This review is not expendable. BLOG: cinematicexcrement.wordpress.com TWITTER: / smeghead4269 VIMEO: vimeo.com/cinematicexcrement (If you can't find an older episode of Cinematic Excrement on RU-vid, it's probably here.)
I just want to say that I'm glad you never succumbed to the trend of adding skits, "storylines" and cameos into your reviews. Some people do it right, but sooo many do it wrong. So please keep your sober style and wonderfully dry sense of humor, that's all we need!
It's so tonally different from the previous movie that you'd think it was a completely different series. If it weren't for the returning characters you couldn't convince me that this was a sequel to First Blood.
3:38-3:53 - For this, Sean, I defer you to the very first episode of the BBC's Sherlock - "A Study in Pink". When John Watson, who is also a war veteran struggling to readjust to civilian life, first meets Mycroft Holmes, Mycroft observes that the tremor in John's hand vanishes when he's under stress, capitalizing on this observation with the line "You're not haunted by the war, Dr. Watson. You miss it." There's also this line from Trautman: "What you call Hell, he calls home." War is Rambo's destiny - no matter how hard he tries to lead a normal life and have peace, eventually he's always pulled back into it. War is the only thing that gives him a purpose. Regardless of the quality of the sequels, that's the point of the entire Rambo series.
@@NebLleb I'm a Rambo fan and I acknowledge this movie is dumb. But at the same time, I enjoy it for being an absurd action flick, all I ask is that it's entertaining.
Calvin and Hobbes..I still miss that strip. When Rambo said he was in charge of multi million dollar equipment and drove tanks, he meant he was trusted with it, knew how to use the equipment yet coming home he couldn’t even get a job parking cars, implying he couldn’t even do that properly. The spitting on veterans was just a small part of the overall feeling of lost honor, but it was real, contrary to Sirota's article, which appears to borrow heavily from a review of a book written by socialist and war protester Jerry Lembcke. In his purported study, Lembcke's sampling was not random, it was statistically insignificant, and he stated that stories of spitting first surfaced in the 1980s. And he espouses that post-traumatic stress disorder was an invention of the government to garner support for the war. But Lembcke is refuted by many other sources, including Jim Lindgren, a Northwestern University law professor who cited news accounts that documented many spitting incidents. One example: A 1967 Bucks County Courier Times article reporting that two sailors were spat on outside a high school football game by a gang of about 10 young men. One of the sailors was stabbed. • In October 1967, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter James Reston's front page article in the New York Times described his eyewitness account of protest behavior so vulgar that spitting was the least of the transgressions. • Even Medal of Honor recipients were abused and "spat upon as 'monsters'," according to the head of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, WWII medalist Thomas J. Kelly. Kelly recounted how about 200 anti-war protesters showed up one year to harass the Medal of Honor recipients at their annual dinner. WWII Medalist James Conners was unable to avoid a particularly obnoxious man yelling, "Killer, killer, killer." Conners decked him. • Other spitting incidents were reported by Pulitzer Prize winners Max Frankel in the New York Times (November 1969) and Carl Bernstein in the Washington Post (May 1970). Lembcke is an avowed socialist and has tried to use incomplete or dishonest research to lend credence to his government-as-pro-war conspiracy theories, to use the 9-million-plus Vietnam-era veterans as anti-war pawns. Let's all stop listening to those who refuse to consider the facts. Our Vietnam experience ended more than 40 years past, and it deserves to be judged by history. www.startribune.com/disrespect-for-vietnam-vets-is-fact-not-fiction/160444095/ Sometimes, the treatment when we returned home was about as traumatic as the war. Bob Greene of the Chicago Tribune asked in his newspaper column whether we had been spat upon when returning to the USA from Nam. He got more than 1,000 responses. He published a collection of those stories in a book, Homecoming - When the Soldiers Returned From Vietnam. Most of the stories he received recount an event in an airport, by 'hippies.' Most are short and radiate emotion of that difficult time. I'm page 163 of Bob Greene's book. No one spit on me. Instead, I was assaulted by kids my own age that were clear about wishing I had not lived to come home. I just found my copy of the book and reread the story. It was still painful. I remember that, when I wrote it for Bob, I took out the violence I did to the guys who assaulted me. My story and all the others showed how crazy we all had become - those of us who served and those of us who hated us for serving. I survived but the cost went on a lot longer than it should have. www.quora.com/Why-were-the-Vietnam-War-veterans-treated-so-badly-after-their-return-to-America-I-have-heard-stories-of-people-throwing-feces-and-eggs-on-returning-soldiers-The-soldiers-were-in-Vietnam-on-orders-and-it-was-unfair The treatment of returning soldiers WAS crap, no doubt about it, regardless of whether or not they were spit on, verbally or physically abused/threatened. Did the more extreme treatment happen everywhere in the country? No, I don’t think it did. However, and I’m speaking for myself, coming from a family where every able bodied male has served since forever, that no returning serviceman or woman deserves that sort of treatment no matter how ‘popular’ the war was or wasn’t back home.
I'm a 20-something air force brat with his head firmly up his own ass, and I make a point to thank vets for their service, including Viet Nam vets. If not for those vets, I might not be able to express this. Thank you to all who went through hell for ungrateful brats, and may you find peace in this life. I may not agree with the war itself, but I believe the saying goes, "Love the sinner, hate the sin."
I love how you had to mention that the guy defending the anti-war protests was a socialist because, oh no, only filthy red commies protest wars and sit on big-ass guns like Jane Fonda most anti-war protesters are horrified at the way we treat soldiers with PTSD - Oliver Stone is dyed-in-the-wool anti-war and socialist and he made fucking Born on the Fourth of July. it's not until you get to Marxist-Leninists and tankies that you actually get socialists and protesters who abhor the soldier just for enlisting in the army, albeit they have the caveat of "most people join for college or for financial assistance, not to try to make America The Buff Imperialist, and they get fucked over hard."
Call me crazy but I love First Blood Part 2. It's the perfect definition of good bad. It's over the top 80's action at its best and Rambo gets a bit of redemption at the end. Yeah his PTSD is completely overlooked but the action is awesome enough to make you forget and he saves those POWs
Interesting fact. The writer of the original book that the first Rambo was based on, where the character actually died, did the novelizations for the second and third films.
Some Authors are not offended by Critically panned adaptations (Dune,Rambo,Death Note)...Some feels offended by highly praised content (Mary Poppins,Willy Wonka,The Shining)
@@1997residente In Frank Herbert's case, he directly worked with Lynch during the production of the 1984 film, and helped him come up with the concept of the "Weirding modules" (ie something to give the Fremen an advantage over the Emperor and his armies).
@@TheRealNormanBates The novel version came out quite immediately after the movie came out. It had a foreword/disclaimer at the beginning where David Morell explains that in his original book, Rambo died. But, in the movies, he still lives. He apparently had a copy of whatever finished script was going to be used. And there's a lot more story in it about how and when Rambo became handy with a bow & arrow, the closeness between him and Trautman, his distrust of the people in charge of the mission, etc.
@@TheRealNormanBates Rambo III follows the film until the rescue from the camp but then has a completely different third act. Noticeably, the kid is absent entirely.
I've always liked this movie, but I do appreciate you putting some things in perspective. Great job as usual, Sean. Good luck with the DuckTits next time.
The novelization was WAY better than the movie especially the character of Co. in the movie her reason for being an American agent in Vietnam is that she inherited the job from her father. in the book, it is that Murdock has promised her that her son will be allowed to immigrate to the USA and get an education if she worked for him. just that makes her much more relatable. I really recommend the books they are very good and was a pleasure to read.
I have to admit that I loved Rocky IV. It was inspirational for me and I use the training montage and the boxing scenes as my motivation for my cardio workout.
Sean, the look of the film can't be Jack Cardiff's fault. He photographed 'The Red Shoes', 'Black Narcissus', 'The African Queen', 'A Matter of Life and Death', etc. He's one of the most highly admired camermen in film. Also, the Jerry Goldsmith music is impressive.
No it's really not a bad movie, it is a silly action movie after a serious first movie, but aliens and terminator2 are the same thing and everyone loves them...
@@1r0zz Rambo 4 actually kind of took up the tone of the first movie. But they went so overboard with the violence, and horrors of war, that you're left more disturbed than entertained.
@@charlesvan13 I do not think Rambo 4 was meant to entertain... I personally think Rambo 4 is the real "first blood part 2". Rambo is both attracted (as he can use his competence, ability, intelligence) and horrified (as he took part one of the worst conflict in history) by war (and violence). the fourth movie represent that, with brutal honesty. the violence is more realistic than any action movie, if maybe over done with CGI (but I can forgive that)
It’s a shame because First Blood is a completely different movie from Parts II and III, it’s like in 1985 they realized how popular action movies were becoming so they just capitalized on the success of First Blood and just made action films instead of a war drama.
Its a favorite of mine as well. In part because there are probably a ton of people who love it who totally miss the fact that its a blatantly anti-war action movie.
The fact that The Boondock Saints was mostly a copy and paste of the 1st movie is Bush League and a giant embarrassment. Make a damn movie that is it's own animal not a freakin copy and paste movie which is Die Hard 2, Home Alone 2, Escape From LA, etc.
@Jason Case Meh, I didn't mind it that much, since there was a few continuity nods here and there. And I get your distain for a sequel being the exact same all the time, personally I don't mind for it as long as the movie entertains me. On a side note, I hate Pokémon for pretty much being the same thing in every installment but yet it gets all the praise. But that's neither here nor there.
I was 18 when this movie came out and I loved it, still do. Shocked to learn at this very moment that it won the Razzie. There had to be dozens of movies worse than this in 1985.
I think that’s always the case; every year has an awful/amazing movie, but Razzies pick and choose movies are well known, either by big names or big budgets, and it’s done just to bring in a bigger audience or have big stars accept their awards. Sucks more when Oscars pretty much do the same thing.
I agree. I saw this movie when it came out, when I was 11. It was awesome. It's definitely not worthy of a Razzie, and it's definitely not Cinematic Excrement.
The problem with that book (which was written by a self-loathing veteran) is that it neglects the fact that the anti-war movement spent the war falsely smearing American forces with war crimes ("the Winter Soldier" tribunal was bullshit). I have spoken to actual veterans who report being called insults like "babykiller" by the anti-war movement, in all cases by women, hence why they didn't physically assault the protesters. But I know you have ideological sympathies with them given your tweeting for impeachment of the current President, so I understand why you feel compelled to do so. Despite our substantial political disagreements, I really do enjoy your videos and movie reviews. It's a shame that you don't have more views and subscribers.
As long as we are doing history lessons , the Viet Cong were South Vietnamese insurgents. As this movie takes place after the war and subsequent reunification of Vietnam , any Vietnamese soldiers that Rambo encounters would be just that, Vietnamese soldiers , and not Viet Cong. Now for something else the movie got wrong (geography lesson). One simply does not slip across to Thailand. Thailand and Vietnam do not share a border , they are separated by the countries of Cambodia and Laos.
1985 was a weird year at Oscars. It was the same year The Color Purple was nominated for eleven Oscars and walked away with a grand total of 0 (still a record to this day). Somehow the aforementioned Out of Africa was able to beat The Color Purple for best picture.
The funny thing is that I watched every movie BEFORE watching First Blood so when I rectified that mistake I was truly and positively surprised at the quality of this movie! I had no idea how good and deep it truly was... The other ones are still really entertaining but we're not talking about the same quality at all: heck I was so surprised that they took this very tortured character from the first flick only to throw him in a goddamn warzone!
Yep. Pretty sure they were like "Oh. This guy stopped being humble and a serious dramatic actor. He's rich and republican. Let's give his movies Razzie! And Fuck Reagan"
The following year Stallone made COBRA, about a guy taking on a crew of violent fascists by becoming a violent fascist himself. (Going to do that one someday?)
I think the Razzies wanted to pick on Sylvester Stallone that year. Giving him Worst Actor for Rambo and Rocky IV would have been enough, but he also got Worst Director (Rocky IV), Worst Screenplay (Rambo), his wife at the time, Brigitte Nielsen, got Worst Supporting Actress (Rocky IV) and Worst New Star (for that and Red Sonja) and his brother got Worst Original Song. So eight of the then ten awards were directed at Stallone.
I liked that this episode felt more like the format of your older reviews, following the plot of the movie a bit more! Been missing the older format lately, so thanks for this one!
I enjoyed the review and as usual pretty damn funny. Although I do have to disagree about what some soldiers returning from Vietnam incurred. My father is a Vietnam vet and when he came back home there were protestors there yelling obscenities and calling my father and the other soldiers he was with all sort of nasty shit. So just because the one guy didn’t have that experience when he came back that he wrote in his book, doesn’t mean other soldiers coming back didn’t either.
There's an amazing 10 episodes Vietnam War documentary on Netflix where even former war protesters feel sorry about calling returning soldiers "baby killer". So yes, it happened.
@@omisan771 I man some were.. but only very few, so.. its at least unspecific lol.. ah yes.. "america is the country who bombs your houses, rapes your women, shoots your children and then 20 years makes a movie about all that killing made their soldiers sad":. or something like that
I am sure that not all hippies were hateful to the returning vets but from what I understand a substantial amount of them did spit on them and hurl insults at them.
Space Ace Possibly but him saying that what Rambo said in First Blood is false and didn’t happen was false in what he said. It did happen as many vets have said and even my own father who was in Vietnam for years had to endure the abuse and vile shit those hippies and disgusting people said to him and his fellow soldiers. So for him to say it was a propaganda thing that Nixon started for political reasons is false it actually happened.
Rambo is my favorite action hero, First Blood is one of my favorite movies of all time. and to be honest... I kinda have a soft spot for the sequel (even if it is a guilty pleasure)
I'm always up for a history lesson. (BTW, Vietnam veterans arrived back in the US at military airports, so they weren't likely to meet any antiwar people there!) Even as MIA/POW movies go, Ted Kotcheff's UNCOMMON VALOR did it better. Was that David Caruso as a cop in FIRST BLOOD?
1: Rambo- Return to Blood would be a better title. 2: Thank you for the impromptu history lesson. 3: Just found you yesterday, and I'm really enjoying your work. Thanks for the entertainment!
13:02 - It is possible that since Murdock is the one in charge of the mission that that may override Trautman's rank, Plus he is the one paying the mercenaries so regardless of rank I think the mercenaries only cared about who was paying them.
14:57 Funny, first thing to come to mind was Star Wars when you mentioned that. I know Jay and Silent Bob Strikes Back did it too, but was intentionally done for laughs. Guess even with Rambo and Jay and Silent Bob giving the warning signs about it, George Lucas decided to do anyways.
Mistress Jen Jesus, can’t you people just stop making fun of that moment from Revenge of the Sith? That moment was important for Darth Vader, because not only has his wife died, but he’s now a slave again, this time for Emperor Palpatine.
Honestly I actually believed the babykiller angle for the longest time, but what you’re saying actually makes a lot of sense. It’s a shame a lot of that camaraderie between supposedly opposing factions doesn’t exist in today’s society.
So...According to The Razzies, going rampage after having PTSD is offensive...but According to The academy enjoying Irak War and Danger like a drug is Deep? Fucking assholes
Sean the title alone give you a thumbs up from me. You are always funny. Sure we made be opposites politically but from what you give on RU-vid that I stumbled on in 2014 til now and beyond, I'll always be a fan.
@@catfoy8888 yeah I don't need people sharing my political opinion for me to like them. Sean can have whatever opinion he wants. Not like he ever insults his fans that are on my side of the political spectrum and I appreciate that.
Hahahaha Once again another great review, that last part of Sean discovering "it's A TIE!!!" was hilarious!!! XD I guess that means the next episode will be a two parter of 'Howard the Duck' and 'Under the Cherry Moon.'
I got some requests for you, Smeghead. 1. Cyberbully 2. The Slaughterhouse Massacre 3. Norbit 4. Little Nicky 5. Pixels 6. Crowsnest 7. Gag (2006) 8. The Gallows 9. Joe Dirt 10. The Hot Chick
I think you're way off base here. The film is a kick-ass fantasy film and a slam-bang crowd pleaser. It features Jerry Goldsmith's most spectacular action score to boot. Goldsmith actually did score the end credits but his music was replaced with the song.
@@sidnew2739 A war-fantasy if you will. The hero is capable defying the laws of physics, can anticipate exactly where enemy personnel will stand when he covers himself with mud and never runs out of ammo as he carries POWs home. That's not a criticism. I love the film.
My Vietnam vet grandfather would like a word with you about the treatment of the soldiers by cowardly hippies. Also, no. The soldiers wouldn't have harmed the hippies because 50% of them weren't wanting to be in Vietnam. My father, likewise, was in charge of prepping draftees. (My grandfather was like nineteen when my mother was born, and my father is nearly ten years older than she is.) He said they were constantly having to do lockdowns and drug searchers because many of these men were all about marijuana and trying to draft dodge, even in boot camp, even AFTER boot camp.
oh boy i cannot wait for your Freddy Got Fingered review in June of 2020 because it's going to be interesting to see you discuss the recent re-evaluation the film's received from the comedy scene over the past 20 years, especially from Red Letter Media, Vice, Reddit campaigns, and actual video essays actively analyzing the film's themes.
People still consider Red Letter Media a serious reviewing outlet? How stupid they can be? They practically become famous creating an toxic environment and profiting of bully's and harassers.
10:30 IDK where you are getting your facts from but lots of people treated the returning vets very poorly, my uncle was spit on right after he got home. It wasn't the average Americans response to the returning vets but many vets were absolutely called 'baby killers'. I'm sorry but your smell test is wrong.
I can verify that the film did actually look like there was vaseline on the lens in 1985. Hazy in some shots, way too dark in others. Even for the 80s it was visually a tad...off.
First Blood the novel is also pretty good. It was interesting how they changed Rambo (and the sheriff) for the movie. In the book, there's some moral ambiguity, instead of Rambo being completely sympathetic and the sheriff being a total asshole. In the movie, Rambo only kind of kills Galt, and that was in self defense. In the book, he spares no one, even when the tide has turned in his favor. And the sheriff is actually a veteran himself and has no idea that Rambo is one when he tries to get him to leave the town at the beginning. Honestly, while I did think the novel was well-written, I prefer the movie. Why have so much complexity? Just give me likable heroes and asshole villains for him to defeat and I'm good. Also, were you afraid the Rambo fans would come after you if you put the title after "Cinematic Excrement"?
This is pretty much the point where the razzies stopped giving awards to the worst movies (the ones who lacked the most ammount of good: direction, acting, script, production, special effects) and just started to give everything to crappy blockbusters I mean not defending all of those, most of them are bad... but sometimes it feels some movies who were nominated (or even weren't) are far worse than the ones who get the award
The first movie is largely based on Rambo the novel and they didn't like the authors ideas for part 2, I assume this is why the script gets so much worse.
18:57 I too enjoyed *"ROCKY IV",* and I also think that it didn't deserved any of the Razzie Awards, especially the win to Vince DiCola for "Worst Musical Score". That alone must have resulted in an angry mob of fans, since the Razzies retired the category after *"ROCKY IV".* 20:03 If you think that's bad, the Razzies in 1998 gave the Win for "Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-Off or Sequel" to THREE FILMS: *"The Avengers"* (not to be confused with the MCU *"Avengers"* franchise), Roland Emmerich's remake of Toho's *"GODZILLA",* and the 90% shot-for -shot remake of *"PSYCHO"* starring Vince Vaughn, Julianne Moore, Vigo Mortensen, William H. Macy and Anne Heche (R.I.P.).
Upon seeing a video with the title "Cinematic Excrement: Episode 109 - Movie Title" in my feed, first I thought I was having a stroke, then I thought this was just a meta video. I was wrong twice.
Rambo: First Blood Part II is a typical product of the jingoistic Reagan era, just like Missing in Action, Red Dawn and Invasion USA (all of which would be perfect for a review). Jerry Goldsmith did however compose a great score for this movie. BTW: how about a review of Cobra?
First, I didn't say that I dislike these movies, I just said that they are typical products of the era in which they were made. Second, a movie can be reviewed on more than one channel.
8:36 "Racist"? Yeah, that's stretch, dude. Obviously they didn't hire a dialect coach for the film so the actress probably did the best she could to imitate a non-native English speaker.
I suggest playing Broforce. It's a (copyright friendly) crossover of various action movie characters mainly from the 1980s and 1990s. It's all the mindless fun of the killing spree in this movie but none of the gutting of characters since you're not supposed to take Broforce seriously.
