ROTTEN TOMATOES: RT on DVD: A Second Watchmen Movie and News of a Rambo Director's Cut

RT on DVD: A Second Watchmen Movie and News of a Rambo Director's Cut

by Jen Yamato

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Rambo

Tomatometer: 33%

Wherever there is a need for ass kicking, there he shall be. Twenty years after ousting the Soviets from Afghanistan in Rambo III (the Taliban thanks you, John Rambo!) Sly Stallone's best-known character finds himself in Burma. When American missionaries get captured by the bloodthirsty Burmese Army, a reluctant Rambo leaves peaceful retirement behind and goes back to his old ways -- now, with an even higher body count (3.2 per minute)!

Bonus Features:

As if watching Rambo rip throats out with his bare hands in slo-mo wasn't its own bonus feature, the two-disc release boasts tons of featurettes on the music, weapons, and making of Rambo's fourth onscreen adventure. Stallone's commentary track and a feature that contextualizes the real life political climate of Burma make it a well-rounded release.

Grace Is Gone

Tomatometer: 58%

This Sundance drama is unlike the glut of Iraq war films we've seen in the past year; instead of a soldier's story, we see the tragedy of a fallen soldier's family back home, as told through the heartbreaking eyes of a new widower and father of two (John Cusack).

Bonus Features:

A few sobering featurettes on the film and what inspired it, along with a profile of TAPS, a Tragedy Assistance Program for survivors of loved ones in the Armed Forces, accompany the film.

Cassandra's Dream

Tomatometer: 50%

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. First the middling Melinda and Melinda. Then the Oscar-nominated Match Point. The abysmal Scoop followed shortly thereafter, and now we again have another stop on Woody Allen's roller coaster ride of a career. Cassandra's Dream, about two brothers caught up in a tragic quandary of morality and greed, is out on DVD this week --- will it be a breath of fresh air or strangely familiar territory from the man who keeps remaking his own Crimes and Misdemeanors?

Bonus Features:

No DVD extras? We'll take that as an admission of mediocrity and cross our fingers for Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

The Walker

Tomatometer: 51%

Paul Schrader completes the "lonely man" trilogy he began with American Gigolo and Light Sleeper with this tale of a Washington, D.C. society escort (Woody Harrelson) embroiled in a murder scandal. Though the film came and went quickly in theaters, now may be a better chance for the character study/thriller to find an audience on DVD.

Bonus Features:

Well, you're not going to buy this for the extras. Unless a single featurette and trailer floats your boat, the film alone is the main attraction on this release.

Phenomena

Tomatometer: 80%

Dario Argento fans have a lot to be excited about this week; in addition to a special edition of his horror classic Tenebre and a five-disc box set, Anchor Bay is releasing a special edition of Phenomena (also known as Creepers), Argento's 1985 horror-thriller starring a young Jennifer Connelly as a bug-whispering schoolgirl on the hunt for a killer.

Bonus Features:

Feast your eyes on a commentary by Argento and his crewmembers, music videos by Bill Wyman and Claudio Simonetti, and more.

Come Drink With Me

Tomatometer: N/A

Also great for retro fans this week are all-new releases of a few of the most classic kung fu titles of all time. In addition to releasing Gordon Liu's Heroes of the East (AKA Shaolin Challenges Ninja), Dragon Dynasty bestows upon us the wonderment that is the digitally restored Come Drink With Me, the seminal 1966 Wuxia film starring Cheng Pei-pei as a lethal, cross-dressing heroine named Golden Swallow.

Bonus Features:

Interviews with stars Cheng and Man Yueh Hua, a commentary track with Cheng and scholar Bey Logan, featurettes and theatrical trailers make this a must-see for any fan of Shaw Brothers-era kung fu. Behold, the trailer:

'Til next week, happy viewing!

Related Items

Movie:	Phenomena
	Come Drink With Me
	Grace is Gone
	The Walker
	Watchmen
	Futurama the Movie: The Beast with a Billion Backs
Celeb:	Sylvester Stallone
	Dario Argento
	Zack Snyder

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(1-19 of 19 posts) | Reply

Bruce Campbell writes:
on May 26 2008 04:11 PM

Sylvester Stallone and Dario Argento here I come.

(Reply to this)

mouse_clicker writes:
on May 26 2008 04:11 PM

I'm absolutely excited for this spin-off DVD, especially now that they're doing it as an animated feature. American animation needs this kind of shake up to really get it moving in the direction it needs to.

(Reply to this)

cypress550 writes:
on May 26 2008 04:20 PM

i actually liked the 4th rambo but i probably will be waiting to get the directors cut later on in the year.

(Reply to this)

bat-fink writes:
on May 26 2008 04:58 PM

More RAMBO= More Fun!

Excellent film, but coulda done with a wee bit more Rambo Action. More stealthy kills etc... Also, I thought some of the action looked like it had been cropped short slightly in places, the guts in the truck etc seemed longer in the trailers. Will be waiting for this D cut.

As for futurama, the last film sucked and was boring.

Watchmen, could be good, could be great, who knows till we seen the first one?

(Reply to this)

bat-fink writes:
on May 26 2008 05:00 PM

More RAMBO= More Fun!

Excellent film, but coulda done with a wee bit more Rambo Action. More stealthy kills etc... Also, I thought some of the action looked like it had been cropped short slightly in places, the guts in the truck etc seemed longer in the trailers. Will be waiting for this D cut.

As for futurama, the last film sucked and was boring.

Watchmen, could be good, could be great, who knows till we seen the first one?

(Reply to this)

blooker writes:
on May 26 2008 06:24 PM

Stallone on Leno

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_e2IUZxa5w

(Reply to this)

thereign writes:
on May 26 2008 06:55 PM

I CAN'T WAIT for the new Futurama DVD! Ever since the release of the hilarious "Bender's Big Score", I've been dying for it! However, as far as extras go, I certainly hope they're better than the misguided 30 minute Hypnotoad episode, or the boring-as-all-getout physics lesson!

(Reply to this)

the train writes:
on May 26 2008 07:03 PM

for some reason, i loved hypnotoad. i wasn't even stoned. i watched the whole thing.

(Reply to this)

Bruce Campbell writes:
on May 26 2008 07:19 PM

All power to the Hypnotoad.

(Reply to this)

nathanpoitras writes:
on May 26 2008 07:35 PM

Looking forward to all the Watchmen hullabaloo to come in '09, couldn't care less about a Rambo director's cut though, they'd have to do a lot of cutting to make that into a good movie.

(Reply to this)

dylan21484nj writes:
on May 26 2008 08:12 PM

for a second there, i thought an actual live-action Watchmen sequel was going to be announced, which would be complete blasphemy since the Watchmen story should remain a standalone story and not bastardized by pumping out sequel after sequel. i think anyone who has been paying attention to the Watchmen movie already knew an animated Tales of the Black Freighter was in the works and would most likely make it to DVD around the release of the film a la The Animatrix and Batman: Gotham Knight.

(Reply to this)

jokerboy1991 writes:
on May 26 2008 08:57 PM

I love they are releasing the Watchmen spinoff dvd release its a cool story, which I hear Gerard Butler will be voicing. Ill be renting Rambo, Cassandra's Dram, and Grace is gone.

(Reply to this)

jokerboy1991 writes:
on May 26 2008 08:59 PM

Also does anyone know hoew the John Rambo Director's Cut is going to differ from the original cut.

(Reply to this)

Alex Vo writes:
on May 26 2008 10:57 PM

Friends help! A guinea pig tricked me!

(Reply to this)

Bruce Campbell writes:
on May 27 2008 04:52 AM

In reply to this comment (#1756443)
Probably a higher body count. By about a hundred.

(Reply to this)

dahluzz writes:
on May 27 2008 09:57 AM

In reply to this comment (#1756443)
there is no dialogue whatsoever, unless you count those elongated, unintelligible words burried within the blood-curdling screams. oh, and stallone grunts a lot, too, but that's really it.

(Reply to this)

vitajex writes:
on May 27 2008 11:40 AM

Argento's "Phenomena" is unwatchable, mainly due to the AWFUL soundtrack featuring the worst death metal the 80s has to offer. It's so grating, I shoved a pencil in my year to not have to hear it anymore... plus, now I can taste emotions!

(Reply to this)

jokerboy1991 writes:
on May 27 2008 04:35 PM

Does anyone know when the Rambo Director's Cut is coming out?

(Reply to this)

tomwaitsjr writes:
on May 29 2008 12:21 PM

I saw the DVD of Rambo. The deleted scenes were all awful and boring. No action. The film lasted 80minutes before the credits.

I was amazed at how gory it was. Closest thing I can think of to Rambo's gore is the beginning of Saving Private Ryan.

Definately has more head explosions-decapitations than any other film.

(Reply to this)