Sylvester Stallone is an ideal choice to direct a remake of Death Wish

Let's begin with some definitions: ==DEFINITIONS== Princeton's Wordnet defines "ideal" as "conforming to an ultimate standard of perfection or excellence. " [1] Princeton's Wordnet defines "choice" as "option. " [2] ==BURDEN OF PROOF== My opponent as the instigator and affirmative has the burden to prove that Stallone is the best option for director of the remake for the action film "Death Wish. " Or at the very least, he must prove that Stallone is one of multiple "perfect options. " ==MY CASE== 1. Stallone is a bad director Rambo Sylvester Stallone singlehandedly ruined the Rambo series. Rambo I received a positive review from 86% of critics, according to Rotten Tomatoes. [3] During Rambo I, Stallone was a relative unknown. Although he got a writer's credit, most of the writing was done by a team of writers: Michael Kozoll, William Sackheim, and David Morrell. All 3 are accomplished writers; Sackheim recently won two Emmy's for his work. [4] Rambo I was directed by Ted Kotcheff, an accomplished director who also directed Weekend at Bernie's, the original Fun with Dick and Jane, and Law and Order: SVU. [5] How did the other Rambo movies fair? Only 30% of critics liked Rambo II, 36% liked Rambo III, and 36% liked Rambo IV. [6] [7] [8] Rotten Tomatoes thus considers all 3 films "rotten" because they failed to please a majority of critics. What changed? In Rambo II and Rambo III, Stallone took on most of the writing himself. In Rambo IV, Stallone took on the writing as well as the directing. Stallone is not a brilliant writer and is not a brilliant director. He is far from the "ultimate standard of perfection or excellence" that the word "ideal choice" implies. The Expendables The Expendables is still considered "rotten" by Rotten Tomatoes, but it is not as bad as the Rambo movies that Stallone ruined. [9] If the Expendables is good it is because of the amazing acting and the all-star cast. If it is bad, it is because of Stallone's writing and directing. Rene Rodriguez of McClatchy Newspapers explains in perfectly: "Jason Statham gives the best performance. Dolph Lundgren gets the best character arc. Terry Crews gets the best gun. Jet Li gets the best kill (you'll know it when you see it). Arnold Schwarzenegger gets the best cameo. And Sylvester Stallone? He gets the blame. During a bad career stretch in the late 1990s when he starred in one stinker after another . . . Stallone used to complain that critics unfairly held him accountable for the failure of his movies, even though he was just a hired actor doing what he was told. But the auteur has no excuse with "The Expendables," which includes the irritating opening credit "A Film by Sylvester Stallone. " The actor directed and wrote . . . this ensemble shoot-'em-up about a gang of likable mercenaries hired for jobs even the CIA won't touch . . . "The Expendables" is simply a crummy, nonsensical picture made by a faded movie star trying to regain some box-office luster . . . [Stallone has] cheesy CGI buildings collapsing, an obviously animated wall of fire, some muddled plotting ("Here's what I think is happening," Stallone says at mid-film before explaining everything that's transpired) and truly execrable characterizations [extremely bad and forgettable characters] . . . No one goes to "The Expendables" expecting Shakespeare, but the film's script is so thin and flimsy the entire enterprise feels as if it's built out of hype and marketing. Worse, Stallone is a terrible director, who constantly shoots scenes in close-up – so much so that you feel as if you're watching the movie through binoculars. " [10] There have to be better director choices than Stallone to direct a re-make of a very popular movie. 70% of critics enjoyed the original Death Wish. [11] Stallone would only ruin it. 2. Other potential directors: 1) Michael Winner He is the original director of Death Wish and is still alive. [12] I'm sure he can make an equally great movie with all the technological advances that have happened since 1974. 2) Steven Spielberg Spielberg is rated the best action film director of all time. [13] He directed the original Indiana Jones movies, Saving Private Ryan, Jurassic Park, Schindler's List, Minority Report, and Catch Me If You Can. Many of these movies are acknowledges as the greatest action films of all time. 3) James Cameron Cameron is also rated one of the greatest action film directors of all time. [14] Among other things, he directed the original Terminator movies, Aliens, and Avatar. 4) Quentin Tarantino Tarantino has a quirky and interesting style. He would be perfect for a remake, since he would have such a fresh take on Death Wish. Among others, he directed Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, and the Kill Bill series. 5) Martin Campbell Billed as one of the greatest action directors of all time. [15] He directed Casino Royale, the Mask of Zorro, and GoldenEye. 6) Christopher Nolan Nolan is the genius writer/director of Memento, Batman Begins, The Prestige, and The Dark Knight. Nolan always has intriguing underlying themes to his movies and amazing innovations, such as having Memento's scenes play backwards in time, since the main character has memory loss. Any of these directors, as well as hundreds of others, could produce a superior film to Sylvester Stallone. The transition from actor to director is difficult enough, and Stallone wasn't even the most versatile actor to begin with. It's unreasonable to expect him to be a versatile director. Thus, Stallone is far from the "ideal choice" to direct any action movie. His star power as an actor has more to do with any of his film's relative success, not his directing prowess. I thus urge a Con vote. ==CITATIONS== [1] . http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu... [2] . http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu... [3] . http://www.rottentomatoes.com... [4] . http://articles.latimes.com... [5] . http://en.wikipedia.org... [6] . http://www.rottentomatoes.com... [7] . http://www.rottentomatoes.com... [8] . http://www.rottentomatoes.com... [9] . http://www.rottentomatoes.com... [10] . http://www.encorebuzz.com... [11] . http://www.rottentomatoes.com... [12] . http://en.wikipedia.org... [13] . http://movies.toptenreviews.com... [14] Ibid [15] Ibid