The Expendables 2 [DVD + Digital Copy + UltraViolet]

The Boys are BACK!
Let's get one thing straight. You don't go into a movie like The Expendables without knowing what you are getting yourself into. If you've seen the first film and enjoyed its larger-than-life salute to big 80's action stars then you know exactly what you should expect from the sequel. It's more of the same formula: Big on star power machismo, ammunition, and one-liners and simple on plot, exposition and intelligence. The bottom line is; you don't watch The Expendables expecting any Academy Award winning performances. If this doesn't sound like kind of movie that you would normally enjoy watching then you came to the wrong party.

The Boys are BACK: Sylvester Stallone as Barney Ross, Jason Statham as Lee Christmas, Dolph Lundgren as Gunner Jensen, Terry Crews as Hale Caesar, Randy Couture as Toll Road and Jet Li as Yin Yang while Mickey Rourke is out as Tool but the testosterone meter is still off...

Big, Bloody, Blow-'Em-Up FUN!
When Sylvester Stallone dreamt up the original EXPENDABLES film, it was designed to be a throwback to the cheesy 80's shoot-'em-up spectacles that were low on plot and character and high on action and adrenaline and combine many of cinema's greatest (or at least somewhat famous) action stars in one film, and it succeeded in some ways and failed in others. The biggest problem that I had with the original is that there were too many patented Stallone-As-Screenwriter moments when he tried to make the film more serious than it EVER needed to be. But when the action was on, it was really glorious to watch all of the over-the-top silliness explode like a Wile E. Coyote cartoon on crank. Fortunately we're treated to much more of that silliness and much less of the seriousness in the Simon West (CON AIR, LARA CROFT: TOMB RAIDER) directed EXPENDABLES 2.

As the film opens with a terrific opening set piece of an assault on a fortified bunker, we are reintroduced to our team of...

The Best Worst Best Worst Action Movie
Expendables 2 is rife with gun play, stabbings, explosions and fun one-liners. Frankly, this is exactly what the movie presented it to be. If this comes across as indicative of the kind of movie that of movie entertains you then please note that Expendables 2 a genre archetype.

If you expect a deep plot and a layered story then look elsewhere. Frankly, it's hard to imagine someone that would look for this approach here. Such criticisms that speak to this are unfounded as they do not actually review the product as advertised.

I don't want to spoil the film. Let me just say though that Chuck Norris plays a Messianic figure a la Judah Maccabee (obviously not like the suffering servant Yeshua Messiah). He has an almost otherworldly indestructible attribute. This alone made the movie worth a viewing.

Bottom line: If you are an American male with a good amount of testosterone in you veins you will enjoy this film.

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Jillian Michaels: 6 Week Six-Pack

Give it the goods, get results
At 26 years old and nearly six feet tall, I should be a shapely Amazon of a gal, but I'm not. A lack of portion control on my part and a full time job reviewing video games has lead to a physique that's not only unflattering, but unhealthy.

Over the course of months of exercise using Jillian's DVDs, I lost weight DRAMATICALLY. (To give you an idea, I went from a size 28 down to a size 16. Keep in mind I'm six foot tall here.) There was no magic, no bull, just hard work, encouragement, and inspiration. The thing about Jillian is that while she's earned and deserves her reputation for being a tough trainer, she's not an unpleasant one. There's just something about her I respond well to; she's firm but fair during her workouts, and her enthusiasm for what she's doing is infectious.

Unfortunately, late last year, in addition to getting complacent, my husband and I were also hammered by weeks where nothing seemed to go right and we had to deal with one calamity after...

Classic JIllian!
While I loved her most recent workouts (Yoga Meltdown and Shred it with Weights), they were very different in terms of her traditional style. 6 Week Six-Pack reminds me exactly why I started doing her workouts in the first place. It is very reminiscent of 30-Day Shred and Banish Fat Boost Metabolism, with a mix of traditional exercises and some I've never seen before. She blends weight training and cardio exercises, all of which focus on the abs in this case. She explains why crunches alone don't work--you must blast off the fat over your abs with cardio in order for them to show. You never stop moving in this DVD, and you'll start to sweat quickly. It's only about 35 minutes, so it's definitely easy to fit in regardless of your daily schedule. If you want a quick but hardcore way to get ripped, this is it!

Jillian has outdone herself!
I sat down & watched this workout to get familiar with it before I actually attempted it. I got tired just WATCHING! Jillian is amazing, as always! This workout is her best, and hardest, to date.

I did it for the first time yesterday...and I am SORE today! I'm in better shape than the average woman my age (45). This winter, I'm doing 2-a-day training sessions: working out with Jillian's various DVDs @ 4am before work, then running either at lunchtime on the treadmill in the gym at work or after I get home in the evening around my neighborhood. I also do a long run on the weekend. I've run 20+ races in the past 3 years, including 7 half marathons and 1 full marathon. I'm not an elite runner, by any means; I'm more of a middle-of-the-pack runner, but my point is that I work out all the time, I'm in really good shape, but this workout KICKED MY BUTT! I had to do the 'beginner version' of a lot of the exercises, though the girl doing the beginner modifications wasn't using a...

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