Okay. So, I know what you’re thinking, ‘Universal Solider: Day of Reckoning? Why the hell should I care about the fifth entry in a series I haven’t thought about in twenty years, if ever?’ The answer is simple; the movie is damn good and incredibly ambitious. John Hyams’ second foray into the franchise after Universal Solider: Regeneration – possibly the best direct-to-video film of all time – is a mindbending and incredibly violent epic that owes more to Apocalypse Now and Mulholland Drive than it does to the works of Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin. It is a film that demands to be seen by any serious fan of edgy action, especially those who haven’t seen any of the others.

Recently, I sat down with Dolph Lundgren to discuss his work on the film, which also stars Jean-Claude Van Damme and Scott Adkins. During the interview we chatted about the horrors of being a Uni-Sol, The Punisher (1989), what his character was trying to tell Van Damme at the end of Regeneration, getting his doctorate in mechanical engineering and much more.  Hit the jump to watch.

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. 

We’ve got a few new posters to share this afternoon.  Briefly:

• Hitchcock – A new poster for the drama about the making of Psycho, starring Anthony Hopkins as the legendary filmmaker.  The film opens on November 23rd.
• Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning – Three new character posters for the fourth installment in the Universal Soldier franchise, featuring Jean-Claude Van Damme, Scott Adkins, and Dolph Lundgren.  The film is currently available VOD and opens in theaters November 30th.
• Safe Haven – The first poster for this Nicholas Sparks adaptation, starring Julianne Hough and Josh Duhamel.  The film opens on February 8th.
• The Impossible – A U.K. poster for the tsunami drama starring Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor.  The film opens on December 21st.

Hit the jump to check out the posters.

By the mid-80s a He-Man movie was inevitable. Boys at this time were living for the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoon and drowning in Mattel’s action figures (myself included). He-Man and the rest of the Eternia posse were in parades, a live show called the “Power Tour”, and every other facet of merchandising you can imagine. After much anticipation, Cannon Film’s Masters of the Universe came out in summer of ’87. Critics laughed it off and children were left a little confused. It’s looked back on by many as a fun and campy film that managed to thrill young fans despite its deviations from the cartoon. It’s the 25th anniversary of the film so Warner Bros. released it on Blu-ray. Hit the jump for my review.

A new red-band trailer has gone online for writer/director John Hyams’ Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning, starring Dolph Lundgren, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Scott Adkins and Andrei Arlovski. This trailer leans heavily on the psychological mind-fuckery that comes with being turned into a universal soldier, but it’s equally focused on the action as well.  The only downside is the intermittent blasts of seizure-inducing strobes that flicker over cast intros or quotes from movie sites.  If you can get through that without experiencing an epileptic event, then you’ll be sure to enjoy the brutality of this red-band trailer.  Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning is available On Demand starting October 25th with a theatrical release on November 30th.  Hit the jump to watch the new trailer. 

You’ve already seen them in action in this summer’s The Expendables 2, but now  stars Scott Adkins, Dolph Lundgren and Jean-Claude Van Damme are branching out for Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning.  The first trailer for the John Hyams film puts Adkins in the hero role out for vengeance when he discovers his wife and daughter were slain at the hands of Luc Deveraux (Van Damme).  “The Muscles from Brussels” isn’t alone in his villainous role this time as he’s brought Lundgren along for the ride.  Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning is available On Demand starting October 25th with a theatrical release on November 30th from Magnet Releasing.  Hit the jump to see the official synopsis and first trailer for Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning, along with movie images and poster.

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 Dolph Lundgren.  We talked about his reaction to the first film and the sequel, how he prepared for the second film, filming in Bulgaria, the big action scenes, and who would he like to see in The Expendables 3.  Hit the jump to watch.

This may be the strangest casting article ever written, but here it goes:

• Lance Reddick (Fringe) is in talks to star in Roland Emmerich’s White House Down, starring Channing Tatum as a Secret Service agent.
• Director Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting) appears to be starring in The Canyons, from director Paul Schrader and writer Bret Easton Ellis.
• Dolph Lundgren (The Expendables), who starred as the hero He-Man in the 1987 film Masters of the Universe has expressed interest in returning for a different role in the remake.

Hit the jump to get this sorted out.

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.