Movie Reviews: There will be blood, Rambo

This truly was a freaky little movie! Actually, it was under two hours, but from beginning to start, it set a slow, eerie tone. As a matter of fact, there is no dialogue for the first fifteen minutes of the movie. You see, however, Daniel Day Lewis as he is introduced as a very ambitious, character. In the early days of California, we see Daniel Plainfield as he goes from prospector to oil tycoon over the course of twenty years. But it is the town of Little Boston where all the action occurs. Forget cowboys and small towns. This movie goes for broke as it takes place in a desolate area of the desert that sets the mood for the story. We are introduced to his young son and an ambitious young preacher (played brilliantly by Paul Dano from "Little Miss Sunshine"). But what makes this movie fascinating is that it seems like a horror movie from the start. The real horror is man. More so, it is a study of what Paul warned us about: "The Love of money is the root of a sorts of evil". We see what lengths people will go to because of their greed and ambition. That is the real horror.
The movie has a great pace, Daniel Day Lewis gives an amazing performance, and we get a peek at how people are abused and hurt in the process of many people's ambitions and greed. Whether it is the religious leader, or the oil magnate, greed can affect anyone and everyone. Great film. It is creepy and just throws a lot of things at you that you won't see coming. Go see it! 9/10 points.





Wow! The body parts are flying in this latest installment of Rambo. Where as "Blood" deals with violence as a result of greed, "Rambo" deals with violence done to protect the innocent. In this case, it's a lot of violence. Unlike, the previous two films, this violence is very real (like in First Blood) and it deals with things going on in the real world. When is it right to fight? The movie deals with a jaded Rambo working near Thailand as the genocide in Burma goes on. Christian missionaries (led by the lovely Julie Benz of "Angel" fame) ask for help as they bring medical aid to the country. After little dialogue ( I think Rambo says a few sentences in all!) and lots of explosions, Rambo leads a group of mercenaries to get them. No real fun is poked at the aged warrior (except to call him "boatman" and left behind to take care of the boat). But soon enough we see Rambo in full action. This is where the blood hits the fan. How many gallons of blood did they use? It must have been lots. When is it right to fight? This movie will definitely make you wonder. What's interesting is that Sly has come back to some kind of faith he had in his youth. And after making a great movie like "Rocky Balboa" (which was very well done!) he makes "Rambo". Plenty of action and extreme action makes this a movie worthy of an R rating, but you will like it. I will say, it made me feel very edgy because of how real the violence is. Go see this one. 8/10 points.