Well huh

[lonelybrit]

Completely out the blue the family of the LB is suddenly being left with the decision of whether or not to try and see Rambo IV. Why? Er, well, apparently, it might be the morally right thing to do. Sort of. If you discount the average body count of roughly two souls per minute.

Got a phone call from the father, who had caught the end of the news which had a bit about Rambo IV. Turns out there's been a bit of a stink about this movie as, gasp horror, the Burmese government have been cast as the villains. Unsurprisingly the movie is now banned in Burma (though illegal copies are very popular) and for some nebulous reason Odeon also refused to distribute it.

This is more the parents' field than mine. In particular the mother has worked her whole life with issues like this, I remember one time she was in Burma for 3 months. It takes something serious for her to be getting behind a movie like Rambo. And I thought I'd seen everything. Live and learn, LB, live and learn.

ETA: Just a few quick links.

Sly speaking at the UK première.
Guardian Report on the Burmese army
Aung San Suu Kyi - still being detained by the Burmese government
Another report from Amnesty International

Comments

[esmerelda-t.livejournal.com]

I thought Odeon banned it cause they thought it was rubbish and would bomb, now I'm wondering if the Burmesse Government have shares in it or something, or more likly I suppose, the people that sell them their weapons have shares in it or something.

[lonelybrit]

Exactly, I admit I was hardly gutted when I heard Rambo wasn't being more widely distributed. I assumed, as you say, it was because the film was pants and overly violent. But then again, that hasn't stopped any other number of films being released. Who knows. It was a surprise to learn that actually there's been quite a political stir about all this.

Not to mention I boggled when IMDB reported that Julie Benz is one of the stars.