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The Expendables (2010)
Directed by Sylvester Stallone, starring (himself as Barney Ross), Jason Statham as Lee Christmas, Jet Li as Yin Yang, Mickey Rourke as Tool, Dolph Lundgren as Gunner Jensen, and others. Genre: action/adventure. Rated: R. Running time: 103 minutes. This unforgettable team of mercenaries for hire are commissioned to travel to South America on a highly hazardous job. They determine the situation formidable enough to turn the job down, yet in true tough-guy-with-a-heart-of-gold spiritedness, Barney can't return home knowing their contact Sandra (Giselle Itie) may not survive in this country ruled by a dictator. For anyone that grew up on Rocky, Terminator, Commando, Indiana Jones, Kickboxer, Lethal Weapon, Robocop etc... this film was tremendously anticipated. Body slamming, flesh piercing, spine shattering heaven: a face-off between Stallone and Steve Austin made me teary-eyed as I didn't dare blink. The exchange between Lee and Lundgren is not to be skipped and, preferably rewinded. The heart of the movie (true 80's action flick) is great with all the people we love to see kick butt. A couple peeves were both that I didn't get to see certain characters more, and that the dialogue leaves a bit to be desired. I am an advocate for understanding a movie as it is; you don't expect incredible revelations in a film like Bloodsport. Yet we do need a bit of balance - some character development, toss in a bit of humor, hopefully a fairly well-written story. All of these are here with the exception of the dialogue - you can't help but notice that the script wasn't written by a writer - a few of the exchanges between Stallone & Rourke, or Li & Stallone were a bit, um, coarse. Nonetheless, for all you action buffs - a thumbs up. This film receives a 3 and a half out of 5 frames!
Trailer:
Here's one on DVD:
Splice (2009)
Directed by Vincenzo Natali. Starring Adrien Brody as Clive Nicoli, Sarah Polley as Else Kast & Delphine Chaneac as Dren. Genre: Sci-fi & Drama. Rated: R. Running Time: 104 minutes. Clive & Else are two scientists working on animal genes via splicing - the unity of more than two genes. They don't have the authority yet commit to something that both hadn't been done before and wasn't, quite, ethical. Amidst pressure from Else, the pair splice a human gene into the code and before they know it, Dren is created. In time they learn just how amazing she is as she has adopted the best of each creature that forms who she is. The observation of her growth is thrilling yet they have no idea how in over their heads they truly are. The topic of human gene testing/therapy is a testy one, understandably, and while they talked a bit about the integrity of it, more reflective of the complexities were the interactions between Dren & Else and the exchange of whether or not to keep going or end the experiment, between Else and Clive. Should a being such as this be treated as human or as animal? Who decides? Is there a punishment for giving in to animalistic tendencies when formed of multiple species? The idea is gnarly, if indeed it could/would ever occur, with these questions not being answered but certainly, at least from my perspective, cautioned against! Please be prepared to be uncomfortable. I've viewed some movies that others wouldn't dare yet my jaw dropped (and a little screech uttered) at some of the places they took this story. A definite dvd recommend, and not for those easily disturbed. This movie too gets a three and a half out of five frames.
Trailer:
To reiterate - shoot me a quick email or post on the forum your thoughts on my movie ratings and anything else that comes to mind!
Danae signing off!
source: imdb.com, traileraddict.com
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