Posts tagged Arnold Schwarzenegger
MOVIE REVIEW: Terminator Genisys
MOVIE REVIEW: Terminator Genisys

As flashy as it is with tremendous and eye-popping special effects, "Terminator: Genisys" has created an extremely convoluted mess of merged timelines and revisionist storytelling that treads all over what made the 1984 original and superior 1991 sequel so great.  This is more of an attempt of retcon than of homage.  Even if you find yourself entertained by the return of Arnold Schwarzenegger to his signature franchise, you may be asking, maybe even screaming in outrage, why this revision exercise was even necessary.

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2 STARS, 2015, MOVIE REVIEWDon ShanahanNavy Pier IMAXTerminator, Terminator franchise, Terminator: Genisys, Alan Taylor, Thor: The Dark World, Jai Courtney, Emilia Clarke, Jason Clarke, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kyle Reese, Sarah Connor, John Connor, J.K. Simmons, Paramount Pictures, James Cameron, Jurassic World, life lessons from movies, life lessons from film, life lessons from films, life lessons, movie commentary, movie review, film commentary, film review, 2015, 2015 Summer Movies, Donald Shanahan, Don Shanahan, Every Movie Has a Lesson, reboots, remakes, retcon, canon, Terminator Salvation, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Terminator 2: Judgment DayComment
MOVIE REVIEW: The Expendables 3
MOVIE REVIEW: The Expendables 3

I can’t get away with the same review re-write gag for “The Expendables 3” that I did for “The Expendables 2.”  I know it’s a stretch to say this, but Stallone went back to the drawing board, even if it’s an Etch-A-Sketch, to actually formulate *GASP* the semblance of an actual plot.  It’s not a pretty one, but the third film, for the most part, departs from the hearty rerun missions of the first two films.

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MOVIE REVIEW, 2 STARS, 2014Don ShanahanHarrison Ford, Glen Howell, Arnold Schwarzenegger, The Expendables 3, Kellan Lutz, Victor Ortiz, Jet Li, Randy Couture, The Expendables, Kelsey Grammer, Terry Crews, Sylvester Stallone, Dolph Lundgren, Rondo Rousey, The Expendables 2, Mel Gibson, Antonio Banderas, Jason Statham, Wesley SnipesComment
REVIEW RE-RUN: The Expendables 2
REVIEW RE-RUN: The Expendables 2

HUMOROUS DISCLAIMER:  I had pretty overwhelming feeling going in that The Expendables 2 was going to be a carbon copy of the first movie from 2010, only bigger, louder, busier, and very few minor differences of note.  Well, I was right.  While redundant enough to come across as Xerox as The Hangover Part II was to The Hangover with just a change of setting, this doesn't make The Expendables 2 any less awesome.  To have a little fun and prove this point, I have copied my EXACT 2010 review of The Expendables word-for-word below (follow the link and see) and added strike-through edits and red text additions of those very minor differences.  Enjoy!

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3 STARS, MOVIE REVIEW, 2012Don ShanahanThe Expendables 2, The Expendables 3, The Expendables, Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Chuck Norris, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Simon West, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Terry Crews, Liam Hemsworth, Scott Atkins, The Expendables 2 movie review, The Expendables 2: Back to War, film review, film franchises, film commentary, life lessons from movies, life lessons, life lessons from films, movie commentary, movie review, 2012, summer movie, summer blockbustersComment