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The Expendables

Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, Steve Austin, Mickey Rourke, Eric Roberts, David Zayas, Giselle Itei

Rated R for strong action and bloody violence throughout, and for some language

Grade B

Having grown up in the 80's and being a lover of film, I have a soft spot for movies that included Latin Dictators, excessive violence, predictable story lines, and action stars and not surprisingly, The Expendables has them all. It is no secret that this film is a throwback to all of the awesomely bad action movies of the 80'sand it succeeds to the fullest extent. This is a fun, lout and overly violent film and one can't help but laugh and smile your way through it.

Barney Ross (Stallone) heads up a group of mercenaries that include a group of very talented men, and they all just happen to be some of the biggest action stars in film history. When this group is called in to take down a General who has gained control of a small island, they find that more is going on than they had bargained for. It's a simpled and rather clichéd story line, with little or no back story to any of the characters. It is paced rather well and is full of action from start to finish. What more do you want from a film like this?

With stars like Stallone, Statham, Li, Couture, Lundgren and company, you would expect a lot of action, which you get, but what you also get with that is a lack of acting talent. The one person who really stood out in this group was Mickey Rourke who is surprisingly not included a s much as you'd like. His main job is to add the dramatic element to the story, which he does very well. Lundgren, who I think we last saw way back in the 80's when he starred opposite Stallone in Rocky IV has done nothing to improve his chops. All the while people like Statham and Li do as well as they can. Having said that, I don't go to see a movie like this expecting Oscar winning performances.

What this film does very well is entertain. As I mentioned earlier, it is full of action and excessive violence (is it wrong to laugh when someone gets cut in half by a shotgun?). Each member of the team gets their moment to shine, providing many moments of oohing and ahhing with the occasional cringe. We get to see a couple fun cameos from a few other past action stars which are fun. A highlight of the film is to see the banter between Stallone and Schwarzenegger, which is well written ad quite funny.

Over all, if you are a sucker for films like Commando and Rambo, then this is a film for you. Sit back, smile and enjoy a genre that has been long over-due for a resurgence. And here's to hoping that a sequel gets made so we can see Steven Seagal, Jean Claude Van Damme and Chuck Norris.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ellen Wong, Chris Evans, Brandon Routh, Jason Schwartzman, Kieran Culkin

Rated PG-13 for stylized violence, sexual content, language and drug references

Grade B

If you thought you'd seen everything that Hollywood has to offer, think again. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World dishes up a style of film that is truly unique and a one-of-a-kind, with a tribute to just about every 1980's video game out there, and toss in a love-story, you've got yourself a film that is quite an experience. As with everything that is a one off, it's not something that everyone will enjoy and just like a favorite toy, this film is fun in the beginning but soon loses it's appeal.

Scott Pilgrim (Cera) is still mourning after a break up and is trying to ease the pain by dating a high school girl (Wong). When he comes across Ramona (Winstead), first in a dream then at a party, he knows he has met his soul mate. Problem is this: she has a League of Evil Exes that he must defeat in order to date her.

Even knowing that this film is based on a graphic novel can't prepare you for the ride this film takes you on. It doesn't waste any time in getting into the thick of things and we quickly meet the first ex. While there are rather blunt hints at the video game influence in the opening moments of the film, when the first fight scene hits, it is still quite a surprise to see the direction of the film. When you break the story down to it's basic elements, it is quite a traditional love story, but you have to do a lot of breaking down to get there. It is well written and well acted, but the problem is that it is too much of the same thing throughout the film. It quickly loses its luster and charm and just plain gets old by the time the film ends.

Michael Cera, most known for his role in Superbad basically picks up where he left off from that film, playing the same type of character. Having said that, he delivers his lines with ease and impeccable timing and is a great pairing with Mary Elizabeth Winstead who plays her part quite well. The one who stole the show was Kieran Culkin. Yes, he is the brother of Home Alone star Macaulay Culkin, but he clearly got the acting skills of the family. He handles his lines with skill and ease, with a surprising talent for comedy. I would like to have seen more of Chis Evans, as his character was pretty intriguing.

The cinematography for this film is both the good and the bad on this film. As I have mentioned, there is a very strong influence of 80's video games with this film, with the many fight scenes being based on those games, from the quirky sound effects to the bad exploding into coins when they are dead. After the first battle, you can't help but smile at how cool it all looks, but after the seventh fight scene has been forced on to your senses, you are over it and ready for another surprising element that never comes. Not saying it isn't cool, but it just becomes too much by the end of the film.

Scott Pilgrim is a fun film that is very well written with some laugh out loud moments. It shows off a whole new style of action film but ultimately the shiny new toy loses its giddy up and you find yourself looking for something new to hold your attention

DVD Review: Gran Torino

Clint Eastwood, Bee Vang, Ahney Her, Christopher Carley, John Carrol Lynch

Rated R for language throughout, and some violence

Grade: A-

Clint Eastwood has come a long way since his days of Dirty Harry, but the journey has done wonders for his abilities as both an actor and a director. He still retains the gruff exterior but he's added an emotion to his roles that few can rival. In this dramatic story, Eastwood wonders into a territory that you would not expect from him and he executed the idea perfectly.

An ornery Korean War veteran (Eastwood) sets out to reform his young Hmong neighbor (Vang) after he attempts to steal his prized possession: a 1972 Gran Torino. IN doing so, he befriends the family and becomes involved in a war of gangs.

I am usually not a fan of Eastwood, but occasionally he dishes out a performance that is truly awe inspiring. Not since his role in Unforgiven have I seen him be this impressive. As clichéd as it sounds, the man will make you laugh and cry in this film. He tosses out just about every racial slur in the books, but it just adds to his depth as a character. His supporting cast, however, struggles to keep up with him, but they do try.

The story is quite emotional and is very well written, with dialog that is handled with ease in the capable hands of Eastwood and his ensemble. The character arc of Walt (Eastwood) is seamless and while it is expected, it is done in a way where he still keeps his roughness to him and refuses to become the sappy old man you'd expect out of this.

Eastwood, as a director, kept things straight and simple with this film but it works and works very well. There is a lack of overly embellished music and fancy camera angles, but the use of light in some of the key scenes is incredible; it's a throwback to the older style of filming before computer graphics took over.

Gran Torino is a raw yet emotional film that can't be missed; one of the better made films I've seen in some time. With Eastwood both in front of and behind the camera, he has proven time and again that he is still quite capable of churning out an incredible film. Give this film a watch, your time won't be wasted.

Random Movie News: Sequels, Abraham Lincoln & Vampires and More!

There is a lot of sequel news being thrown about right now, so let's get those out of the way. First up, Avatar. As most of you know, I was not a huge fan of this film and to learn that a sequel (or two) was in the works, I threw up a in my mouth a little. Not only that, but the more I read up on the plans, the more it sounds like director/writer/producer James Cameron is less and less interested in the idea of sequels. Anyways, in an interview with MTV News, Cameron had this to say,

"'Avatar 2'... we're still working on deals. We don't start the movie until we get the deals worked out," he said. "I'm making notes. I'm not sitting idle. But really, what I'm working on primarily is the novel."

He goes on to say that he'd toying with the idea of filming the two sequels back-to-back. Studios do this for two reasons: time and money. It's easier to film them both at the same time as it reduces the amount of money they have to spend on sets and the like and naturally, saves on production time in the long run.

Also on the sequel front, it seems as though a part 2 for the critically acclaimed Eastern Promises will be happening. Vincent Cassel (Ocean's 12 and Eastern Promises) told comingsoon.net that he will be joining star Viggo Mortinsen for a second go-round. The first installment was an incredible and very well acted film. I'm happy to hear of a sequel in this instance.

One more sequel to discuss here, and that is for Cloverfield 2. Matt Reeves, who directed Cloverfield, recently talked with MTV News regarding his upcoming vampire remake Let Me In and were able to squeeze some info out of him regarding a sequel to the smash hit. He does say that both he and JJ Abrams are interested in returning to the franchise but they are both wrapped up in other projects currently.

"It really isn't the moment for [the sequel] to go any further than it has, but it continues to be a priority for both of us. J.J. is very immersed in putting together 'Super 8.' He's... in pre-production and really, really passionately getting that together. And I'm passionately finishing 'Let Me In.'"

On a side note, Reeves reiterates that Super 8 has no connection to Cloverfield as many people have speculated.

Director Timur Bekmambetov who gave us Wanted has a lot on his plate and he sat down with Empire to discuss his many plans for upcoming films. He starts out by telling us that he will be working on a film adaptation of the novel "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter." He says that it will not be a comedy, as one might expect, but a new take on one of the most influential people in history. I actually just finished reading this book and it is highly entertaining and am anxious to see how he portrays it on film. He also talks about a sequel to Wanted and that he does have plans to do it, but it will have to wait until after Abraham Lincoln and points out that James McAvoy will be filming X-Men: The First Class for the next several months. Some of the other films on his radar: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Moby Dick (a much more modern take on the classic tale), and Red Asphalt. Yes...this will be a film about drunk driving and he plans on filming it in 3D. That is a 3D film I can get behind. I hope that one pans out! Be sure to check out the link for several other potential projects he's got coming!

For those of you who did not know, I recently took up a writing position over at ReelComix.com. I am writing under the name "ecksmanfan" and will be submitting news stories, movie reviews, editorials and more, so be sure to check it out. It's a great site for comic book movie and sci-fi movie info, as well as gaming and other geeky goodies.

Also, keep an eye out for a whole new look coming to GeekBoyMovieNews in the near future. We're going bigger and better, so stay tuned!

Top 25 Movie Themes

It's time for a new Top 25 list here on Geek Boy Movie News and this time around, I will be looking the music that oft times is one of the most memorable parts of the film. In doing my research for this article, I kept coming scross the same songs over and over, which isn't a bad thing, as those songs are very good and very well known. Now, you will see some of those songs on this list but I have included some songs that you typically won't find on the usual lists. Just for clarification, this list includes "Theme" songs from movies, not songs from the sound track, which may be another list to come. All that being said, on to the list.

25- Dead Already (from American Beauty), by Thomas Newman (1999)


24- Duel of the Fates (from Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace), by John Williams (1999)


23- Jurassic Park theme, by John Williams (1993)


22- Nyah and Ethan (from Mission: Impossible 2), by Hans Zimmer (2000)


21- Kill Bill Theme, by Tomoyasu Hotei (2003)


20- Schindler’s List Theme, by John Williams (1993)


19- Headwig’s Theme (from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone), by John Williams (2001)


18- Batman, by Danny Elfman (1989)


17- Gonna Fly Now (from Rocky), by Bill Conti (1976)


16- Speak Softly Love (Love Theme from The Godfather), by Nino Rota (1972)


15- Mission: Impossible Theme, by Lalo Schifrin (1966)


14- Theme from Star Trek, by Alexander Courage (1966)


13- Top Gun Anthem, by Steve Stevens (1986)


12- 28 Days Later… Theme, by John Murphy (2003)


11- Dueling Banjos (from Deliverance), by Arthur “Guitar Boogie” Smith (1973)


10- Terminator 2 Theme, by Brad Fiedel (1991)


9- Tubular Bells (from The Exorcist), by Mike Oldfield (1973)


8- Imperial March/Darth Vader’s Theme (from Star Wars), by John Williams (1980)


7- Psycho Theme, by Bernard Hermann (1960)


6- The Raider’s March (from Indiana Jones and the Raider’s of the Lost Ark), by John Williams (1984)


5- Theme from Halloween, by John Carpenter (1978)


4- James Bond Theme, by Monty Norman (1962)


3- Superman, by John Williams (1978)


2- Jaws Theme, by John Williams (1975)


1- Star Wars Theme, by John Williams (1977)


Needless to say, John Williams has marked his spot as the premier musical score writer. He has created some of the most iconic movie themes of all time, some of which I did not include in the list, just for the sake of adding something different.I have added a few modern films as well as a good mix. Hope you like it and feel free to comment!

DVD Review: The Losers

Jeffery Dean Morgan, Chris Evans, Zoey Saldana, Idris Elba, Columbus Short, Óscar Jaenada, Jason Patric

Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense action and violence, a scene of sensuality and language

Grade: C+

It's no secret that Hollywood has a new-found obsession for films based on graphic novels. For the most part, the larger franchises like Batman, Spider Man and the X-Men have done very well and even the lesser know characters like Iron Man have been received well. So writers and film execs are delving into story lines and characters that are pretty much unknown to the general public, but have a pretty good fan base in the graphic novel world. That being said, the old adage of "just because you can, doesn't mean you should." The Losers tries it's best to be an action-comedy film, but it doesn't quite get there. One thing does do is land in the "Guy Film" category and thrives there.

When a group of special ops soldiers are framed for an attack that involved children, they re-team after several to get revenge on the person who set them up. With the addition of Aisha (Saldana) they are able to return to the United States, where Clay (Morgan) leads his team (Evans, Elba, Short, and Jaenada) in his retaliation against Max (Patric).

The story is rather simple and doesn't really go to far off the beaten path. It moves rather quickly but tries to be too serious at times and made some rather awkward transitions into comedic elements. There is a bit of a twist thrown in but it doesn't succeed in the "shock" they were going for.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan does a s decent job as the leader of the group with his effortless style, while Saldana adds a female touch to thing, but isn't afraid to get her hands dirty. Evans is the one who steals the show in an office break-in scene that is great and sadly, the highlight of the movie. Patric as Max has some great one-liners, but also has some where you are waiting for the crickets to chime in.

One of the saving graces for this film is the cinematography. The actions scenes are filmed beautifully and have an original flare to them that was pretty cool. I mentioned this being a "Guy Film" and here's what I mean: Stuff blowing up, hot girls in action scenes and comedy (well, attempts at it). It also has some interesting uses of music, where it almost seemed synced with the scenes, instead of just the usual back ground music.

It's a guy flick; the gals probably won't like this one that much. It has a few moments of good that pop up in a field of mediocrity.It you are looking for some simple, mindless fun, give this one a try. But don't expect anything too deep.

Salt

Angelina Jolie, Lieb Schreiber, Chiwetel Ejiofor, August Diehl, Daniel Olbrychski

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action

Grade B+


There are few movies now days that can add a twist in a plot and actually have it work and not be so overly ludicrous, but Salt pulls it off. This is a fun action film that has some intense moments and some turn you don't see coming at all. It's been a while since we've seen that happen. Hey...Shyamalan, go see this movie and take notes on how an unexpected turn should pan out.

Evelyn Salt (Jolie) is a CIA operative who has spent time in Russia under cover and is now happily married to an entomologist (Diehl). When a Russian defector shows up at a CIA office, Salt and her supervisor, Ted Winter (Schreiber), find that this defector has news of a Russian spy who plans on killing the Russian president. The problem is this: He gives a name of the spy and it happens to be Evelyn Salt.

The film has a "Bourne-esque" feel to it, right down to the shaky camera during the action sequences, which I'm actually a fan of. It's an easy way to create the sense of urgency and chaos, with out spending a ton of money to do it. The story moves rather quickly and well written and well paced, but when you really break it down, seems quite outlandish. But that's why we go to movies, right? At the end of the film, you are hit with a twist that was quite unexpected. Now, I'm not saying that it is the best twist I've ever seen as far as plot goes, but it was not something I thought I'd see happening.

Jolie, needless to say, does a decent job, but she has been better. This type of film doesn't really require that you pull out the real acting chops that we know she is capable of. She has done actions films in the past, but she ups the level of fighting ability quite a bit and does it rather convincingly. Schreiber hold his own against the powerhouse that is Jolie, as well as Ejiofor.

The action sequences seemed to get a bit silly at times, allowing to Jolie to almost defy gravity, but I've seen worse. They are filmed decently, but the addition of some better editing during these scenes would've help quite a bit.

Overall, it's a fun and pretty well done action film that is a great fit for the summer time. It'll have you at the edge of your seat a few times and while have you leaving the theater happy, having enjoyed a good film.

DVD Review: A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints

Shia LeBeouf, Robert Downey Jr., Channing Tatum, Rosario Dawson, Melonie Diaz, Peter Anthony Tambakis, Adam Scarimbolo, Dianne Wiest, Chazz Palminteri

Rated R for pervasive language, some violence, sexuality, and drug use

Grade: B+

It always bothers me when good films slip beneath my radar. I've just heard murmurings here and there about this film but I never really looking into. I found it on Netflix and added it to the line up and I'm glad I did. This is a powerful and moving film that has some amazing performances. However, the rather slow pacing had me willing the film to come to a close.

In this film, based on a true story, Dito (LeBeouf/Downey) tells us his story of growing up in New York and the hardships he dealt with in his home. He and a couple of friends come across a kid tagging a friend's family store. Dito and his friends, Antonio (Tatum) and Nerf (Tambakis) vow to seek revenge. But this is just a subplot to the emotional life he leads at home. His father wants to be friends with his son and his pals rather than be a father. Eventually, Dito takes off to California leaving his friends and family behind.

The story his is a powerful one and it is told very well through a group of talented actors. It From the get-go, you know this film is going to move you and with Downey Jr. at the lead, it no doubt gets there. The problem here is that the pacing just seems off. It's not the fastest movie I've seen, but it's not enough to say this was not a great film.

It's no secret that Robert Downey Jr. is a great actor and if you are looking for further proof of this, watch this film. The highlight of the film in which Dito returns home to his ailing father is powerful and moving in a way that I haven't seen in a film in years. The other main players in the film were just as good. LeBeouf has an image of playing the quirky kid like his role in the Transformers films, but his work here was incredible; he's able to hold his own with the powerhouse of Downey. Tatum, who is usually dry and one-dimensional, shows that given the right script, he's actually really good.

There are some interesting filming elements included here that you typically only see in independent films, like the inclusion of text on the screen during some phone calls. These little things do a great job in keeping the audience interested. It's fun and different.

A Guide to Representing Your Saints is a much different film than I had anticipated and I was pleasantly surprised by the film I watched. It touches you like few films do and more films should, I just wish it moved a little faster than it does.

DVD Review: The Soloist

Robert Downey, Jr., Jamie Foxx

Rated PG-13

Grade B-

I found it odd that a film like this would be released in the spring, especially since there was talk of it being an Oscar® contender, which these types of films are typically released in the fourth quarter of the year when the films will stay fresh in the mind of the Academy members. Having seen the film though, I don’t see this one as a contender. It’s not a bad film, just a bit underwhelming.

Robert Downey, Jr. is good, as can be expected from an actor of his talent. He could act out a phone book and make it look good. His natural ability to embrace confidence is uncanny. Jamie Foxx on the other hand, is one of the most over rated actors out there today, in my opinion. I see him more as a superb impressionist more than an actor. This is no different; he does a great job as impersonating a homeless man with schizophrenia. The two work off each other very well and are a good on screen duo.

The story is based on a true story, but I didn’t think it was as riveting as it could have been. I found myself getting bored at times, almost to the point of frustration. It was well written, and a good story with a good lesson to learn: that every one has a story and despite outside appearances, we need to embrace acceptance.

All that being said, it was a good show, but not one I’d spend the time watching again. There are other films that I’d rather see again.