ReelzChannel | Sylvester Stallone

Sylvester Stallone

25 Nov 2009 00:00:00 CDT

Wed, 25 Nov 2009

Rambo III (Sylvester Stallone as John J. Rambo, Writer )

9:45 PM ET | Encore

Roger Corman to Receive Honorary Oscar

RYAN GOWLAND — 14 Nov 2009 17:45:23 CDT

Even Roger Corman admits that his name was unlikely to be associated with an Academy Award. Yet the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has decided to give Corman an honorary lifetime achievement Oscar, nonetheless. Corman told The Associated Press that he was surprised by the announcement.

I predicted that I would not win because I make low-budget films, and I felt the Academy would not give an award to someone who made low-budget films. I was truly surprised when I got the call.

Corman began his career producing and directing low-budget fare like 1955's Swamp Women and Monsters from the Ocean Floor, Corman quickly found that what he did best was provide opportunities to young director and actors like Martin Scorsese (1972's Boxcar Bertha), Jack Nicholson (1960's Little Shop of Horrors), Robert De Niro (1970's Bloody Mama), Francis Ford Coppola (Dementia 13), and Ron Howard (1977's Grand Theft Auto). Sylvester Stallone starred in two Corman movies, 1975's Death Race 2000 and Capone, and told Entertainment Weekly that he owes his career to Corman.

If I hadn't done those parts I probably wouldn't be here today. He provided a forum for a lot of us to grow. We were the seeds and he owned the farm. If you look at those early movies with Jack Nicholson, you can see it — that he was building his rhythm back then. You can see that he had it. He would allow out-of-the-box people like Scorsese and De Niro to flourish. He didn't go with the status quo. He was a master at spotting talent.

It was his eye for finding talent that Corman is the most proud of.

I know that they all would have achieved the same level if they had never met me, but I think what I was able to do was to give them a start and help them a little bit in their careers, and I take great pride in that.

Corman receives his Honorary Oscar at a ceremony today.

Rambo 5 Returning to Old Plot and Its Senses

RYAN GOWLAND — 13 Nov 2009 10:27:36 CDT

When Rambo 5 was first announced, it contained a plot where John Rambo heads into Mexico to rescue a kidnapped girl from human traffickers and drug lords. The story was in keeping with a typical Rambo movie, but then plans changed. Sylvester Stallone announced that the newly titled Rambo 5: The Savage Hunt would instead follow Rambo fighting a "feral beast" in what sounds like Rambo vs. Predator.

Luckily, it looks like Stallone has come to his senses. Stallone wrote to Stallonezone that Rambo 5 was returning to its original plotline and that the "feral beast" plot would be used in a separate, presumably worse movie.

To all the loyal SZoners out there,
I'm letting you know that Rambo has changed course and the story about hunting the man/beast will be done using another character in the lead. Rambo himself will be heading over the border to a violent city where many young women have vanished .
There will be blood.
Best,
Sly Stallone

So for those hoping to see someone fight an "amalgamation of fury and intelligence and pure unadulterated rage," you'll still get your chance. Everyone interested in watching a Rambo movie that's only absurd in its level of violence, you'll get yours, too. Everyone wins!