Escape to the Movies: Expendables 2

angel85

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you know, the way this movie went, I THINK they were going for something of a self aware parody. It ALMOST works on that level but since they play it straight half the time and goofy the other half it's hard to get a feel for the intended tone.
 
Aug 1, 2010
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Bob, while I loved the way you talked about the actors as their various characters, you really shouldn't have reviewed this. You hated everything about the first so much that there was no way you were going to like it.

Personally, I thought it was great. I didn't like the first much, but this one was funny, self-referential and had great action and pacing.

And you know what Bob? You're not only in the general minority like the last one, but in the [i/]critical[/i] minority as well.

66% on Rotten Tomatoes. Yeah, it's not always the most accurate place, but still, more critics liked it then not.
 

Saulkar

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AnarchistAbe said:
Go see and formulate your own opinion!!!

I loved this movie for what it was: a campy, action flick with awesome one-liners, and a host of (now aged) action stars. Don't go into this expecting ANYTHING but what it is, and I think you'll enjoy it.

Addendum: I don't get the critical slaughter of this series... This is a tongue-in-cheek, self-refferential action film. THEY REFERENCE RAMBO DIRECTLY for fuck's sake!!! This was not TRYING to be a critical success. It doesn't take itsself seriously. I just don't undestand the mentality behing listening to a critic with a movie like The Expendables.
I share these exact same sentiments. Given you have already spoken all I wanted to say I will simply leave it at: I liked it.
 

TorchofThanatos

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Spot1990 said:
TorchofThanatos said:
Bob can enjoy some stupid comedy movies for just being stupid comedy movies but he can't enjoy stupid action movies for being stupid action movies.
Except that's not true at all. He likes Machete, Hobo With A Shotgun, Smoking Aces and a lot of other stupid action moives. Including, as he said in this video, the stupid action movies these guys were making about 30 years ago. He doesn't like Expendables because he thinks it's a bad stupid action film.
But, but he doesn't like stupid action movies that I like (joke).

Now we are getting down to more his personal taste, which I don't understand. I am not from his generation so the bad stupid action movies that call to back to him, like Hobo, mean nothing to me. I watched Hobo (for 40 mins only but I can not watch more) and all I got form it was that the director for some reason was mad at the world and loved gore. Some one set out to make a movie I can't under, nor do I ever want to.

I grew up watching all the bad 80's action films that these guys are original from (on TV and from my parents) and the all the new ones that they blow-stuff-up in. I got the fun nostalgia trip from Expendables that some people got form Hobo. It more come down to I can not understand how he likes some things and dislikes others. I don't get it.

Also it seems like he was already set that this movie was going to suck. His "review" of the first movie made him sound like reviewing this was beneath him as a critic. This common money grab that was made for the unwashed masses is too simple for him. While he didn't say it, that is what it felt like. His reasons for not enjoy the second movie is because the boring action scenes (I also really don't understand how action is boring) and it not being stupid or American enough. If you don't know why you don't like something, only that you don't, it is okay to say you don't have a reason. I don't agree with or understand his reasons. Not gory enough like Hobo, nothing should be that gory. As you can tell my hatred for that Hobo gory-fest tends to make me angery when someone says anything good about it.

In the end, I don't like his reasons, I don't understand his reason, I don't even think he has reasons. I enjoy watching him slam sparkle, twinkle vampire loves emo girl 4, because I also don't like that movie. It is hard to watch someone slam a movie that you really enjoyed.
 
Aug 1, 2010
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Spot1990 said:
MrDeckard said:
66% on Rotten Tomatoes. Yeah, it's not always the most accurate place, but still, more critics liked it then not.
So? On metacritic it has 51. What does that matter? Doesn't make Bob wrong.
I never said it made him wrong. Just in the minority of critics as well as viewers.

He so often tends to express his opinion as if he spoke for the majority. Like with his insistence that no one in the world liked the first Transformers.

It just irritates me.

And besides, saying he was right or wrong is dumb anyway. Movies are a subjective experience.
 

Lieju

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I don't really understand the mentality of 'it's not good, but it isn't trying to be'.
Maybe it isn't even trying to be art or deep in any way, but surely it can be evaluated on how it succeeds as an action-movie or an homage?

Me, I'm not interested in this. Not my kind of movie.
 

Britisheagle

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This movie looks bad, but I personally do think it looks fun.

That being said I hated every second of Hobo With a Shotgun, which Bob enjoyed, so I'm not surprised I don't agree.

Also love the Punisher referance - a fantastic example of a no brainer action flick!
 

Sampler

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I was going to post this last week when you mentioned the film wasn't going to be screened for critics but never got around to it. Now you feel the need to mention it again I feel a bit more compelled to put my opinion in.

Now, I foreshadow this with, I don't actually know what it like to be a movie critic as I'm not one but I summize that as you're paid for your opinion than that intangible asset is your meal ticket. In which case you're not allowed to like the expandables - in an industry where your credibility gets you your next job you're not going to be known as "the guy who liked expandables", so why screen it for critics? Critics who have already decided it's going to suck and so going in with that mindset they're going to be more open to picking the faults regardless of how objective they believe they're being - so why waste their time?

This type of movie the audience doesn't read ahead (that last word's probably unnecessary), they watch the shiny trailer and see the big names on billboards and they're sold, no critic will change that - you could say, you know what happens to the Nazi's at the end of The Lost Ark, that happens when you watch this movie, but it would fall on death ears as they simply don't care.

I've watched the first one, it's terrible, the special effects look like they come from the same era as the actors heyday but the HD camera work highlights them even more for how crappy they're compared to modern effects, the storyline's pretty stupid (of what there is) and mainly an excuse to set up the action sequences - I saw it when it came out and thought it was bad, I watched it again last week at the behest of my girlfriend (who normally has awesome taste in films) and it was still as bad, but you know what, for everything technically wrong with it as a movie - from the "hey look we have Arnie and Stallone in it" negating to mention it's only for five minutes (what I call the 'Executive Decision' how they advertise it as a Segal movie??) to the aforementioned problems..we had fun..yeah, it was bad, but it was fun, we poked jokes and had a great evening.

It's with this in mind I will be going to see what I expect to be a steaming pile of a sequel, I'm not going to dwell on the bad points, just laugh at them and enjoy (any) good parts. (though, I may wait for video)
 

DugMachine

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FelixG said:
DugMachine said:
Terramax said:
Meanwhile, movie Bob will like pretty much any super hero movie released, even when they're full of plot holes, cover no new ground, aren't funny when they're supposed to, action sequences are boring, the acting is sub-par, etc.

Hell, he even spent no less than 2 videos reviewing the Green Lantern trying his hardest to like it in some way.
What are you talking about? Bob tore that movie into shreds and couldn't find anything to like. Of course he's supposed to TRY and find stuff to like, that's kinda what you do when you watch movies.
Except he didn't.

It is really obvious when he goes into a movie wanting to like it, and when he is just seeing a movie to draw an escapist paycheck.
And again, it was a super hero movie so of course he went in expecting to enjoy it. I don't know what review you were watching but they were some of the harshest i've seen him give. He fucking hated that movie.

As for your second point, well can't really argue with you there. He does seem to review a lot of movies he already knows he won't like. Gotta make money somehow I guess.
 

DugMachine

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FelixG said:
Whoops, misunderstanding about the first part of my post. the "except he didnt" was in reply to the fact that he is supposed to try to find things to like.

Just that he went in knowing he wouldnt like it so made no effort to look for anything good in it unless it slapped him in the face and he couldnt ignore it.
Ah alright, yeah true enough. Bit of a misunderstanding there and what not lol :p
 

Gidiel167

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Eh, to each their own, i went in for a fun time and got one. Especially with the Chuck Norris part.
 

TorchofThanatos

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Spot1990 said:
MrDeckard said:
66% on Rotten Tomatoes. Yeah, it's not always the most accurate place, but still, more critics liked it then not.
So? On metacritic it has 51. What does that matter? Doesn't make Bob wrong.

TorchofThanatos said:
His reasons for not enjoy the second movie is because the boring action scenes (I also really don't understand how action is boring)
Lots of rapid cuts, close ups and shakey cam so you can't actually see any of the lazily choreographed fight scenes. It also took itself very seriously like the first one did, which is why I much prefered the A Team to Expendables because A Team was over the top craziness and it revelled in it. Expendables 2 only remembered to be self referential towards the end, other than that it was a case of having one's cake and eating it. It was a completely mediocre movie that when struggling plotwise would look directly at the audience and say "Hey, you guys remember Rambo?"

and it not being stupid or American enough.
No it was plenty stupid and American, it wasn't the least bit ironic or self aware about it.

If you don't know why you don't like something, only that you don't, it is okay to say you don't have a reason.
...But he did give reasons.

I don't agree with or understand his reasons.
So agree to disagree then.

Not gory enough like Hobo, nothing should be that gory.
Completely subjective.

In the end, I don't like his reasons, I don't understand his reason,
Well he still has reasons.

I don't even think he has reasons.
No, he does.

It is hard to watch someone slam a movie that you really enjoyed.
Then either stop watching films or stop watching reviews because eventually films you like are gonna get slammed. Maybe only get outraged when you, you know, made the film being slammed. Otherwise you're just getting upset that people have opinions.
Completely Subjective! EVERYTHING is completely subjective! I didn't find the action boring. I loved every second. Each character got their own special fight and each used their own style. I also found his reason's stupid and laced with nostalgic for the old B action movies that he loves (witch is fine because I do the same thing, everyone does the same thing).

Stop watching movies or reviews? Get off what high horse you think you are riding and admit you do they same thing. The point of opinions is that someone is going to have a different one. It is completely acceptable to get upset at someones opinions and then post your disagreements.

I loved Expendables 2, if you haven't scene it yet you should and I hope they make a third. Well worth the 10 bucks I spend. Either way I think Bob is wrong.
 

Warachia

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MB202 said:
I remember last year (or was it two years ago?) when The Expendables got the most comments EVER on an Escape to the Movies video, and everyone was super pissed, so much so that they kept complaining about all of his other reviews after that. Now... I think people have either mellowed out or completely forgot about it. It's like they only live in the moment and don't have any kind of foresight or hindsight about them. I actually never bothered to see The Expendables, so I'm not going to bother here. Really, in both cases, the only interesting thing about them is seeing all these action stars in one movie, not because of the actual movie itself... Oh well.
The reason people were pissed off is because Bob insulted those who went to see the movie, calling anyone who thought a movie like that could work (or saw it at all) was a moron with no brain and "the worst sort of person", however, Bob doesn't read his comments (which he said himself), so he thought the reason people didn't like his review was that he gave the movie a bad review, so in the following weeks, he kept insulting the people who saw it and commented on his videos, whether they liked the movie or not, and there were more than a few people who disliked the movie, but hated how Bob went after the fans.
 

JWAN

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brazuca said:
I knew this movie would be bad!
Not showing to the critics means you had to pay to see this?!
Actually, they did release it to the critics just not bob and others who they knew right away, before sitting down, hate the film. They didn't release it to those particular critics for 2 reasons. The first one is, the director and Stallone dont give 2 shits about critics who are only interested in reviewing art films, and films that are exactly like the "old ones" from the "good ol days" that give them nostalgia-hardons. The second reason is, they understand that the people that are going to see the movie already know what is going to be in the movie.

What this film is about:
Geriatric fight club now with Tommie Wiseau as Jean Claude Van Damme as a bad guy.

I reiterate, they themselves (the writers and directors)don't take the movie seriously. You can tell because of the references and the one liners put in by the writers and the directors. They have a great line at the end of the movie that explains everything in not only one snappy one liner, but also between the 2 biggest stars of the movie. Again, if they wanted to take it seriously they would have released it to all of the critics.

Its a popcorn crunching, soda slurping fun movie.
 

JWAN

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Warachia said:
MB202 said:
I remember last year (or was it two years ago?) when The Expendables got the most comments EVER on an Escape to the Movies video, and everyone was super pissed, so much so that they kept complaining about all of his other reviews after that. Now... I think people have either mellowed out or completely forgot about it. It's like they only live in the moment and don't have any kind of foresight or hindsight about them. I actually never bothered to see The Expendables, so I'm not going to bother here. Really, in both cases, the only interesting thing about them is seeing all these action stars in one movie, not because of the actual movie itself... Oh well.
The reason people were pissed off is because Bob insulted those who went to see the movie, calling anyone who thought a movie like that could work (or saw it at all) was a moron with no brain and "the worst sort of person", however, Bob doesn't read his comments (which he said himself), so he thought the reason people didn't like his review was that he gave the movie a bad review, so in the following weeks, he kept insulting the people who saw it and commented on his videos, whether they liked the movie or not, and there were more than a few people who disliked the movie, but hated how Bob went after the fans.
^This
Bob's review wasn't about the film as much as it was giving people shit who enjoyed it.
Evidence for my thesis:
Bob called the people who saw that movie over Scott Pilgrim "Obedient sheep" who "lined up for processed cheese". Then he said that the "Human race had proved themselves (*&% worthless" and the fans of this movie were "The worst sort of person" he portrayed them as misogynistic, "unselfconscious bicep fetishists".

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/escape-to-the-movies/1937-The-Expendables

A *NAMELESS* quote from the old topic:
"100% right about movie bob.
I could tell by the way he talked that he was a elitist fat fuck.
I'm sorry that I dont appreciate him as much as some people but the way he raggs on anyone who does not think exactly like him is pathetic."

Then what really surprised me was that the Escapist stood behind Bob and then warned and banned people who fired back at him for his insulting comments. Sure the T&S frown upon that kinda language but after bob's tirade on the fans over the actual film? Come on now. Banning and suspending people?

THEN this time around I found it hilarious that he wasn't one of the critics accepted to see a pre-screening of the movie. (Not ALL critics were shut out of this one, but you wouldn't get that from what Bob said) That in itself speaks volumes and has some real depth. Why would Stallone and the director and writers this time around not want Bob in the reviewers booth? Who would invite a guy over to a silly costume party only to have him insult the hosts and the guests and anyone else who enjoyed their costumes then invite that person BACK for the next one?
Thats the situation from a users standpoint. Im sure the mods were doing their jobs.