The Expendables

Good, happy, funny, light-hearted, exciting, silly.

Those are the words I use to describe this movie. It was simply good happy fun. Of course, you don't sit there wondering about realism,.. although I did ask out loud how Jet Li produced the clip that matched the weapon that wasn't his, out of his own back pocket..... whatever.... thank God he had that extra clip. Just goes to show you: never throw anything away!!!

At a point, you have to start asking when movies got all educational? I just love the movies that have come out this summer (even though I had to endure Eclipse with them...). Sometimes, good clean fun is exactly what the doctor ordered. In a time when I am so sick of self-aggrandizing reality shows where non-heros show us all exactly how unheroic we can be; it's nice to watch a movie about a hero with suspect morals, come to the place where he's challenged deep in his soul, and emerges victorious. He even walks away without the girl!!! So there's a bit of reality dosed in there too!!!

Jason Statham... you my friend, are my hero. Wow. While I did not appreciate the Transporter series (got a bit toooo silly for me), he did superb in this movie. And both Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenneger (sp??) were super cut and looked good for all the 3 seconds they were in the film. Who knew Randy Couture could act??? Awesome job fighter-boy. Seriously, he actually did really, really well. Perhaps Chuck has a future in acting as well, and then we could make a seriously funny movie with Couture, Jackson AND Liddell. Hey, maybe they could be a group of MMA fighters, who get framed for something in Okinawa, and they have to go on the lam, all the while dodging the Yakuza, and trying to find their 'yoda' who will lead them out of darkness.... well I'd watch it,... would even pay.

Jet Li doesn't get a big mention here, but he was awesome. He is, after all, a well-paid actor who's been doing this shit for a long, long time now. And Sly,... wow. I had forgotten that the man is not a brainless brick. He was really good and I was impressed at the range of emotion he showed. All, in all, a GREAT flick.

And that brings me to the idea of all the great flicks this summer. Off the top of my head,... Losers, A-Team, and this movie; The Expendables. Common theme,.. great acting, fun explosions and great action. The hero is still the hero, at the end of the day. And the bad guys are easy to spot and eliminate. That's Americana-Feel-Good right there. It doesn't glorify 'violence' per se,... just the idea that when things go wrong, sometimes you really DO need to blow something up. Society might demand pc, and proper language, and consciensious speech. But, from time to time, the world needs to have its ass swatted.