Powered By Pop Culture

There’s a movie filming right now that I’m more excited about than anything.  This movie does not have giant transforming robots in it.  It does not have costumed heroes and is not based on a graphic novel.  It will not be an Oscar contender or a sleeper hit.  It does not have a hot soundtrack or witty banter that makes me want to write.   No, this movie… this amazing movie that has not even been completed yet… is The Expendables and it will rock you.  Haven’t heard of it?  Don’t worry.  It’s understandable.  This one is a little under the radar (but there’s no reason it should be).  It happens to be the new movie from writer/director/actor/action god Sylvester Stallone.  Yeah, yeah.  I know what you’re thinking.  ”Isn’t he dead?”  Well, maybe that’s not what you’re thinking.  What you’re thinking is probably something not too flattering.  Me, personally?  I’ve been a Stallone fan since I was a kid.  Nighthawks, Cop Land, Cliffhanger, Demolition Man, F.I.S.T., Tango & Cash… and oh yeah, Rocky and First Blood.  So what’s so exciting about The Expendables?  It’s Stallone writing and directing again after his last two moments of awesome, Rambo and Rocky Balboa.  What else?  The cast.  The Expendables stars Jet Li, Jason Statham, Mickey Rourke, Dolph Lundren, Danny Trejo, Eric Roberts, and Terry Crews.  We’re talking the best in the business and they’re given a simple, straight-forward action movie where they get to be badasses and take on bad guys and save the fuckin’ day.  Let’s face it:  This is a lost art of movie-making.  We’ve become obsessed that our action movies have some sort of relevance.  There must be wire-work and innovative gunfights and death-defying stunts that make us “oohhh” and “ahhh” and directors imported from Russia and China and plots ripped off of Japanese and Korean horror movies… The American action movie will hopefully still be alive and well come 2010 and I hope, nay, I pray that The Expendables meets my lofty expectations.  I hope we get Stallone with outrunning fireballs and Jet Li moving faster than the camera and Jason Statham mouthing off pithy one-liners and Dolph Lundren telling someone, “I must break you.”  Fingers crossed, rabbits feet in hand, four-leaf clover in my pocket… Here’s hoping.