The Expendables

 

 

• Released Internationally on 11/08/10
• Released in Malta by KRS on 25/08/10

 

Preview (first published in VIDA magazine on 01/08/10)

In a nutshell

When I was a teenager, our local video rental store didn’t believe in organising shelves according to genre, or alphabetically. Instead, they had a Bruce Willis shelf, a Schwarzenegger shelf, a Stallone shelf, and so on. Genius, I thought. But they’d need at least three copies of this film.

Why we’re hyped

I doubt anyone is expecting any fine acting or mastery use of the English language here. But this promises to be bad, in a good way. If you feel like a couple of hours with a grin plastered across your face, feeling like you walked into a mechanic’s garage in the early 90s and are browsing the posters while he changes your oil, this might do the trick. The title refers to a group of highly-dangerous mercenaries who are assigned to overcome a South American dictator. Or something like that.

Who’s in it?

The cast list reads like a who’s who of action heroes from the past twenty to thirty years. Sylvester Stallone gets top billing since this was his idea and he partly wrote the screenplay, and directs. Jason Statham, who has recently been very busy with the Transporter and Crank films, is one of the newer action guys on the list. Jet Li (Romeo Must Die, Hero, Lethal Weapon 4) adds some martial arts expertise to the arsenal, and veteran wrestler Steve ‘Stone Cold’ Austin adds some brute strength. Reborn star Mickey Rourke (Iron Man 2, The Wrestler) and Dolph Lundgren, the towering Swedish brick wall who shot to fame as Ivan Drago in Rocky IV, are also on board. Schwarzenegger comes out of retirement to play a cameo role, in a scene with probably the most accomplished of the cast, the inimitable Bruce Willis. Steven Seagal and Jean-Claude Van Damme were both offered roles, but allegedly turned them down. Pity. This promises to be what popcorn and big screens were made for.

 

Review (23/08/10)

Surprising

Despite being exactly what the trailers offered, this film still managed to surprise me. Mainly because it's better than I expected it to be. I was ready for wall-to-wall action, but at the expense of any semblance of plot or acting. Yet, despite not being Shakespeare, the story and performances aren't all bad. The overall, cheeky, 'boys-having-fun' aura that pervades the film allows everyone to get away with murder (literally, on numerous occasions), and makes any inept acting or overblown clichés forgivable.

Clash of the titans

Stallone wisely feeds of the ensemble cast at every occasion. From the opening shots of the team arriving at their hangout on fancy motorbikes, it's clear that half the fun is simply having all these people on screen together. This feeling reaches boiling point during the much-anticipated cameo scene with Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis. The two assemble in a church for a brief meeting with Stallone's character. Like much of the film, the scene is rather unnecessary and loosely scripted, but it's incredibly fun to watch. Shamelessly tongue-in-cheek, it works more as a parody of the trio's real-life personas and on-screen heroes, than as any part of this particular film. They're obviously having fun, and it's infectious.

Over the top

Elsewhere, the action is relentless. No larger on-screen body count comes to mind, if you exclude disaster movies, and there's enough gunfire, explosions and blood to keep even the most insatiable action-fan happy. The fun element is predominant once again, with enough clichés and exaggerations to remind us just how fun action films were in the 80s and 90s. There's no slow-motion stylized combat here - it's simply survival of the strongest. Stallone looks like a charred effigy of his former self, and his abused, weather-beaten expression and physique make him a rather unlikely hero when surrounded by the younger action stars on his team. Only Lundgren looks worse. Jet Li's martial arts potential isn't fully utilised, and his acting is painful to watch. Statham proves he is worthy of sharing the top billing, and he seems the most reliable of the pack. Eric Roberts is suitably slimy and assured as the main villain, and he manages to look the part wonderfully, just as he did recently as one of Batman's foes. Back at base, Mickey Rourke's character sits in his tattoo parlour spouting wisdom, and manages probably the best performance overall. Two lovely ladies try to add some delicate touches to the proceedings, but they never stood a chance of anything more than a token role in a film like this.

In the end

When the end title song kicks in, you'll realise just how perfectly it sums up what you've just enjoyed. Stallone manages to handle his impressive cast, and also reins the film in at just the right length. Rarely has any film better epitomized the concept of mindless action and fun, and if you're looking for nothing else, this film delivers.

 

 

Trailers:

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/lions_gate/theexpendables/

Iron Man 2

 

• Released Internationally on 28/04/10
• Released in Malta by KRS on 05/05/10

 

Preview (Published 01/04/10 in VIDA magazine)

In a nutshell

Although The Dark Knight rightly received most of 2008's attention, that summer provided another smart, slick superhero film, with Robert Downey Jr. bringing zest and charisma to the lesser-known character of Iron Man and his alter-ego Tony Stark. So, before the ironing starts piling up, he's back.

Why we’re hyped

Not only was the original an entertaining and well-written action film, but it also succeeded where many superhero films fail - it gave us interesting characters and a good story. The ending was particularly ingenious, and left us with a cliff-hanger as the world's media finally found out who Iron Man really is. So this sequel was never in doubt.

Who’s in it?

For the sake of continuity, it's good to see that director Jon Favreau has kept his chair, and of course so has Downey Jr., whose renaissance continues to land him great roles which he pulls off in style. His assistant and intermittent romantic interest, Pepper Potts, remains in the hands of Gwyneth Paltrow. The role of his partner James Rhodes has been given to Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda, Ocean's Eleven), and Paul Bettany (Creation, Wimbledon) returns as the voice of JARVIS. Two exciting new faces have been added to the arena - Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler, Sin City) looks menacing as 'Whiplash', and Scarlett Johannsen (Match Point, Lost in Translation) might cause a few chest pains as 'Black Widow'. The script was a collaborative effort, but the main contributor seems to have been Justin Theroux, who co-wrote Tropic Thunder, and has also acted in Mulholland Drive and American Psycho. Veteran rock band AC/DC joined A-list composer John Debney to provide the music for the film. Let's hope this sequel is at least as good as its predecessor, rather than sinking under the weight of so many big names.

 

Review (04/05/10)

He's back

Iron Man 2 succeeds in feeling like a continuation, rather than a sequel. With the prologue picking up during the final scenes of the 2008 hit, the story arc and characters continue unabated, and the vibrant freshness that was so enjoyable first time around is thankfully evident once again. Downey Jr. is clearly enjoying himself developing this superhero, and he perfectly balances the style and showmanship of Tony Stark's public persona, with the recklessness and inner demons which threaten to derail his success and health. Similarities with the actor's own history are probably more than co-incidental, and they are milked for all they're worth.

Weapons of mass destruction

With Iron Man keeping America's foes at bay, he cheekily claims to have successfully privatised world peace. But the government is wary of him getting out of hand, and wants his armour handed over to the state for controlled use and possible replication. Stark isn't having any of it, and he reassures everyone that the technology of America's rivals is lagging years behind his. But that all changes when a certain Ivan Vanko ('Whiplash') appears on the scene during the Monaco grand prix, with a fancy costume clearly as powerful as Iron Man's, and less noble ideas about how to use it. The son of a former Soviet scientist who used to work with Stark's father, Vanko has inherited the secret to Iron Man's technology, and suddenly Stark's rivals want the unsightly Russian on their team. Rourke is suitably menacing and mysterious as the film's most obvious villain, shuffling through his scenes like he's had too much vodka but showing his skills when necessary.

All together now

I say 'most obvious villain' because most characters aren't so easy to pigeonhole. With even Iron Man himself getting a bit rusty at points, one of the film's plusses is that hardly any of the characters are all good or all bad, and those who, like me, aren't familiar with the comics might take some time to decide who is to be trusted and who needs to be ironed out. All the smaller roles are well-cast and interesting, with the actors managing to establish their presence despite having only sporadic minutes of screen-time to do so. Scarlett Johannsen doesn't need to do much apart from standing around looking, well, perfect, although she does get one scene where she can show off her choreographed moves, and in a catsuit, please note. Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction, Unbreakable) returns as the spectral head of the S.H.I.E.L.D. organisation, which will apparently be a unifying thread throughout various upcoming Marvel comic adaptations. Sam Rockwell (Matchstick Men, Moon) also manages to make his role as Stark's competitor a memorable one, showing us what a slightly darker version of Tony Stark would look like.

Summer fun

Billed as one of this summer's main blockbusters, the film manages to meet expectations and will probably draw in the crowds over the next month or so. The effects are largely faultless, although the daytime flying sequences I enjoyed so much in the first film have been scaled back. The writing is engaging and interesting without getting too technical, and there are enough one-liners to make you grin without getting too cheesy. The encounters between our hard-headed hero and Whiplash are fun and spectacular, although oddly brief. The film sticks to everything that made the original so great, yet manages to flex its muscles as the bigger (and probably more expensive) sequel – with everything from lavish set pieces in Monaco to appearances by CNN’s Christiane Amanpour.

In the end

It’s big, it’s shiny and it’s fun. Yet, unlike other big sequels such as the Transformers one, the filmmakers haven’t gone overboard at the expense of story and soul. It’s not as great as the first film, but probably only because we’ve seen the fancy armour before. Summer is here.

 

 

Trailers:

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/paramount/ironman/