The Ultimate Man Movie

Last Friday, August 17, The Expendables 2 was released to the joy of many men.  This movie is the ultimate man movie. It has everything from guns to motorcycles to explosions to fighting to blood to older action stars making jokes about being old to more guns to more fighting and more explosions.

If you did not see the first installment, The Expendables (2010), do not worry you will not be completely lost (you just missed out on the first ultimate man movie). No. 2 has all the returning stars plus a few who did not appear in the first. The two big names added to the sequel is Jean-Claude Van Damme (Universal Solider, Double Impact 1991, Timecop) and non other than former Texas Ranger, Chuck Norris. Another notable new addition to the franchise is Liam Hemsworth (The Hunger Games The Last Song), plays a sniper for Sylvester Stallone and his gang and brings in a splash of young to veteran actors.

I can't go into very much detail about the movie other than Church (Bruce Willis) comes to Barney Ross (Stallone) to repay a favor. The favor means going up against Villain (Van Damme). During the mission the Expendables get help from Booker (Chuck Norris) and Trench (Schwarzenegger). This movie is not kid friendly at all due to the about of violence from beginning to end. Any man that says he is a man's man must see this movie. And any ladies out their that want to surprise their manfriend, take them to this movie.

In the words of Arnold

I'll be back,

RD3

The Bourne Legacy

The fourth installment of the Bourne series was released on August 10 but is still leading the box offices as of now.  The Bourne Legacy, does not have any returning stars from the previous but introduces to Aaron Cross, played by Jeremy Renner (The Town, The Hurt Locker, The Avengers). Edward Norton (Fight Club, American History X, The Illusionist) also has a large role in the movie as he plays a Eric Byer, a retired Colonel from the US Air Force who is investigating the military programs that are responsible for Bourne and Cross.

Legacy, takes place simultaneously with The Bourne Ultamatium and mention Jason Bourne and that story line which helps connect the dots to Aaron Cross.  Bourne and Cross are from the governmental program and are the first of their kind. Cross is supposed to have been killed off in the early moments of the movie but escapes unharmed.  He then goes to save a women who was involved in a shooting at her work place which leads to an international chase. The movie ends Cross and his love interest Dr. Marta Shearing (Rachel Weisz from the Mummy, The Great and Powerful Oz-2013) sailing off to the unknown.

This movie action packed from the beginning and has great chase scenes, while digging deeper in the background of Cross, Bourne, and the government programs behind the two men. The movie is rated PG-13 for its violence, there was no bad language and only one scene with kissing. The Bourne Legacy would make for a great movie to catch for anyone over the age of 13.

The Campaign

If you are in the mood for an extremely funny movie that is not cheesy like Scary Movie 1-99 or any of the other stupid parody movies you must see The Campaign. 

The movie stars Will Farrell (Talladega Nights, Anchorman, Step Brothers) and fellow North Carolinian Zach Galifianakis (The Hangover, Bored to Death) running for office in the US Congress as to represent the 14th district of North Carolina. Farrell character, Cam Brady, is the current office holder who has never had an opponent when running.  Galifianakis plays Marty Huggins who is a very quirky character, but extremely funny while still being polite about everything he does. However, Brady's character does not have a filter between his brain and mouth.

Brady's policy for politics is win at all costs until his son tells him he plans to run for his middle school SGA President.  This leads Brady to having a change in heart and eventually doing the right thing.  As for Marty Huggins, he just wants to do the right thing for his state, not the best for himself. No one (not even his own father who was the campaign advisor for former US Senator Jesse Helms) believes has a chance to defeat Brady because he has no resumé.

This movie is great for anyone looking for a laugh but beware of for some foul language. Not much but enough to not make this kid friendly.

Tomorrow's post The Bourne Legacy

I'll Be Back
-RD3

Olympic movies....Miracle and Cool Running

With the Olympics officially underway across the Pond, I thought it was only right to do review a movie based on the Olympics. Sadly, however, I have only seen two movies based on the Olympics and neither one are Summer Olympic movies.  The most resent Olympic movie released was Miracle (2004) based on the 1980 US Men's Hockey team.

Miracle stars Kurt Russell as, Herb Brooks, the coach for the men's hockey team made up of amateur and college hockey players who at first have a major problem of playing as team and as a result get embarrassed in their exhibition games prior to the Olympics beginning. One of these exhibitions games was against the USSR in Madison Square Garden which ended in a 10-3 lose for the Americans. Russell's character is finally able to break down the team making them realize they are no longer playing for themselves to get noticed but instead playing together to represent the USA. Team USA begins playing the right way during the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid and meet the Soviet Union in the finals. The media had already declared the USSR the winners based on the previous exhibition game but that would not be the case on the ice as the American team would defeat the Soviets 4-3.  The movies ends after the USA defeat Finland in the finals to win the gold medal.

Cool Runnings (1993) is based on the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and debut of the first Jamaican Bobsled team.

The movie begins during qualifying for the 1988 Summer Olympics when Derice Bannock, played by Leon Robinson, does not qualify for the 100m run after being tripped up during his final qualifying run. Bannock's father was an Olympic athlete and he was determined to keep his father's tradition of being in the Olympics. This is when he meets Irving Blitzer, played by John Candy. Candy's character was a former American bobsledder who was accused of cheating and then he retreated to Jamaica. At first Blitzer does not want to help Bannock's goal of going to the Olympics but Bannock convinces him he needs to prove he never cheated.
The movie goes through showing Blitzer training Bannock and his 3 friends working to get better but instead of using bobsled during training they use boxcars until they arrive in Calgary for the Olympics.  It is not now that the get to practice with their old, worn out bobsled that was found beside a dumpster but Blitzer says it was the top of the line at one point.  With each practice run the team gets better and better.  During the teams last run Bannock is leading his team to a new course record until the bobsled flips over when coming around the last turn. Everyone everywhere stops not knowing how the team is and the other teams begin running down the track to help the Jamaicans. It is then you see the the other teams parting like the red sea with the 4 members of the Jamaican team carrying their bobsled across the finish line while being applauded by the other countries who at first thought the team was just a joke, but that would not be the case as the team would continue to go to the Olympics and other world events.
At 1992 Olympics in France, the team would finish in 14th beating the USA, Russia, France, Australia, and Italy. Finally in 2000 the team won their first and only gold metal at the World Push Championships in Monaco.

Although this two movies are not about the summer Olympics they can still get a person ready for the Olympics no matter the age as both are family friendly. Not only do they get a person ready for to support their country but they also help teach some Olympic history.

Until next time
RD3

The Dark Knight Rises

For my first blog and my first movie review I will be taking on the most anticipate film of the 2012 Summer and the end of the greatest superhero trilogy of all time....The Dark Knight Rises.

As a lifelong Batman fan it was great to see Christopher Nolan's vision of Gotham City first come to life on the big screen in Batman Begins and then a second visit in The Dark Knight.  However, it was not until the third installment of Nolan's Batman trilogy that the New York skyline was actually shown because 95% of the filming took place in Chicago (true for all three films).

The Dark Knight Rises is without a doubt the greatest Batman movie all time as it movies away from the comic book style movies that both Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher had previously made prior to the Batman reboot that started with Batman Begins.  TDKR has all of the previous stars returning to reprise their respective roles from the The Dark Knight.  Christian Bale returns as Bruce Wayne/Batman while new comers Anne Hathaway joins as Selina Kyle/Catwoman and Tom Hardy joins the cast as Bane. Also Joseph Gordon-Levitt joins the cast as a Police officer turned detective named John Blake.

This movies pulls together all the lose ends Christopher Nolan started back in 2005 while at the same time starting new story lines for any director brave enough to tackle the Batman after Nolan.
Nolan said he will not return Gotham anymore but maybe we can ask him nicely to return on last time for The Dark Knight Returns, just maybe. Or will there be a spinoff trilogy based on one of the characters introduced to us in the The Dark Knight Rises.

If you do venture out to your local theatre to see the greatest Batman movie ever made be sure to look for clues to Christopher Nolan's next work or even clues to a 4th Dark Knight movie.

Until next time,

RD3