2013’s Promising Action Movies Part 2!

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In Part 1 of 2013’s Promising Action Movies, I looked at the films that would be coming out relatively soon. Now, let’s take a brief glance at some of the other awesome looking films 2013 has in store for us this year. I decided to skip a few of the more established franchises, particularly most of the summer blockbusters, to highlight some of the lesser known flicks. I mean, we already know Iron Man 3, Star Trek Into Darkness, The Fast and the Furious 6, Man of Steel, Kick Ass 2, The Wolverine, Thor: The Dark World, and Red 2 all have the potential to rock. Now let’s take a look at some of the other potentially kickass flicks.


World War Z

Loosely based on the novel with the same name by Max Brooks, World War Z looks to be packing a high count of zombies, mass chaos, and big star power with Brad Pitt leading the way. I feel like this could be a chaotic mess of a film, or one of the best zombie movies we’ve seen in a while. I’m looking forward to seeing which way it goes. World War Z will infect theaters June 21.

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*Summary: A U.N. employee is racing against time and fate, as he travels the world trying to stop the outbreak of a deadly Zombie pandemic.


Pacific Rim

Pacific Rim will premiere July 12 with giant robots and fancy looking special effects. I just hope it’s not like the latter Transformer films or Battleship where it has a big enough budget to produce quality action, but the story sucks so hard it ruins it.

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*Summary: When an alien attack threatens the Earth’s existence, giant robots piloted by humans are deployed to fight off the menace.


The Tomb

Jim Caviezel, Sylvester Stallone, AND Arnold Schwarzenegger star in The Tomb; and because of that, the story won’t make a lick of difference to me- I’ll watch it anyways. It comes out in theaters September 27.

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*Summary: When a structural-security authority finds himself incarcerated in a prison he designed, he has to put his skills to escape and find out who framed him.


Oblivion

Tom Cruise will play another character named Jack in the sci-fi action film, Oblivion. He’s been growing on me as an action star, so we’ll see if that trend continues on April 19 when this film hits theaters.

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*Summary: One of the few remaining drone repairmen assigned to Earth, its surface devastated after decades of war with the alien Scavs, discovers a crashed spacecraft with contents that bring into question everything he believed about the war, and may even put the fate of mankind in his hands.

This is the Action Flick Chick, and you’ve just been kicked in the ass!

*Summaries taken from IMDB.

 

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2013’s Promising Action Movies Part 1!

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A new year is here, and we’ve got a pile of resolutions to ignore and great action movies to look forward to. Here are the films that promise to pack some action.

The Last Stand

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Arnold Schwarzenegger is back in the leading role after taking a break to run California, and most action fans (yours truly included) are chomping at the bit to see how Arnold’s illustrious return plays out. Does he still have what it takes to pull off a physically demanding action role?  The trailers to The Last Stand do, at the very least, make it look like an action-packed romp, but we’ll have to wait until January 18 to see how it stands up.

*Summary: The leader of a drug cartel busts out of a courthouse and speeds to the Mexican border, where the only thing in his path is a sheriff and his inexperienced staff.


Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters

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On January 25 we’ll see an old fairy tale with a new spin, as sweet little Hansel and Gretel grow up to be bounty hunters. It stars a duo of up and coming action stars, Jeremy Renner and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time’s Gemma Arterton.

*Summary: In this dark spin on the fairy tale, siblings Hansel and Gretel are a formidable team of bounty hunters who track and kill witches all over the world.


Bullet to the Head

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Fact: I will watch anything with Sylvester Stallone in it, he’s my main man!  Bullet to the Head comes out February 1, also starring Jason Momoa and Christian Slater. The fights look brutal, Stallone’s muscles look ridiculous (in a good way), and the explosions are big… things are looking good for this one!

*Summary: After watching their respective partners die, a cop and a hitman form an alliance in order to bring down their common enemy.


A Good Day to Die Hard

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I love every Die Hard film to varying degrees, and am thusly super pumped for A Good Day to Die Hard. Bruce Willis still has what it takes to kick some ass, and Jai Courtney has shown his own skills during his time on Spartacus: Vengeance. Russia won’t be the same after these two are finished with it. A Good Day to Die Hard Yipee-Ki-Yays into theaters February 14.

*Summary: John McClane travels to Russia to help out his seemingly wayward son, Jack, only to discover that Jack is a CIA operative working to prevent a nuclear-weapons heist, causing the father and son to team up against underworld forces.


G.I. Joe: Retaliation

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There has been a lot of curious things going on with this flick- originally set to be released in 2012, it was pushed back to March 29 in order to “add 3D and increase international interest.” After I heard rumors of poor reactions to the original cut of the film, I hope the delay is to also re-film some scenes. It stars a fantastic cast, promising an action extravaganza if the writers and directors do it it right- Bruce Willis, Channing Tatum, Dwayne Johnson, Adrianne Palicki, and Ray Park. Go Joe!

*Summary: The G.I. Joes are not only fighting their mortal enemy Cobra; they are forced to contend with threats from within the government that jeopardize their very existence.

Stay tuned and don’t touch that dial– part 2 of 2013’s action movie preview will be back after these shorts messages!

This is the Action Flick Chick, and you’ve just been kicked in the ass!

*Summaries taken from IMDB.

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Review: Django Unchained- Chain Yourselves in, Lads, it’s a Good One!

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Django Unchained is one juicy mother of a movie, and I’d expect no less from writer/director Quentin Tarantino. If you like Tarantino’s style of wild and thoughtful film-making, you’re sure to love this one. Django is violent, extremely bloody, and has a unique story wrapped up with some overly verbose scenes. My usual complaint about a Tarantino film is that there’s way too much needless talking, but that wasn’t as big of an issue for me this time- the story felt stronger and more relatable, and much of the chit-chat seemed more purposeful than his characters’ usual discussions of tipping habits and the like.

The film touches on sensitive issues from American history following Django (Jamie Foxx), a freed slave, on a journey to rescue his wife from a plantation. It takes place a couple of years before the Civil War, and Tarantino doesn’t sugar-coat the setting at all. There’s an abundance of offensive language, deplorable acts, and ill treatment of black people as well as a “kill all the white people because they’re evil” mentality. It’s not a particularly fun film to watch, and really made me sad to think that anything like this happened in the past, but the truth behind it makes it that much stronger.

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All the main actors-Christoph Waltz, Jamie Foxx, Samuel L. Jackson, and Leonardo DiCaprio- put on amazing performances. Here we have four very strong actors playing distinctly different roles from what we’re used to, and the audience is better for it. Samuel L. Jackson in particular stands out as the DiCaprio’s character’s ruthless house slave who will do whatever it takes to make certain things stay the way they are. Also, many actors who attempt Southern accents usually butcher them, but these Django‘s Southern accents were as smooth and natural as ice cream.

One of the many things Tarantino’s got a flare for is making his films extremely violent, and Django Unchained is no exception. It’s evident that Tarantino drew many inspirations from the Spaghetti Westerns of the past, as well as The Wild Bunch, a classic Western known for its unflinching depictions of violence. I mean, in one scene the walls of a house are literally painted with blood. Whenever someone receives a wound, big or small, a volcano of blood gushes from it. Add in a couple of mighty explosions to feast upon and you’ve got a pretty good amount/quality of action, along with enough old-timey racism to make damn near anyone uncomfortable.

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Action Rating: 2 ½ Djangos Off the Chain, out of 5.

This is the Action Flick Chick, and you’ve just been kicked in the ass!

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Coming Attraction: January 2013 Preview!

January will bring a couple of movies I’m looking forward to seeing, along with a slew of others I’ll probably be avoiding like they’re the weird kid on the playground with bad breath and a tendency to bite.

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January 18: The Last Stand

January 18: Mama

January 25: Hansel and Gretel Witch Hunters

January 25: Parker

Neither Pumped Nor Pissed:

January 4: Texas Chainsaw 3D

January 4: A Dark Truth

January 11: Gangster Squad

January 11: A Haunted House

January 11: Struck by Lightning

January 11: $ellebrityMV5BMjA4MDQwODg2NV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNTc5ODc2OA@@._V1._SY317_

January 11: Storage 24

January 11: Zero Dark Thirty

January 18: Broken City

January 18: LUV

January 25: Movie 23

January 25: John Dies at the End

No Thank You:

January 11: Quartet

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The Walking Dead Gets Another Season, Loses Another Showrunner

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AMC released some news that acts as a double edged sword for fans of The Walking Dead: there will be a fourth season, but Glen Mazzara (showrunner) won’t be working on it. Publicly,  both parties said it was a mutual agreement. However, given AMC’s history of giving TWD’s showrunner’s the lifespan of a Spinal Tap drummer, there are murmurs that the split is less than amicable. Mazzara’s joint statement with AMC went a little something like this:

Today, AMC announces the season 4 pick-up of The Walking Dead. AMC also jointly announces with Glen Mazzara today that for future seasons, the two parties have mutually decided to part ways. Glen guided the series creatively for seasons 2 and 3. AMC is grateful for his hard work. We are both proud of our shared success. Both parties acknowledge that there is a difference of opinion about where the show should go moving forward, and conclude that it is best to part ways. This decision is amicable and Glen will remain on for post-production on [the remainder of the third season, which starts in February] as showrunner and executive producer.

There’s no way to tell if their “difference of opinion” would have hurt or bettered the show, but I do know that season 3 of The Walking Dead has earned itself a spot as my favorite show on television, so I’m a little worried about what’s going to happen once the new person takes over. Robert Kirkman showed his support of both parties saying he believes “the parties came to this decision in the best interest of the future of the show.”  He went on to thank Glen for his work and talked about the future: “I am also excited to begin work on another spectacular season of this show that I know means so much to so many people. This show has always been the result of a wide range of extremely talented men and women working tirelessly to produce their best work collectively. I believe the future is bright for The Walking Dead.  Thank you, to the fans, for your continued support.”

Having three showrunners for The Walking Dead in four seasons isn’t giving AMC the best of reputations. As a fan, I just hope they don’t mess with the formula they’ve have going on now, because I surely do love me some Walking Dead and can’t wait until February 9 when season three returns.

This is the Action Flick Chick, and you’ve just been kicked in the ass!

 

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Expendables 3 Adds a New Old Action Star!

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Cinema Online reports that loveable Jackie Chan has been invited to join The Expendables 3. In a press conference, Chan spoke about the upcoming film and his involvement:

“Sly had invited me to be in ‘Expendables 2’ but I was too busy filming ‘CZ12’ and couldn’t make a commitment to the film. But, he did extend his invitation to the third movie, which I agreed on the condition that I will be appearing as more than just a minor role with a few scenes.”

I like the sound of “more than just a minor role,” but what I am hesitant about is the fact that Chan also told Sylvester Stallone that he’d like it if the third film would be a kind of “buddy-buddy” movie and said the script is in the midst of being worked on “to meet the criteria.” With so many big stars in one film, the Expendables has always been more of an ensemble, and I’d hate to see Expendables 3 narrow the focus down to a slimmer cast of characters. After all, it’s a film series based around seeing Action’s greatest stars all together, kicking ass! I guess we’ll have to wait and see whether Expendables 3 ends up more Dirty Dozen or Lethal Weapon.

This is the Action Flick Chick, and you’ve just been kicked in the ass!

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“Bad Kids Go to Hell” Hits Canada

Left to right: Action Flick Chick Katrina Hill, an extra, actress Amanda Alch (the redhead), GAGA co-star James Tyler Cates. Plus other people's hands.

Left to right: Action Flick Chick Katrina Hill, an extra, some guy’s hand in the air, actress Amanda Alch (the redhead), GAGA co-star James Tyler Cates.

“The Breakfast Club” meets “The Grudge” in “Bad Kids Go to Hell,” which just swept through U.S. theaters and has now hit Toronto.  See http://bit.ly/AreYouBad for theaters and showtimes. Catch a very special cameo by our Action Flick Chick, Katrina Hill, and find out why her character is listed as “Kissing Girl.”

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Press release:

BUY YOUR TICKETS AND RESERVE YOUR SEATS ONLINE

For a list of Theaters and Showtimes go to:

Http://bit.ly/AreYouBad
“It’s an incredibly smart and culturally self-aware film that works as the evil heir to ‘The Breakfast Club,’ ‘Scooby-Doo,’ and ‘Heathers.’ I know that sounds crazy, but it works!”
– Eric Shirey, Yahoo! Movies

“The film’s unlikely combination of didacticism and sexy teen slaughter signals a booming trend: the Occupy horror flick.”
– James Spillane, Slant Magazine

“Horror movies usually tap into our secret fears and desires, and “Bad Kids Go to Hell” does so quite well.”
– Charles Ealy, Austin-American Statesman

Watch "Bad Kids Go to Hell" to see what happens next.

Watch “Bad Kids Go to Hell” to see what happens next.

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ActionChick and Fanhattan Take to Rancho Obi-Wan!

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While Action Flick Chick Katrina joins Jenna Busch and the rest of their fine Fanhattan crew for a meeting of the minds this weekend, the rest of us get to hear about it all in snippets online. The powwow got off to a grand start with a visit to the world’s largest Star Wars memorabilia collection, Intergalactic Fan Ambassador Steve Sansweet’s Rancho Obi-Wan – which Katrina’s gal pal Adri showed off a few weeks ago in the “Adrianne Curry’s Super Fans” YouTube series on Stan Lee’s World of Heroes channel.

Here’s a peak that Ms. Hill has shared so far.

@AcionChick: At Rancho Obi-Wan with @fanhattan. Hoping to ride a bantha :) #row pic.twitter.com/WxCS9SVk

@AcionChick: At Rancho Obi-Wan with @fanhattan. Hoping to ride a bantha 🙂 #row

Would you want to do your business on this?! @fanhattan @ranchoobiwan #row

@ActionChick: Would you want to do your business on this?! @fanhattan @ranchoobiwan #row

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@ActionChick: I found my bantha to ride @fanhattan @ranchoobiwan #row

@ActionChick: To top off a great tour of @RanchoObiWan, we get to play arcade games

@ActionChick: To top off a great tour of @RanchoObiWan, we get to play arcade games

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