America Loves Stallone and Stallone Loves America
by HollywoodlandThanks to commenter ScottDS for bringing this to our attention. From a series of Q&As Stallone is doing over at AICN, we’ll start with a question asked by a fan, a question many of us have been asking for nearly a decade now:
BRIAN: So now my question. As I grow older one of the major things I enjoy about the 80’s action films are their high level of optimism about America and its place in the world. Whether it was Rambo 2, Rambo 3, Rocky 4, Red Dawn, etc. they made American’s feel invincible (and a bit cocky) but also proud of whom we are. The unbelievably ripped action heroes were a great physical manifestation of who we were as a nation. Post 9/11 I think many would love to feel that way again as we have transitioned from the great action heroes to action stars such as Matt Damon, Nic Cage, and Tom Cruise. All great actors but I can’t buy them as action heroes. Movies today seem to have the opposite effect and are focused too much on our flaws as nation and our failed foreign policy (Avatar, Green Zone). Do you feel this is simply because of the changing generations in Hollywood, a true reflection of the national temperature, or just an overall loss in optimism following the end of the American century that is reflected in the stories told on screen?
STALLONE: “Brian, Its 100 percent due to a transition into a different political climate than when the aforementioned films were done. That’s why it’s a minor miracle the last RAMBO would even be released, but I took a gamble there would be many people like you, who may not express themselves as clearly but really do desire to see an action film unfold that wreaks [sic] of pride and manly individualism that has unfortunately fallen out of vogue. I believe that everything is a cycle. And once again America will have its cinematic heroes reflect the incredible honor it is to be defending the most extraordinary country the planet has ever known. Just give it time, everything is a cycle.”
Full interview here.
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102 Comments
Stallone gets it. Why can't anyone else? Expendables will have a Chavez/Castro like dictator that needs an overthrow! Can't wait!
Damn, I wish more Hollywood stars sounded like him.
I disagree that it's a "cycle" as if anti-American chic and wimpy actors came into vogue naturally as opposed to having been deliberately pushed onto the public.
It's a shame to see the Hollywood stars who love America both in real life and who play parts on the screen where that pro-American spirit comes through getting older or having gone already; The John Wayne's, Eastwood, Stallone, Voight, etc. And who are they replaced with? Leftist scum who hate this country and who love playing parts that show our country, or anything to do with capitalism and business, as the bad guys. Sickening. This is why you need to turn off the TV and skip the movie theater so you can teach American exceptionalism to your own kids without it be contradicted by Hollywood, Marxist teachers and the media.
An American fighting for universal values and principles didn't use to be a unique thing. We're in the Twilight zone.
Mr. Stallone is correct about the cyclical nature of American political culture, with one caveat. The Left has been watching (oh horror!) the political pendulum begin to swing back to the Right, and they're going all-out to stop it. The ruling class wants desperately to stop the political clock set up by our Founders to consolidate absolute power for them alone.
But how can the Left accomplish this goal? How a mechanical clock is stopped gives us the clue. Tampering with a clock in various ways will render it inoperative or inaccurate. Changing the temperature, unplugging the power-source, or artificially impeding the advancement of the internal gears all does the job.
The cultural temperature of America can be altered if enough immigrants favorable to a particular political leaning (read Left-leaning) are allowed to vote. Legislation can effectively cut off the Constitution's ability to empower the individual; activist adjudication can act as a wrench in the gears of individual liberties. More…
Perhaps what's true is that our Founders never intended either political side to gain lasting ascendancy. Maybe what our Founder's strove for was a sort of political equilibrium. This is what I think Mr. Stallone refers to when he says that "everything is a cycle."
For some staunch conservatives it may be an unpalatable idea, but it may be OK, even desirable, that we have a political Right and Left in this nation. We counter-balance one another. More..
There is only one sin in Hollywood..and that is not making money.
The studios are obligated to release good films (read: movies that have actually appeal to the guy that buys the ticket) in order to pay for their bombs of political-preaching films.
But I think Sly is right. The movie business is cyclical.
Less political than economic driven; the studios can afford to lose only so much money before they have to produce something that people want to see. You'd think they'd get that by now, but *shrug* people in Hollywood are convinced that they're smarter than you.
And Hollywood clings to that premise only because the truth is much too painful for them to bear.
But our nation owes its political ballast and sea-worthiness to the Constitution and Bill of Rights. Remove them or render them inoperative and suddenly equilibrium disappears. If our Founders' intention was to create a political "clock" via our founding documents, maybe the Left serves as useful a purpose as the Right to counter extremes in either direction. Extremism hates equilibrium.
What America must do is make sure neither side is given the ability to achieve perpetual power. In order to do that we must make sure the clock works. So far, our founding documents have proved themselves a true, political "Timex," able to "take a licking and keep on ticking."
Let's hope it stays that way.
There is a hunger out there for this sort of movie. Taken proved it, and it wasn't even American. It's easy money, folks. Come and get it.
I don't mind watching Stallone, The Rock in movies. I don't know about Rourke, Stone Cold Steve Austin or Jet Li. Not sure what their views is in politics.
Hollywood may turn their noses up at it, but they won't have any problem raking the money into their hot little fists. I'm going to see The Expendables, I'll bet I won't be alone there.
Let's face it. When it comes down to it, wouldn't you rather have someone like Stallone on your side when it comes to telling people how great America is than a whiny twit like George Clooney, anyway? I know I would.
Stallone has turned into a great filmmaker — and "Rambo" is a classic. No filmmaker has made such a relevant war film with as much to say in decades.
Not only does it bring attention to a current war, but it's drenched in theme, the most important is the role warriors play in society. The film is extremely visual, the characterization is deft, and the cinematography and editing are incredible.
If John Ford and Sam Peckinpah were alive, and made a film together, it would be "Rambo." Poetic, violent, operatic, and topical — it's brilliant.
Wow, I'm impressed. Good for you, Mr. Stallone.
And judging from the trailer and the comic prequel, there's even some Nigerian Islamists thrown in there for good measure.
This film just can't come out soon enough.
Rambo was awesome. (sarcasm now:) Christians going on missionary work to help others!? That must be some farce! I've never seen that in a Hollywood film before… I guess it doesn't exist!!! Only Americans out there, based on Hollywood, are traitorous greedy capitalist CIA agents… please see Losers, The A-Team, Greenzone, Avatar, all Iraq war films, and any other action or spy oriented film made in last 30 or 50 years!
Ya can't unspend five trillion dollars. Ya can't get out of the big ponzi schemes once you're invested. When BHO is talking about 'transformational change' he understands that the havock he wreaks doesn't get undone by a conservative administration.
There is no such thing as "a little free". Either we are a free people, or we are slaves.
And the wimpy missionary actually takes up arms (well, rocks) at the end to help defend the good guys.
Stallone may sound like Rocky, but he thinks like Reagan. Always was, always has been, and always will be—an effing genius.
True. But "equilibrium" can be restored over time when things like a line-item veto, ending of earmarks, balanced budget legislation, tax cuts, pay-freezes for public sector employees (including COTUS), elimination of un-neccessary agencies, programs, and spending, and ending of unfunded mandates, are enacted.
Our Constitution has ensured our Republic maintains political balance and has until now withstood great expansion and contraction.
All of Stallone's stuff is a comic book. If your double-digit I.Q. thrives on Rocky, you are sure to love the Smurfs and Miss Piggy.
I am still all aglow about Chelsea's wedding.
Ah yes, Baloshka, spoken like a true liberal "top down policy making" advocate. You and your friends with the "triple digit" IQ's are so smart they can plan 12 trillion dollar economies…except when it all falls apart and Hayek laughs in his grave.
Don't you have some weird, obscure Woody Allen movie you should be watching instead of bashing Stallone? You like Woody, right? He's one of those "triple digit" liberals who's so smart he thought sleeping with his adopted daughter was a good idea…
Cheers.
Insulting an community's I.Q. and it's comic book heroes? My God, aren't you an original troll…
The Expendables is one of the few films I've left to look forward too, now that I've seen Inception and Toy Story 3. Stallone's got a lot more gravitas and presence than three of the top action "stars" highlighting most Hollywood films put together.
He's also created two of pop culture's most enduring icons, Rambo and Rocky.
If they aren't being obnoxious about it who really cares?
(But I'm still trying to imagine not watching Jet Li movies and I think it sprained something with the effort.)
I don't think that the missionary was ever wimpy, just idealistic and not at all realistic about the world. I think that Stallone portrayed them mostly sympathetically in the movie because at least they were people who cared what was happening in Burma while others ignored it.
He had me at Rocky and Cop Land.
I'm sure Baloshka's all agog over Roman (Kinko, the kid loving clown) Polanski. Liberals love child molesters for some reason.
Agree completely. The last Rambo was amazing. The combat scenes make Saving Private Ryan look like a cartoon.
True, but if enough Matt Damon action movies bomb, and if enough Stallone action movies are hits, the Hollywood executives will eventually get it through their thick skulls what people want to see.
Thank you! I have been telling folks for a while now that while not huge, Taken was making money for months and months consistently – even at the height of some of the other left-wing guilt films. When our govt was out apologizing for our country, Liam Neeson was kicking bad guy butt and not blinking an eye. That was the film that folks wanted to see and if you look at the numbers you can see the proof.
Hollywood used to love America. Now it loves itself.
I was reading an article about changing musical styles and came across the phrase 'the scene that celebrates itself.' That's Hollywood 2010.
And Stallone is gold. YO ROCKY!
OK, I'm warning you all, I'm going on a punctuation rant, because I've seen errors now on several BH articles (and all over the Internet and newspapers, really). "American's" is possessive, not plural like clearly intended to be in the context of this article. Several places I've seen "it's" used when "its" is called for. I've seen "effect" and "affect" mixed up. Please, please, please, edit your articles better. OK, rant over. Sorry you all had to see that…
It's interesting that Stallone would commit authorial trespass on his films in this way, particularly his "Rambo" films, which I agree are four of the most interesting "war" movies of the last thirty years. In particular the first two, which are stinging indictments of the American government's treatment of its war veterans, and as such far more effective than more critically lauded films like "The Deer Hunter" and "Platoon." "Rambo: First Blood Part 2" predated John Kerry's and John McCain's shameful treatment of Vietnam war widows with their Senate POW/MIA hearings by a couple of years. The Rambo films are about how politicians let the citizens down. "Green Zone" and "Avatar" are nowhere nearly as good as any of the "Rambo" films, yet they're basically the same idea.
Not sure how much the "political climate" has changed. Kerry and McCain are still in the senate, after all.
Off topic: Your e-bay add sucks
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 for 35$ I wish I could post a reaction image or I would >MFW
Say it loud, I'm American and I'm proud! Yo Rock, we love ya!
Recently caught 2 fine action films: "Man on Fire" and the last Rambo. Really enjoyed Denzel regulating in "MoF," but have to admit the last Rambo was one of the most satisfying films I have seen in about forever! Sly killing bad guys with the bow and arrow was sweet, but the final showdown at the end of the film with the truck-mounted machine gun vs the bad guy army was phenomenal! All the most satisfying films have some blood hitting the camera. Thanks, Sly, for the 80s nostalgia with the last Rambo! I hated that the movie ended before we got to see what his family was like. I really wanted to see that reunion.
I am not a Democrat. I am a movie critic.
Diction counts too. Your commas are liberally applied in the wrong places.
Go to your room.
Sylvester Stallone: born on the same day as George W. Bush. Coincidence?
And your single-digit I.Q. is still aglow about Chelsea's wedding.
Stallone's not the most attractive fellow and basically yells a lot. Half the dialog in some of his films are variations of grunting noises. (Yeah, the Rambos… SO not my sort of films.) I mean really, a choice between potty mouth Stallone and someone like… Robert Mitchum? No contest!
Oh, and leave Miss Piggy out of this! She has feelings too!!
Feel free to step on the smurfs though… Er… Smurves? Whatever…
I won't even cover the Chelsea thing… Just…. eeew.
That said, it is nice to hear someone from Wonkyland with something nice to say about America for a change. That sends him up a notch on the personal level. But I'm afraid most of his films are…. well…. yawn…
"Man on Fire" illustrates how "torture" can be effectively applied (in cab of truck, Denzel's character wants answers and starts breaking fingers of "bad guy") and how good answers can can be gleaned. Sure it's a movie but if somebody starts breaking my fingers I'll be singing…
you have to much faith in hollywood
I cant' wait to see "The Expendables"!
I want to say maybe… but . . .nah.
*MissQuinn*
Jamesb, he doesn't break the federales' fingers, he cuts them off. One by one, using the cars cigarette lighter to cauterize the wound afterward. The first just to prove to the crooked cop that he would, then after each "no se' " (I don't know) until he got the answers he needed. Brilliant bit of writing is you ask me.
"Man on Fire" was a great movie about a good man who felt he was damned by the things that he did in defense of his country. He found his soul, and he hoped maybe some redemption, in discovering he could love and be loved by another human being, the extremely talented Dakota Fanning (Please don't let Hollywood screw her up). What started out as a mission of revenge become one of rescue…both for his soul and Peta's life.
"Rambo" was almost as good. "Live for nothing, or die for something". What a great line!
I agree Synova, as long as they are not sprouting off garbage all the time I don't care what they believe. I haven't heard any of those guys talking political so if they make a good movie I'll watch it.
As to Jet Li, he isn't American so we cannot get upset if he is talking up China where he was born or even Singapore where he is now a citizen. Most martial arts movie stories are generally about good vs evil which is a theme I can get behind.
straight out of high school, i can always say i was attracted to the athletes with intelligence than the waify artsy guys, or maybe that was me. the only celebrity i can think of that may be effeminate that i absolutely adore is robert downey jr.
Yes. "Rambo" is an exceptional movie. And Stallone deserves praise for going after real villains. I know some were disappointed that the villains weren´t the Taliban or Al Qaeda but the Burmese regime, while it may not kill Americans, is no less despicable. And in depicting their brutality, which is ongoing, the movie was totally unflinching.
A movie critic ought to be able to write.
They meant well, they were just outgunned.
For an action movie, "Rambo" is much more sophisticated than your standard Hollywood fare because it goes after real villains. While Hollywood´s obsession with the "proctologist´s view of America" consumes it, here is a filmmaker choosing as his villain an existing regime murdering and impoverishing real people, right now. Unlike much lauded politicized action movies from Syriana to Avatar, it doesn´t have to make stuff up.
IMPEACH THE CLOWN "PRESIDENT", JOKEBAMA.
http://www.impeachobamacampaign.com/
I wouldn't personally classify RDJ as effeminate, especially not after he bulked up for the Iron Man movies, but I'm with you on the rest. I like men who look like men, not men who look like pretty little girls.
How long has it been since the original Rocky came out? So long that the first time I saw it was at… a drive in theater!
Can't wait for The Expendables to hit.
True on all counts. While a part of me was kinda sad at not seeing Rambo go after some AQ dipsticks; I think it was much more in character for Rambo to be back in the jungle for his final go around.
YOU HAVE TO GIVE PROPS TO STALLONE, EVEN AS HE GROWS OLDER HE STILL SERVES THE PEOPLE WELL WITH HIS PROCESSES.
HE IS A AMERICAN ICON AND HERO IN MY BOOK.
EXPENDABLES IS GOING TO KICK ASS.
AMERICAN AND PROUD! IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT OR ME, F YOU AND LEAVE! OR BRING IT BABY!
I've offered a token kvetch or two about spelling and grammar glitches I've seen in Big pieces for a while. If enough people speak to the matter I think writers will pay a bit more attention.
Stallone is the complete opposite of a liberal, thats what makes him a great american.
I have faith in the free-market system. A producer can only make so many bombs before his career ends. And if something is a repeated hit, the studios will need to start copying the formula, if only so that they have enough cash coming in to offset the losses of their other crap movies.
The pendulum swings back and forth……………..when it goes too far in either direction the law of nature and the sense of common people push back. We are at the apex of the too-far left arch of the pendulum the swing back coming in November will be one of the strongest push backs ever witnessed.
So I just got back from Stallones new movie..It made me sad. I love pro-american movies but nothing happened. I was dissapoint.
I am not a Democrat. I am a movie critic.
So you don't have a real job?
ho hum
Stallone can't not write no how. His stuff is not no gooderester. He ain't got no way of knowing no how. Lets get us a six pack of Old Milwaukee beer and watch us some of that there Rocky stuff.
It would be great to see Rambo attack Chelsea's wedding party. Think of all the criminals he could kill in that episode.
"Stallone gets it."
That's probably due to the idea that Stalone seems to care about his country; and he is not brain dead as many others are in Hollywood – home of the unicorn and pixie dust.
"I am still all aglow about Chelsea's wedding."
I just threw up in my mouth.
And NEVER INSULT MISS PIGGY IN FRONT OF ME!!
MISS PIGGY ROCKS!
Smurfs – ugh, always hated them. Always rooted for Gargamel. Will be skipping the upcoming Smurf movie, thank you very much.
babble, babble, babble
go to your room.
Sissy leftist movies don't make money because prople don't want to pay money for depressing messages. I want entertainment when I pay for entertainment. I want to laugh and cheer, not lead down a path to no-where for 2 hours.
The Rambo movies were not an endictment on America nor Western Civilization as the current crop of negative BS which is forceably pushed into today's films. Avatar, Fern Gulley etc. all have the same lame message that somehow everyone needs to be part of a commune like insects enslaved to the ideological Queen of Marxist rhetoric. Rambo was about true Americans getting done what the politicians failed to do becasue of the actions of marxist apologizers that affected the war. Rambo supports American Individualism and Avatar blames Amercan individualism.
I think Stalone has earmed the right to speak about his own work without being accused of plagiarism.
Guess you learned different grammar rules than I did. My commas are placed where I was taught to place them by teachers who were sticklers for good grammar.
Avatar?
I cant wait for the sequel—-"The Expendibles vs The View"
No, I heard you're a child molester! Just like the phony hero's you worship! Douchbag!
Yes you are a communist and……
Wait how is that not being a democrat?????
And the director (forget his name off the top of my head) is "a well known racist" according to Brit papers and wikipedia. Why? Because he portrays Arabs/muslims as the bad guys.
Imagine that.
If you see Mitchum walk through a door in Hollywood, feel free to hold him up as the ideal. Until you see him, maybe you should just take what you (we) can get?
Cause yeah…Mitchum never said or did anything bad ever…right?
Sheesh.
How the hell do you get "diction" out of comma usage? Jesus. Drink much?
back away from Rocky, moron.
One of many. Take the CGI stuff out and you get a sub-par spaghetti western movie.
" Whether it was Rambo 2, Rambo 3, Rocky 4, Red Dawn, etc. they made American’s feel invincible (and a bit cocky) but also proud of whom we are."
Of those four movies, only "Red Dawn" actually stands up as an unironically quality film. They're all FUN, don't get me wrong, but if the baseline of "pro-American" action films includes a 3rd sequel to a onetime Oscar winner where what used to be a (literal) working-class hero battles a scientifically-augmented superhuman, well… that's not exactly a ringing endorsement.
yea, well, Washington………..enough said there…………
Yes, but your initial argument was that "sissy leftist movies don't make money," a statement which I think "Avatar" rather contradicts…
Good promos, and CGI characters made the money. And I'm sure Happymeal toys helped quite a bit.
Sorry, unless Sly has changed his anti-second amendment stance I'm not going to be seeing his movies anymore
http://blog.riflegear.com/articles/the-hypocrisy-...
Highest grosser _ever_. Money's money, and no matter how you parse it, Avatar made a buttload and then some. Even if the toys were half of the 2.5 _billion_ world gross, and you knock off more for the higher 3D ticket prices and relentless marketing, it's still an astounding amount of butts in seats, _and_ it sold a ton of dvds as well. I'm not saying it was great–but a whole lot of people liked it.
*giggles*
Who said anything about Mitchum being an ideal or always saying the right thing? (Well, ok. On the hotness scale he was just about ideal I admit. But then so was Cary Grant.) However if he was walking around today….. that might be a good movie plot! Zombie stars from the past awake and eat the brains of today's "stars" and find they have none! Hey, it's better than most of what's coming out of Hollyweird lately. I bet it could produce at least 2 sequels! In 3D!!!
Stallone is the man that Hollywood has been making fun of for over 20 years and when it is all said and done Matt Damon will be the person no one remembers and Stallone will be an Icon.
I was thinking about what you wrote. Avatar is like Star Wars or E.T. to this generation.
Isn't that sad? I'm not sure whether to cry, throw up, or both.
VERY SAD.
Sorry, I made the assumption based on what you said about Stallone being a potty mouth. I know better than to make assumptions.
Cary Grant was nothin' special. Mitchum was damn cool.
While Steve Austin has been involved in several of the WWE's "Tribute to the Troops" shows over in Iraq, so it's not hard to guess where he stands politically, as for Rourke, I couldn't imagine this quote coming from a lefty.
[on President George W. Bush] "George is doing a hell of a job during very difficult times, more power to him. Screw all them people who don't like him."
from imdb personal quotes
I've got one work for you Mr. Stallone..
BOOYAH!
I thnk that's WHY I'd prefer them. I don't need to know what Sean Penn [finn-in-the-blank with an over-mouthing nitwit] thinks about Americans. Just do movies that are interesting and don't sell the US down the river.
take back your bad-mouthin' Cary Grant!!
Hey you like him more power to you!
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