The action-powerhouse known as ‘The Expendables II’ hit theaters Friday, August 17, 2012, and reunited everyone’s favorite action stars to once again save the day. The previous film posted relatively successful numbers, topping $100 million domestically, but considering its hefty $80 million budget, it ended up being a trade off. The first film was widely liked by audiences and continued to do well in the foreign market.

Its sequel opened at $28 million, which missed the $34 million mark set by its predecessor. Interestingly, ‘Expendables II’, while an enjoyable film, is not quite the marvel that the previous film managed to be.

‘Expendables II’ starts in a crime-infested city in Nepal where the titular Expendables kick in the doors to rescue a client. After a spectacular opening sequence, riddled with violence and fantastic fight scenes, Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone) and company rescue Trench (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and a Chinese millionaire before escaping their pursuers.

Like the previous film, Lee Christmas (Jason Statham), Gunner Jensen (Dolph Lundgren), Yin Yang (Jet Li), Hael Caesar (Terry Crews), and Toll Road (Randy Couture) are in tow. However, this time around there are two changes: Yin leaves right after the rescue and we meet Billy (Liam Hemsworth), an ex-Army sniper.

The crew returns to the states to celebrate their successful mission and Billy tells Barney he’ll go with them on one more mission before quitting to stay with his girlfriend in Paris. Barney then runs into Mr. Church (Bruce Willis), who is annoyed that the Expendables stole $5 million from him and killed a rogue CIA agent in the previous film, but he kept them out of jail because he wanted to use them later as a favor.

He orders them to retrieve the contents of a safe that were in a plane that was shot down. He also sends an expert safe cracker named Maggie (Yu Nan) to get the safe open. Barney reluctantly agrees and the team heads out on the mission.

They reach the plane and crack the safe, retrieving a miniature device with the blueprint to a mine full of plutonium. However, they are intercepted by Jean Vilain (Jean Claude Van Damme), who ransoms off Billy in exchange for the device. After they give it up, Vilain kills Billy and leaves. Barney and the crew are devastated and angry so they swear to kill Vilain before he can sell the plutonium to his buyers.

Like the first film, ‘Expendables II’ delivers on the high-octane action and impressive fight sequences. Each man pulls his weight in delivering the pain to the bad guys with absolutely no regrets whatsoever. It bears mentioning that initially, Chuck Norris wanted the film to be PG-13, but Stallone decided to keep in form with the first film’s R-rating and it is much appreciated. There are plenty of amazing actors and martial artists present that help make this cast one of the best in action movie history.

It is a welcomed sight to see Schwarzenegger, Stallone, and Willis together, especially since there are a ton of in-jokes and film references flying back and forth between them. Additionally, Chuck Norris pops in twice to prove why he is one of the ultimate Internet memes and is a wonderful addition to the cast. Van Damme also proves the years have not taken away his ability to chew scenery and kick the crap out of anyone in his way.

However, while ‘Expendables II’ is tons of fun, it has its share of problems. The first is the death of Billy. The franchise is not shy about poking fun at 1980’s and 1990’s clichés, but it still falls prey to one of the big no-no’s in the writing world. That is, do not introduce a character only to kill them off twenty minutes into the film.

It is unfair to the character, the audience, and the plot itself. There were plenty of other ways to make a revenge plot without killing off Billy. It felt cheap and did not have much of an impact, since he only had about fifteen lines of dialogue.

Secondly, the CG was sub-par. The most noticeable instances were the fake blood spatters that erupted from bad guys when shot and the jungle scenes, which were badly rendered eyesores. The first film had a small problem with these effects but it got worse with this sequel because they used more effects that were not of high quality.

Thirdly, the dialogue is very hit-or-miss. The first film did not have brilliant dialogue, but it was serviceable and made better by one truly amazing scene from Mickey Rourke, who was sadly absent from this movie. There are several times where the characters are talking for little to no reason and their jokes are not very funny.

Lastly, the absences of Jet Li and Mickey Rourke are upsetting because both characters brought excellent energy in the first movie. Li’s interactions with Lundgren were hilarious and endearing. His disappearance is abrupt and it leaves a hole in the group. While Rourke’s part was small in ‘The Expendables,’ he is still sorely missed.

Overall, ‘Expendables II’ does what it set out to do, but it does not surpass the first one in terms of quality. Still, if ever there was an epic action film to see this fall, check it out.

Grade: 3.5/5

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Most Hollywood stars usually support Democrats, but, like in everything in life, there are some exceptions: Clint Eastwood, Chuck Norris, Donald Trump and Kid Rock are all supporters of Mitt Romney’s campaign.

Clint Eastwood told Romney supporters in a Sun Valley fundraiser, “Now more than ever do we need Gov. Romney. I’m going to be voting for him.” In February, Eastwood told Fox News at the time that he was not affiliated with or supporting any politician. But now the ‘Mystic River’ director’s mind has changed.

Eastwood also said that he hoped Romney would be able to install a  “decent tax system that we need badly… so that there’s a fairness and people are not pitted against one another as who’s paying taxes and who isn’t.” Clint Eastwood has become a big supporter of Romney’s; he is arguably the most important celebrity in favor of the former Massachusetts Governor.

Former ‘Walker, Texas Ranger’ protagonist Chuck Norris has also shown his support for Mitt Romney. In an opinion article he stated “I believe that Mitt has the skills and organization to defeat Obama and stop his fundamental transformation of America. We all know what four more years of increased socialistic decisions would do to our country.”

Kid Rock is also doing campaigning in favor of Romney, the artist’s anthem ‘Born Free’ has become Romney’s official campaign song.

The famous Donald Trump has also endorsed Mitt Romney, “Mitt is tough. He is smart,” Trump said, with Romney at his side, at a brief announcement at a Las Vegas hotel bearing his name.

The ‘Apocalypse Now’ star Robert Duvall is also hosting a fundraiser for Romney in September. The National Journal has published on its site Duvall’s fundraising invitation at Middleburg, Virginia, in which the general reception will cost $2,500, a VIP photo reception at the entrance will cost $10,000, and a dinner will cost $25,000.

Another famous Hollywood celebrity that is supporting Mitt Romney is Jerry Bruckheimer, the film and TV producer, creator of ‘CSI’ and ‘Pirates of the Caribbean,’ who donated the maximum individual donation amount allowed to Romney’s campaign in March. Bruckheimer hasn’t always donated money to the Republicans, in the past he has used it to donate in favor of Democrats.

In 2008 President Obama had most celebrities’ support; Musicians like Will.I.Am produced viral campaign videos for him. In 2012 he still has most of the celebrity support, but Romney certainly has more celebrity power than McCain did. President Obama is still way ahead of Romney: he has recently dinned with George Clooney, exchanged quips with Spike Lee in a New York City townhouse and met with Lady Gaga in a fundraiser organized by Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, in which the singer, one of the few people that has more Twitter followers than Obama, paid the maximum campaign donation of $35,800 for access to the event.

Image Courtesy of   Gage Skidmore

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‘The Expendables 2’ is coming to theaters in August and this time around, another inimitable pioneer of the action genre– the American martial arts legend Chuck Norris — joins the team as Booker, whose name is a nod to the influential 1978 actioner ‘Good Guys Wear Black’ in which Norris portrayed a character named John T. Booker. In that film and in ‘The Expendables 2’, Norris plays a retired military operative trying to rescue his old comrades.

It was a rare opportunity to pay tribute to Norris’ unending appeal. Sylvester Stallone explains, “Chuck basically retired from films but he agreed to join our movie. He plays a character who mysteriously comes out of nowhere to save our butts. We call him Lone Wolf. He’s there when you need him, and gone when you don’t.”

Norris is the pop culture subject of countless Paul Bunyan-type larger than life “Chuck Norris’ facts” created by fans – such as “Chuck Norris counted to infinity – twice” — with more than half-million of these “facts” circulating on the Internet. The film’s multinational cast and crew affectionately jumped on the bandwagon almost as soon as Norris disembarked from the airplane to the film’s primary location in Bulgaria, coining a new one: “Chuck Norris doesn’t visit Bulgaria… Bulgaria visits Chuck Norris.”

Former NFL football player turned actor, Terry Crews echoes the feeling of many on set when it came to working alongside Norris, “You’re talking about one of the icons of action… I mean, in one of first martial arts films, this guy fought Bruce Lee!”

Every great action-adventure demands a ruthless and memorable villain – and in ‘The Expendables 2’, the blockbuster kickboxing star Jean-Claude Van Damme adds his instantly recognizable persona and skills to the film’s superstar roster in the nefarious role of Jean Vilain.

Stallone says of Van Damme taking on the bad guy role: “People have never seen him like this before. Usually he plays heroes and I think people will be quite surprised by Vilain – who is fearlessly hell-bent on destroying us despite the risk of self-destruction. He’s willing to die and eventually when Vilain and Barney meet one-on-one, it ends up being a hellacious battle until the very end. It’s kind of like a heavyweight championship fight that you never thought would happen.”

Producer King-Templeton muses, “Jean-Claude Van Damme and Sly Stallone in the same fight scene? I think audiences have been waiting for that for 30 years. This movie has almost every gun ever made in it and every explosion you could imagine. But at the end we wanted to have Sly and Jean-Claude get together for a classic hand-to-hand battle. All the technology is gone. All the hardware is gone. It’s just the two guys going at it.”

Producer Les Weldon sums up: “Jean-Claude plays Vilain so menacing and so crazy that it sends chills up your spine. He is evil incarnate but in a very good way for the film.”

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The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has received a collection of more than 800 kung fu film posters and other related materials from producer, screenwriter and former motion picture executive Stephen Chin, announced Academy COO Ric Robertson. The collection features marketing and promotional items including posters, lobby cards, photographs, toys, comic books, clothing and accessories from Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the Americas. It focuses predominantly on the 1970s, which many fans and scholars mark as the golden age of the kung fu film.

“Stephen is a true fan and an extraordinary collector,” said Robertson. “His dedication to documenting this important genre will help the Academy provide film enthusiasts and historians with a broader, deeper view of world cinema.”

The posters, many of which utilize bold graphics and dynamic depictions of action, will join the more than 44,000 posters held by the Academy’s Margaret Herrick Library, a leading center for film research. The collection prominently features items used to market and promote the films of kung fu legend Bruce Lee. Of particular note is the collection’s coverage of Lee’s landmark ‘Enter the Dragon’ (1973). The international blockbuster is represented by the banners that were hung at the film’s world premiere and by posters from the United States, Hong Kong, England, Italy, France, Poland, Turkey, Japan, Denmark, West Germany and Australia. Also represented are many of the films made after Lee’s death that exploit the performer’s legacy by featuring imitators billed under variations on his name.

Many other iconic films and filmmakers are also featured, including the Shaw Brothers’ ‘5 Fingers of Death’ (1972), which helped the genre first gain popularity among American audiences. Other highlights include films made in the 1970s by John Woo and Jackie Chan, long before they became internationally known. A number of films featured in the collection are represented by materials from a wide range of international territories, enabling fans and researchers to compare the various ways an individual film was marketed around the world.

The collection also reveals how the kung fu phenomenon spread around the world and influenced many national cinemas. Representing the United States are posters from films featuring such martial arts icons as Chuck Norris and David Carradine, as well as films that combined kung fu with other genres. A notable example of this trend in American movies is the fusion of kung fu with blaxploitation, illustrated by posters from such films as ‘Black Belt Jones’ (1974) and ‘Berry Gordon’s The Last Dragon’ (1985). Women are also strongly represented in the collection – not only as sex symbols, but also as fierce combatants in their own right – on the posters from such Hong Kong titles as ‘Lady Kung Fu’ (1972), ‘Queen Boxer’ (1972), and ‘Deadly China Doll’ (1973).

Complementing the posters and photographs is an array of promotional items and merchandise tie-ins that includes skateboards decorated with Bruce Lee’s likeness, lunch kits, decals, action figures, puppets, 45 rpm records, how-to manuals for aspiring kung fu practitioners, t-shirts, belt buckles and men’s aftershave.

“I am honored to see the collection join the Academy’s legendary holdings,” said Chin. “As future fans and scholars peruse this material, I hope they will appreciate not only how exciting these movies are, but also how Hollywood became more inclusive because of them.”

Chin began building the collection as a teenager. Following a successful legal career, Chin entered the motion picture industry and was soon recruited as a vice president for Miramax Films. There, Chin oversaw physical production and business affairs for such titles as ‘Swingers’ and ‘Scream’. He later co-wrote and produced ‘Another Day in Paradise’ and produced ‘Play It to the Bone’. Throughout his career, Chin continued to develop his collection of kung fu film posters and other related materials. The collection would grow to become the largest of its kind in the world.

Items in the Herrick Library collections are preserved and cataloged, and may be accessed by filmmakers, historians, journalists, students and the public.

For more information about the Academy’s holdings, visit www.oscars.org.

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