First Blood 2nd Best

The June 24, 2007 issue of The Calgary Sun has an article by Kevin Williamson who lists his choices for the Top Ten Action Films of the 80's. First Blood comes in second and here's what he has to say:

2. FIRST BLOOD (1982): Sylvester Stallone's brutish, brooding alter-ego is now indefensible as anything but a churlish Reagan-era joke. But this inaugural outing, in which the psychologically scarred Vietnam vet John Rambo runs afoul of a hick police force, is, in retrospect, remarkable for its comparative restraint.

Click HERE for the full article. - Craig

Adam Shippee's Rambo

SZoner, Adam Shippee is back with another Rambo piece! - Craig

Rambo II One of the Best

The June 22, 2007 issue of Entertainment Weekly lists their choices for the Top 25 Action Movies of All Time and they follow up on their on-line site with the top 50. Rambo, First Blood Part II came in at 35 and here's what they had to say:

35. RAMBO: FIRST BLOOD PART II

Directed by George P. Cosmatos (1985)

Here's where Rambo gets elevated from wounded Vietnam veteran trying to find a place in the world to entire-village-slaying, POW-rescuing American myth. Written by James Cameron (at the same time he was writing Aliens — busy boy!), this sequel corners like it's on rails, hugging the plot turns and accelerating straight through to the speechifying finish.

The same issue of Entertainment Weekly has an interview with Bruce Willis where Sly's connection to "Die Hard" is discussed:

EW: I've read that you were the studio's fifth choice to play John McClane...
BW: Oh, I think I was the 50th choice! They went to everybody.
EW: I've heard Richard Gere...
BW: I heard that.
EW: Arnold Schwarzenegger...
BW: Clint Eastwood...
EW: Stallone and Burt Reynolds...
BW: [Laughs] Burt Reynolds? All of those guys probably would've been great John McClanes.

- Craig

Rocky Cards

I've received my "Rocky Balboa" cards from Miguel and boy, do they look great! Definitely worth the wait, and a great addition to any Rocky / Stallone fan's collection! Click HERE to learn more! - Craig

A. Thomas Schomberg Interview, Part 2

A. Thomas Schomberg is the creator of the world famous Rocky Balboa statue. Mr. Schomberg is one of the most intelligent, articulate and talented people that you could ever meet. The man is also one of the nicest. I thoroughly enjoyed my lengthy conversation with him about his career and specifically his role in creating one of the most recognized symbols in the world, the Rocky Balboa statue. Here's part two of the interview [and part one, if you missed it]. I hope you enjoy it half as much as I did. - Craig

Rocky Minimates

SZoners might want to alert their local comic shop if they're interested in getting the latest Rocky 2 Minimates. There is also an exclusive Rocky & Adrian set. - Craig

Adam Shippee's Rambo

SZoner, Adam Shippee is back with his best piece yet! He just keeps getting better and better! - Craig

DailyMail's Sly Profile

On June 8, 2007, the DailyMail.co.uk posted published a really nice piece about Sly. Here are some of the highlights:

• His most memorable characters have been men of sparse vocabulary (Rambo) and talkative fists (Rocky), and yet the Sylvester Stallone who ambles into LA's Peninsula Hotel couldn't be further removed from his cinematic creations.
  
  
• An elegant man of more than a few words, he is well-read (he quotes Shakespeare) and witty, confounding one's expectations while at the same time sending up his persona.
  
  
• "My image is never really going to change," he says ruefully, "and despite my physical appearance, I'm not a bully at all; I'm just the opposite. I like a laugh, I like a good turn of phrase and I don't go around looking for people to punch. I am," he chuckles to himself, "Hugh Grant trapped inside the body of a thug."
  
  
• ...when Rocky Balboa was released earlier this year, it came out to almost universal praise.
  
  
• ...sometimes I look back and think where I'd be now if I'd taken the wrong turning, and I know I'd be at the intersection of Oblivion Street and Extinction Avenue. But it made me fight and it made me what I am."
  
  
• He is, he admits, much calmer now, although turning 60 last July "did freak me out. I was feeling pretty good, and then I looked in the mirror and went: 'Who stole my face and replaced it with a bag of mutton?'
  
  
• "You think when you get to 60 that you'll have life covered, that nothing will scare you any more, but it just doesn't happen that way. It's baffling to realise that you can get to 60 and still not have the answers. I still have my moments of doubt and at times, I'm still a loner, but those moments are more reflective now rather than angry."
  
  
• Sly's next movie "John Rambo"... has already caused a huge buzz on the internet, and well over seven million viewers watched a threeminute clip within days of its release on the net.
  
  
• Judging by the clip, it will not be a film for the faint-hearted, but then neither is the subject matter... "For 60 years, the worst genocide on the planet has been going on," says Stallone. "It's horrific stuff - crushed heads on spikes, children being burned alive, rape being taught by the army - and it's been happening in Burma... This stuff was so brutal, I had to force myself to write it. It's based on fact and I'm hoping to go before the UN with it because I feel it's important for people to realise what's been going on."

To see the full article, click HERE. It's definitely worth a look! - Craig

A. Thomas Schomberg Interview

A. Thomas Schomberg is the creator of the world famous Rocky Balboa statue. Mr. Schomberg is one of the most intelligent, articulate and talented people that you could ever meet. The man is also one of the nicest. I thoroughly enjoyed my lengthy conversation with him about his career and specifically his role in creating one of the most recognized symbols in the world, the Rocky Balboa statue. Here's part one of the interview. I hope you enjoy it half as much as I did. - Craig

Rambo Fan Art

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