NEWS: Pixar's 'John Carter' Trailer Released

Pixar have put down their toys and now want to be all grown up and make a sci-fi action blockbuster. So they've decided on a story about a civil war soldier getting sent to another planet to be some kind of hero against aliens or something. Apparently the trailer has caused quite a stir but I think it looks awful. It's like He-Man has walked into the Stargate and come out with a worse name. I'm not a big fan of this but I guess it might be ok....? It's a bit different from Wall-E though.

NEWS: Lethal Weapon To Be Remade!

Gibson and Glover left out of a new Hollywood reboot of action classic Lethal Weapon.

Yes it's true, Joel Silver is going to get Will Beall to write the script and it will be released by Warner Bros. After what happened with Lethal Weapon 5 going down the chute, it looks like it's finally over the original two and it's time for some fresh blood.

Chances are it'll be shit though.

The Expendables

Stallone gets together with some action mates to bring back some good old fashioned 80s cinema excess. But is it just cannon fodder?

Stallone knows how to put together an action film that people want to see - fact. "The Expendables" has already got some great box office results and it proves that him and the audience agree on what makes a film entertaining. I enjoy Stallone both as an actor (he was Oscar nominated remember) and as a director/writer - he never tries to be more than he is, he sticks with what he knows and is clearly out to have fun and doesn't try to make his films too clever. He knows people mostly go to the cinema for escapism, adventure and to see some bad guys get their asses kicked. Well, "The Expendables" ticks every box.

In fact, you might as well call it "Rambo 5: Rambo & Friends" as it is pretty much the same thing as Stallone's return to Rambo a few years back. Go into bad guys place in some tropical setting, save the girl, kill a load of people, blow the whole thing up. But there is a bit more to it, the plot basically follows a group called The Expendables who are mercenaries that are a bit past it. Stallone heads up the group and Lundgren's Gunner is a bit of a mental and is sacked, Statham plays Stallone's trustworthy sidekick and Mickey Rourke ... does tattoos. They get asked to kill some leader of some island who is really being controlled by evil suit Eric Roberts. The island is ruled under an iron fist and there's a girl who wants to save it and helps out on a recon mission Stallone and Statham take. They escape, come back with the rest of the guys and cause some damage. They try to make it a bit more twisty but essentially it's nothing your half-demented Gran couldn't figure out.

The acting is surprisingly good I thought, for the most part anyway. Statham shows time and again that he is a great cheesy action star and shows up huge beefheads like Vin Diesel by stealing all their work. Stallone does his self-deprecating bit but does go through some kind of journey as he finds what it's like to stand for something again. The 'love interest' was satisfying because it wasn't a sexual thing but rather a paternal thing. The girl wanted a father figure she could be proud of, and to Stallone the girl resembled some kind of hope. It's nice that they didn't just want to fuck as there was probably about 45 years difference between them anyway. Stallone has always been nothing but a gentleman in his films. Jet Li's acting was awful but bearable ("I'm short" - okay I get it! You're being racist about yourself!) and I loved Dolph Lundgren. Rourke did his bit but you could tell when he gives his little soliloquy, he pulls out the acting guns and it does get quite emotional - for a minute, you forget you're watching a beefy action flick. Willis and Schwarzenegger are only in it for one scene, but it's pretty awful and self-aware to the point where they are almost slapping each other on the back. Steve Austin was himself as always, though I thought the reference to him being a woman beater, seeing as he actually did beat his wife, was a bit close to the bone. The real let-down, not for any reason but for his previous work, was the General himself David Zayas. He is better known for being the cheeky, fat cop in Dexter and I couldn't take him seriously as a tyrant at any point. Shame.

So let's get to the good bit, the action. Well, I thought it was great. From slicing heads off, to some huge fucking guns, to exploding helicopters, to some great fist-fights - it had it all. Some of the fighting, especially from Statham was amazing and made me get those tingles at the back of my neck because it looked cooooooooooooool. They are shooting from planes, from cars and generally shooting all over the place. The dialogue isn't too cringeworthy but it does sometimes get a bit much, but the odd one-liner is forgivable.

Overall, this is a definite boys-only affair, Statham even ditches his cheating girl halfway through the film and realises that he always has his mates. Awww. They hang out at some kind of garage/tattoo parlour and ride around on their bikes in their leathers. It sounds slightly gay and to be honest, it is a bit, but in a completely 80s macho way. If you want to see some good old fashioned action where everything explodes then this is for you but if you want a more sensible, serious, smart action thriller then look elsewhere - and make sure it's not Salt.

Rating: 7/10

The A-Team

When there is no plan B? Just film a remake.

Well, I wouldn't be the first person to say it's been quite a dismal summer of films so far. Shrek and Toy Story 3 seem to be bubbling beneath the radar more than their predecessors, the new Twilight film has completely thrown away any trace of trying to cater for all audiences and decided to please it's core audience and overall there's a profound sense of disappointment. Another one to add to the list then is The A-Team.

No-one would come into this movie thinking they are going to get cinema gold, so it's good that expectations are somewhat low, because it meets them. If you're a fan of the original series (which I found quite camp, but I'm sure others would beg to differ) then you're more than likely in for a treat as it doesn't try to be something it isn't - it is, after all, pure action.

The story is, to be honest, confusing enough that anything is plausible, but takes enough baby steps through the plot to make sure you don't ask any questions. What we're left with is set piece after set piece of little missions that make up a rather, dare I say it, almost boring action film. The CG looks fake, the out-and-out ridiculous action borders on stupidity and every cliche box is ticked. But then, there are parts I enjoyed.

What the all-important factor of The A-Team is that once you've taken away the political subtexts and social commentaries, you're left with a bunch of friends who look out for each other. Sheer male bonding. Luckily, the writers have focused more on this leaving you with the sense that they do actually care for each other and taking your focus away from the plot. Liam Neeson plays his mentor card (a card that he's using way too much recently) and again proves that he can do action, even at his ripe old age, his younger counter-part, and the main focus of the film, is Bradley Cooper's Face and, he nails it. His cheeky bravado and charm makes him perfectly cast but it is only when we get the 'love' bits that he lets us down, it's a subplot that is shoved in horribly into the story and jars like trying to justify putting a dancing monkey on the screen. That doesn't happen by the way.

Sharlto Copley (better known for his work in the amazing District 9) is the real stand-out and hopefully more work will be coming his way because of this. Even UFC fighter Quinton Jackson does well but in all fairness cannot compete with Mr T. His knuckles that bare 'Pity' and 'Fool' just seem a bit stupid seeing as he never says it and the van is hardly in the film. His story of trying to come to terms with his conscience is also horribly wrong and completely uncalled for. I don't really care if he has a soft side, I want to see him kick some ass blaxploitation style, which never really happens. Jessica Biel might as well have been played by a sock with eyes stuck on and Patrick Wilson tries to give the quirky bad guy a go, but I think he's more suited for 'real' acting.

Overall, the film is a mess and soon you just want it to end. As far as action films go, there's a lot worse and it gets points for trying, but is let down by a bad script and lack of originality. In fact, it could almost ruin your idea of The A Team, but then the series wasn't that great.
Was it?

Rating: 6/10

Kick Ass

Another comic book adaptation in an already bloated genre, but does this new Matthew Vaughn flick kick some ass or compared to achievements like The Dark Knight and Iron Man, have it's ass well and truly kicked?

Matthew Vaughn's previous director credits have done well (Layer Cake, Stardust), but this is arguably his first big Hollywood picture and it seems that it won't be his last. Not only for the fact that Kick Ass has already got a sequel and a prequel in the works before it was even released, but because it's bloody great!

The main reason I like this is because Kick Ass himself, is shit. He might be full of bravado and have a brief spell of being numb to pain after getting shanked, but he is constantly getting beaten up and is well out of his depth - which makes him even more likable. It's almost a parody of the original Spiderman film, the geeky guy who fancies the hot girl, experiments with his powers (or lack thereof with hillllllaaaaarious results) and takes on some bigwig criminal, but it's taken all the good bits of it and made it better by making it completely 'normal'.

The story is quite basic in that Kick Ass wants to do some good, but instead becomes a YouTube sensation and gets mixed up in the exploits of real superheroes Big Daddy and Hit-Girl who are causing the real chaos. Bad guy Frank D'Amico blames Kick-Ass and soon his son, the wonderfully geeky Christopher Mintz-Plasse, takes on the moniker Red Mist to lure Kick-Ass into a trap to prove he can be as evil as his father. That's basically it. Simple and it works. Side stories such as Kick-Ass pretending to be gay to spend time with his crush, his two mates as more comic relief and Big Daddy's haunted past are given adequate enough time without pulling away from the main plot and shows that big movies can still have a great script.

The acting is also great - Nic Cage works wonderfully as the action-hero father, Chris Mintz-Plasse does his usual thing which always works, Aaron Johnson as KickAss is perfectly balanced between geeky, brave yet believable but the real stand out is Hit-Girl actress Chloe Grace Moretz. The best action is with her involved and she also gets the best lines, her character arc is much more interesting and you can actually believe in a weird way that a little girl like her might exist and she's like what ... eleven? Incredible.

The music is great, the palette, cinematography and general vibe of the film is fun, energetic and yet still has it's more dark and sinister moments. By no means is this one of the best superhero films ever, but it's a hell of a lot better than most of them out there and it's not afraid to take the piss out of itself either. The minor flaws that do exist aren't the fault of anyone involved but rather being picky about what I wanted to see (more action, more Big Daddy, more of an ending) but I'd definitely watch it again and would recommend it to anyone young or old. Now go kick some ass!

Rating: 8/10

The Shield Season Six

Having survived the wrath of Internal Affairs, can Mackey and his team seek revenge for a fallen comrade? 'Leave sleeping dogs lie' isn't exactly the Strike Team's motto ...

What with an annoyingly frustrating fifth season behind them, The Shield lets loose with all that pent up anger it's been holding back on for the last few episodes. What I didn't realise is that what was going to be one whole series instead got stretched out and turned into two, which looking back on the fifth series, is probably why it didn't quite work so well. If this had been cut down and originally stayed as one series, it would have been incredible, instead everything felt too long and so now, series 6 makes up for it.

It's as if the Strike Team has been completely pushed over the edge and we're watching them tumble down in a chaotic mess, and it's more of what I like. The series begins with Kavanaugh still banging about but is quickly put to one side as Vic and his team grieve over the loss of one of their members. Not only this, but Vic is being forced into retirement, his replacement is eager to jump in, there's a Mexican massacre to sort out, teenage runaways getting sodomised and tortured, Shane is about to have a breakdown and all the usual drama taking place in the Barn.

The general storyline is Mackey trying to find the culprit who killed his colleague and this leads him down a dark and destructive path, his new replacement is also quite 'hip' and 'cool' but is definitely no Vic Mackey, and realises he has some pretty big boots to fill. It's also, again, a power struggle, Vic doesn't like the idea that he won't be in charge anymore and Claudette is trying to reign him in as much as possible while keeping the station afloat. We also see the darker side of politics and how it can be a dirtier game than on the streets. But essentially, I feel this series, and pretty much all of The Shield, is an account of the downfall of Shane. Sure, Vic graces the covers and is the first thing people think of when they see anything to do with The Shield, but really it's about how he has corrupted Shane and created some kind of monster - and like Frankenstein's monster, he starts to stand up to his creator. Their relationship has it's ups and downs, but as Shane starts getting heavily involved with the Armenians, he realises he is in way over his head and has put everything at risk. His selfish behaviour is at odds with the compassion he feels towards the team and his own family and takes out this turmoil on himself in self-destructive ways. Yes, Mackey is the driving force of the series, but Shane is the result.

There's a good fair bit of action, though maybe not as much as the first few series and the show has definitely took an 'intelligent' turn in that it usually focuses now more on double crossings, staying ahead of the game and manipulating people rather than just catching bad guys - which is good and bad, as you can go through almost a whole episode of just talking heads when you'd rather see some smashing heads. The acting again is great and the storylines are more intriguing than ever, including the side stories of Dutch, Tina, Dani etc. but the problem is that firstly, this series seems too short (11 episodes but still...) and makes a nice change from season 5 but there still feels like a certain bad stigma has carried on through - including Antwon.

This series has definitely jumped forward in terms of quality, but alas not quantity and should it have been mixed with the fifth series as originally conceived it would have been amazing. Instead, there's no real huge event, it's rather all a reaction from the previous series' events so it almost feels like an add-on, or as the producers call it 'season 5.1'. I couldn't agree more.

I just can't wait for the seventh...

Rating: 7/10