RAMBO : LAST BLOOD - Friday 27th September 2019.

'RAMBO : LAST BLOOD' is Rated R18+, which I saw for nostalgic reasons last week, because I grew up on a diet of '80's action movies featuring Sylvester Stallone and his contemporaries - among them none other than our titular fractured Vietnam War vet, John Rambo. So here we have what is likely to be (judging by the title) the last in the 'Rambo' action thriller film franchise that Actor, Director and Writer Sylvester Stallone has made his own. The franchise launched in 1982 with 'First Blood', then in 1985 with 'Rambo : First Blood Part II', then in 1988 with 'Rambo III' and in 2008 with 'Rambo', and now 'Last Blood' marks the fifth instalment. The series of four films so far were made for a combined US$153M and grossed worldwide US$728M and gave rise to an animated television series, comic books, novels, video games and even a Bollywood remake. Created by David Morrell in his debut 1972 novel 'First Blood' Stallone has played the title character of John Rambo in all films as a US Army Green Berets veteran who is traumatised by his experience in the Vietnam War, and uses the particular set of skills he gained there to fight police, enemy troops, drug cartels and anyone indiscriminate enough to get in his way. Stallone Co-Wrote the screenplays of all five films, and Directed 2008's 'Rambo'.

Here in only his second feature film Directing gig, after 'Get the Gringo' with Mel Gibson in 2012, Adrian Grunberg was announced as Director in August 2018 after ten years of to-ing and fro-ing on again off again Writing and Directing false starts. The film was made for US$50M, has so far recovered US$47M and garnered mostly negative press.

And so we join John Rambo attempting to rescue three wayward mountain hikers during the mother of all rainstorms. John is on his trusted steed and the gale force winds and driving rain are forcing the local search and rescue team off the mountain. Rambo comes across the dead body of the one of the hikers and continues his search. He comes across the other two cowering for shelter - one of whom wants to go off in search of his wife (the same dead body that Rambo saw earlier) and refuses Rambo's help, leaving a young woman to be rescued from an advancing torrent of water heading down the mountain towards them. Needless to say, Rambo saves the young woman, but not the other two.

As the storm clears and dawn rises we see Rambo riding back to his deceased fathers horse ranch somewhere in Arizona, settling the horse back in the stable and taking breakfast with his old friend with whom he manages the ranch, Maria Beltran (Adriana Barraza). Living with them is also Gabriela (Yvette Monreal), Maria's granddaughter, who has done so for the last ten years or so since her mother died of cancer and her father ran out on her never to be seen or heard from since.

Following an afternoon of horse riding together Gabriela reveals to Rambo that a friend of hers, Gizelle (Fenessa Pineda), has been able to locate Gabriela's biological father, Miguel (Rick Zingale), in Mexico. Against Rambo and Maria's staunch wishes, Gabriela secretly drives to Mexico to ask why Miguel had abandoned her and her mother years ago. Gizelle leads Gabriela to Miguel's apartment, where he tells her in no uncertain terms that he never really cared for Gabriela or her mother and that it was easy for him to turn his back on them. Heartbroken by this news, and now realising that the words of Rambo and Maria were correct in the first place, Gizelle takes Gabriele to a local night club where she is drugged and kidnapped by a local cartel for use in their own highly lucrative underground sex trade.

In the meantime, Maria has learned of Gabriela's disappearance in Mexico, and advises Rambo. He drives down to Mexico and interrogates both Miguel and Gizelle about Gabriela's whereabouts. Miguel has no idea but Gizelle is a different story. Rambo is reluctantly taken by Gizelle to the club where Gabriela was last seen, and confronts El Flaco (Pascacio Lopez) the man who was last seen with Gabriela, with non life threatening but very painful injuries. A mysterious woman, Carmen Delgado (Paz Vega) who was drinking alone at the bar, spied Rambo and noticed his actions watching El Flaco. She follows Rambo from a distance as El Flaco leads him to Gabriela's location.

Rambo is immediately confronted by armed members of the cartel led by Hugo and Victor Martinez (Sergio Peris-Mencheta and Oscar Jaenada respectively), then set upon, beaten up and marked by Victor with a cross carved into the cheek. They take his driver's license, revealing the ranch's location, and a photo of Gabriela, whom Victor recognises. The cartel vow to mistreat Gabriela further due to Rambo's intervention in their business, but Hugo lets Rambo live, much to Victor's disgust. So Victor promptly takes out his anger and frustration on the captive Gabriela.

Carmen takes Rambo back to her home where she cares for him until he fully recovers, and has a friend, who is a doctor, who gives him the once over, and stitches up his cheek. After four days, and Rambo has made a rapid recovering from the heavy beatings he sustained, Carmen reveals herself to be an independent journalist who has been investigating the Martinez brothers, the kidnappers and murderers of her own sister two years ago. Rambo later raids one of the brothels, killing several men until he finds a heavily drugged Gabriela. On the way back home in his pick-up truck, Rambo thanks Gabriela for giving him hope and purpose for the last ten years before she dies from a forced drug overdose.

Enraged, Rambo has Maria move away for her own safety suspecting that the Martinez brothers will now come after him. Over the course of the following week or so Rambo rigs the ranch and its labyrinth of underground tunnels built by Rambo many years ago for reasons that are not all that clear, with traps for a pending confrontation. The montage incidentally of Rambo digging trenches, setting booby traps, fixing up all manner of deadly weapons (and many of the DIY kind), and concealing shotguns, assault rifles, pistols, knives, axes, and bows in real time must have taken a couple of weeks but here it is glanced over as though it's all in a days work!

When his work is done (and you also have to wonder why the Martinez brothers leave it for so long to allow Rambo to prepare himself) he then returns back to Mexico to ask Carmen's help in finding Victor. Carmen initially refuses, believing that it will solve nothing, but is convinced after Rambo appeals to her grief and frustrations.

Rambo locates Victor's home, kills several armed guards and ultimately decapitates Victor. When the Police arrive, the paparazzi and Hugo they are confronted by the bloody scene all thorough the house and Victors headless body laying upright on his bed with a knife through his heart, and Rambo's driving license showing his address. On his drive back home, on a deserted highway Rambo dumps Victor's severed head out of the window.

Needless to say this is an open invitation for Hugo to retaliate, and in force. Hugo leads a group of his crack hitmen to Rambo's ranch, where each falls victim to the rigged traps. Cars get blown up and Hugo's henchmen all succumb to being burned to death, stabbed, speared, spiked, shot, sliced, diced and crushed in the most gruesome and violent means possible. 

Saving Hugo for last, after Rambo has detonated the extensive network of tunnels so forcing Hugo out, he leads him to the barn. There with pinpoint accuracy Rambo pins Hugo to the barn door using four very carefully targeted arrows with his crossbow. Rambo mutilates him by plunging his knife into his chest and ripping out his heart. In the aftermath, a weakened Rambo who has sustained two shots to his upper body, sits on the porch of his father's house in his favourite rocking chair, vowing to continue fighting and to keep the memories of his loved ones alive.

With any 'Rambo' film you know exactly what your in for, and here the 73 year old Actor and Writer Sly Stallone once again ramps up the action, the blood letting and the graphic violence. It seems that in 'Rambo : Last Blood' age shall not weary him - at least where the gratuitous multiple deaths are concerned, and all delivered in creative and inventive ways in the name of revenge. But outside of the killings, John Rambo has spent the last ten years ageing peacefully in small town America, trying to put his past life behind him and getting emotionally attached to two people he now holds dear - one of whom is abruptly and prematurely extinguished from his life. And for this, the perpetrators will pay the ultimate price! And they do, spilling their precious crimson stuff all over the place. If you're a die-hard fan of the Rambo franchise and like your body count high and delivered graphically, then this film is for you, but if you're not, then you're best off steering clear. At the tender rage of 73 Stallone still proves that he's got what it takes in the action genre to pack a punch and wield a knife, and thankfully this time around he keeps his shirt on, and his bandanna off, but don't expect too much smart dialogue or stirring emotion.

'Rambo : Last Blood' merits three claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 19th September 2019.

The 44th annual Toronto International Film Festival was this year held from 5th to 15th September. Starting out in 1976 as a collection of films from other festivals — a 'festival of festivals' if you will, the Toronto International Film Festival has gone on to become one of the worlds most beloved cinematic events, universally regarded as an ideal platform for filmmakers to launch their careers and to premiere their latest works. The Festival has been described as 'the most important film festival in the world — the largest, the most influential, the most inclusive'.

The opening gala was announced as the Canadian documentary film 'Once Were Brothers : Robbie Robertson and The Band', Directed and Co-Edited by Daniel Roher, with the festivals closing night film being the screening of the biographical film 'Radioactive', Directed by Marjane Satrapi and starring Rosamund Pike, Sam Riley and Anya Taylor-Joy. In addition to its regular film awards, the festival announced prior to commencement that Meryl Streep will be the inaugural recipient of the TIFF Tribute Actor Award, a new lifetime achievement award to honour distinguished work in film acting. Congratulations Meryl.

This years top awards in the final analysis, from the plethora of international and Canadian films being showcased, were as follows :

People's Choice Award (the film rated as the year's most popular film with festival audiences)
* 'JOJO RABBIT' - this American black comedy is Directed, Co-Produced, Written for the Screen and starring by Taika Waititi, with Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson, Rebel Wilson, Stephen Merchant and Alfie Allen.
People's Choice Awards - First and Second Runner's Up
* 'MARRIAGE STORY' - this American comedy drama film is Directed, Co-Produced and Written by Noah Baumbach, and, 'PARASITE' is a South Korean black comedy thriller Directed and Co-Written by Bong Joon-ho respectively.

People's Choice Award - Documentary (film rated as the year's most popular documentary film with festival audiences)
* 'THE CAVE' - this Syrian Danish Co-Production is Directed and Co-Written by Feras Fayyad.
People's Choice Award - Documentary - First and Second Runner's Up
* 'I AM NOT ALONE' - this Armenian and American Co-Production is Directed, Co-Produced and Written by Gavin Hovannisian, and, 'DADS' an American documentary Directed and Co-Produced by Bryce Dallas Howard and her father Ron Howard respectively.

People's Choice Award - Midnight Madness (the film rated as the year's most popular film in the festival's 'Midnight Madness' stream of underground and cult films)
* 'THE PLATFORM' - this Spanish satirical science fiction film is Directed by Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia.
People's Choice Award - Midnight Madness - First and Second Runner's Up
* 'THE VAST OF NIGHT' - this American fantasy Sci-Fi thriller is Directed by Andrew Patterson, and, 'BLOOD QUANTUM' is a Canadian horror film Directed and Written by Jeff Barnaby respectively.

Platform Prize (awarded to films of 'high artistic merit that also demonstrate a strong Directorial vision')
* 'MARTIN EDEN' - this Italian and French Co-Produced historical romantic drama film is Directed, Co-Produced and Co-Written for the Screen by Pietro Marcello.
Platform Prize - Honourable Mentions
* 'ANNE AT 13,000 FT.' - is a Canadian drama film Directed, Co-Produced and Written by Kazik Radwanski, and, 'PROXIMA' a French drama film Directed and Co-Written by Alice Winocour.

Best Canadian Feature Film
* 'ANTIGONE' - is a drama film Directed, Written, lensed and Co-Edited by Sophie Deraspe.
Best Canadian Feature Film - Honourable Mention
* 'THE BODY REMEMBERS WHEN THE WORLD BROKE OPEN' - is a drama film Directed and Written by Elle-Maija Tailfeathers and Kathleen Hepburn. Elle-Maija Tailfeathers also stars.

Best Canadian First Feature Film (awarded to the film judged to be the best Canadian feature film made by a first-time Director)

* 'THE TWENTIETH CENTURY' - is a comedy drama film Directed, Written and Edited by Matthew Rankin.

For more on the winners and grinners from this years Toronto International Film Festival, plus all the latest news in wrapping up the festival line up, visit the official website at : https://www.tiff.net

This week there are six latest release movies coming to your local Odeon, and we kick off with the latest and possibly the last instalment in this all American action thriller franchise that first ventured onto our cinema screens 37 years ago starring our tortured yet very resourceful Vietnam War vet anti-hero as he fights the establishment, drug barons and anyone he considers the enemy using his very particular set of skills. Next up is a Sci-Fi thriller about a daring Astronaut who must travel to the far reaches of the solar system to try and locate his missing father and save all of humankind back on Earth in the process. Then we turn to a comedy offering about three sixth grade best buddies who are invited to a party and seek advice in various forms only to have that backfire on them leaving their friendship fractured. These are followed up by a live action rendition of a popular animated kids television series that sees this adventurous explorer deep in the Peruvian jungle in search of a lost civilisation, and her parents; and then we close out the week with two animated offerings featuring a displaced Yeti and a small band of kids who vow to take him back to his home on top of the world; and finally a town inhabited by various ugly dolls and play things who come across another town where the residents are all near perfect waiting to be shipped out to the children of the world, but can one now exist without the other?

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the six latest release new movies as Previewed below, or those doing the rounds currently on general release and as Reviewed and Previewed in previous Blog Posts here at Odeon Online, you are most welcome to share your movie going thoughts, opinions and observations by leaving your relevant, succinct and appropriate views in the Comments section below this or any other Post. We'd love to hear from you, and in the meantime, enjoy your big screen Odeon outing during the coming week.

'RAMBO : LAST BLOOD' (Rated R18+) - here we have what is likely to be (judging by the title) the last in the 'Rambo' action thriller film franchise that Actor, Director and Writer Sylvester Stallone has made his own. The franchise launched in 1982 with 'First Blood', then in 1985 with 'Rambo : First Blood Part II', then in 1988 with 'Rambo III' and in 2008 with 'Rambo', with 'Last Blood' marking the fifth instalment. The series of four films so far were made for a combined US$153M and grossed worldwide US$728M and gave rise to an animated television series, comic books, novels, video games and a Bollywood remake. Created by David Morrell in his debut 1972 novel 'First Blood' Stallone has played the title character of John Rambo in all films as a US Army Green Berets veteran who is traumatised by his experience in the Vietnam War, and uses the skills he gained there to fight police, enemy troops, and drug cartels. Stallone Co-Wrote the screenplays of all five films, and Directed 2008's 'Rambo'.

Here in only his second feature film Directing gig, after 'Get the Gringo' with Mel Gibson in 2012, Adrian Grunberg was announced as Director in August 2018 after ten years of to-ing and fro-ing on again off again Writing and Directing false starts. But now we have John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) who travels to Mexico to save his niece Gabrielle (Yvette Monreal) who suddenly has been taken hostage by a sadistic Mexican cartel headed up by Hugo Martinez (Sergio Peris-Mencheta). Paz Vega and Adriana Barraza also star. The film is released in the US this week too.

'AD ASTRA' (Rated M) - this American Sci-Fi adventure offering has so far received universal acclaim following its World Premier screening at the Venice International Film Festival on the 29th August, and was Directed, Written and Co-Produced by James Gray whose previous film making credits include his 1994 debut 'Little Odessa' and then 'The Yards', 'We Own the Night', 'Two Lovers', 'The Immigrant' and 'The Lost City of Z' most recently. Made for circa US$85M and getting its US release this week too, the story here surrounds Astronaut Roy McBride (Brad Pitt) who travels to the outer edges of the solar system to find his lost father, a renegade Scientist, Clifford McBride (Tommy Lee Jones) and to ultimately unravel a mystery that threatens the survival of humans on Earth. His journey will uncover secrets that challenge the nature of human existence and its place in the cosmos. Also starring Donald Sutherland, Liv Tyler, Ruth Negga, LisaGay Hamilton and John Ortiz. Gray described his desire for the film to be 'the most realistic depiction of space travel that's been put in a movie'.

'GOOD BOYS' (Rated MA15+) - Directed by Ukranian born American first timer Gene Stupnitski and Co-Written by him too with his business partner Lee Eisenberg, this American comedy film saw its World Premier screening at South by Southwest in early March this year, went on general release in the US in mid-August, cost US$20M to bring to the big screen, has so far grossed US$92M and has garnered largely positive Press so far. The film here surrounds three sixth grade student best buddies Max (Jacob Tremblay), Lucas (Keith L. Williams) and Thor (Brady Noon). When Max is invited to his first kissing party, he asks his best friends Lucas and Thor for some much sought after advice on how to pucker up. When they hit a dead end, Max decides to use his Dad's (Will Forte) drone to spy on the teenage Hannah (Molly Gordon) who lives next door. When the boys ditch the drone and it is destroyed, they skip school and hatch a plan to secretly replace it before Max's Dad can learn the truth. But, the truth will out leading to the boys drifting apart before reconciling and promising to be besties forever.

'DORA AND THE LOST CITY OF GOLD' (Rated PG) - based on the popular kids television series 'Dora the Explorer' here this live action adventure comedy film is Directed by James Bobin whose previous film making credits include 'The Muppets' in 2011, 'Muppets Most Wanted' in 2014, 'Alice Through the Looking Glass' in 2016 and now this Australian filmed adaptation. Having spent most of her life exploring the Peruvian jungle, nothing could prepare Dora Marquez (Isabelle Moner) for her most dangerous adventure yet - high school in Los Angeles. Accompanied by a ragtag group of teens and Boots the monkey, Dora embarks on a quest to save her parents - father Cole Marquez and mother Elena (Michael Pena and Eva Longoria respectively) while trying to solve the seemingly impossible mystery behind the hidden Incan city of Parapata. Also starring Temuera Morrison, Adriana Barraza, Eugenio Derbez with the voices of Danny Trejo and Benicio del Toro. Released in the US in early August, the film has so far taken US$91M off the back of a US$49M production budget and has generated largely positive Reviews.

'ABOMINABLE' (Rated G) - this computer animated adventure film is an American and Chinese Co-Production between DreamWorks Animation and Pearl Studio and is Written and Directed by American Animator Jill Culton, whose previous Directing outing was 2006's 'Open Season'. Here teenager Yi (Chloe Bennet) comes across a young Yeti (or Abominable Snowman) on the roof of her apartment building in Shanghai (as you do!). She and her cheeky friends Jin (Tenzing Norgay Trainor) and Peng (Albert Tsai) give him the name 'Everest' and so begins a journey to return the magical creature to his family at the highest point on Earth. But the group of young friends will have to stay one-step ahead of Burnish (Eddie Izzard), a wealthy man intent on capturing a Yeti, and zoologist Dr. Zara (Sarah Paulson) to help get Everest back to his rightful home. The film had its World Premier screening at the Toronto International Film Festival earlier this month, goes on release in the US on 27th September, in the UK on 11th October and here in Australia this week.

'UGLY DOLLS' (Rated G) - here is a computer generated animated musical adventure comedy film Directed by Kelly Asbury and based on a story penned by Robert Rodriguez. Asbury's previous Directing credits include 'Spirit : Stallion of the Cimarron', 'Shrek 2', 'Gnomeo & Juliet' and 'Smurfs : The Lost Village' most recently. In the adorably cute and somewhat different town of Uglyville, weirdness is lauded, strangeness is celebrated and beauty is embraced as being more than skin deep. After travelling to the other side of a mountain, Moxy (Kelly Clarkson) and her Ugly Doll friends discover the town of Perfection, where more conventional dolls receive training before embarking out into the real world to find the love of a child. Soon, the Ugly Dolls learn what it means to be different and ultimately coming to the realisation that they don't have to be perfect to be amazing. Also starring the voice talents of Janelle Monae, Pitbull, Charli XCX, Ice-T, Jane Lynch, Emma Roberts and Nick Jonas, the film saw its release Stateside in early May, in the UK in mid-August, cost circa US$50M to make, has so far grossed US$28M and has met with mostly unfavourable Reviews.

With six new release movies this week to tempt you out to your local Odeon, remember to share your movie going thoughts with your other like minded cinephile friends afterwards here at Odeon Online. In the meantime, I'll see you sometime somewhere in the week ahead, at your local Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-