone knows that Tony Dungy will be back as coach of the Indianapolis Colts. This pleases me. Dungy is a great football coach (as well as a stand up guy). But mostly...he knows how to win football games.

Now I know...after the Chargers loss...that there was a feeling among some Colts fans that if Dungy left that it wasn't going to be that bad for the team. From their perspective they respect what Dungy brought to the organization and city but if he chose to leave they weren't going to be that upset mainly because Dungy does have his fair share of playoff disappointment. I'll concede that there has been some gut-wrenching playoff losses. The 2005 loss to the Steelers and this year's loss to the Charges are hard to swallow because in both instances the Colts had a first round bye and home field advantage. But one can't overlook the fact that Dungy and Colts did win a Super Bowl. More importantly with Dungy at the helm (and Manning under center) the Colts are always going to be in playoff contention. With Dungy's coaching ability and with the personal on the team the Colts are going to be in position to make a Super Bowl run year-after- year. I think that's really all one can ask for. You have to be in position (make the playoffs) to make a run. Because in a lot of ways...I see the NFL playoffs as almost like the MLB playoffs in that it's almost a crap shoot. The '05 Steelers came out of nowhere. The Colts came out of nowhere. Not many people gave this year's Giants much of chance to do anything in the playoffs.

But it seems not everyone is convinced that having Dungy back is the best idea. Indy Star sports columnist, Bob Kravitz, gives his usual (muck-raking) take that Dungy is being somewhat of a hypocrite by putting football above family (whereas he preaches to put family first). On the surface I see what he is saying... but he's completely off base. Kravtiz mentions that Dungy has the financial freedom to spend all his free time with his family and that he doesn't need football. That's true...but what kind of example is that. The fact is...that most...I would say 99% of men have to work to support their families. This to me seems pretty basic. For the most part the men that Dungy is inspiring are fellow football players who are away from their family a lot of times. So what Dungy is showing is that a man can work...be away from their family and still be a quality father. He is leading by example... by showing that it can be done...that one can be a quality father while having a time-consuming job. So what's so bad about that Kravitz.

For a more well-rounded take of Dungy's decision to stay, read Len Pasquarelli's column on espn.com.

Academy Award Nominations

The 80th Academy Award Nominations have been been announced.

Click here to see the entire list.

My initial reaction...not too many surprises. American Gangster was virtually shot out of every major category but I don't find that too surprising. Tommy Lee Jones scoring a nod for In the Valley of Elah is kind of surprising mainly because that movie failed to register at all with audiences (Although...I've heard good things about it...It's on my Netflix list). The race is still wide open in what will win best picture. Of note I must toot my own horn (a little bit). About a month ago I predicted the best picture nominees and I missed it by one (darn you Charlie Wilson's War). Four out of five...not to shabby.