Simon West

This Week in DVD: 11/27/12

This week at the video store we look at the winning animated adventure ParaNorman, the action blockbuster The Expendables 2, the dance-stravaganza Step Up Revolution, the crap-stravaganza The Apparition, and a pair of films that missed theatrical releases despite being directed by Joe Dante and Amy Heckerling.

The Expendables 2 Review

Does shit blow up? Yes. Does everyone get at least one good scene to showcase their talents? Yes. Is it better than the first film? Yes, and by quite a bit actually.

Interview: Terry Crews and Randy Couture

We talked to Expendables 2 co-stars Terry Crews and Randy Couture about teaming up once again with Sylvester Stallone and crew, shooting in Bulgaria, why this film was more relaxed than the first, casting rumours for the third film, and if Terry Crews thinks his crew could beat up The Avengers.

CONTEST: See THE EXPENDABLES 2 in TORONTO

Enter for a chance to win one of ten pairs of passes to see the Canadian premiere of The Expendables 2 in Toronto on Monday, August 13th with co-stars Terry Crews and Randy Couture in attendance, courtesy of Dork Shelf and Alliance Films.

The Nic Cage Project: Con Air

To celebrate TIFF’s ongoing Bangkok Dangerous: The Cinema Of Nicolas Cage series, Alan Jones has resurrected his retrospective of the actor’s work entitled The Nic Cage Project. In this edition, Jones boards Simon West's Con Air – playing tonight at the Lightbox.

The Mechanic Review

Despite it's generic qualities, which are numerous, The Mechanic maintains an appealing lack of moral rectitude throughout its running time. Jason Statham plays Arthur Bishop, a “mechanic”, which is code for assassin. He kills people for an unspecified evil corporate entity run by his mentor. The lack of specificity concerning his motivations is an asset to the film. It helps make the hackneyed direction by Simon West more palatable.