He's taken on Rocky Balboa, Jean-Claude Van Damme, zombies, and killer robots. So why the hell wouldn't Dolph Lundgren pit his action-hero chops against a family of sharks. Notice that wasn't put forward as a question. We in The Basement don't question anything Dolph Lundgren does or doesn't do.

How do you improve on awesome? By giving us more. More action, more character development, more humour and more heart. Scenes are extended, scenes are changed, but everything you loved about the original cut -- which was just fine thank you -- is still here. This is badass entertainment. Stallone knows how to shoot an action scene and get everything he can from his actors. And that scene with Sly, Willis and Schwarzenegger? Still puts a big smile on this movie geeks face. Also good for film nerds is the lengthy documentary Inferno. It shows Sly at work and gives some great insights into the process behind making an old school action flick like this. Worth the purchase and one to watch again and again. A Good from me on this!

And it won't just be a cameo this time either. Word has it from Deadline and Moviehole that Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger will be back in more substantial roles for the uber sequel.  And hey, we're down with that. Who wouldn't be. It doesn't get much cooler than this! But that's not all, an official cast list says Walker Texas Ranger himself Chuck Norris will join the carnage along with the Muscles From Brussels, Jean-Claude Van Damme. Jason Statham, Mickey Rourke, Dolph Lundgren, Jet Li, Terry Crews and Randy Couture will also return. Leading the team again is Sly Stallone, but as we've reported before in The Basement, he's turned the directing duties over to Simon (Con Air) West. We know this is more of a Hollywoodesque story, but The Expendables films are independently produced. And it's our blog, so we can do what we want yo!

And he is Simon West. The same Simon West who directed the early 90s action flick Con Air and the recent and decent Jason Statham remake of The Mechanic. At least the man knows his action. To be honest, we all know Sly Stallone is the driving force behind this sequel to his 2010 hit. And does it really matter who directs with him writing and returning along with fellow cast members Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Terry Crews and Mickey Rourke? No. It doesn't. The awesome has already been brought. The film begins shooting this summer. The plot, as we've reported before, is as follows: The Expendables are back and this time it's personal! After Tool (Mickey Rourke), the heart and soul of the Expendables, is brutally murdered on a mission, his comrades swear to avenge him. They're not the only ones who want blood. Tool’s beautiful young and wild daughter Fiona embarks on her own revenge mission, complicating matters when she is captured and ransomed by a rut...

That's right, The Expendables 2 might not have a director yet but some of the plot details have leaked at Cannes and we've got 'em for you. And it sounds like Sly Stallone's follow up is going to be just as mantastic as the first film. But first . . . SPOILER ALERT! Don't say we didn't warn you: The Expendables are back and this time it's personal! After Tool (Mickey Rourke), the heart and soul of the Expendables, is brutally murdered on a mission, his comrades swear to avenge him. They're not the only ones who want blood. Tool’s beautiful young and wild daughter Fiona embarks on her own revenge mission, complicating matters when she is captured and ransomed by a ruthless dictator plotting to destroy a resistance movement. Now Barney and the Expendables must risk everything to save her and humanity. So what do yah think? Sound decent? Rumour has it Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger will be back. As the villains perhaps? We'll find o...

It's not sounding like it, at least for now. The LA Times’ 24 Frames blog has heard from an unnamed source that Sylvester Stallone is still "very much involved" with The Expendables 2, which is in development at Millennium Films, but doesn’t intend to direct action sequel. The Italian Stallion is on the hunt for someone to take over those chores on the film, but no one has been selected yet. As for the script, Stallone has turned the reigns over to David Agosto and Ken Kaufman. Remember, Sly wrote and directed the first film, which became a surprise hit last summer. Because it kicked ass. One can't blame the man for wanting to spend more time in front of the camera than behind. Stallone has written, directed and starred in every film during his latest comeback. Word also has it that former Governator Arnold Schwarzenegger is looking to play a bigger role in the sequel, and Stallone wants The Bruce back as well, this time to play the villain. Sounds like a plan...

Sylvester Stallone, writer and director of the incredibly awesome box-office hit The Expendables, is on Twitter and looking for you ideas for the eventual follow up. He said he's had dinner with Bruce Willis and was thinking about making him the villain of the next film. Apparently Willis suggested Stallone bring Stone Cold Steve Austin back to life as Willis' twin bald brother. His response: "Do I have to battle that monster again!!!!!!!?????" Sly's also soliciting ideas as to where the film should take place, asking fellow Tweeters what the "most dangerous places in the world" are. Responses have included North Korea, South Africa and Thailand, Iran, Afghanistan and Milan. All I know is I want the sequel to arrive sooner rather than later! If you haven't watched it, get your ass into a theatre seat now!

Following the motion picture box office is kinda like playing the stock market, only with nothing invested and nothing gained. Sure, there's movies you like that you hope will perform well but, if that doesn't happen, you're not out anything. I've been a box office tracker for years now and never cease to be amused and entertained by watching some films succeed while others fail. So, starting this week, we're going to try and keep you, our favourite Basement Dwellers, in the box-officer loop by posting results every Sunday night. It's all part of our master plan to take over the world, or generate content for our radio show, you decide. Read on for the weekly box office report: The Last Exorcism, a gruesome documentary-style horror movie, beat out competitors for the top spot this weekend. The movie, directed by Daniel Stamm and co-produced by Eli Roth, a director known for his bloody thrillers, follows a disillusioned minister supposedly filming hi...

Remember films like Commando, Missing In Action, Cobra, and Rambo? That's The Expendables in a nutshell. Plot? Who cares. Character development? Minimal. Pathos? Fuck off! This is man's movie. There's so much testosterone in this thing that I think my biceps will explode like the villains dispatched by Terry Crews' beautiful automatic shotgun. The action scenes in this thing are so awesome, well, I'm awesomed out by how awesome they are. The cameos by Willis and Schwarzenegger? Perfect. Did I mention the action scenes are awesome? Hollywood, take note: this is how you make an action movie. A pure action movie. A balls-to-the-wall, knife-in-the-throat, fist-to-the-face action film for people who grew up on them during the 80s. A Good review from The Basement on this one. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go eat a steak.

Watched the trailer? Heard that cool tune from Shinedown? Well, we've got the song in all its rockin' glory for you right here in The Basement! Just click on the link below on enjoy. The song is called Diamond Eyes. The Expendables, with Stallone, Willis, Statham, Li, Lundgren and Schwarzenegger opens August 13 at a theatre near you.

Not really, but we here in The Basement have been distracted by work, wives, and other mundane life priorities that have kept us from posting on this blog. To our regular readers: sorry. And thanks to Patrick for keeping the Facebook page loaded with quality film-related links to read. But we are back! We have two more episodes in the can. The first will be up Monday with reviews of Defendor and The Descent Part 2. Then, in two weeks, we've got District 13: Ultimatum and The Lovely Bones. Not wanting to get too far ahead of ourselves, but we're also lining up reviews of the cult horror films Midnight Movie and The Poughkeepsie Tapes. Very excited about those. If anyone has a film they'd like us to review, please drop us a line. Moving right along, the wife and I checked out Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time recently. Here's a micro review: "The film is one of the best pieces of pure entertainment I have seen in a while. To be honest, I liked it more than all thre...

I've been to the theatre maybe three times this year. Once to see Sherlock Holmes, a second time for Clash of the Titans and then the wife and I recently checked out The Losers. Given the slate of upcoming releases, I will likely screen The A-Team because a buddy wants to bring his kids and I will tag along for the ride. The next film I can see myself dragging my ass to is The Expendables because I don't see how any male who calls himself a movie fan will want to pass up seeing that cast (Stallone, Ah-nold and Willis in the same scene together? Hello!) on the big screen. I might check out Tron 2.0, but we'll see what my mood is like at the time. That's it. Six films worth slapping down $10 to see. Otherwise, I'll wait and watch them on the system at home. Hi-def picture, 5.1 digital surround, no crowds and beer outweigh my need to see Iron Man 2 any day. But it wasn't that long ago that the wife and I would head out once a week and catch all the big releases. Wh...