Fans of the original action hero mash-up The Expendables are in for higher stakes, twice the explosions and more grizzled cast members in The Expendables 2, now available on Blu-ray. While the sequel managed to top the experience of the first film, the Blu-ray has plenty of extras to keep fans busy, including a commentary track by director Simon West (Con Air) that provides a lot of behind-the-scenes info. Want to know what weapons the Expendables used? Want to know how much bigger the sequel could have been? Want to see the real life Expendables the movie characters referenced? Well then hit the jump for my review of The Expendables 2 on Blu-ray. 

This weekend’s release of ParaNorman will afford me the rare opportunity to share an afternoon in the theater with two of my nephews, ages 8 and 10. Granted, they’re a little disappointed that we’re not checking it out in 3D, but I just can’t bring myself to foster any sort of affinity for the technology in their young and impressionable minds. The last movie we watched in theaters together was 2009′s Up and it was an experience that I’ll never forget as its brilliant opening sequence brought tears to both of their eyes at the ripe ages of 5 and 7. It was a glowing example of the cinema’s ability to touch young and old alike and while ParaNorman will likely be unable to touch that moment, I’m looking forward to it a ton nonetheless.

My weekend plans aside, in a three-fifths ode to our action heroes of yesteryear, this week’s Top 5 includes video interviews with the cast of The Expendables 2, video interviews with the cast and directors of ParaNorman, the first poster and trailer for Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s The Last Stand, David Cronenberg vs. the superhero genre, and the first trailer for Sly Stallone and director Walter Hill‘s revenge tale, Bullet to the Head. As always, a brief recap and link to each greets you after the jump.

Simon West‘s The Expendables 2 opens this weekend, and the film has Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone) and his gang of mercenaries out for revenge while also having to deal with a baddie (Jean-Claude Van Damme) who wants some weapons-grade plutonium.  I was very disappointed with the first film, but the sequel is a blast.  I think one of the big problems with the original was the lack of a great antagonist.  But by bringing in Van Damme (who is one of the best parts of the sequel), the fight scenes are a lot more fun.  The Expendables 2 also stars Jason Statham, Yu Nan, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, Liam Hemsworth, Bruce Willis, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

At the recent Los Angeles press day I got to speak with Randy Couture and Terry Crews.  We talked about the first time they heard about the sequel, how they prepared for the second film, the big action scenes, and who would they like to see in The Expendables 3.  Hit the jump to watch.

If action movies of the 80s and 90s are my religion, then The Expendables 2 just gave me my last rites.  Lionsgate is letting us premiere a new poster that features the entire kick-ass cast assembled along one of the most famous tables in artistic history.  While scholars have deciphered Da Vinci’s painting “The Last Supper” for centuries, the companion image from The Expendables 2 is more my style, complete with guns, skulls and plenty of booze.

Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Jet Li, Jason Statham, Chuck Norris, Dolph Lundgren, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, Liam Hemsworth, Scott Adkins and Yu Nan star in the sequel to Stallone’s bone-breaking 2010 original film.  Directed by Simon West, The Expendables 2 opens August 17th.  Hit the jump to see the exclusive poster.

Lionsgate has released a new behind-the-scenes featurette for The Expendables 2.  The new film has Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone) and his gang of mercenaries out for revenge, and also having to deal with a baddie (Jean-Claude Van Damme) who wants some weapons-grade plutonium.  This featurette isn’t going to change anyone’s anticipation for the flick one way or the other, but I do like the emphasis on practical effects and trying to offer a break from CGI-heavy action (although you will also notice green screens in this featurette).

Hit the jump to check out the featurette.  The film also stars Jason Statham, Yu Nan, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, Liam Hemsworth, Bruce Willis, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.  The Expendables 2 opens on August 17th.

The Expendables 2, the Simon West-directed sequel to The Expendables, appeared at the end of the opening day of Comic-Con 2012.  They opened the panel with the previously released trailer for the film, before Sylvester Stallone himself took the stage (to a “Rocky, Rocky!” chant).  He was soon joined by other members of his cast, setting the Guinness world record for most testosterone ever on stage at one time.  The Expendables 2, also starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Bruce Willis, Liam Hemsworth, Terry Crews, Jean Claude Van Damme, Scott Adkins, Charisma Carpenter, Yu Nan and Randy Couture opens August 17th.  Hit the jump to check out the rest of the panel and make sure to click here for all of our continuing Comic-Con coverage.

We previously showed you Comic-Con exclusive posters for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and Pacific Rim, and now The Expendables 2 is getting in on the action.  More precisely, they’re getting in on the 1980s action.  Since the film’s cast is populated mostly with 80s action stars, it only makes sense that there should a poster that carries an 80s vibe.  If you’re looking forward to the upcoming sequel and are going to be at Comic-Con, you’ll probably want to try and track this down (assuming they’ll be giving out copies).  My advice is to head to the Lionsgate booth (#4035) on the show floor.

Hit the jump to check out the poster.  The film stars Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, Liam Hemsworth, Jean Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.  The Expendables 2 opens August 17th.  The film’s Comic-Con panel will be this Thursday at 4:45pm in Hall H.

A new poster banner for director Simon West’s actioner The Expendables 2 has arrived.  The photoshop-enhanced poster features the all-star cast of aging action heroes all lined up side-by-side, weapons in hand.  Jean-Claude Van Damme is clearly the villain because he’s the only one in the group wearing sunglasses, like an asshole.  The story finds Sylvester Stallone and his crew hell-bent on revenge following the death of one of their own, as they set out to stop Van Damme’s evil plot to blow lots of things up.

Hit the jump to take a gander at the poster, and check back on the site next week for our full recap of the film’s Comic-Con panel.  The film also stars Jason Statham, Yu Nan, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, Liam Hemsworth, Bruce Willis, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.  The Expendables 2 opens on August 17th.

I make no apologies for being excited about The Expendables 2, regardless of how over the top and absurd it might look.  Actually, I’m excited because of that, not in spite of it.  So now that we’ve got a look at the first clip from the film, I’m happy to say that it’s more or less what you would have expected if you were a fan of the first film.  It features Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone) and Lee Christmas (Jason Statham) trading bullets, explosions and one-liners with a gang of mercenaries.  Lucky for the expendable duo, they brought backup.

Simon West’s The Expendables 2, also starring Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, Terry Crews, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Liam Hemsworth, Yu Nan, Chuck Norris, Scott Adkins and Jean Claude Van Damme, opens August 17th.  Hit the jump to check out the clip.

10 new images from The Expendables 2 have landed online.  The sequel sees the return of the all-star action hero team from the first film banded together to take on the one and only Jean-Claude Van Damme.  Sylvester Stallone and his crew are not only hell-bent on revenge following the death of one of their own, but Van Damme’s baddie is also harboring some weapons-grade plutonium.  No one’s really looking for a  best picture winner here, so hopefully director Simon West (Con Air) was able to put together an entertaining actioner with fights galore.

Hit the jump to check out the new images.  The film also stars Jason Statham, Yu Nan, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, Liam Hemsworth, Bruce Willis, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.  The Expendables 2 opens on August 17th.

We’ve got a couple of new posters for two all-star lineup films to share today.  First up, the final poster for The Expendables 2 has landed online.  The one-sheet highlights the film’s ensemble of hardened action stars and lots and lots of explosions.  The message here is clear: Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis and co. are so bad ass that they’re impervious to fire.  The film’s story finds Stallone’s crew up against baddie Jean-Claude Van Damme who is in possession of weapons-grade plutonium (that bastard!).  The film opens on August 17th.

Additionally, a new poster for the sci-fi comedy The Watch has landed online.  Previously titled Neighborhood Watch, the film stars Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill, Ben Stiller and Richard Ayoade as a group of neighbors who form a local neighborhood watch group and end up stumbling onto an alien plot to destroy the world.  While the poster isn’t much, I’m encouraged by the fact that Akiva Schaffer (Hot Rod) directed the pic and the film’s red-band trailers are really funny.  The film opens on July 27th.  Hit the jump to check out the posters.

With The Expendables 2 opening August 17, Lionsgate has been ramping up the promotional machine by releasing a TV spot, twelve posters, the first trailer, and tons of images.  While I thought the first Expendables was a disappointment due to a myriad of reasons (terrible villain, lackluster script, mediocre action scenes), I’ll admit the sequel looks a lot better and it’s definitely due to the “Muscles from Brussels” (Jean Claude Van Damme).  In the sequel, Van Damme plays the baddie and he’s got weapons-grade plutonium, which is a huge step forward when compared to a corrupt general on an island.  When you’ve got the world’s biggest action stars, you need to see them taking on something more than a corrupt general.

Hit the jump to watch the latest TV spot and let me know what you think in the comments.  The Expendables 2 stars Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Yu Nan, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, Liam Hemsworth, Chuck Norris, and Bruce Willis.

The most badass action heroes from the 80s and 90s are back for another knock-down, drag-out slugfest in the first TV spot for this summer’s The Expendables 2.   Simon West (The Mechanic) directs this installment about a band of mercenaries led by Sylvester Stallone and featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Chuck Norris and Jean-Claude Van Damme.   Earlier this month, we brought you this fan-made trailer that questions your love of America and fun and encourages you to go see the film.  The Expendables 2, also starring Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, Terry Crews, Liam Hemsworth, Scott Adkins and Yu Nan, opens August 17th.  Hit the jump to see the first TV spot.

Do you love America?  Do you love guns, explosions, muscles, action, tanks, explosions, violence, fighting and explosions?  If you do, then you’re a lot like me, pal.  And we’ve got mutual friends in The Monocular Group, who have put this awesome fan trailer together for The Expendables 2.  They’re also here to remind us that long before a bunch of gussied-up prima donnas assembled to fight evil, there were men to handle our problems: big, strong men with powerful guns and boots on the ground.  In a summer dominated by superhero fare, let us not forget the men that built the foundation of the action movie.  These men include Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Chuck Norris, Dolph Lundgren, Jason Statham, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Jet Li, Randy Couture and Terry Crews. The Expendables 2 also stars Liam Hemsworth, who has something to prove, and Scott Adkins, who should feel right at home with this crew.  The movie opens this August 17th in America, the Land of Guns and Awesome.  Hit the jump to check out the trailer.

The first full-length trailer for The Expendables 2 has gone online.  In addition to lots and lots of gunfire and explosions, there are some truly cringe-worthy moments like Jason Statham dressed as a monk saying “I now pronounce you man and knife,” or when Arnold Schwarzenegger says “I’m back.”  The plot also doesn’t make much sense.  Jean Claude Van Damme‘s villain needs plutonium, which seems like a useless weapon when you can simply roundhouse kick the world to death.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  The film also stars Sylvester Stallone, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Yu Nan, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, Liam Hemsworth, Chuck Norris, and Bruce Willis.  The Expendables 2 opens on August 17th.