"The Expendables" is a fun ride

I went to see The Expendables on opening day Friday. Definitely not a chick flick. I enjoyed it, and if one is just into no-brain action, blood and guts machismo, this is right up that alley.

I do agree with Scott Mendelson's post over at the Huffington Post that this is not really the "all the action stars of the 80s and 90s" that entertainment pundits keep throwing out on news shows. As he puts it,

At best you have Stallone, an 80s cult figure (Dolph Lundgren), and two genuine action stars (Jet Li and Jason Statham) who are a generation or two removed from the kind of films that The Expendables is trying to harken back to.

Missing are "Harrison Ford..., Mel Gibson..., Chuck Norris..., Jean Claude Van Damme..., and Steven Seagal." There is a scene featuring cameo appearances by Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger. A nice line is thrown out by Stallone as the Governator is leaving, but it does break the "fourth wall." By that I mean that the line takes you out of the film and into reality. But, I guess that's all right in the long term since the film is about having fun.

I just read that the movie is on track to make about $35 million in its first weekend, and it's going to beat out the chick flick Eat Pray Love by over ten million. I would hazard a guess that a sequel is definitely going to be in theaters down the road.

The good news about a sequel is that according to the Internet Movie Database, Sandra Bullock might be interested in joining the cast. Now that would be fun!

As a final thought, I saw the trailer for the new film Jackass 3D. Now I'm not a fan of dumb comedy films. Just not my thing, but I have to admit there is a sight gag about high-fiving that blew me (and the audience) away. Very funny! I'm still not going to see it though. The rest of the trailer didn't float my boat.