Quickie review: The Expendables

Looks like Van Damme got the last laugh...

Writer-director-star Stallone not only should've handed over the camera, but he should've let somebody have a go at the script, and even more important, he should've secured the rest of the gang (Van Damme, Seagal, Snipes), even if it took waiting a year or begging them on his hands and knees. The Expendables is a messy, watchable movie that could have been so much more. Cheap production value doesn't help either. You don't just throw something like this together on a whim.


** out of ****

~ Patrick Fryberger

Quickie Review: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Broad and self-evident video-game referencing surprisingly doesn't spoil the show

Self-assured, confident direction saves what could've been a hollow or uneven exercise. Edgar Wright's frenetic-kinetic dazzlement sparks up early and often; it's innovative and not afraid to make mistakes, making such all but disappear. Cera doesn't fall into parody, and Wright proves he can do more than just make them. Above all, is the supporting cast: Kieran Culkin, Alison Pill, and Jason Schwartzman steal the show, among others.


***1/2 out of ****

~ Patrick Fryberger

I'd play it