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Action Movie Fans
can watch
"The
Hovitos are near, the poison is still fresh—3 days, they're
following us . . . "
just admit it now,
Action
Movie Fans
can stomach
You're an
*from
CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK
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Closing out 2014 . . . What stayed with me most from 2014 was Lone Survivor, Murph the Protector, and The Raid 2 Berandal, plus the stuntwork by Heidi Moneymaker for Scarlett Johansson and the fight between Cap (Chris Evans and/or his stunt doubles Chris Brewster/Daniel Hargrave/Sam Hargrave?) and George St-Pierre in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. For 2015 and beyond, there is so much to look forward to—these are in order by release date, and then alphabetical by year where there is no release date other than the year—including my favorites in orange . . . And these are just a fraction of the movies (check out the full list of Action Movies By Year from IMDb). Some I'd heard of, some I picked just because the title or plot was intriguing. Most link to their IMDb page. And I skipped War movies and Westerns. They are their own thing. It bothers me when people count them as Action Movies. They are not. They are movies with action in them. Disagree? Check out my Action Movie Essentials :) 2015 January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
November
December
____________
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
Top 10 Action Movie
Scenes YouTuber @John Flickster sent me a video of his Top 10 (LIONSGATE) Action Movie Scenes. His delivery was great and his excitement contagious. It got me to pick which scenes I think are best, so here are both: his choices and mine (his video is at the bottom, or click the link above). The scenes I chose were the most enjoyable based on those most talked about with fellow Action Movie Freaks—all indelible scenes that raised the bar. (These are in chronological order): Raiders of the Lost Ark
Out For Justice
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Heat (1995)
The Matrix
SPL: Kill Zone
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
The Raid: Redemption
Iron Man 3
Here is John Flixster's Top Ten Action Movie Scenes for LIONSGATE UNLOCKED
JOHN WICK sets it on fire . . . I couldn't stop going to see John Wick over and over long enough to finish writing about it. I've paid to see it five times and I am going to fit in one or two more! It more than satisfied most of my Action Movie Essentials, and Keanu Reeves and 87eleven blew the roof off 'cool'. I even love the soundtrack! Once we get past the sad part (I mean ass-kicking excuse), the rest is a rush. Read more . . .
The Six Million Dollar Man: '70s gold
is getting repaid in the Billions!
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Time Out New York
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Outlaw Vern
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The closest to my list (less 'film' influence, more purely Action Movie) is Action Elite Eoin Friel |
(They published mine in alphabetical order, so here is my list in order) Action Movie Freak
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So excited that they are making Black Panther. Congratulations to Chadwick Boseman! He might not be an Action Figure but he's a talented actor. I really cannot believe it's not Michael Jai White, though. The Hollywood Reporter says that the character will debut in 2016's Captain America: Civil War. Superheroes in the Civil War—there's something I never thought I'd say. The Black Panther movie is scheduled for November 3, 2017. GOTTA be happy about this. It's ALL good! Hope he trash talks the hell out of it. (Here is concept art by Ryan Meinerding.)
Captain Marvel might be cool as well. I hope it's the fully clothed version of her. (So many versions of that character.) The date is set for July 6, 2018.
Box Office Mojo posted this list of the upcoming Marvel
movies:
SandwichJohnFilms.com reported that Robin might be Jena Malone in the upcoming Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. It's great to have another female superhero, but Joseph Gordon-Levitt was the best thing about The Dark Knight Rises and it was so perfectly set up for him to be Robin, so I hope they don't do that. I'd love to see a female Robin, hell, I'd love to see a female every superhero, but don't switch horses midstream! I hate it when they do that. YES, we want to see Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Robin. Of course, Jena Malone could be something else, you know, sideline-ish—girlfriend, victim (all we ever get to be)—but hopefully, not for long! She is so NOT what comes to mind when I think superhero. Here she is from Sucker Punch. And the hits just keep on coming . . .
Twitch Film reported that Marko Zaror will be playing Zambo Dende: The Slave Avenger. A Colombian comic book by Nicholas Rodriguez, Latino Daily News from August 7, 2013 said "The film 'The Games Maker' will tell the story of Zambo Dende" and would be released in April 2014 . . . It also said they were teaming with deep-pockets Disney, so what happened? This Film Combat Syndicate article doesn't say, but it does mentioned a projected 2014 release, and that "it looks like it will begin production sometime next year" and is scheduled for a 2016 release. They also mention "Mad Dog" Yayan Ruhian is co-starring.
So sad to hear that Elizabeth Peña has passed away at the age of 55. She was wonderful in RUSH HOUR.
There's few movie situations I enjoy more than a girl in an all-guy situation holding her own and getting the better of them.
UPDATE from
Variety Magazine: Elizabeth Peña, the Jacob's
Ladder and La Bamba actress who died Oct. 14 at the age of 55, died due to
complications from alcohol abuse, according to a new report from TMZ.
Per the report, her death certificate reads that her passing was the
cause of cirrhosis of the liver due to alcohol abuse. Gastrointestinal
bleeding hours before her death caused her heart to stop.
The actress reportedly suffered from the disease for months, but it
became more severe leading up to her death.
Peña was also known for roles in Rush Hour, Blue Steel, and
Batteries Not Included, along with a recurring guest role on
Modern Family. She also recently wrapped work on the first season of El Rey
Network's Matador.
Here is issue 3 of PAYBACK action movie magazine featuring super stuntwomen Heidi Moneymaker and Zoë Bell! Please take a look :)
The final 24 hours is upon us! The project ends Wednesday at 3:00 PM.
You have just about a week left, so please watch this video and participate!
When someone offers you a chance to participate in a really cool project, it's an easy Yes! So, here's your chance to join me in supporting "No Touching", an action movie short film starring stuntwomen/actresses Zoë Bell and Heidi Moneymaker.
SYNOPSIS: Michelle and Jackie begrudgingly agree to go to a haunted house attraction in downtown L.A. where they are required to sign a waiver that allows the performers to touch them but prevents them from touching back. Once inside, the performers cross the line and these ass-kicking women remind them how ladies should be treated!
Media Contact:
Eliot Lehrman
at
notouchingfilm@gmail.com
for more information.
Writer-Directors:
Will
Corona Pilgrim &
Adam Davis
No Touching is supported by the
members of the
87eleven Action Design team
(in my opinion Action Movie GODS), led by
owners/directors
Chad Stahelski and David Leitch
(whose feature film
John Wick
comes out on October 24th). Chops! Doesn't get any better than that!
If you can, please DONATE NOW to the Kickstarter campaign.
It ends on October 15th, so don't wait to show your support. Shoot date
is November 5th. They need to raise a total of $30,000 for production
costs, including permits, location fees, cast and crew payments,
equipment rentals, and film completion costs. The production will be
looking to add additional cast members in the coming weeks.
“Zoë and I have both been kicking ass for a living for a long time,”
Heidi Moneymaker said.
Zoë
Bell added “We've known each other for ages and have kept
talking about working together and we figured it's about time we
combined our ass-kicking skills and make something badass.”
Writer-Directors
Will
Corona Pilgrim
and
Adam Davis
are excited about the project: “We've been writing kickass female
characters for as long as we can remember, and who's more kickass than
Zoë and Heidi? No one.”
This project marks a TURNING POINT for women in Action Movies in two ways.
First, I have added these two Stuntwomen to the BAD ASS list on this website. (Click these links to see their profiles: Heidi Moneymaker and Zoë Bell). These two women are the very first stuntpeople (as opposed to Actors) I have featured. This is something I have wanted to do since I saw the outtakes in old Burt Reynolds movies: make the stunt people the stars! THIS is what Action Movie Freaks really want: To know who did which stunt. All Action Movies should show the stuntperson at the end and give their names as we watch them do the stunt (raw footage) and/or outtakes, after every movie. We don't go to Action Movies for the Acting. We go for the Action. So, while I started with actresses on the REGULAR JANES list, and everywhere else/all the other categories, from now on I will focus on finding out more about who does the Stuntwork and add them instead of, or in addition to, the actor/actress who represented their work (wherever that applies). OR, even better, maybe now more Stuntpeople, especially women, will begin to be the stars of the movie. [I need to put in all the amazing people either honored or that I learned about at the 3 years of ActionFest I attended, like Buddy Joe Hooker, and Henry Kingi, Sr.] I am excited that this might be the start of a trend.
Second, and this is EVEN COOLER (saved the best for last), we are now getting WOMEN to be the lead in Action Movies, and in this case two Stuntwomen/Actresses. Granted, this is a short film, but it's a start. It's something I have been wishing for since before I can remember. I have always identified with the male hero and not the two-dimensional female characters who need rescuing. The first movie that I felt the women took over in was American Dreamer (a silly romance, but still, she took charge!). And then came Lt. Ellen Ripley. Anytime anyone is a naysayer about Women and Action Movies, there is Ripley. So now we have Heidi and Zoë breaking that actress/stunwoman barrier and making an Action Movie for women—for everyone, really, but a movie that marks, hopefully, the start of many more! We just need the other key creative players involved to also be women: writers, director, 2nd unit director, etc.
UPDATE: They have hired Nancy Schreiber, ASC as the Director of Photography. (She did Your Friends & Neighbors "Is it me?" which was funny as hell) . . .
I saw these two movies as a double feature tonight and there were similarities, but they were like opposites: Good and Evil. Both were avenging characters, but the movies are so different.
First, the Evil: A Walk Among the Tombstones. Maybe America has gotten so used to seeing women beaten and tortured on TV shows and in movies, especially horror, that it's now NORMAL to see a woman being raped during the credits, but not for me! This movie was horrible. Liam Neeson should be taken to task for doing this movie.
Bottom Line: Do not see this movie if you're a woman. Don't give them any money for this. Read my full take under Bad Action Movies
Second,
the Good: The Equalizer. Denzel
Washington plays a kind of secret agent/widow in mourning. The opening
quote for the movie is from Mark Twain: "The two most important days
in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why."
We get to find out why Denzel's character Robert was born. "One day
somebody does something unspeakable to someone you hardly knew and you
do something [about it] because you can. Because that's who you are."
I was afraid this movie would exploit little Miss Chloë Grace Moretz, but they didn't! Nor the other prostitute role. It's a kind of guide on how to live your life (violence aside). Denzel Washington's character "Robert McCall" is a true friend. He's popular where he works and helps people realize their true potential, taking time to give words of encouragement or lending a helping hand. Or iron fist as the case may be. He states: "You gotta be who you are in this world, no matter what." And he advises: "Don't doubt yourself, son. Doubt kills." And "Change your world." One person really can make a difference. It's a Christian principle to speak out over people's lives and to offer encouragement. The fact that Robert's some kind of mad-skills Avenging Angel is really entertaining to watch. As they put it: A guy who thinks he's a knight in shining armor even though "knights don't exist anymore". After he kills a bad guy, he says "I'm sorry." And he is.
This movie satisfies many of my Action Movie Essentials. Although Denzel is not as muscular as this type of fanatical and disciplined character would be (at one point it's clear his chest muscles are soft and he has a bit of a gut, plus they never show him shirtless—sorry Mr. D. but there are men killing themselves to look Action-Figure-ready and it's that kind of role, plus we want big, buff actors!). On the plus side, he's tall, being bald's a little scary, he pulls off the action scenes with speed, agility, and Skills, and with the strut, he owns being a Bad Ass. There are lessons to be taught and learned—He's definitely on the Right Side. There are LOTS of improvised weapons, Gnarly Kills galore, and massive explosions! He even treats his own wounds, like Rambo. There's a Whiner, some Camaraderie, and lots of Dominance. They save the Big Dog Entrance for the end, and as Action Movies should, it pumps you up and it has a 'happy' ending: They brought it back to the girl and made it all mean something.
Overall, it's enjoyable. The massive beating to the face in the trailer is a little hard to watch, but the gnarly kills at the end would do Final Destination proud.
I'm excited about this movie the way that everyone
else seems to be excited about
Interstellar (meh!). Love Sean Bean (back when, I had
hoped he would have been the next
James Bond, the first blonde Bond—no slight to Daniel Craig
intended). I also love movies that take you to a completely different
world (like
The Chronicles of Riddick). We have to wait only 4 more months
for this (release date 6 February 2015). Hope the Wachowskis aren't
stingy with the cheesy one-liners and that
Channing Tatum's characters is a wise ass.
Can't get enough Keanu Reeves or John Leguizamo. Put 'em together in an Action Movie and it's got to be good.
Talk about your underappreciated Action Movie Stars! Michael Jai White reigns supreme in this payback movie. Should be fun watching him wipe the floor with the Brazilian Yakuza. And it also stars the always awesome Neal McDonough who might have taken over for Eric Roberts. You know, good looking but always a co-star/bad guy/character actor, and in tons of Action Movies (like he's addicted to Action Movies—who isn't). Director: Ernie Barbarash Writer: Y.T. Parazi
NOW SHOWING in Miami at Palace 18.
Key & Peele must be over the moon at this trailer: A Walk Among the Tombstones (Action, Crime Mystery) September 19th. Writer/Director: Scott Frank. Based on the book by Lawrence Block.
We thought for sure
The Rock was going to announce he was Shazam but,
surprise surprise
. . . electrifying! Below the
picture, AMC speculates about his role as
#TheAntiHero as he tweeted about. I think he seems psyched for
the role and he always has fun with it (to our benefit). They're wrong
about no muscly men though. Hello, SUPERHERO. Film people just don't get
#ActionMovies! It's all about the physical.
Clevver
Movies puts out a lot of videos on YouTube. They're always
entertaining and always on top of the latest movie news. Although the
headline of this one is a little misleading . . .
"Avengers 2 End Credit Scene Revealed?", once
you watch it, you'll see what they did.
In the video, Clevver Movies states "As for Ms. Marvel, sources are saying that Marvel is having cold feet about introducing her in an end-credit scene as a fully developed character. Recent reports have suggested that Marvel is no longer interested in origin stories, but they aren't sure introducing such a major character in this way is the right move either."
I had to wonder, what is the hesitation in introducing female superheroes (as far as women are concerned, they are long overdue), and why are they no longer interested in origin stories1? It may be that audiences are a little bored with male superhero origin stories already (in my opinion they are Batman-ing, Wolverine-ing, and Spider-Man-ing us to death), but we haven't scratched the surface with female superheroes. So, what are they afraid of? Didn't Lucy dominating Hercules in the box office prove anything?
I think I know. They might not know how to portray female superheroes. In all seriousness, when you look at the majority of the source material, you should shudder. Are they afraid of backlash? They should be, although they did much better than expected with the character of Black Widow (and it has been well received), giving us a more realistic, respectful, and largely less sexual treatment:
This versus This:
We need to keep moving farther away from the ridiculously sexualized poses and revealing male-fantasy inspired costumes that are prevalent in comic books, like these examples:
Too often, men are the ones making the decisions on female superhero movies. Women really should be writing and directing these movies. According to this article "How female superheroes could address Hollywood's gender pay gap" only 2% of directors are women. It seems so obvious to me to have women at the helm of a female superhero movie, but if not, at least consult a woman for Pete's sake—but it's got to be a 'liberated' woman (a Feminist) and NOT a 'Man Pleaser' (a woman who dresses to please men). Since this is new territory, we should do it right, and not ignore the potential for harm, nor squander the potential for gain.
We are at an important crossroads here that impacts the future of all women. Who we hold up as an example of a superhero to young girls should be someone admirable, and the importance of it cannot be overstated.
In this screencap (below, left) from the video above, it shows the line up of superhero costumes—They're all male superheroes except Black Widow, but her costume fits right in (Hulk being a special case LOL). Showing what that might that look like if there was a clothing rack with all female-comic-book-character costumes is the perfect illustration of the problem (and the solution):
Too often female superhero costumes are like underwear or worse, body painting (a soul-sucking trend I abhor as a woman). Sadly, wearing underwear as clothing is commonplace now in nightclubs and at music festivals. This leads to disrespect, rape, and violence against women. It is irresponsible and dangerous to dress this way, and it's unforgivable to teach the objectification of women to impressionable young minds (male and female) in the form of role models dubbed "superheroes".
It's time to ignore the state of undress of the female costumes in the source material (comic books), and put male and female superheroes on an equal footing. It's time for men to grow up and think of the peril it places women in just for the sake of male pleasure. It's time to think, if she was my daughter, what would I do? And if you are a woman and dress this way, think about the harm you are causing. Stop worrying about what people will think if you don't conform, and stop fitting yourself into a male-pleasure-centric mold. Be your own hero and free yourself from the degrading social constraints of our popular culture.
So, who are Ms. Marvel and Captain Marvel (aka Monica Rambeau)? and more importantly, who could they be? At least in the more modern versions of the comics, they could be physically strong or appropriately attired, but not both it seems—they really need to be both!
To do the right thing, we need to end some of the MALE FANTASY FEATURES, like:
>>Ridiculously large breasts. Female super heroes do not need to have large breasts that feed the insecurities of less busty women or set some kind of achievable-only-by-surgical-distortion standard in as-yet undeveloped girls, like this image at left. No nipple-revealing-body-paint-like liquid skin looks either. The Mystique movie 'costume' in X-Men is WAY wrong. Personally, I find it downright disgraceful. And just because a woman is attractive or "proud" of her body does not mean it's harmless putting it on display this way. It's not like the men are doing it too (two wrongs wouldn't make a right anyway). This is a case where the movie is worse than the comic.
>>Ass-out short shorts or thong-ish outfits, and crotch shots. These are wrong.
Michael Bay as much as I love him is not helping either with the scantily clad, too-young damsel in distress, and the worshipful, below-crotch-level, slow-mo shots. Will he ever make an equally strong female character? Considering he did a Playboy video centerfold, it's doubtful. Still, everyone can change, and if he wants to go in a different direction, I challenge him to take on positive roles for physically strong women, instead of these nonthreatening age-inappropriate 'dolls'.
Please let's cover up our female superheroes as much as the men are, and be battle appropriate. Since they felt free enough to stray from the source material by taking the comic-book costume off Mystique, they should feel free to put more clothes on other female characters. Our female superheroes need to be role models of something other than the male fantasy of beauty and sexuality. We need to make them properly attired superheroes that young girls can look up to. From these early comic-book superhero bodies (below) that were mainly voluptuous in skimpy costumes, comic books got more muscular—if only that were the case in movies.
>>Portrayal of superheroes by waify, model-thin actresses . . . What are we afraid of here? Now that we have movie stars like fighters Gina Carano and Ronda Rousey, maybe we can finally see more of truly strong women in movie roles as superheroes and not just skinny actresses like Gal Gadot faking it. The movie studios need to realize men are not the only audience for Action Movies!
>>Letting ourselves be portrayed as 'sex objects' in real life. Who will be that female version of the sensation that Arnold Schwarzenegger was in Pumping Iron? Some girl/woman will step up and be that breakthrough person. Someone with strong arms like Ronda Rousey's, who is the real deal.
How it has to work is that she has to be the exception. All that she has accomplished in real life by breaking the mold, means that she has to step up to be a role model and not allow herself to be portrayed like this photo spread in, of all places, ESPN2. Everything Ronda has achieved is undone here. She'll be disregarded by men like every other woman. Women have to stop doing this. (please read my footnote before you dismiss me)
>>Sexualized poses. After Marvel seemed to get it right with Black Widow's more sedate costume, they made a misstep in exploitative posing for only the female character that was mocked—rightly so:
In this article covering the panel "Reimagining the Female Superhero: Gail Simone, Amy Reeder, Marguerite Bennett, & More Discuss Comics" at Special Edition NYC, Emanuela Lupacchino wonders if we were ever given the message that "superhero comics were not for girls." Yes, we were, but the funny thing is, we liked them anyway and imagined we were the male superheroes and related to them, not just to the women there for set dressing and masturbatory fodder.
>>Unrealistic costumes. They had free reign to recreate Wonder Woman's costume considering how many varieties there were in the original . . .
or at least to get the colors right. Instead we got this burgundy/brown leather thing ?!
Women have waited so long for Wonder Woman to be in a movie. How could the costume not be red, white, and blue?! To hell with the whole "Christopher Nolan darker thing"! This is Wonder Woman for most of us—Lynda Carter from the TV show. I was really hoping for a stronger version of her and more skin to be covered. And nothing like an impractical, strapless bathing suit.
What's wrong with comic books, and with the male creation and movie portrayal of female superheroes can be summed up by these connected-image Ms. Marvel and Captain Marvel covers. They look like boy toys. They might as well be inflatable dolls. There's nothing heroic about being a sexed-up dick accessory. These men are just flying off with their playthings. As the 4-year-old son of a friends says "Super Zeroes"!
When I heard they were going to make a female Thor, I was happy, but I didn't really think she'd have Thor-like, Mjolnir-weildable arms, but she should. Don't think it would be popular? Think again. Remember how bad ass Alien's Vasquez was? Oh yeah!
So Marvel has cold feet (or do they?), Sony doesn't. Maybe DC will jump in and take off with Batgirl. In any case, we won't see a Sinister Six, Wonder Woman, or Black Widow movie before 2016-17. And so we wait, despite the proven box-office success of female-driven Action Movies! But why?!
To paraphrase The Rock In G.I. Joe: Retaliation (and it takes on poignant meaning in light of recent events), "[Girls aren't saving themselves]", and in the words of Aliens' Private Vasquez "Let's rock!"
_________________
1 The debate over whether comic book character movies need an origin movie is dumb. Of course, they need an origin movie. Otherwise, it's like starting in the middle, and, of course, we want to see them!
2 This really irritates me. She achieves that status that she did in fighting but then it's taken away by trivializing it. And of all places, ESPN in their "Bodies We Want" section. Sure they have other people, men, 'handicapped', naked as well, and yes, it's clearly a celebration of athleticism and the human form, and, if all was right with the world, it would be fine but it's not. And on the web, it is not viewed in context. How can we ever be taken seriously if we're always ready to take our clothes off? Why isn't being beautiful and fit enough?
I couldn't wait to see The Expendables 3, so I went to the first showing on Thursday night. It delivered and then some on the Action! I enjoyed every minute of it, loved the lines, and will watch it again and again. It was spread a little thin on the screen time for all those roles because there were so many stars (at first I thought too many), which is kind of a waste because they don't really get to shine. But, it's like complaining there's too much food on the buffet while your mouth is full and you're filling 2 plates. Speaking of shining, Wesley Snipes had a big intro (the scene reminded me of Sucker Punch), but then he took a backseat (literally and figuratively) after that. He was great! I loved seeing him in Action, where he should be, in this Ultimate Boys Club.
I was a little puzzled at the way they decided to add the younger team members. (I didn't watch the trailer.) <<SPOILERS everywhere . . . >> I guess I thought they would just recruit more people and add them to the mix, not decide to get rid of the existing team! WTH?! [[But when I saw it the second time, it gave me the warm fuzzy feeling at the end when they are all back together. And even though I predicted the original crew would be on the runway, it was really great to see them show up, ready to go. Ronda's line about family was perfect.]]
At first I also thought plot wise, they really could have left out Jet Li, Randy Couture, Antonio Banderas (great comic relief though), Victor Ortiz, Dolph Lundgren, and Terry Crews, except for the final scene where there are ridonkulously outnumbered anyway so what's 5 more against hundreds? [[But, again, that was my first reaction. The second time I watched I really liked seeing ALL of them even for just a few minutes. The fact that they're all 'in the club" is part of the great feel of The Expendables. I also thought even though they were outnumbered they did a great job of killing TONS of the bad guys. Can't wait for someone to do a killcount.]]
Every time I see an ensemble cast of Bad Asses like this, I go back to the introductions in The Rundown. It's a device that's like a shorthand to give you their strengths but I loved it and it would have worked really well here. They're super Action Figures. They should be hyped. Ronda Rousey's scene was the closest, but I hated that she was in a dress and heels (sigh). Still the "heels" line was funny. When it came to her becoming an Expendable, I wanted her to be in long sleeves and a crew neck like the guys, instead of something with cut-outs and a low-cut zipper..
The one liners kept me chuckling. Antonio Banderas was amusing (how was he not named "Chit Chat"? but he doesn't belong in this Action Bad Asses and Fighters group). Mel Gibson was oily and intense, but I needed more back story to hate Mel Gibson (other than real life . . . ZINGER!), so it would be more satisfying at the end when they take him out.
The building/ruin scene at the end (reminded me a little of Saving Private Ryan and The Raid) and my first impression was it a little unrealistic because there was very little cover and the numbers were too crazily overwhelming. I remember thinking The Expendables crew might be good, but there's no way they would have enough ammo. I also found it improbable that they would just walk together in a tight little group like that, so exposed. It was like there was no military training at all. Don't send a scout, don't take cover . . . ? [[On the second viewing, it seemed they kind of knew that Mel had something in mind. It was too easy so they just went with it.]]
Kellan Lutz shone here with his (his stunt double's) motorcycle hijinks (I liked that there was a creative payoff for him being a motorcycle rider), but you know even as a moving target, with that many soldiers, he would have been shot. [[On second thought, they would have been thinking he was one of theirs. The scene where he rides up the tail of the downed helicopter was incredible.]] (The credits don't list who did the motorcycle riding—they should! When will that ever change?). Kellan has unquestionable star power and he and Barney have a conversation about him taking over The Expendables . . . It will be cool to see if they go that way (young crew in charge) for The Expendables 4. I hope they start it with a bad guy we can get behing hating so the ending is more satisfying. Also, some things for the young Expendables to overcome so we get to know them better and root for them.
At first I thought Arnold Schwarzenegger and Harrison Ford were a little bit of a waste as well. Still, it was cool to see Harrison Ford there (and I loved the "he's no longer in the picture" line about Bruce Willis). It gave you that 'crossover' rush. Like they were playing cards and a King trumps a Jack.
[[As I re-read the next bit, I was just wrong:]] I thought the story seemed like it was written around some of the stars rather than for them. For it to work, we have to be invested in the mission (finding/killing Mel Gibson). I didn't feel like I was rooting for Barney Ross to 'win' against the bad guy. They needed some personal history up front. It's nitpicking but the paper file seemed old tech.
In the end, I feel like these are comic-book type characters and we don't get their individuality enough. Mainly because there are too many of them, and partly because The Expendables' back story has never been defined. They also need/needed to be hyped by someone. What makes them (the crew) so good? What brought them together to create this band of brothers?
Visually, I love the whole look of The Expendables
and that really shone here. The black they wear, the cool vehicles and
planes, the weapons, and the signature tattoo! Even their off-duty
casual clothing and the setting of where they hang out. We still
really enjoy seeing our old-school Action heroes hanging out together.
It sells itself. Can't believe we almost lost
Jason Statham
in that on-set accident. Where was everyone that nobody dove in to help
him?!
Whatever
criticism/suggestions given here, let the last words be what I
said at the beginning: "I enjoyed every minute of it!"
I was thrilled to watch the video down below. Please keep reading to find out what The Expendabelles has to do with Aliens . . .
First, the great news is that The Expendables will not stop with 3.
Second, and I've said this before but it's worth repeating, I hate the wife/divorce idea for The Expendabelles. The only way, THE ONLY WAY female Expendables work is if they are no different than the men.
What? YES! Trust me on this. ALL THE CENTURIES of being less than, of being weaker, of being judged just on looks, of being kept 'in our place', of being beat up and abused, of being raped, and tortured, and sold into sexual slavery, all the crimes against women cry out for EQUAL TREATMENT. This idea of 'women' as separate as other than people is so WAY overdue for a death. We want to be treated as equals. WE ARE EQUAL. Women should wear the same clothes for battle and have the same agenda. We are not 'playing at solider'. Women who dress provactively for combat are a joke and should be laughed at. You can't have that male fantasy thing where she's hot because she's half naked. It's DEGRADING! And it's dangerous. And it's time for a change! [[Attention Mr. Stallone: Think of this it way, you are making the world a better, safer place for your daughters.]]
In this Q & A, Sylvester Stallone broaches the subject of "uncharted waters" in casting "some women that are actually really known to be tough", and how the movie could "hold its own". The movie will hold its own only as well as the women can. Now you get my point. Also, young girls will never believe they can fight back until they see someone doing it!
The women who are not too old for change, the ones who are not too afraid to be themselves and not care about their looks, the ones with enough going for them that they don't have to fall back into the comfort zone of being cared for, the ones who don't hide behind religion and dogma, these women make up the vast majority. We want to see ourselves as heroes. WE LIKE ACTION MOVIES because we identify with the hero not the damsel in distress! We want to see truly, physically strong women kicking ass. You want excitement? We want PAYBACK! Have them form an all-female mercenary group to get the Nigerian schoolgirls back. It's right up Stallone's alley to re-write history. Just write it like they are men and then cast big strong women. WHY NOT a group of women who fight the battles for all women? (I've said this many many times: We teach our sons to defend themselves but not our daughters, and our daughters are more at risk.)
I only wish we had a real-life an all-female mercenary Army who could FIGHT BACK and police the globe! Sexual Slavery is a $32 Billion Dollar Business. What's wrong with this picture? Women who objectify themselves or allow others to objectify them harm all women. Think about the harm you are causing before the next time you wear something low cut, or see-thru, or a thong! To add a gun to that scenario is just ludicrous to me. Yes, I'm a radical feminist and what that means is that DAMMIT! I'm a person first.
There could be so many lessons inherent in changing the stereotypes we've suffered under all these years, or using them to the advantage of the soldiers—the Expendabelles (<-hate that name too). What the PUNCHline (there's a title) will be is that they are strong and skilled and take no shit and no prisoners, like the stupid Grindhouse movies but with some fucking respect and a whole lot of anger!! #paybacksabitch (another title).
Anyway, at least they are broaching the subject!!! So glad it's finally being talked about. Really glad Mr. Stallone likes Sigourney Weaver too. Now, if I could only have the time I needed to finish the screenplay that makes Lt. Ellen Ripley realize that the last part of Aliens and everything after (sequels) were just nightmares. She's alive, Newt's alive, Vasquez and Gorman, Hudson, and her husband—yes they got married—Hicks, and even Carter Burke (but he's in jail). Then, we can get back to the Aliens we all wanted to see for the third installment: The Colonial Marines!!!!
[[If Sigourney Weaver were to read this, I would just say two words of something we have in common: Goat Cay :D]]
With the announcement of a female version of Thor, and possible future super heroine movies, it seems that Hollywood is accepting that we really do want to see female super heroes. However, after decades of male-fantasy versions of female superheroes, it's really important that women take over these images and make them truly physically strong, properly attired heroines that will positively influence young girls. Including Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, I really don't want to see waify model types that feed the insecurities of young women. It's just too important—with the epidemic of global violence against women—to not be responsible. These heroines should be strong (Gina Carano or Ronda Rousey strong), believable and skilled, not just prancing around faking it and looking good for men. Sucker Punch taught us that lesson.
Speaking of tides turning, if we could just get The Academy to create Oscars for Best Stunt, Best Stuntman (male or female), Best Stunt/Fight Choreographer, and Best 2nd Unit Director, next year's Oscars could announce these new awards and they could get Sly and Arnold to co-host and make the announcement. Instead of musical numbers, they could have stunts live. Instead of young girls assisting, they could use stuntmen. The fans who speak through Box Office numbers demand a change—Respect for Action Movies is long overdue!!!
Here's the Comic Con trailer . . . OH HELL YEAH!
You can see HERCULES as early as Thursday at 7:00 PM even though it officially opens on the 25th. Troy Polamalu posted this: "Getting together with family and friends tonight. Get to see Dwayne The Rock Johnson do his thing in his @HerculesMovie".
SPARTACUS: THE COMPLETE SERIES will be available on Blu-ray™ + Digital HD with Ultraviolet™ on Sept. 16, 2014. The 13-Disc Set contains all 39 Episodes plus new Bonus Features! Series Creator and Executive Producer Steven S. DeKnight: “Spartacus was a true labor of love for everyone who worked on it and I'm incredibly proud to present all 39 episodes in stunning high-def.” The perfect gift for the gladiator in your life.
Spartacus Fan Favorites: Liam McIntyre
Scoring A Hit: Composer Joseph LoDuca
An Eye Full:: Roger Murray
Spartacus: Paul Grinder
The Last Word: John Hannah
R.I.P. Andy Whitfield (1971-2011)
So great to see Ronda Rousey with her @Expendables3 friends after her win! I really hope the Action Movie spirit rubbed off on her while she was around her Action Movie Hero friends. The world REALLY needs STRONG female heroes as role models (no more tarts!) . . .
I went to see Snowpiercer because it was labeled Action/Sci-Fi/Thriller, for the cast, for what I heard about the Director Joon-ho Bong, to see Chris Evans, and because it's a rare mix: Action Movie and critical acclaim.
I confess I was, at first, expecting more Action . . . <<SPOILERS>> . . . when the axe fight scene came up, it should have been so instantly on the moment the doors opened, but they delayed it and that killed the momentum, and therefore the excitement—in retrospect, no doubt this was intentional. At the time, I felt it should have been instant melee, but maybe that would have taken away from the intended emotion of the scene. It's all just so terribly tragic that I think it might have been 'wrong' to have any kind of 'typical' Action scene (who's to say) where you get caught up in the fight. Instead it's just an unending edge-of-the-seat train ride through hell. You will be bothered. It will stay with you. It's a remarkably creative film, full of shocking moments that make us consider what our humanity means, but, afterwards I thought: "It's not an Action Movie and it should not have been labeled as one", but there was plenty of Action, so what it is, I guess, is an Action (ahem!) . . . Film.
Chris Evans is really good in it as the pained hero (his eyes are just deep pools of sorrow), but it's so un-Action Hero, it's hard to watch. There's no strutting, show-off, born-leader aspect. In fact he doesn't want to be a Leader. It's only when we find out why that we understand his reluctance. Of course, he was/is the right man for the job, just not the job they intended, and in the end, he is a Hero of the highest order, giving his life to right all the wrongs, coming full circle to make the sacrifice he couldn't make before. He doesn't stand out so much as the larger-than-life Action Figure, but the representation of the will to fight in everyone.
I would recommend this Action Film highly. The script is quotable, as all great scripts are, and the Writer/Director, Joon-ho Bong, is truly gifted. To have been made to feel so much in such a short time for so many characters who were little more than caricatures is no small feat! I'm a sucker for dystopian society movies, and this was a showcase of the bizarre. The acting was of the highest caliber. I lost count how many times the audience gasped, and ooh-ed and aah-ed. It won't leave you feeling pumped up, like an Action Movie should, but you will feel more alive and grateful.
It was amazing and haunting. So what's to complain about? It's too good? If the shoe fits, wear it!!
___________________________
Miami Beach Cinemateque @MBCinema is showing 3 other Joon-ho Bong movies the next three Thursdays at 9:00 PM: Memories of Murder, The Host, and Mother.
As a child of the '70s, I would be psyched for both! Such all-American-type roles. He will be great in it. It was reported on Collider.com by a really important reporter, who is apparently too busy to conduct this interview, cause he's "gotta go"—Is it hard to find someone who WANTS to take the time to interview Mark Wahlberg? I'm free.
"We can rebuild him. We have the techonology." It should be great fun to see the advances since the first version. I loved Lindsay Wagner, but would love to see a real powerhouse, Ronda Rousey, be The Bionic Woman.
I was thrilled to learn that Aquaman will definitely be in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (6 May 2016).
Drew McWeeny @DrewAtHitFix of HITFIX confirms that it will be Jason Momoa. While he is not blonde, that hardly matters—Clearly, he's at home in the water.
Most importantly: MUSCLES . . .
. . . something lacking in many Action Movies (especially comic book movies). Thank goodness for The Expendables and The Rock still giving us old-school Action FIgures in movies, whereas too many Action Movies, like The Amazing Spider-Man and even the new TV Show The Flash, star really skinny guys!
This article from ScreenRant gives many things to look forward to with an Aquaman movie, and since he's always been my favorite since childhood, I am thrilled.
The article mentions James Cameron @JimCameron and his work with Avatar. If you grew up around the sea you immediately recognized the 'plants' in the forest as undersea creatures. He made no secret of it, but it only made me want to see an underwater movie even more.
I'm a sucker for underwater movies (love Submarine Movies). They don't always show much like Deep Blue Sea (1999) and The Abyss (1989), but when they do, it's beautiful, like in Into The Blue (2005).
Water always kicks up the danger level, like in Alien: Ressurection (1997). It's the fear of being out of your element (except that it is my element, having grown up in The Bahamas and always being in or around the sea). I think I'm much more excited now for this movie. I'm a Superman fan (over Batman), and it definitely helps with the too-skinny Wonder Woman disappointment.
Here is the 2nd issue. Hope it's an enjoyable read.
David Gandy is so James Bond! Or Dirk Pitt . . . Women will attend any movie in droves!
The party of the century went down, and where were we!? I am sure all the 'cool' people in Cannes simultaneously looked down their nose and wished they could be a part of the ultimate boys' club. 'Film' . . . pah! Give me an ACTION MOVIE!
My girl Ronda Rousey was there . . . like a bawse! Check out all the pictures in the Expendables 3 Facebook photo album, posted on May 19th.
And then today, the news that The Expendables 3 will be PG. I'm fine with it. After listening to Sylvester Stallone's Action Movie Bible on The Making of the Expendabless, I trust him to know Action Movies better than anyone else on the planet, and it he thinks this is the way to grow the Action Movie audience and make future Action Movie Freaks, I'm all for it. We have to do something!
On May 10th,
Action Academy
covered the
2014 Taurus
World Stunt Awards, and posted the nominees and winners.
Read all about it on their site:
actionacademy.tv.
They explained: "Feature films can be nominated multiple times
in the same category because the stunt being nominated is
different." (They put the winners in bold *** and I've
repeated their list here with clips. I only wish I had all the
names of the stuntmen/women involved.)
"And the Taurus goes to . . . "
Best Fight
1. ***Fast
& Furious 6***
(Two fights take place simultaneously in a subway station.
One fight features 2 guys taking on a bad guy and the other fight
features 2 women. Fights feature hand to hand combat, a crash
through a glass pane, and a fall down the subway stairs. )
2. Kick-Ass 2
3. Kick-Ass 2
4. Parker
5. The Wolverine
Best High Work
1. Dead Man Down
2. A Good Day to Die Hard
3. The Hangover Part 3
4. The Host
5. ***Iron Man 3***
(Passengers sucked out of an airplane are saved by Iron Man.
Skydivers were ratcheted out of a plane on a green screen stage.
They then made parachute jumps from 14,000' by using parachutes
rigged as part of their costumes. They used their aerial skills to
act out of control until Iron Man caught them.)
Best Stunt Rigging
1. G.I. Joe: Retaliation
2. The Hangover Part 3
3. The Incredible Burt Wonderstone
4. ***Iron Man 3***
(After being flung from a plane mid-flight, 13 passengers are
dropped safely in the water by Iron Man. The passengers and Iron Man
travel from a height of approximately 100' and a distance of 600'.
They were dropped on a specific mark into the water at approximately
40 mph.)
5. The Lone Ranger
6. Oz the Great and Powerful
Best Work with a Vehicle
1. Fast & Furious 6
2. Fast & Furious 6
3. Fast & Furious 6
4. Gangster Squad
5. ***A Good Day to Die Hard***
(A MRAP (mine-resistant ambush protected) vehicle chases a van,
followed by a Unimog vehicle, through crowded city streets.
Highlights of the chase include head on driving, multiple crashes,
and 90, 180, and 360 degree spins. The Unimog does a multi roll
cannon roll and the MRAP jumps an overpass guardrail to land among
live traffic. Chase ends with a Mercedes G Wagon doing a k-rail
slide turnover and the MRAP doing a cannon roll, flying off a bridge
and t-boning a big rig.)
Best Specialty
Stunt
1. Dead Man Down
2. ***Iron Man 3***
(Passengers sucked out of an airplane are saved by Iron Man.
Skydivers were ratcheted out of a plane on a green screen stage.
They then made parachute jumps from 14,000' by using parachutes
rigged as part of their costumes. They used their aerial skills to
act out of control until Iron Man caught them.)
3. The Lone Ranger
4. The Place Beyond the Pines
5. This is the End
Best Overall Stunt by a Stunt Woman
1. The Conjuring
2. Fast & Furious 6
3. Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters
4. The Host
5. ***Identity Thief*** •
Luci Steel Romberg
(A woman is hit by a car in the middle of the street. The car was
traveling about 20 mph and stunt woman Luci Steel Romberg
landed on concrete. )
6. Iron Man 3
Hardest Hit
1. Grown Ups 2
2. Identity Thief
3. The Lone Ranger
4. ***Lone Survivor***
(Four soldiers fall down a cliff. Broken up into multiple falls,
each fall averaged about 10' to 15' in height and length. The only
location using pads was the initial drop in the 2nd fall. They
dropped 50' down a 70 degree rock face to a platform covered with
boxes covered with pads. No wires or CGI were used to enhance the
sequence.)
5. The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones
Best Stunt Coordination and/or 2nd Unit
Director1. ***Fast
& Furious 6*** |
Spiro Razatos, second unit director/stunt coordinator;
Troy Robinson, stunt coordinator; Andy Gill, stunt
coordinator 2nd unit, Greg Powell, supervising stunt
coordinator, and
Sarah Franzl, assistant stunt coordinator
2. Gangster Squad
3. A Good Day to Die Hard
4. Iron Man 3
5. Kick-Ass 2
Best Action in a Foreign Film Stalingrad
Lifetime Achievement Award
Buddy Joe Hooker
(Video from
2011
ActionFest filmed by
Robert A.
Mitchell)
It was difficult to fairly judge Brick Mansions since I liked District B13 so much, and because we are all so fond of Paul Walker. He really wasn't the type to play this character. The areas it could not compete in were originality, of course, (since it seemed at times frame for frame a copy) we couldn't un-know what was coming. There was no camaraderie between Paul Walker and David Belle like there was between David Belle and Cyril Raffaelli, in fact, their 'relationship' seemed rushed. The timeline was not as urgent either; I don't think they did a good job of conveying the urgency, but then, maybe, again, it's because we can't un-know the plot. The villains were not as freaky, crazy, or nearly as threatening. District B13 was just way cooler there. Maybe Detroit was too familiar to us. The strangeness really helped in the first movie. There was none of that twilight zone/danger feel to the Brick Mansions neighborhood like there was to Banlieue 13. The trash talking didn't compare at all, either. The first movie is more originally, essentially, an Action Movie. It's intense like Crankk. Brick Mansions was tame and lumbering.
I was greatly relieved that they didn't do that stupid underwear scene. No girl would do that. It just seemed wrong and out of place (so strange). The actress who played the girlfriend had none of the edge of the sister in the first movie, either. At one point, the villain's henchwoman (also not threatening or strange at all compared to the first movie) is sitting in a law chair in hot pants and heels, while the girlfriend, in a schoolgirl outfit, is chained to the rocket like a dog. Their fights were also nothing special.
How bittersweet it will be to see Paul Walker blaze across the screen doing Parkour with David Belle in Brick Mansions. At last! We get to see District B13 in English! For me, it doesn't take anything away from District B13 that they remade it in this way. If anything, it just will give the original movie a wider audience. District B13 was like Action Movie crack, the music, the wisecracks, the violence. Aaaah so gooood!
The trailer looks exciting—can't believe they give so much away as usual . . . as Homer say "Whaddayagonnado?"—but I can't wait to see it tomorrow night! Then I'll run home and watch District B13 again, of course. (I don't think you should watch it beforehand. Give Brick Mansions a chance to be all it can be. Comparisons are inevitable, but there's hopefully enough love to go around for both movies.)
Been hearing for months that The Raid 2 was the be-all, end-all Action Movie. You have to wonder if any movie could live up to that much hype. Um, YEAH! It's INCREDIBLE. In every way the Action is sick. So many fight scenes. They do the close quarters fight, myriad weapons, a scene like The Transporter hallway axe fight, and the many-against-one so well that it brought me back to the old TV Show The Wild Wild West and Jim West (the king of kicking multiple ass). I don't want to ruin anything, and it's gonna take me a little time to write about it. So just go see it. There is NO WAY you will be disappointed. You will, like me, want to see it again ASAP. You're thinking there won't be (can't be) a better fight than the knock-down, drag-out match in the first movie. You'd be wrong.
The BEST fight in Captain America was the first between Chris Evans (and one of his 3 stunt doubles Chris Brewster, Daniel Hargrave, and/or Sam Hargrave) vs. Georges St. Pierree.
Went to see Captain America kicking ass (and he did) but he looked so wan the whole movie that it was sad—Bromance and Romance gone astray. What I came away with was the impressive acrobatic choreography and sheer athleticism of whoever was doubling Scarlett Johansson. So I looked her up. I saw in the credits it was Amy Johnston @amyejohnson, so I tweeted it, but turns out she had two stunts doubles. Heidi Moneymaker is listed further down (guess I didn't scroll enough). Thanks to Film Combat Syndicate @FCSyndicate for telling me so I could give more credit where credit is due. Check out their amazeballs stunt reels:
Can't stop watching . . .
Looking at the e-magazines on issuu.com (they have an app for android now), I thought how great it would be to read an Action Movie magazine, et violá! Introducing "PAYBACK action movie magazine". I am not making a penny off it, but I hope to publish it every month. This inaugural issue honors GINA CARANO. Go see In the Blood to support women in Action Movies (no pirating!)
Sabotage is a full-blooded Action Movie and hits all the Action Movie Essentials. Opening on a female torture victim, we then jump right into the Action with a DEA bust on a Mexican drug cartel stash house. Arnold Schwarzenegger's character "John 'Breacher' Wharton" is the head of a DEA Special Operations Team (SOT). They are riding up to a house in a Lenco BearCat SWAT vehicle (love specialized vehicles!). It then moves into camaraderie and dominance, and trash talking . . . Read More.
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES
THE MAZE RUNNER
What's more American than their love of cars? How about a drive-in? Meet small-town mechanic and local street-racing legend "Tobey Marshall" (Aaron Paul) who lost his girl to 'the bad guy': his high-school football and racing rival turned professional driver. So, this movie ain't just about racing, it's about Revengee. Each major plot point kicks up the revenge motive more and more, but with a twist.
The movie featured a lot of elements we loved in movies like Bullit (1968), American Graffiti (1973), Death Race 2000 (1975), Grand Theft Auto (1977), The Cannonball Run (1981), Thelma & Louise (1991), The Fast and The Furious series, and Getaway (2013). The movie was directed by Scott Waugh (Act of Valor), and the old-school stunts are the work of Lance Gilbert. Need I say more? Read more . . .
If it says "Luc Besson", I'm there. The best part for me was how perfect Kevin Costner was. It's an Oscar-worthy performance, but because it's Action, and it's understated, it will go unnoticed. Another great surprise was that it's not just an Action Movie, it's a great movie, period. The opening gun fight is good. Love when the timing of the re-loads count, and a big explosion is always a plus. His character is experienced, observant, and smart. Kevin Costner is convincing and competent in how he runs and how he handles a gun. Not only does he seem like an experienced agent, he's damn good. He's a big-name actor but unlike most actors, he's believable in the Action.
Movies where "Dead men have nothing to lose" always bring the tension. The movie had a lot of surprises. One of the things that made a big difference is that he's a man, not a boy. His daughter in the movie asks her mother "Is Dad a Bad Ass?" He is a TOTAL Bad Ass. The script is great! It's a funny balance between parenting and CIA work. All of a sudden the range of themes and the complexity of the movie hit me, in a wave of emotion: the beauty of Life, the preciousness of Time, Love, Death, New Life, Lost Love, Continuity, Reliance, Perseverance, Drama, Family Love, Decency, Crime and Punishment, the Law, and being Outside the Law, Kindness, Mentoring, Compassion. Charity, Honesty, and Starting Over. It made me a bigger fan of McG, but I was already a huge Luc Besson fan, so it's kind of off the charts now.
If you haven't seen it, don't let
it leave the theater. It's great fun, and really so worth
the ticket price.
Tacky. If it wasn't for the epic sea battles, it would have been unbearably boring exposition. And where was the nobility, and the beef? For a men-in-leather-bikinis movie, there was a serious lack of muscle. I would watch parts of it again, but as roles for women in Action Movies go, it's near the bottom. Read more . . .
The most popular and profitable genre and still we are shunned! When will they right this INJUSTICE! There should be an Oscar for Best Stuntman, Best Stunt Choreographer, and Best 2nd Unit Director. But, in the meantime, we know who the real cool kids are . . .
Russ Fischer @russfischer writes for Slashfilm.com about a rumor that a new Matrix trilogy is being prepped by the Wachowskis. (He notes the exclusive came from Kellvin Chavez @Latinoreview of Latino-Review.com.) There is lots of speculation in both articles but I like Fischer's question "Could [the origin of the Matrix story] be expanded to create . . . the Wachowskis' own version of the late stages of the Terminator storyline?"
Regardless of whether the previous animated films have any effect on the live-action movies (Chavez says he was told not, but Fischer uses them as an intriguing jumping-off point), the idea of machines versus Man is what we have been waiting to see. I would rather have a more evil, metal-y robot look than the A.I.s but I think back to Star Trek's version of The Matrix . . .
All Action Movie Freaks hunger for the movie depicting the war between man and machines that the Terminator movies talk about, which, for some reason, nobody who makes movies has realized is missing and what we REALLY want to see. (A little while back fellow action movie freak on the ActionMovieFreak.com Facebook Fan Page, Christian Glenn Webb, commented about how long they've been making us wait for a Terminator movie about the war, and I thought HELL YEAH, it's not just me.) So, in my mind I see this scene where they gun us down or round us up and turn us into batteries and then start to make this fake world they can watch and feed off of like that matrix-y 2-part episode of Star Trek we've all also been waiting for them to make a movie of, The Menagerie.
Bring on the Dubstep! Loving this new The Amazing Spider-Man 2 trailer, and wondering if they will have any dubstep in the movie. So many times the music in the trailer is not there and you miss it because it seemed so perfect. Starts at 2:58.
Brock Lesnar has to look up at The Undertaker. Oh, the drama. Greatest theme music ever. Wrestlemania XXX, match #22. Tickets on sale now. Subscribe to WWE Network.
"Larger than live superheroes and things of that nature . . . " -Vince McMahon
What Are the TOP 6 Rumored WRESTLEMANIA 30 Matches? According to F4WOnline.com, the following are the Top 6 WrestleMania 30 matches currently being planned by WWE creative:
Batista vs. Randy Orton for the WWE World Heavyweight Title
Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker
Bray Wyatt vs. John Cena
CM Punk vs Triple H
Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus
Ryback vs The Ultimate Warrior
The movie, like the man, was too much machine. They made him sympathetic but not likeable and definitely not a bad ass. They didn't set up the bad guy enough. Sure we hated him and wanted him to die but it wasn't satifying enough when he did. He got off easy. The biggest thing that was missing beside MOST of the man himself (WTF with the minimal body parts?!), was the over-the-top scrumbag criminals and out of control society we used to justify the violence. Plus, way too much Samuel L. Jacksonn and news show (and we couldn't change the channel). In the end, it was like the best and the worst of America all at once. We didn't want to see him fighting robots away from the streets. We wanted real world shit. In this case, the sum of the parts was WAY less the whole. So many great parts with so little effect. Much of it was good except how it was all put together. They missed the mark. Let Screen Junkies explain it to you:
Not only is he 6' 1" and has an English accent, but Game of Thrones heartthrob >Ed Skrein (pronounced Skrine) is also a rapper! aka "Skrein" and has rapped with Foreign Beggers (link to a song of theirs I like). How cool is that? Love his attitude in this video below, and think it makes him a spot-on choice to be Frank Martin. Somebody get him a suit that fits!
At least one of them is on
instagram
and twitter:
Andy Ganda as
@doubleandry;
also,
Verdy bhawanta as @Galo_De_Ouro,
and Andrew Suleiman
@andrewsuleiman
are on twitter.
(biting nails) Yeah Yeah! It looks so cool . . . and will she operate a power loader? I know, I know it's Alien not Aliens but they just gotta!
A little while back a fan on Facebook Christian Glenn Webb commented about how long they've been making us wait for a Terminator movie about the war. This Crisys 3 trailer really makes me wish they're hurry up and make that movie! Still waiting to visit the Underverse with Riddick. What are you waiting for? Tell me on Facebook (sorry I don't have comments—doesn't mean I don't want to hear from you).
Each year I start a new page, so if you're looking for more content, please click on 2013, or on the links on the right.
First, No Release Dates on these Action Movies (not complete/still working on this . . .)
• Bad Boys III Action/Crime/Thriller is moving forward according to Clevver Movies. Love Action Movies set in Miami! Both Will Smith and Martin Lawrence will be back.
• I'm wondering will we EVER get a Gears of War movie . . . ? And it's just gotta be Dave Bautista as Marcus Fenix.
2014 Action Movies by Release Date |
Jan 10
Lone Survivor
Action/Biography/Drama
The Legend of Hercules Action/Adventure
|
Jan 14
Jai Ho Action/Drama |
Jan 17
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit
Action/Drama/Thriller
Ride Along
Action/Comedy |
Jan 18
Young Ones
Action/Drama/Sci-Fi |
Feb 1
Treasure Hunters
Action/Aventure |
Feb 4 Android Cop Action |
Feb 7
The Monuments Men
Action/Biography/Drama
The Lego Movie
Animation/Action/Comedy
Brick Mansions
Action/Crime/Drama |
Feb 11
SEAL Patrol
Action |
Feb 12
RoboCop
Action/Crime/Sci-Fii |
Feb 21
3 Days to Kill
Action/Crime/Thriller
Pompeii
Action/Aventure/Drama
|
Feb 22
Vengeance (II)
Action/Aventure/Drama
|
Mar 7
300: Rise of an Empire
Action/Drama/War
|
Mar 21
Divergent
Action/Adventure/Romance |
Mar 28
The Raid 2
Action/Crime/Thriller |
Apr 10
Fast & Furious 7
Action/Crime/Thriller |
Apr 11 Arnold looks large and in charge in Sabotage, Action/Crime/Drama, and speaking of large: Joe Manganiello is a bad ass in corn rows! |
Apr 18
Transcendence
Action/Drama/Sci-Fi |
May 22
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Action/Adventure/Fantasy |
May 16
Godzilla
Action/Adventure/Fantasy |
May 23
X-Men Days of Future Past
Action/Adventure/Fantasy |
Jun 66
Edge of Tomorrow
Action/Sci-Fi
|
Jun 13
22 Jump Street
Action/Comedy |
Jun 27 I'm sure everyone wants
to see what
Mark Wahlberg will bring too
|
July 11 Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Action/Drama/Sci-Fi |
Aug 1 Guardians of the Galaxy |
Aug 7 Netherlands A remake I'm really excited about is Heat—not the "Where's the van?"-1995-Heat —this was from 1986: a Burt Reynolds gem. It's not even listed as Action, although the first one was Action/Crime/Drama, this one is Crime/Drama/Thriller. I have high hopes that Jason Statham will also be perfect. The opening of that movie makes the story, so I hope they keep the twist. The rest of the casting is good as well. The movie gets to the heart of what courage is, and what it takes to be a hero, a man, and a friend. It's the ultimate Buddy movie for me because it takes the average guy and puts him up against a larger-than-life character and situation. Both men are flawed, and that's what makes it interesting. Plus, I want to see Jason Statham dressed up as a pimp! LOL The movie changed Directors. I was excited it would be Brian De Palma, but it's now listed as Simon West directing. Heat is a really great Action Movie with smart and vicious fight scenes, so I highly recommend it if you've never seen it. If you're not a huge Burt fan, this movie will convert you. Guaranteed! (The playlist on YouTube of the movie in pieces is missing an important chunk of the ending.)
|
Aug 15
The Expendables 3
Action/Adventure/Thriller |
Nov 3 FartZilla Action/Comedy |
Nov 7
20,000
Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi |
Nov 20
The Last
Duane
Action/Thriller/WESTERN |
Nov 27
Inner Circle
Action/Thriller |
Dec 2
Johnny Two Guns
Action/Crime/Thriller |
Dec 10
Momentum
Action/Thriller |
Dec 31 They are re-making All Quiet on the Western Front Action/Drama ZZZzzzz! It's a straight War Movie. Pass. |
2014 In The Blood Action/Thriller Starring Gina-should-have-been-Wonder-Woman-Carano! "When her husband goes missing during their Caribbean vacation, a woman sets off on her own to take down the men she thinks are responsible." Payback's a bitch!";
|
2015 |
July 17
Batman vs. Superman
Action/Adventure/Fantasy
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2014