Expendables 2

EXPENDABLES 2 IS PERFECTLY BALLISTICALLY FUN
by Reymundo Salao

A good sequel is one that takes notes from its previous mistakes and consciously and obviously improves on it. Expendables 2 does just that and more. This sequel is like a billion astro-fireworks far above the previous film. This movie makes the other one look extremely dull, tastelessly bland, and utterly joyless. EXPENDABLES 2 does it right this time and manages to be more than just a better movie. It’s Incredibly and Ballistically Fun!

The Expendables

THE EXPENDABLES: A GLORIOUS Orgasm of Action Junkie Bliss!
By Reymundo Salao

The EXPENDABLES is about a group of unstoppable mercenaries taking on an evil oppressive general and his American allies. This is simple ballistic good versus evil; a movie created as a grand homage to the action movies of the 1980’s and 90’s.

I confess up front that I am going to be biased about this review. I love action movies. Good action movies (even the dumb ones). I basically grew up watching action movies, and so, because The Expendables is an all out explosive movie which is an homage to the classic action films of the 80s and 90s, it’s no surprise that this is something I surely will enjoy from start to finish. And surely I did enjoy it.

Commercially and creatively, it is a fabulous idea to combine all these legendary action icons into one movie. Of course, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Bruce Willis, and Stallone, all action movie heroes, Randy Couture on the other hand is himself an icon of the Ultimate Fighting sport, and so is Stone Cold Steve Austin for the field of wrestling. Then there’s Dolph Lundgren who, despite being cast in B-movie projects over the recent years, still remains an active action movie actor (his 1989 movie Red Scorpion and the 1989 Marvel movie The Punisher are his two movies that I really loved when I was a kid), and also Mickey Rourke, who is more of a ‘man’s man’ icon rather than an action hero. And to top it off is the action movie villain icon Eric Roberts as the main baddie (alongside Steve Austin as his henchman). Terry Crews was also a great addition to the team because he's one of those actors that do look like a bad-ass but is often used on comedies and minor roles in action movies, in this one, he gets to be one of the main heroes. Of course there’s a minor appearance from Arnold Schwarzenegger alongside Willis whose appearance is minor also. But it’s a scene that I loved; the exchange between Stallone, Schwarzenegger, and Willis was just something I really adored. I can’t really ensure if it's also something ladies will enjoy with much giddy enthusiasm as I did. But yes, this movie made me feel like I was in GRADE 6 again, with ...matching childish cheer & machine gun sounds from my grade 6 teeth.

Stallone's style in action is, by definition, violent, but never gory. Stallone's treatment in gore is pretty much hit, get-to-the-point, and then run; it does not exert any effort to focus too long on the gore as much as Neveldine & Taylor's direction in Crank 2 or the torture porn of the Saw movies.

Unfortunately, Stallone has the same major flaw typical American directors are plagued with; they do not know how to shoot a good martial arts sequence. I think the film failed to really let the audience see the usual martial arts majesty of Jet Li. Even Stallone's, Steve Austin's and Randy Couture's major fight sequences lacked an impressive fight-sequence orgasm to it. The shots of the fight scenes feel shaky and too close. With martial arts and fight scenes, the static should be on the body movements of the characters fighting, a good steady focus should capture every detail of the body static. Especially with a superior martial artist like Jet Li, you need to focus each and every impressive stunt he creates onscreen. This is also very similar to editing; a good fight sequence should not be divided into tiny bits to meld with a grand all-out action mix-up with the other characters doing other separate things as well. If it does become part of a mix-up, make the sequences longer.

With what he has achieved in directing John Rambo (Rambo IV), and with his achievement here in The Expendables, I feel that Stallone's forte is more on the military action. It's just grand, wild, ballistic, and merciless. There is one scene (which involves a plane escape) where I literally even clapped my hands (yeah that's not a usual thing here in our conservative city, but hell I just loved it).

What I like about this movie is that even though his main characters are scary when in battle, their character arcs are that they are never a-holes or arrogant vain dicks. That seems to be what sets them apart from the protagonist in movies by Michael Bay or Neveldine & Taylor whose heroes are too cocky and sometimes break too many “hero” rules to the point that you get tired of rooting for those kind of heroes.

Just because you have characters that are wickedly bad-ass, doesn’t mean they have to possess nasty personalities as well. At one scene, we see Mickey Rourke riding in on his bike with what looks like a hooker on his back, yet, the next time we see him, he delivers this soulful lamentation of how an experience in the battlefield, when he neglected a civilian, has bothered his conscience. As I said, they look demonic on the outside, but they reveal sheer goodness inside. Maybe to younger audiences this appears to be an old school approach to action hero archetypes, but if you ask me, this is THE BEST approach to an action hero archetype.

THE EXPENDABLES is full-price movie for me and for many action-loving audiences out there. Sure you should not expect this to be a smart “thinking” movie. But at least it’s not as dumb as, say the “Charlie’s Angels” movies or that dumb G.I. Joe movie (personally this is what I wanted that GI Joe movie to look like). THE EXPENDABLES earns a solid thumbs up; along with wishes that there should be a sequel! Next Mission PLEASE!!!

Movies to Watch Out this 2010

2010 is finally here and here are some movies that you may want to watch out for this year...

Daybreakers - is a vampire film written and directed by Peter and Michael Spierig. The film stars Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe and Sam Neill. Filming took place in Australia from July to September 2007. Ethan Hawke plays Edward Dalton, a researcher in the year 2019, in which an unknown plague has transformed the world's population into vampires. As the human population nears extinction, vampires must capture and farm every remaining human, or find a blood substitute before time runs out. However, a covert group of vampires makes a remarkable discovery, one which has the power to save the human race. The movie is scheduled for a January release in the US & UK. No date yet was set for the Philippines

Clash of the Titans - fantasy film which is a remake of the 1981 film of the same name, itself loosely based on the Greek myth of Perseus. Directed by Louis Leterrier and starring Sam Worthington, the film is set for release on March 26, 2010

Kick-Ass - is an upcoming superhero film based on the comic book of the same name by Mark Millar and John Romita, Jr. The film is directed by Matthew Vaughn. The plot of Kick-Ass concerns a teenage boy, Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson), who decides to become a real-life superhero after being inspired by the heroes of comic books. He soon encounters a mysterious vigilante called Big-Daddy (Nicolas Cage), and his daughter Hit Girl (Chloë Moretz), who are working to bring down the drug baron Frank D'Amico. This is set for an April 2010 release.

Iron Man 2 - it's the sequel to 2008's Iron Man, and the second film in a planned trilogy. Directed by Jon Favreau, the film stars Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, a billionaire industrialist and master engineer, also known as the superhero, Iron Man. The film is scheduled to be released on May 7, 2010.

Alice in Wonderland - the upcoming fantasy-adventure film directed by Tim Burton. It is an extension to the Lewis Carroll novels Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass. The film will use a technique combining live action and animation. Mia Wasikowska plays the role of Alice, alongside Johnny Depp as The Mad Hatter, Helena Bonham Carter as The Red Queen, Anne Hathaway as The White Queen, and Crispin Glover as The Knave of Hearts. The film is due for release on March 5, 2010 and the film will be released through Walt Disney Pictures in Disney Digital 3-D and IMAX 3-D, as well as in regular theatres.

The A-team - Everybody loves the A-team TV series back in the 1980's. This time, it is being made as a full feature movie with all the action and adventure. The film stars Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Sharlto Copley, Jessica Biel, Quinton Jackson, Yul Vazquez, and will be directed by Joe Carnahan. It is set for a June 11, 2010 release.

Predators - a sequel to the 1987 classic horror film Predator. Robert Rodriguez stated that he named the film "Predators" in relation to how the second film in the Alien franchise was called Aliens. This new movie is actually the third of the Predator movie franchise. The first starred Arnold Schwarzenegger and the second starred Danny Glover. This movie is directed by Nimród Antal, but is produced by Robert Rodriguez, visionary director of From Dusk Till Dawn, Spy Kids, and the El Mariachi series (its most popular of the series is Desperado). It will be starring Adrien Brody, Topher Grace, and Danny Trejo. It's scheduled for a July 9, 2010 release.

The Expendables - This ensemble action film written and directed by Sylvester Stallone, which stars himself along with Jason Statham and Jet Li. The film pays tribute to the blockbuster action films of the 1980s and early '90s, as the film includes action veterans from those decades (such as Stallone himself, Dolph Lundgren, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jet Li, and Bruce Willis). The movie is expected to be released on August 20, 2010.

Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows (part 1) - Part 1 of the adaptation of Rowling's final Harry Potter book, which is expected to have its grand finale of a successful and highly respected film franchise based on the phenomenal book series. The final chapter of the Harry Potter film series begins as Harry, Ron, and Hermione leave Hogwarts behind and set out to find and destroy the Horcruxes, the secret to Voldemort's power and immortality. In as much as I actually hated the earlier Potter movies, I do think that this series clearly is the Star Wars of this generation. Deathly Hallows part 1 is set on November 19, 2010.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader - Just after Disney severed its ties from the Narnia franchise, 20th Century Fox came right in to take charge of distributing this Narnia sequel. fantasy film based on The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the third published novel in C.S. Lewis's fantasy series, The Chronicles of Narnia. It is the third in The Chronicles of Narnia film series from Walden Media, following The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. This time around – Edmund and Lucy Pevensie, along with their pesky cousin Eustace Scrubb – find themselves swallowed into a painting and on to a fantastic Narnian ship headed for the very edges of the world. Obviously this new movie will feature stuff closer to something like Pirates of the Carribean because this will have sea voyage adventures. The Dawn Treader will set sail on December 10, 2010.

Wanted: Border - shot in Iloilo, and made generally by Ilonggos, this movie written and directed by Rey Gibraltar, and stars Rosanna Roces, won seven trophies in the fifth Cinema One Originals Awards, including Best Film, Best Screenplay and Best Director, held last November 15, at the Dolphy Theater in ABS-CBN. It also won Best Production Design (Al Alacapa, Winston Lazaro and Allan Hilado); Best Music (Malik Lopez and Eric Romulo), and Best Cinematography (Ogi Sugatan). After (the movie) Yanggaw sparked consciousness in the local masses on how good indie films and Visayan talent and creativity are, there has been a demand to see this new indie movie made by Ilonggo creativity. Cinema One's Festival season is long been over, no release date has been set, yet Ilonggos are still eagerly awaiting its release in Iloilo shores...