Moreno's Rambo Teaser

SZoner, Gerardo Moreno sent in another great digital piece! Thanks to Gerardo for sharing. You can check out his site by clicking HERE. - Craig

Rocky is Iconic

When you think of iconic characters from movies, Rocky Balboa is probably one of the first that comes to mind. It is for Sharon Ebersole of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette who did an article on movie's iconic characters. Here's what she had to say about Rocky Balboa:

Rocky, Sylvester Stallone

- Why him?: We love to root for an underdog, and who was more of an underdog than the Italian Stallion, a minor Philly pugilist and reluctant thug who gets the chance of a lifetime -- a shot at the heavyweight title. Like Chaplin's Tramp, Rocky is Stallone's own creation, as writer, director and star of the original.

- The films: "Rocky I-V" (1976-95) and "Rocky Balboa" (2006).

- The look: In the beginning, an oversized, worn leather jacket and sweats hide a muscular physique that's later revealed to his lady love while he's wearing a "beater" T. But nothing beats his boxing robes, with advertisement space sold by his future brother-in-law, Paulie.

- The walk and the talk: Rocky goes from slouched and slow to a guy on the run -- through the streets of Philadelphia and up the steps of the art museum, as he gets in shape for the big fight and begins a real-life Philly tradition. The gruff and mumbly voice and sometimes slurred speech (partly because of paralysis to the left side of Stallone's face) can be tender and mumbly, too.

- Signature line: "Yo, Adrian."

To see the full article, click HERE. - Craig

"John Rambo" Trailer Tips Hand?

Andrew Wallenstein of the Hollywood Reporter has an article about the "John Rambo" trailer reprinted at NorthJersey.com. Here are some excerpts [emphasis is mine]:

• After just three days on YouTube, the "Rambo" sneak peek has emerged as one of the biggest attractions on the site; two different clips have racked up more than 400,000 views each. That's impressive given the franchise has been in deep freeze for nearly two decades.
  
  
• A carefully crafted crescendo of ultraviolence, the clip culminates in a phantasmagoria of carnage the action genre hasn't served up in decades.
  
  
• Setting expectations for "Rambo" with an entrails-filled trailer could prove problematic if Stallone and company don't deliver a final cut that maintains the violence quotient, notes Eric Lichtenfeld, author of "Action Speaks Louder: Violence, Spectacle, and the American Action Movie," which recently was published in a revised and expanded edition by Wesleyan University Press. "If they end up cutting back on the violence, what will the reaction be?" Lichtenfeld says. "There could be an interesting backlash."
  
  
• "I think it's possible Stallone wants to see what kind of reaction the gore is going to get," says Lichtenfeld, who believes an unrated DVD version could be an option.

Wallenstein brings up some interesting points in regard to the violence in the trailer and how it will effect the final cut of the movie if it stays in... or if it is edited out. For the full article click HERE. - Craig

"John Rambo" Fan Poster

Mariano Perez is part of cultozeta.com.ar, Argentina. It is an 80s and 90s "retro" page and they are big Stallone fans. They specifically support Argentinean films from those years, but want to expand to talk about foreign films too. In their forum they have fans commenting and talking a lot about the new Rambo movie. So they created a new "John Rambo" teaser poster to show other fans how much they like Stallone in their part of the world. - Craig

Hometeam

SZoner, Sherry Hutchison is back with her latest Stallone painting, "Hometeam." She welcomes comments to Sherry_Hutchison@yahoo.com - Craig

Rambo, Again!

From the May 28, 2007 issue of People sent in by Ernest "Jazzman" Resendes. - Craig

Australian Case Resolved

The Australian court case against Sly was resolved on Monday [Australian time] when he was fined $2,452 and ordered to pay court costs of $10,000. Although Sly faced a maximum penalty of $18,000 on each of two charges, the judge reduced the figure significantly because Sly had shown remorse. - Craig

AICN: "John Rambo" Premiere Footage

Ain't It Cool News scored 3 minutes and 29 seconds of premiere footage of "John Rambo." Although it is amazing... it is exciting... it is NOT for all ages. Sly assembled the footage to show overseas distributors.

Click HERE or HERE to see it. Big props to Harry at Ain't It Cool News for getting the ball rolling!

It's a great time to be a Stallone fan! - Craig

Sly Pleads Guilty & Explains

On Tuesday, May 15, 2007, Sly had his lawyers enter a “guilty” plea in regard to the recent charges of importing vials of human growth hormone into Australia. Although Sly was not in attendance at court [nor required to be], he issued the following statements through his lawyers, "I made a terrible mistake, not because I was attempting to deceive anyone but I was simply ignorant to your official rules... I feel terrible that my breach of the rules has set a poor example to members of the public, whose opinion I cherish dearly... I have never supported the use of illegal drugs or engaged in any illegal activities in my entire life... Years ago I was diagnosed with a condition and my doctors prescribed human growth hormone and testosterone for its treatment. Under medical supervision I have continued to use both medications." Sly went on to say that he was carrying large amounts of HGH because he was going to be on location for three months in Thailand while filming “John Rambo.” Sly’s attorney said that Sly has been taking HGH under medical supervision for at least six years, and did not realize that he needed a license to bring them into Australia.

Sly is scheduled to receive his sentence on Monday. Most likely he will receive a fine. Sly faces a maximum penalty of $18,000 on each of the two charges. Jail time is not an option since the matter is being heard locally.

2 New Rambo Pics

Two more stills have found their way to the net at Las Horas Perdida. The pic above is a cropped image. Click HERE to see both full pics! - Craig

John Rambo in Action!

SZoner, "SlytheBest" posted a huge version of the above photo on the SZ Messageboard! The movie just keeps looking better and better! - Craig

Sly in London

The UK Daily Mail website has some recent photos of Sly along with a pretty unflattering article. The good news is that the reader posts are very positive. You can see the whole article HERE.
- Craig

Dave Johnson's "Get Carter"

Dave Johnson flat out is the man! This is my second piece by the Rev and I hope it's not my last by a long shot! - Craig

Matt Wagner's "You Don't Want to Know Me"

I've been a Matt Wagner fan for nearly 25 years! I never dreamed that I'd be able to get a Stallone piece from Matt. Still, I made a point to meet and talk with him at FX 2007. What a great guy! Matt went way above and beyond all expectations. I can't thank him enough! - Craig

Darwyn Cooke's "Vegas Man"

Darwyn Cooke is one of my favorite artists. His work can be seen in DC's monthly Will Eisner's The Spirit. I made the trip to MegaCon on the final day of the show JUST to get a CHANCE of a sketch from Darwyn. I got the last sketch on the last day of the show! - Craig

Mike Perkins' "I Was the Law"

I caught up with Mike Perkins at the FX show earlier this year. Since Mike is from England a Dredd piece seemed right. - Craig

3D Sly

SZoner, Hennie Blaauw sent in a link to the above photo and artist's info. Damien Canderle made the 3D model based on the famous Kruger painting of Sly.

Thanks to Hennie for the link! - Craig