Rocky revisits the Soviets.

 

Sylvester Stallone is planning to release director’s cut of Rocky IV to thirty-fifth Anniversary of the film. Ten years ago was the last time when he was sitting on a chair. I will make observe on his movies where he was a director.

 

Success or Rocky gave opportunity for Stallone to take director’s deputy combined with leading role and scriptwriting of his novel Paradise Alley, which he wanted to adapt before Rocky. His character Cosmo Carboni isn’t a tough guy, which are usually Stallone’s heroes, what makes a pleasure to see actor’s performing talent in this side. Cosmo and his two brothers Lenny Carboni and Victor Carboni, whom performed Armand Assante (his first pivotal film role.) and professional boxer Lee Canalito (who greatly performed his personage.) are fighting for survival in New York of year 1946. They are looking for methods for earn money (film has a brilliant scene with monkey on the street.). Spectacular debut from director, who several times was forgetting to say “Action” on set. I was impressed how changing brothers in process of getting with finances. Stallone regrets that he was allowing to editing his film by Universal Pictures, which lost forty scenes. I would like to see these scenes and it will better if Stallone will return to this film. He made atmospheric story and characters, which tragic story has Big Glory in stunning performance of Frank McRae. Stallone showed life of Hell’s Kitchen.

Paradise Alley wasn’t a profitable movie and United Artists haven’t trust to actor in directing of Rocky II, but producers Robert Chartoff and Irwin Winkler made confident the studio that he can bring success for Rocky II, because huge achievement of the first film belongs to Stallone. Director of the first film John G. Avildsen didn’t helm the second part due of screenplay disagrees with actor and his busyness in Saturday Night Fever, which production he soon left by producer Robert Stigwood firing with whom was also differences on what film is must to be. Stallone directly continues Rocky by following Avildsen’s directing style in which he reaches identity. Rocky II as any his movies, which can discuss on scene building. Stallone became master in directing since debut of Paradise Alley what can say without changes on qualities of acting and scriptwriting. Rocky wants to find a job doesn’t connect with boxing. Retirement from sport was in original ending of the first film, which it wasn’t used to fortunate where for fight money he buys a zoo shop for his girlfriend Adrian. Everything will go against his wish and Rocky will return to boxing on rematch with Apollo Creed. Stallone worked on himself physically by using services of world bodybuilder champion Franco Columbo whom due of then haughty he pushed on weight completion in Columbo’s garage, which finished in biceps explosion for him. Darkening in eyes and over his weakened body was flying Columbo’s one-eyed owl in words of Stallone.

Rocky III allowed to didn’t follow to format and Sylvester Stallone gave dynamic to whole tremendous story of holding championship Rocky Balboa where a main opponent Clubber Lang was acted by Mr. T who wasn’t the first and the last discovery by Stallone and who became popular after his film. Frozen shot of going to kick each other boxers, which turns to painting and simultaneously playing of main film’s song Eye of Tiger is genius of directing. Survivor’s melody is one of accidents in films with Sylvester Stallone. He wanted to get rights on Another One Bites the Dust by Queen, but was refused in them. Joe Esposito wrote and sang You’re the Best specially for Rocky III. Sylvester Stallone rejected, which two years later became a titular song of The Karate Kid directed by John G. Avildsen. Stallone asked Survivor.

Saturday Night Fever hasn’t elaborated story and I wasn’t interested in it, which was suffocating in abnormal deeds of a main character. John Travolta chose Stallone for film continuation calls Staying Alive. Sly will express dissatisfaction on directing many years later. He would be changed mood tone on “darker and grittier”. No less interesting, but I like a having version. Perfect decision of director that in characters of previous part he left Tony Manero, whose body was beautifully pumped, and short appearance of his mother. Leading personage is interesting in unstable personality due of egoistic quality of a man who behaves by own wishes and willn’t change in gotten chance. Fine combination with Manero’s struggling for Broadway. Stage of dancing scenes bring to hyping condition. If it would existed, I would wish to see show in overall length by Sylvester Stallone who makes soulmate films. His intrusions in filming process always are useful in contrast of people who are thinking their direction will fit. Sylvester Stallone doesn’t makes mistakes in choosing of music. His brother Frank Stallone and his Far From Over. I never had criticizing view on inviting of relatives. I don’t see wrong if this person can do it what confirms Staying Alive.

Sly Stallone’s characters fights with Russians in two films of 1985. Rambo: First Blood Part 2 and directed by him Rocky IV, which is world breakthrough role for Dolph Lundgren, who plays impressing without words Ivan Drago. Swede was chosen before on Lieutenant Colonel Podovsky, a main villain of Rambo 2. Realized it Stallone call off Lundgren from a film, where part took Steven Berkoff, who was a needful actor for this character. Director wanted to make boxing in real and by that he did a personal mistake turned in hospital in short time. Sly as in any battle of Rocky urges to worry for his character. Tension is always inside of me when I’m watching a match where he can’t win by score. I have similar feeling in kick in the eye and Duke Evers says “You see! He’s not a machine, he’s a man!” Bill Conti wrote memorable tracks for every Rocky film, but in this part he didn’t deal with Sylvester Stallone and on music position was appointed Vince DiCola, who created synth masterpieces Training Montage and War. Twenty years later Stallone will say that he would returned Conti.

NB. Rocky V was presenting a concluding part, which Stallone was thinking in the fourth time on that moment. Director of the first film John G. Avildsen was a man, who got a chair for the fifth. Together they used Avildsen’s idea, which in originally was in Rocky II becomes a mayor, but corruption by Paulie pushes on acceptance of stolen on himself for saving his brother-in-law from a jail. He loses a deputy and family leaves without money. Later Stallone considered as mistake on screenplay of Rocky V. I disagree with him. Finances were stolen and Rocky returns to origins of low-budget life in known for himself Philadelphia is spectacular realized conception to show characters. I like for changing of usual ring on streets in final fight. That’s coming of appeared tension sounds after Tommy Gun knocked out Paulie what releases in battle of two champions who have unlimited methods there. I suppose in them wanted to see who Rocky (whose real name Robert reveals in this part.) was in past. Stallone hired professional wrestler Terry Funk, who played gangster Frankie the Thumper, who had different battles with one of Canalito brothers in Paradise Alley for staging of fight. I am in temptation in Avildsen’s shots in colliding of teacher and betrayed student when sometimes camera falls in rough angle shows of grabbing each other two guys.

Two decade with one year, Sylvester Stallone returns for directing of Rocky Balboa, which was astonishing then in physical abilities of actor’s age. Duke Evers breaks stereotype in starting his speech that Rocky knows everything on boxing, counts his health flaws from where he says a tactical solution. Powerful continuation where the main hero is a sage person who wanted to return on ring. So terrible that theater version doesn’t have a scene where Rocky meets with one of series nice minor characters – a bar owner Andy, who have got troubles with legs. Black-and-white with appearing of other colors as blood under sounds of Bill Conti is masterpiecing ambience of final fight of Rocky with undefeated current world champion Mason “Line” Dixon. Rocky Balboa would be a great conclusion for series to which matches an alternate ending where the main personage wins by score, which urges a true champion.

NB. Creed of exclusions when Sly didn’t participate in rewriting of screenplay. It’s great enhancing of Rocky films and I’m glad that Stallone agreed to act a physical weakness of character. I so believed in step walking, which made worried me for Sly, because I forgot that was acting. But Creed is not a movie by his creator. I accept it as alternative branch of Rocky series.

NB-2. Stallone expressed wish to make Rocky VII inspired on actual migrant topic. I don’t have actor’s enthusiasm in his told conception on Rocky trains illegal inhabitant of the United States of America.

Rambo entered in Oxford Dictionary in meaning “An exceptionally tough, aggressive man”. I don’t agree with definition. Rambo usually calls a man, who openly engages against large group of people and commits extreme things. Stallone made Vietnam war veteran realistic in the fourth film and it has surrounding in raw actuality of Myanmar Civil War. Horrors in people of different ages without limbs where healthy kids forcibly take in soldiers. Merciless of regime soldiers to unarmed civil population of Karen people, whom kills in dozens and it can be in sadistic variants. No regret with what John Rambo and group of mercenaries will do with them. Absence of CGI makes lovable to directing, which follows to realism. That movie made known magnificent actor Graham McTavish, who played mercenary’s leader Lewis with whom since then didn’t play in flick as Rambo. I many times was thinking if First Blood had release with original ending where Rambo asks Colonel Samuel Trautman to kill him and does it by himself when his mentor holds a pistol. Fortunately, test audience shared my view and they rebuffed final scene. One of viewers was wanting to hang up a director on the nearest lantern.

Main action performers in one film Sylvester Stallone was comparing with generals in one place before directing of The Expendables for what I’m glad he did a project and gathered legends. Mercenaries are indisputabl fitting characters. The first part shows necessarily fights between famous actors, which reduced in the second and the third, but that’s not flow. Every part has own greatness. It’s excellent that every newcomer in series becomes quipped on things connecting with him as competition of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone has in their characters Trench Mauser and Barney Ross. It has in iconic church scene in The Expendables where also presents mysterious CIA agent played Bruce Willis where a theater version doesn’t have all together shot. It fixes director’s cut, which I prefer, which tells more on characters, discloses details as how Gunnar Jensen arrived in Vilena, monologue in the beginning and can’t accept cut of phrase of Eric Robert’s character James Munroe “Emotions are the cancer of the intellect!”. I disagree with preference to Diamond Eyes by Shinedown in shootout at palace. It makes film a music video. Score by Brian Tyler matches for quick action pace, which introduced individuality became notable hallmark of series. Composer created remembering theme and I don’t know who else did for decade. I still awaiting The Expendables 4 as director’s cut of Rocky IV.

Revealing Cinemas.

 

I like to look behind of process, which final result comes in films for theaters, video on demand and still DVD. I want to know how they were made and listen stories from people who were involved. I’ve seen many documentaries for years and I’ll give a view on them.

Side by Side (2012).

Multiple reasoning interviews with known filmmakers with whom was talking Keanu Reeves, which turns to common topic about transition from film stock camera to digital technologies.

Machete Maidens Unleashed! (2010).

Magnificent Mark Hartley’s documentary about filming in politically unquiet Philippines in seventies and eighties. Mostly it devoted to movies of producer Roger Corman, who chose this country for low-budget availability. He and many other wonderful people will tell hyping and unusual stories on specifics of moviemaking in this country and that decades, which will conclude on Apocalypses Now filming.

This Film Is Not Yet Rated (2006).

Investigation documentary about film rate commission (MPAA – Motion Picture Association of America.) where will find out a truth on following to requirements of their members and brilliant interviews on flicks, which deserve controversy on gotten ratings.

Corman’s World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel (2011).

About Roger Corman who discovered many significant flickmakers in future and knew methods how to sell film before of big studios. He was releasing movies of directors as Federico Fellini in the American cinema, which he likes, but still prefers for own profit making of exploitations. Documentary about person, who did gigantic achievement in cinema.

Eurocrime! The Italian Cop and Gangster Films That Ruled ‘70s (2012).

Italian filmmakers were imitating to American cinema and they advanced the United States in westerns when started to make them in sixties. The end of that decade and then whole seventies flicks as Dirty Harry films, French Connection 1-2, Death Wish and The Godfather 1-2 and many others were a point for creation of subgenre poliziotteschi (policemen), which also influenced then situation, which calls The Years of Lead now when not only mafia, but far-radical groups were terrorizing country. Documentary about limited and illegal filming without insurance and stuntmen personnel as in the United States to where was inviting usually fallen in own homeland actors, who with delight recalls time in Italy.

Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex, Drugs and Rock ‘N’ Roll Generation Saved Hollywood (2003).

Film devoted to young then directors, who made memorable films from releasing of Bonnie and Clyde (1967) to which I have disdain for glorifying of gangsters, who deserved that execution, in the end of sixties years and through all seventies. Not on everything was told, not all details were mentioned and New Hollywood had many other interesting filmmakers and I’m sure in some of them that they would give interviews than called directors, who declined. I didn’t understand why Star Wars with many other films related to B-flicks. Not uncompleted in researching, but I liked this documentary.

Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation! (2008).

I’ve knew so many films, which never heard before in this documentary about Australian cinema. Thankfully, to director Mark Hartley, I’ve discovered masterpiece Wake in Fright (1971), which is a tremendous film about Australian outskirts with personal amazing story of lost film in decades and how exemplar was found and was going on utilization. Ozploitation documentary gives pleasure in tales of participants about filming processes, which as in Italy, was making without insurance (often it was absolutely realistic.) and was hiring American actors, who was getting opportunity to keep career. Great gratitude to Mark Hartley for all his documentaries, who took excellent objective interviews from different point of views and gave unique working materials. I was enriching in stories on crazy filming processes.

BaadAsssss Cinema (2002).

50-minutes of length of nice documentary about Blaxploitation films in interviews of it’s pivotal people who certainly will tell excellent stories, but these movies aren’t higher of mediocrity in art quality. Breakthrough films about Negroes where made before that’s sub-genre. In the Heat of the Night (1967) where Virgil Tibbs in performance of Sidney Poitier shows that a man with a black skin can be specialist in investigation and better of these village cops. The Split (1968) in this adaptation of novel of Parker series changed race of a titular hero was brilliant solution of producers Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff. I like how it used in scene when performing main character Jim Brown and Jack Klugman’s personage has meeting with a person, who was thinks that Parker (called McClain in this film.) is Klugman.

American Grindhouse (2010).

Interesting time I’ve spent in watching of devotion to exploitation cinema, which needed enhancing in researching and not all subgenres were discussed. This documentary admits my point of view that difference just in budgets between exploitation studios and current blockbusters by major companies.

Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film (2006).

Famous slasher series has personal documentaries as His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th (2009) and Halloween: 25 Years of Terror (2006), but they got as meeting of old good friends than documentary about subject. Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film (2006) is precisely in telling on whole genre and personal stories which will about ring by Betsy Palmer and Tom Savini says reason to do make-up where can get sure again that CGI willn’t substitute handmade by master.

The Celluloid Closet (1995).

Imaging of homosexuality in cinema through films of their actors, scriptwriters, directors and people belonging to this orientation in whose relation to films and time can see vulnerability and exaggeration.

Schlock! The Secret History of American Movies (2001).

Origin of exploitation films from fifties to how they became popular in drive-in theaters and continue to be by interviews of their participants where one of these legends is Roger Corman.

Skin: A History of Nudity in the Movies (2020).

Discussing of nudity on screen from first films and how it was changed to modern days. Not enough of people, who participated in mentioned flicks, but without them – it’s a fine research of the topic.

Seduced and Abandoned (2013).

A grandiose revelation of Hollywood through experiment to find an investor or producer on Cannes Festival who will ready to finance an uncommercial story with non-bankable performers by director James Toback and actor Alec Baldwin. Marvelous of documentary that everybody, who have got an offer, didn’t know that their words on record.

Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films (2014).

That’s world would be a boring place without companies as Cannon Films. Captivating documentary about relative producers Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus, who with unusual view on making films, which could be demonstrated in released for theaters. They were giving freedom for directors, who can get a large budget, which could became an overuse or art opportunity could be an unbelievable film as Runaway Train (1985). Franco Zeffirelli expressed in documentary gratitude to Golan and Globus for make his Otello (1986), which he calls the top of own projects. Sylvester Stallone said that Menahem Golan, who was directing Over the Top (1987), allowed to film one scene what no one would do this. Cannon Films were making great action movies with Chuck Norris, Charles Bronson and introduced Jean-Claude Van Damme. Mark Hartley did once again monumental efforts in creation of documentary.

I still not find two more tempting in topics documentaries. Reel Injun (2009) about imagining of Native Americans in the United States cinema, which performing white actors was showing them as villains. I never rely on film’s description, but historical inaccuracy of They Died with Their Boots On (1941) says in a title. Rated ‘R’: Republicans in Hollywood (2004) is one more enticing topic, which became higher in nowadays actuality in far-left Hollywood where to be Republican relates to hereticism.

Search and Destroy

Search and Destroy confirms current cinema paradoxes. No about that is a comedy, but it was making me funny sometimes when it wasn’t in movies marked as comedy, which cannot make a smile even.

The second half of 90s and 00s studios who were making flicks for VHS and then DVD were choosing countries, which fit for a small budget. Fall of communism in economically devastated the Eastern Europe gave opportunity for these filmmakers. One of these companies was Millennium Media is heading by Avi Lerner, who did savvy decision in buying of national Bulgarian movie production complex Nu Boyana Film Studios in 2005 and since that time uses for creating films, which became larger in budgets and for cinemas. Sometimes producer releases flicks as Search and Destroy.
Everywhere it resembles what was doing Millennium Media decades ago and personally associates in directed by Menahem Golan in 90s whose all made then films I would be call as impossible realism. Search and Destroy looks a digital remastering of past, which has homage to 80s synth music and impromptu written screenplay. Rudely editing where was obvious to see using of footages, which indicated by IMDB from Danger Zone (1996), Shark Attack 2 (2000) and seen Derailed (2002), which I like.

That film didn’t make to be meticulous on bloopers, which sometimes were coming in turn. Everything was appearing to be for high mood in unplanned parody on action. Performers was giving in acting. Moments as this one, where watched before scenes switched on black-and-white with playing of amateurish song was a music video without meaning in understanding. Nonsense comes from beginning in voiceover narration of Dylan Bruce who plays John Whatever and his personage prefers to speak in one-lines in which willn’t alone. Mostly conversations are tough phrases with embedded sweet swears used despite on stance. Sentences can pronounce a funny voice what reminded about Ugandan filmmaker Nabwana IGG, who makes videojoking of own movies in similar sound.
Explosive bullets of automatic rifles torn in fire pieces transports when in straight contact on adversary soldiers use invisible bullets, which don’t make holes. No blood leaves a knife of head villain in performance of Sergey Badyuk, whose character had potential of philosopher. He should grow a Marx beard. It especially matches in scene of his religious thinking. Rocket launcher’s projectile kill enemies behind wooden boxes and doesn’t harm nearby things. It was close to associate with a computer game, where explodes by script and allowance of developers. The movie stops to be funny progressively. Professionally done was in a fight choreographer who can get nice combats, but nothing more of possible in watching. One with a half of hour is exhausting length.