I had every intention of getting out to see Rambo last weekend (even bought a ticket to the midnight show at the Arclight), but all manner of nonsense got in the way. Since Nick and Devin and many other folks who grew up worshipping the Reagan-era killing machine professed their affection for Sylvester Stallone’s gory throwback, I know that I’ll catch up with it soon. But what I really want to see is Garth Jennings’s Son of Rambow.
Kudos to Paramount Vantage, then, for sticking the trailer for one of Sundance 2007’s most well-liked films on the front of Rambo; though most of that audience will forget the movie prior to its May 2, 2008 release (where it will counterprogram opposite Iron Man), maybe some swollen HGH-case will wander into the theater expecting to see Sage Stallone ripping the larynges out of Bangladeshi freedom fighters – again, this is an HGH-case; he’s not exactly hip to who’s throwing down globally (even though Bangladesh ain’t exactly stable) – and be charmed by this ode to DIY filmmaking (which beat the wonderful Raiders of the Lost Ark adaptation to the big screen).
I’m pleased that Jennings and Nick Goldsmith (aka Hammer and Tongs) rebounded so quickly from the financial failure of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy with this (by all reliable accounts) lovely little film. They’re extremely talented chaps, and, if you ask me, they did right by the soul of Douglas Adams’s tome. Along with The Foot Fist Way, Vantage is sitting on two of this year’s best cult comedies. Better that than being stuck trying to sell Fanboys!