The Expendables 2 -- Review #JPMN

• The Expendables 2 (2012) -- Unfeeling violence, but wildly enjoyable, 7/10. Full episodes of Movie Night, every Friday night at: http://bit.ly/JogJPMN ~~ Movie Night Reviews ~~ Each "Quick Review" is an excerpt from a full episode. Incorporating viewer comments and tweets, your host and film critic Jonathan Paula reviews everything from opening day releases, recent DVDs, upcoming trailers, and classics from years past. Along with your votes, these films are scored on the "Rate-O-Matic" for a 1-10 ranking. A "Five Word Summary" quickly encapsulates each review while "Factor Facts" highlight the the best and worst features of a movie in each of ten key categories. New, full episodes of Movie Night air on the JPizzle1122 every Friday, November through May. Born in February 1986, Jonathan Paula is a professional YouTuber and creator of the hit web series, "Is It A Good Idea To Microwave This?". In April 2006 he founded Jogwheel Productions, a new media production company that specializes in web video. He has been reviewing films since 2003, and professionally since 2009. Jon graduated from Emerson College in 2008 with a degree in Television Production / Radio Broadcasting. He currently lives in Rockingham, NH with his wife Rebecca. ~~ Links ~~ Facebook ---------------- http://bit.ly/JonFBFan Twitter --------------------- http://bit.ly/JonTW Main Channel ----------- http://bit.ly/Jogwheel 2nd Channel ------------ http://bit.ly/JonWorld Movie Night Show ----- http://bit.ly/JogJPMN FAQ Video --------------- http://bit.ly/JogFAQv T-Shirts ------------------- http://bit.ly/JogStore ~~ Technical ~~ Created by ------ Jonathan Paula Camera ---------- Panasonic DVX-100b Microphone ----- Sennheiser ME 66 Software --------- Adobe Premiere Pro CS5 Computer ------- http://bit.ly/JAV010 • Jogwheel Productions © 2012 • ~~ Review Script ~~ Released worldwide last week, writer and star Sylvester Stallone has once again amassed the greatest group of bygone Hollywood action legends for one massively explosive and over-the-top violence feast. Under the new, and steadier direction of Simon West, this sequel thankfully cuts back on the extreme-close-up shaky-cam techniques of its predecessor, allowing the viewer to appreciate and follow the mindless gore on screen much easier. From the gun, we're immediately treated to a gloriously ridiculous cold-open sequence lasting 15 minutes, that has the awesome group of bad-asses rescuing some hostages by car, motorcycle, jet-ski, and sea-plane, using everything from rocket-launchers, sniper-rifles, frying pans and .50-caliber machine guns to accomplish this messy task. Although none of them are really developed to any significant satisfaction, the all-star cast lead by Stallone includes Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, Bruce Willis, and in his return to acting after Governing California for the past eight years, Arnold Schwarzenegger, who filmed his entire limited role in only five days. New to this bigger follow-up is Chuck Norris, Liam Hemsworth, Jean-Claude Van Damme, and Yu Nun as the lone female in the cast. Luckily, two of the characters leave the film early, and three others receive only limited screen-time during the final act, keeping the film from becoming to bloated for its own good. Cold-hearted and devoid of any emotion or recognition of the terrors that surround them, the Expendables seem to exist in a surreal environment that constantly plays things light with self-referential jokes and call-backs, which should have all fans of 80's and 90's action movies smiling with delight. When the Planet Hollywood trio finally does come together on screen, guns blazing, it's a welcome treat. Although a marked improvement from the 2010 original, this ensemble action film is morally repugnant, devoid of character development, hastefully paced, and poorly written -- but despite all this, it's still damn fun entertainment for 103 minutes. Stallone and JCVD punctuate the mayhem with a well-choreographed one-on-one fist, chain, and knife fight that serves as the icing on this delicious, if incredibly sloppy cake. "The Expendables 2", "Unfeeling violence, but wildly enjoyable".  ~