The Expendables 2

***
UK Release Date: August 16th 2012

Mr. Church reunites the Expendables for what should be an easy paycheck, but when one of their men is murdered on the job, their quest for revenge puts them deep in enemy territory and up against an unexpected threat.

Director: Simon West (The Mechanic, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Con Air)

Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, Liam Hemsworth

The cast of Expendables 2 has grown considerably, but the story, which is a shame to say, has not. The story is just as predictable as the first, and relies heavily on reminiscing on fond memories of the 80's, more so now that Jean-Claude Van Damme has joined the cast.

It's a shame that this film follows the exact same formula. The band of meatheads are hired by Church (Willis). They have to kill someone who is heavily guarded. That much we do know. What should come as a surprise but fails to is the death of Barney's (Stallone) youngest member, Billy the Kid (Hemsworth). 

What should have been a breeze for them immediately turns in to a revenge mission. Liam Hemsworth's character shares stories from the past, and how after this 'last mission' he plans to settle down with the love of his life. It's done with full emotion but would've had greater impact had we not seen it coming. 

The Expendables 2 ups the ante on the shabby dialogue. Some are funny affiliations with certain actors (Stallone: I've heard that you were bitten by a King Cobra? Chuck Norris: Yeah I was. But after five days of agonising pain, the cobra died), but others fizzle out like a dud party popper.

The cast again is too big. Some are reduced to cameos (Li, Willis, Schwarzenegger, Norris), adding them so that popular A-listers are on the bill. Dolph Lundgren is a welcome return alongside Crews and Couture. Van Damme is a hoot and a half. His villain, named Vilain, is just as cheesy as his name implies. What's criminal is the little screen time he gets.

The bottom line is, if you enjoyed the crazy, mass carnage in the first film, this sequel is just as enjoyable, even with countless flaws and cheap one-liners. 

The Expendables

***
UK Release Date: August 10th 2010

A CIA operative hires a team of mercenaries to eliminate a Latin dictator and a renegade CIA agent.

Director: Sylvester Stallone (Rambo, Rocky Balboa)

Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Mickey Rourke, Dolph Lundgren, Bruce Willis, Arnold Scwarzenegger, Steve Austin, Terry Crews, Randy Couure

The Expendables is an action hero lover's wet dream. How did Sylvester Stallone get so many respected action stars in one film? It's hard to believe that none of them were tied up elsewhere. Needless to say, having the cast listed above has attracted plenty of attention, especially when some of them haven't been in films together before. The big question is, does the story match the incredible cast? 

Barney Ross (Stallone) is the leader of a black ops group called The Expendables (go figure). They are hired by CIA agent Church to take down an ex-CIA agent-turned drug lord and the army he controls. That's all there is to it. Simple yet sweet. 

The action in The Expendables comes thick and fast. It's derivative of 80's action classics like Rambo, Predator and Die Hard. Stallone was 64 when this was filmed, so not as able bodied as he once was. That's where the likes of Statham, Li and Lundgren step in, who can keep up with the pace of the film. 

The black ops members have a small amount of character development, but they do gel as a team. Stallone, Statham and Li have bigger parts to play than the others. This works well as too many cooks can spoil the broth. Lundgren, Crews and Couture have smaller roles but plenty of personality. 

It is what it is; a mindless action film for action junkies. The story is pretty straight forward, with no attention to detail. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as director, writer and main actor Sylvester Stallone doesn't try to sugar coat it with twists. The Expendables is predictable but so much fun to watch.

Runner, Runner

**
UK Release Date: September 24th 2013

When a poor college student who cracks an online poker game goes bust, he arranges a face-to-face with the man he thinks cheated him, a sly offshore entrepreneur.

Director: Brad Furman (Lincoln Lawyer, The Take)

Starring: Justin Timberlake, Gemma Arterton, Ben Affleck, Anthony Mackie

It's a shame for Ben Affleck that this is such a flop considering Argo was such a worldwide success. Putting director Brad Furman and a great cast together doesn't create a masterpiece. His film Lincoln Lawyer was always tense and full suspense. Runner, Runner has none whatsoever.

The 91 minute running time seems to fly by with nothing much happening. The script has no depth, making our hero Richie Furst (Timberlake) and villain Ivan Block (Affleck) boring. 

Furst is a desperate student who gambles all of his tuition money away through online poker. He soon realises he's cheated of it all by Ivan Block, the corrupt poker mogul who owns the game. Desperate to get his money back, Richie tracks Ivan down. That's only the start of it as he easily gets roped into being Ivan's personal croney. It gets even more complicated when Block's lover Rebecca (Arterton) and a crooked FBI agent (Mackie) get involved. 

There's no poker playing in Runner, Runner (apart from the huge loss at the beginning). It's focuses on the lose relationship between Furst and Block. The narrative plods along predictably. When Furst gets in to some real trouble, it's impossible to show any interest. Gemma Arterton's character has little input other than to cause a rift between ex-boyfriend and new boyfriend, and Affleck's villain has fallen out of a James Bond film, but isn't as convincing. 

Timberlake has done well as a lead in previous films (In Time, Friends with Benefits), but struggles to find new ground in Runner, Runner. Everything blows over like a soft breeze.

The Internship

***
UK Release Date: July 4th 2013

Two salesmen whose careers have been torpedoed by the digital age find their way into a coveted internship at Google, where they must compete with a group of young, tech-savvy geniuses for a shot at employment.

Director: Shawn Levy (Real Steel, Date Night, Night at the Museum)

Starring: Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Rose Byrne

Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn have worked well together in the past. Back in 2005, Wedding Crashers was hugely popular. The duo have a buddy connection like no other, and it reflects in The Internship.

The middle aged pair find themselves in a career block due to the increase in technology usage. They are laid off by their boss and struggle to find something new to do. Owen Wilson's Billy ends up working for his sister's boyfriend (a great cameo from Will Ferrell ensues). Nick (Vaughn) stumbles across an internship for Google and the two try their luck, and what follows is probably the most unconvincing interview ever. 

Whilst the lesson to be learned here involves technology depleting numerous jobs, there's a lot more going on to the naked eye. Billy and Nick may have had a successful interview, but can they keep up with younger employees that know the difference between a C+ and a C++.

If anything The Internship puts a bad light on Google. It comes as a surprise that they've agreed to be a part of this, as the intern's boss, who's a bit of an arsehole from the start, isn't doing them any favours.

The supporting cast have their moments, just like the main men do, especially the interns who are stuck working with them. Englishman Max Minghella, who is in an opposing intern team, is a cliche dickhead, rubbing salt in Billy and Nick's wounds whenever they make a mistake. Rose Byrne is also  reduced to a bit part cameo. 

If you have enjoyed previous films with either Vince Vaughn or Owen Wilson in them, then The Internship will still hit the spot. 

Inside Llewyn Davis

****
UK Release Date: January 24th 2014

A week in the life of a young singer as he navigates the Greenwich Village folk scene of 1961.

Director: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen (True Grit, No Country for Old Men, Miller's Crossing)

Starring: Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, John Goodman, Garrett Hedlund, Justin Timberlake

An oscar for an Oscar, or at least that's what it should have been when it comes to Inside Llewyn Davis. Oscar Isaac does this Coen brothers directed film proud. He enfuses Llewyn Davis with melancholic sympathy. He's a homeless man with tons of ambition to succeed, but all he ends up succeeding in is annoying those around him, especially ex-girlfriend Jean (Mulligan).

Like many of Joel and Ethan's films, the central character is a likeable fuck up. It's all about the lead's ability to relate to the audience. Whether it's knocking up (and cheating on) your ex, or jeering at other musicians, Llewyn Davis is someone who we want to see happy at the end. 

*SPOILER ALERT* Unfortunately for us, closure doesn't take place. It stops quite suddenly, with ends very much still lose. 

Isaac's charisma keeps us hooked. Some of the cast get the opportunity to showcase their musical talent. A song will crop up every so often, issuing folk songs containing heartfelt emotion. Isaac surprises with his talent and delivers well.

The supporting cast are on par with Isaac. Mulligans Jean is an emotional wreck constantly moaning at Llewyn. Her on-stage and off-stage partner Jim (Justin Timberlake) is enthralling with a ludicrous song he wrote called 'Please Mr. Kennedy'.

A.consistently pleasing character comes from a feline, not a human. Davis is forced to look after a ginger cat after accidentally letting it out of his friends' house. The cat is a representation of himself. If he lets the cat go, he may as well escape the pressures of life itself. 

Guardians of the Galaxy

*****
UK Release Date: August 1st 2014

Light years from Earth, 26 years after being abducted, Peter Quill finds himself the prime target of a manhunt after discovering an orb wanted by Ronan the Accuser.

Director: James Gunn (Slither, Super)

Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Lee Pace, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, Glenn Close, Benicio Del Toro  John C. Reilly

Guardians of the Galaxy is as weird as it is wonderful, a powerful blockbuster that's as shocking as it is surprising.

Marvel have delved into some risky business with this incredibly fantastic sci-fi. Take five oddball characters, give them all a disturbed past, put them together and they've put together something quite magical.

Chris Pratt may have been in a number of films where his characters cannot be taken seriously, and it's exactly the same in GOTG, but done in a manner that makes his protagonist appealing. 

When a successful looting mission for a mysterious orb goes awry, Peter Quill (Pratt) ends up with some of the most hardened criminals in the galaxy after him. 

Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace), one of the bad-ass criminals after the orb, sends out Gamora (Zoe Saldana) the Assassin to do his dirty deed. After a long scrap between Quill, Gamora, a feisty, wisecracking raccoon named Rocket (Bradley Cooper) and his walking tree friend, Groot (Vin Diesel), they all end up in prison. Making up the unlikely team is Drax (Dave Bautista) a muscly dimwit whose one and only ambition is to seek vengeance on those who murdered his family. 

The quintet are a stand-out group with plenty of character, more so than 2012's Avengers in Avengers Assemble. The greatest acting doesn't come from Pratt or Saldana like we'd expect, but from the other three. Cooper voices rocket brilliantly, Vin Diesel, although unrecognisable in voice and physicality, handles Groot's lumbering oaf well, even if he's stuck with a vocabulary made up of three words ('I am Groot'). Dave Bautista shines most. His sarcastic yet blase personality holds the most comedy.

GOTG is a tribute to classic sci-fi films (notably Star Wars) and some of the best music to come out of the 80's. The younger generation will love this new Marvel film and those who were brought up in the 80's will embrace it with open arms.