The Expendables 2 Review

The Plot:

In the second big screen adventure for Sylvester Stallone’s superteam of action movie icons, our favourite gang of likeable mercenaries are back for war and out for revenge when one of their number gets killed on a supposedly routine mission. They’re also trying to save the world from a vicious crime lord threatening to plunge the world into nuclear war.

The Good:

Drenched in explosions and hysterical one-liners, The Expendables 2 delivers on the teasing promise of the first film and takes the concept of an action movie star mashup to the next level.

The tantalisingly brief cameo of Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger alongside Stallone was undoubtedly the finest moment of the first Expendables film. This sequel reunites these three titans of testosterone, at last giving fans the real gun totting team up they always dreamt of. Seeing them finally side by side blasting their way through an army of disposable bad guys will surly leave devoted action fans in delirious ecstasy.

Fans have waited a long time to hear Arnie utter his immortal catchphrase, and The Expendables 2 makes a fitting return to the screen for arguably the biggest action star of all time. Casting ‘The muscles from Brussels’ Jean Claude Van Damme as the film’s Kung Fu kicking eurotrash bad guy is totally clichéd but still utterly inspired genius.  Likewise, the addition of Chuck Norris and his perfectly groomed beard to the cast of The Expendables 2 is simply an embarrassment of macho riches. Watching Chuck Norris destroy tanks and openly acknowledge his own mythical action god status is pure joy on screen. Like many of the films best moments of knowing comedic nods and ridiculously excessive action, it’s genuinely hard to stop yourself applauding wildly.

The first Expendables effort occasionally took itself a little too seriously and failed to take full advantage of the delightfully silly side of Hollywood action blockbusters. The Expendables 2 is everything the first film could and should have been. It’s so packed with wisecracks and action heroes poking fun at each other that it verges on a outright comedy. Even the film’s brief attempts at serious dialogue can’t help but draw wry smiles and big laughs from amused audiences.

Though The Expendables was criticised for its gory violence and frequent torture scenes, but the sequel is so fast moving that its violent excesses are really on a par with our average computer game. Hardcore fans won’t feel like they’re missing any CGI blood splatter, but more squeamish film fans won’t need to hide their faces much either. It’s a perfect balance of explosive mayhem and sanitised evil doer dispensing.

The Bad:

The Expendables 2 is a guilty pleasure that will obviously bring considerable less pleasure to those unfamiliar with the musclebound heroes of the 80s and 90s. Those who miss the frequent in-jokes may be left a little bemused by the grunting macho antics of aging bodybuilders. The testosterone fuelled he-man parade is admittedly aimed very much at big boys who like big guns. But every film has its target audience and it’s impossible to please everyone, no matter how much star power and explosives you throw at the screen.

The most severe critics might point out that the film’s plot is little evolved from the standard genre fair in the last Expendables outing. BUT in truth a complex emotional narrative is utterly unnecessary so long as there’s a vague excuse to destroy vast armies of faceless bad guys. Armed with a silly sense of fun The Expendables 2 doesn’t have any of the scenes of mumbling sullenness that spoilt the party the last time. The new writers and director have made a massive improvement in overall quality.

The Ugly Truth:

The Expendables 2 is a gun totting orgy of musclebound cinematic excess. Anyone left at all disappointed by the first Expendables experiment will have their thirst for cheesy one-liners and explosive action hero adventure totally satisfied this time. The good guys are back for war and back for fun. It’s a safe bet they’ll be back again too. Hasta la Vista film fans….

 

 

 

Sly Stallone Confirms The Expendables 3

Sylvester Stallone seemed to confirm that a third film in the Expendables franchise is definitely happening during the UK Press conference ahead of the London Premiere of The Expendables 2. Sly spoke about the plans to explore “Odd Choices” and maybe even a subtle change of genre for the third film in the all-star action blockbuster series. The second film boasts expanded roles for returning stars Arnold Schwarzenegger & BruceWillis, alongside new action superstars Jean Claude Van Damme & Chuch Norris.

Here’s what writer-star Stallone had to say about the prospect of turning the series into a full blown explosion packed trilogy:

That would be an interesting choice. We are thinking about different concepts. The third one is the hardest by far. The second one is a natural progression. But with a third one, that’s where the air gets rare. We’re thinking very ambitiously about it. We’re going for odd choice, you have to, to give the audience something they don’t expect. Maybe even going into a different sort of genre, if you read between the lines. Maybe rip off another one of Arnold’s old films. Something like that. Why Not!

Listen to the whole press conference and check out the action from the red carpet premiere below:

Mischa Barton Launches New London Store

Acting star and fashion trend setter Mischa Barton is launching her first UK store in London’s iconic Spitalfields markets this Saturday. We joined her for cupcakes, champagne and a very lovely chat ahead of the public opening.

Mischa reveals her eclectic fashion inspirations, her favourite handbags and a recent unexpected passion for heavy metal music. Mischa also talks about her recent work on screen in The Sibling and I will Follow You into the Dark. Mischa admits that despite her obvious love of fashion, acting on screen is always her first passion and that she’s looking forward to a new role in an Assassin themed thriller.

Mischa shares her excitement at going back into theatre, taking on a lead role in a new stage version of Rob Harling’s classic production Steel Magnolias in Dublin next month.

Mischa reacts to the enduring popularity of The O.C. and expresses her surprise and delight that fans continue to enjoy the show so long after the last episode aired. She admits that she hopes that one day devoted fans might even get the reunion episode they often ask for.

Mischa leaves us with a message of thanks to all her fans and a friendly invitation to come join her in theatre and her new London store.

Check Out the full video interview below:

OMEGA Olympic Athletics Party Gallery

Last night OMEGA House welcomed some of Team GB’s most celebrated athletes, Jessica Ennis  and Greg Rutherford. The British Gold Medalists were joined by 100 metre finalist Tyson Gayand pole vault champion Jenn Suhr, to celebrate their recent successes amongst a host of friends, athletes and VIPs.

Following her recent gold medal which has catapulted her into a new realm of stardom, Jessica Ennis mixed with guests whilst enjoying an evening at one of London’s hottest Olympic venues for athletes, celebrities and members alike.

Check out the full gallery of pictures below:

Michael Phelps Olympic Interview London 2012

Michael Phelps won a fitting four gold medals while competing in his forth Olympic Games at London 2012. In doing so he broke the record of  Larissa Latynina to become the most decorated Olympic athlete of all time with an astonishing 22 Medals.

Speaking at the Omega Spotlight on Swimming event, Record breaking champion Phelps spoke about plans for his retirement and shared his reaction to new young swimmers like Chad Le Cros and Ye Shiwen at London 2012. Michael Phelps explained what he thinks the secret of his success in the pool was and what he thinks the true magic of the Olympics is.

He also revealed what happened during his recent amazing encounter with Soviet Olympic gymnast icon Larissa Latynina, where the Russian star gifted Phelps with one of her own prized medals in recognition of his astonishing achievements and in a show of support for his successful bid to break her long standing Medal record.

Read the full Interview Below:

You seem like the most appropriate person alive to ask, what do you think defines the Olympics and distinguishes it from all other forms of sporting competition?  In particular is there one Olympic moment that inspires you or that you might consider to be the greatest?

I think it is hard say which one Olympic moment is the greatest. I think the coolest thing about the Olympics is that people from all over the world come together for two weeks. The best athletes in the world come together. We’re all in one gigantic Olympic Village. We all eat in the same dining hall we all see each other, I think that’s something that I love the most. You get to see everything! Like all the basketball players in the village, people who are like eight feet tall! Well probably not quite that tall but still, I remember walking past these three women in the village and I literally had to look up at them. I mean I thought I was tall but that was pretty cool.

So yeah I think it’s just the experience of everyone from all over the world coming together in one city and competing. It’s something that’s been pretty amazing for me. Being able to represent the United States and wear the stars and stripes for four Olympics has been a dream come true! I got that opportunity to stand at the top of the medal podium while listening to the national anthem play with the gold medal around my neck. It’s been pretty fun, it’s really very special.

For Team GB winning gold at these games will feel like the pinnacle of their career, but can you explain what motivated you to extend your career to keep coming back to the Olympics and keep winning medals?

I think one of the things that I think would be pretty cool would be to be able to win a Gold medal in your home country. That’s got to be a pretty special feeling, doing it for a home crowd. That was one thing I thought would be pretty cool if I’d been able to swim my last Olympic race in front of a home crowd. London has been a great Olympics for me, not only in the pool; I’ve been able to experience some pretty great parts of the city. I’ve been able to have fun and you know the only thing that kept me coming back were the goals that I had. I knew I wasn’t done.

There were still things deep down inside of me that I wanted to accomplish before I retired and I wasn’t going to retire until those things were accomplished. After looking back at the last four years, sure it was very challenging and I had ups and down throughout, but I wouldn’t change anything this has all been a great experience for me. I prepared for this Olympics how I wanted to.  I can now retire and say I’ve done everything I’ve ever wanted to. That’s how I always wanted to retire and go out.

Many former champions continue to play once they retire out of a love of the sport. Do you plan to spend time in the pool now you’re officially retired? Do you truly enjoy swimming?

I won’t be swimming masters; I won’t be doing any of that. The competitive side of me swimming is no longer there. That’s finished. Maybe when I go on vacation and I’m by the pool or the Ocean and I feel like jumping in I will, but it won’t be something that’s on the top of my to do list.

What are you looking forward to now that you’re out of the pool?

I mean I think the biggest thing is just being able to relax. I want to relax; I want to be on my own time. If I wake up one morning and say I want to go here, I want to just go do it. It’s kind of cool that I have my freedom. I’ve got a box at the Raven, who knows I might get into horse racing. There are a lot of options and it’s kind of cool to just not have anything to do. That freedom’s pretty special.

Quite a few former Olympians have enjoyed competing on shows like Dancing with the Stars, is that something you’d ever consider?

I haven’t really been known for my dancing but who knows. I’ve talked to Apollo and Natalie about it and they said that they enjoyed it and had a blast. I’m not saying I’d rule anything out so who knows it could be fun. I don’t know who I’d choose for a partner though. That’s a good question, maybe Natalie because she’s gone through it all before. Natalie and I have been on a lot of teams together before.

Can you articulate your mental drive and focus on a race day?

Not really too much goes through my head. I know that once I’m at a swim meet I’ve done all that I can do to prepare myself and at that point the only to really do is get out there and race. I’ve always been able to really just tune everything out and I think you do need a good combination of being mentally tough and of course being physically in shape as well. I think you need all parts of that equation to be great at something. That’s something that Bob and I have just always worked on. You Know I think Bob is not just prepared me to swim as fast as I can; he’s helped me be prepared for anything. Whether it’s my goggles filling up with water, problems with my suit or my goggle are cracked or something. I’ve just prepared myself for anything that could happen so it doesn’t take me out of being focused on what I’m there to do.

Where do you think that extraordinary focus came from?

I think I’ve probably just always been someone who’s been a very goal orientated person. Whenever I don’t achieve a goal it kind of like failing. I try to put myself always in the right spot to be able to accomplish a goal so I can move onto the next one.

Did you feel something special when you broke the record of Soviet Union Olympian Larissa Latynina?

We actually spent a day together in New York a couple of months ago. You know being able to be around such an Olympic icon like that was something that was really fun. The language barrier was a little tough but she gave me a medal. It was a 1960s gymnastic medal from whet h Soviet Union competed against the USA and she won it and she gave it to me. It was pretty cool feeling to see her and spend the whole day with her. Also she told me that she was behind me and supporting me. That was something that was amazing for me to hear. I was able to do something that I put my mind to. I’m sure someday this record will be broken, all record are there to be broken. I hope I can watch it get broken and see what happens.

You recently said you didn’t want to be a swimming coach because of what you put your own coach through, can you elaborate on that?

I could be pretty annoying person to coach. I could be frustrating. There are things that Bob and I argued about. I like purposely frustrate him I deliberately do stuff to annoy him. It can be like anything, I’ve been around him for so many years that I know the small things that literally drive him up the wall and I do them sometimes just for laughs.

When I was younger I used to always just take my cap off and that would always upset him. It was a little way of showing him that I just don’t care. I’d like take it off in the middle of a warm up. I’d just throw it and you could just see him starting to steam. Like steam was coming out his ears. He was so frustrated. He’d storm off sometimes and drink a cup of coffee then he’d come back relaxed afterwards again. I don’t think I could deal with that. It’s not really for me.

Do you see Chad Le Clos as perhaps a successor?

You know watching Chad over the last year, he’s somebody who’s a great competitor, he’ very tough. Obviously he has a lot of goals and things he wants to accomplish. Him and his coach work great together and you really see that. Him and his coach are as close as Bob and I are. They work well together just like Bob and I work well together.  They are very passionate about what they do, they are very passionate about what they do and Chad does have all the talent. You know he can swim anything from the 100 to the 400 and he can swim alternate strokes.

So it’s going to be cool for me to follow his progress over the next four years. There’s definitely going to be at least some good races in the future especially with Ryan. Those guys are going to be racing each other to see who’s faster. It’s going to be fun.

What have you thought of the performances you’ve seen in the pool at London 2012, particularly the astonishing form of some of the very young swimmers from America and China?

I’ve been able to watch all of the swimming here. Some of the most impressive swimmers were like the men’s 1500. The winner could easily go like 14.25 without question. He’s so talented, his stroke is perfect, his catch, his kick is literally flawless. There are some things I’m sure Dennis is going to help him on in the future and I mean watching that mile was absolutely incredible.

The women’s 400IM I was happy I was able to out split everyone on the last couple of lengths. I think I squeaked through by like a couple of hundred tenths. We had a laugh about it, everyone was joking about it in the dining hall afterwards.

It’s cool being able to see swims like that because you see people who actually want to work hard and love the sport. They’re out there setting goals for themselves and they’re going out an achieving them. If there’s one thing that I’m very excited about over the next four years it’s to keep following the production of swimmers all over the word and see what they’re capable of and the faster they go. We have a lot of new faces but it’s going to be fun.