Film Review: Rambo: Last Blood

"I Want Revenge. I Want Them To Know That Death Is Coming, And There Is Nothing They Can Do To Stop It..."

Seemingly taking the most out of his latter career surge after impressive performances within the likes of Creed, Creed II and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Sylvester Stallone returns to his second most iconic cinematic role in the form of the rugged Vietnam veteran, John Rambo, for the aptly named, Rambo: Last Blood, an impressively ultra-violent revenge flick which takes the central plot of Taken and attempts to mix it with the rugged, nihilistic and contemplative nature of something like James Mangold's thoroughly impressive and similarly gruesome, Logan. Co-written by Stallone but directed by Adrian Grunberg, famous so far for directing the Mel Gibson starring, Get the Gringo, alongside credits on the likes of the incredibly memorable, Apocalypto, Last Blood sees Stallone's retired Rambo now content with seeing out the remainder of his peaceful days on a dusty ranch in the outskirts of Arizona, U.S, until his beloved niece is of course captured by sadistic Mexican human traffickers when she pops across the border in order to catch up with her long lost father, a decision of which her knife-loving Uncle tells her to disregard from the outset. 

Whilst I can admit to not seeing every release in the Rambo franchise, let alone remember anything about them, Last Blood doesn't really "feel" like the typical Rambo film, with the central revenge narrative conforming to every single cliche and stereotype ever created in the history of cinema, and whilst most audience members don't exactly head into a Rambo movie ready for two hours of heavy contemplations and art-house stylisms, Last Blood does eventually get to the set pieces which action fans will either lap up with gleeful joy or turn their heads at in disgust at how simply sadistic Mr. Rambo's latest human cull actually is. With more knife-welding murders than most slasher flicks and some overly disturbing kills which I think even John Wick would admit to going slightly too far, First Blood is the most violent big screen film I can remember since Overlord, but with an overly wacky and absurdist sensibility, Stallone's latest is a good old fashioned carnival of carnage which passes the time nicely and shouldn't be taken seriously at all in the ilk of the good old fashioned 80's action flicks of which the character of John Rambo helped build in the first place.  

Overall Score: 5/10

Film Review: Creed II

"People Like Me, We Live In The Past. You Got People That Need You Now. You Got Everything To Lose, This Guy Has Got Nothing To Lose..."

Boosting the career of Ryan Coogler into the international stratosphere, 2016's Creed remains arguably the most entertaining and thrilling entry into the Rocky franchise since the Oscar winning original, one which brought the leading boxing film series back into the eyes of critical admiration and most crucially, managed to place Everton's beautifully old fashioned Goodison Park onto the big screen. With Coogler too busy to return to directorial duties, American filmmaker Steven Caple Jr. takes the reigns for a sequel which sees Michael B. Jordan's (Black Panther) Adonis Creed be crowned as the new heavyweight champion of the world after a successful win against former foe, Danny "Stuntman" Wheeler, a title which is soon challenged from across the East when Creed is called out to partake in a high profile grudge match against the son of Dolph Lundgren's (The Expendables 3) Ivan Drago, the Soviet Union muscle machine responsible for the death of Creed's father in Rocky IV. With stakes higher than ever before, Creed II follows a very familiar and welcome filmic sensibility to Coogler's re-shuffling of the tried and trusted boxing genre back in 2016, with Caple Jr. using the most cinematic of sports as a secondary measure to a story which centres on notions of grief, regret and ultimately redemption within a movie which wonderfully offers once again a much deeper and thematically complex narrative backbone than one would expect from what is essentially a big budget Hollywood sporting blockbuster. 

By immediately accepting its' role and responsibility of the Hollywood sequel with welcome arms from the offset, Creed II utilises a two hour plus runtime to balance expanded characterisation with gorgeous sporting spectacle, and with a central key narrative arc regarding the pressures of living up to individual legacy running parallel within both the tightly wound Creed party and the fiendish Drago camp, Caple Jr.'s movie impressively manages to focus enough on both protagonist and antagonist to allow an empathetic view into the trials and tribulations of their individual lives, ones separated not only by country but by lifestyle too. Offering bolder and bigger orchestrated set pieces, including not one, but two superb fights involving Creed and Drago, the narrative at times does sway into cliche, particularly to audiences already well versed in the ways and means of the Rocky franchise, but with beautiful dialogue and complex character development which carries on from the groundwork already put in by Coogler and co in the film's predecessor, emotional involvement is achieved with astounding ease, resulting in you peering through your fingers as you witness the young Creed battle through broken ribs and busted eyes against the intimidating and physically mountainous presence of Florian Munteanu's similarly youthful Drago. With the choreography of the central fights executed to an excellent degree and the long awaited ringside reunion between Stallone and Lundgren as gleefully exciting as the diner scene between Pacino and De Niro in the masterful Heat, Creed II is everything I expected from a follow-up to one of my favourite films of 2016 and even without the presence of Ryan Coogler, the latest Rocky picture is superb sporting cinema. 

Overall Score: 8/10

88th Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actor

Best Supporting Actor

Here we are once again... The 88th Academy Awards is upon us, swiftly bringing with it a rafter of talent, talent that has simmered and shone throughout a cinematic year in which bears have been fought, evil deeds exposed and Mexican drug-lords being dispatched quicker than you can whisper Sicario. Beginning Black Ribbon's venture and exploration into the realms of Oscar Nomination goodness is the category of Best Supporting Actor, an award currently clutched onto by the majestic J.K Simmons for his electric portrayal of Terrence Fletcher in last years Whiplash, Black Ribbon's favourite film of 2016. Aiming to steal the limelight from under Mr. Simmons' shoes is a string of actors well accustomed to critical acclaim in the past with theatre legend Mark Rylance being nominated for his role in Steven Spielberg's Cold War thriller Bridge of Spies, Christian Bale for Wall Street comedy-drama The Big Short, Tom Hardy for his role in the sublime The Revenant, and of course, Mark Ruffalo for the equally brilliant Spotlight. Oh yeah, and there's Sylvester Stallone for Creed. 

Looking at the bookies and by word of mouth on the movie grapevine, favourite this year for winning the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor lies on the shoulders of both Mr. Stallone for Creed and Mr. Rylance for Bridge of Spies, with both being successful at previous movie ceremonies; Stallone at the Golden Globes and Rylance at the BAFTA's. As for those who may have been overlooked, both Benicio Del Toro for Sicario and Idris Elba for Beasts of No Nation would have been potential winners for their roles in two superb films, whilst the fear of Oscar white-washing isn't helped by the fact that the cast from Straight Outta Compton was completely ignored, particularly Jason Mitchell for his role as Eazy-E. It maybe just me, but the inclusion of any of these overlooked talents may have made this years' ceremony a bit more thrilling. Anyway, here are the nominations:

Mark Rylance - Bridge of Spies

Christian Bale - The Big Short

Tom Hardy - The Revenant

Sylvester Stallone - Creed

Mark Ruffalo - Spotlight

Next Time: Best Supporting Actress!

Film Review: Creed

"One Step At A Time. One Punch A Time. One Round At A Time..."

If last year's Southpaw was an example of cinematic cliches at his finest when it comes to live-action takes on the world of boxing, then the return of Philadelphia's finest in Creed proves that the final nail in the coffin is not entirely sealed in place within both live-action takes on the sport itself and the everlasting Rocky series in which many thought had died all those years ago with the less-than impressive Rocky V. Then Rocky Balboa happened and everyone suddenly pricked up their ears again, wondering whether there was still life in the old dog yet. Now we have Creed, the second feature from director Ryan Coogler, the man behind the critically acclaimed Fruitvale Station and the upcoming Marvel addition, Black Panther, who, reunited with Michael B. Jordan, has succeeded in regaining popular interest within the land of The Italian Stallion through the age-old winner of adding deep substance over style, with Creed being a exciting and engaging sports drama which attempts to delve deeper into the characters rather than focus detrimentally on that of the sport and the twelve rounds that tend to follow.

Estranged from birth from his biological father Apollo Creed, Adonis "Donnie" Johnson (Jordan) is eager to follow in his deceased fathers' footsteps without the need to rely on his fathers' reputation to gain success and exposure. Travelling from Los Angeles to Philadelphia, Donnie locates the aged Rocky Balboa (Stallone) and asks to be trained and supervised under his arm. After success at a local fight, Donnie's hidden identity as a Creed is revealed, resulting in a chance to fight the fiery "Pretty" Ricky Conlan (Tony Bellew), the world light heavyweight champion, yet Donnie's initial enthusiasm slowly turns to reluctance in fear of damaging the reputation of his father as well as letting down the one man his father new best, Rocky Balboa. Where Creed ultimately succeeds is in its' similarity to the formula used to make Rocky II, which happens to be my own personal favourite in the entire Rocky canon, with the dramatic final fight being possibly the greatest to be seen throughout the series so far. Adding to the drama of the first sequel within the series is a deeper sense of characterisation and a tightly woven comedic element that was strangely absent from its' predecessor and it is these elements that Creed seems to abide by in its' many successes. Interesting characters with complex emotions, a desire to channel between the dark and light subject matters, and two fights that earn the right to be shown on the biggest screen possible. It's cinematic sport at its' peak.

Although fundamentally a Rocky flick, the films' core is with the rising star that is Michael B. Jordan, an actor who after tasting success with HBO's The Wire has gone on to much bigger things, although not always good, with last years' Fantastic Four being a triumphant disaster, yet his performance in Creed is that of a man who has taken his character to heart, using the big emotional speeches to enhance an understanding of a character who without a father figure in his life has attempted to form his own fate. Add into the mix Sly Stallone as the ever-aging Balboa, and the films' father figure is presented, with the relationship between the two being ultimately the cornerstone of the movie with arguably the sport coming second. Is Creed the best film in the Rocky canon? Arguably, with its' reliance on similarity, particularly in the fundamentally limited conclusions that can occur within a boxing match, being the one major criticism, as harsh as that ultimately sounds, yet that alone does not thwart the chance that Creed is perhaps the single greatest sports film of the last few years. Welcome back Italian Stallion.

Overall Score: 8/10

   

The Expendables 3 - Quicky Review - SPOILERS

So if you're expecting a critical analysis of Expendables 3, I would recommend you close this window. Renowned for its historic cast of action/adventure actors and its excessive action, the series was always going to be a hit. Expendables 3 is no different, just a few new faces to spice it up a little. In all fairness, the series in general isn't something you can look at and go, "These movies are solid pieces of theatre art". It just doesn't work that way. Not many action movies can really collect such praise from critics but draw a lot of support from fans for the real reason many people watch them. They're fun. It’s the genre for the everyday man, not those who likeability sits firmly in the off position.

When we look at the Expendables, we see a big cast that has shifted fairly regularly over the series. This time around instead of having Bruce Willis playing Church, Harrison Ford took his place by killing Church off for good (Turns out Willis wanted £1million a day for filming). Of course we have the regular crew back but unfortunately, one of my favourites - Terry Crews - sat out for the majority of the film. Perhaps due to other commitments but at least we got to see him in action. Returning original Jet Li was also back in the fold and it was publicised heavily of his involvement but with only 5 minutes of actual screen time, I'm sad to say that it was a bit of a waste of time for him to have even turned up. Not entirely new and fresh, Arnie is back but this time he actually features throughout the movie getting his hands dirty and obviously we also have Wesley Snipes. Charged for Tax evasion, his return to the big screen ironically began in a train convoy returning to his black ops prison cell. With a little joke about his conviction thrown in, Snipes was an OG Expendable from the very beginning. After going a little mad for money, he got himself caught and went dark for 8 years. Once Barney Ross (Stallone) caught wind of his location, the plan was set into action and as you've probably seen in the trailers, he was busted out. With his help, the crew immediately go to a new destination to retrieve a bomb for the CIA. However, another OG Expendable by the name of Stonebanks (Mel Gibson) turns up even though Barney supposedly killed him many years back. Making a new name for himself and taking control of his own personal army, Stonebanks is now a billionaire weapons dealer who after finding out Barney was after him, sets out to cause him equal pain. Now you may be wondering who the new lot are and why they are even there. It turns out that after the encounter with Stonebanks, Barney retires the old group for their own safety in favour of a new crew who can hold their own but are a little messed up supplied by Kelsey Grammer. These include MMA's Victor Ortiz & Ronda Rousey, actor and model Kellan Lutz and Glen Powell, joined in the final third by the not so fresh faced Atonio Banderas to take down Stonebanks for good. As ever, not everything goes to plan and the old crew jump back into the fray to help. Out of the new group, my least favourite is Kellan. When trying to act as this big hard man, he looks like he's posing for a glamour shoot and it's fairly off-putting. Not including the fact that his character is a dick and his acting is awful.

Now that's out of the way, let’s get to what the movie is really about, the action. Its extremely fun and flows really well throughout. Enough explosions to give Michael Bay a hard-on the size of the Eiffel Tower, hand to hand combat with the experience of MMA fighters to really demonstrate how it’s actually done and general chaos and anarchy that they've always done so well. Obviously it wouldn't be an action movie without a bit of a cheese fest and witty one liners and they kindly obliged with some hilariously funny quips from their previous roles or history. Although the acting is pretty awful, in the face of stunts and action scenes, many of the characters were very competent. Ronda sticks out the most to me. In the final action sequence, she has quite the scene which really displays her UFC prowess. Moves that were incredibly well choreographed with a blend of music and shifts between a few other characters did help to create atmosphere within in the building that was set to blow. The only iffy bit of action was between Barney and Stonebanks. The acting and script for the scene was frankly laughable.

So if you got this far, cheers. Many of you probably just want the basics and seeing that I've run out of steam, here it is. Poor acting, awesome cast of classics and newbies, hella fun and Michael Bay's wet dream. Go watch it, have some fun and see the reason films exist. 6/10 for the outcome but that really shouldn't count. PS - Have a creepy photo of Snipes down below...