Statham Cracks Skulls, Cracks Up Audiences

Nearly 8 years from his last hit, Arnold says he's still got it

(NEWSER) - Arnold Schwarzenegger is back, and even at age 63, the longtime action star says he's ready to return to the high-octane heroics and disemboweling that made him famous. "I can step very comfortably into the entertainment world and do an action movie with the same violence that I've always done," he said in the LA Times . "I can have the same amount of heads coming off—and any other body parts—and as far as that goes, I don't blink." The former California governor would not comment on specific rumors, only saying, "The calls are coming in." More»

Action flick less than the sum of its all-star parts

(NEWSER) - Sylvester Stallone directed and co-stars, alongside a Magnificent Seven-style roster of action-film legends—Bruce Willis, Dolph Lundgren, Jet Li, Steve Austin, Mickey Rourke, and Jason Statham—but critics have some issues with The Expendables.

• James Verniere (and a friend), Boston Herald : "Hulk like Expendables. It SMASH. Guns go BANG-BANG. Things go BOOM. Fire EVERYWHERE. Cars crash and make even MORE FIRE. HA-HA-HA. Hulk no like Rourke, though. Rourke NUTS."

She's the first woman to be a bankable star in the genre

(NEWSER) - With Angelina Jolie's action flick Salt set to open next week, the Hollywood Reporter pays homage to her unprecedented feat in the movie biz: She's the only woman to rule the genre. She's starred in five action movies over the past 10 years that have grossed a total of $1.5 billion worldwide, which helps explains why she commanded a salary of $20 million upfront for Salt, plus a cut of the gross. More»

Heist movie highly entertaining, if forgettable

(NEWSER) - You probably won't ponder The Bank Job once you've left the theater, but most critics say you're likely to enjoy it while you're there. The heist film, very loosely based on a real bank robbery that happened in London in 1971—which captivated the public because of its rumored connection to the royal family—is "fun but instantly forgettable," writes Jamie Russell in Total Film. More»

Despite leak warnings, CIA, Pentagon and White House rolled out the red carpet

(NEWSER) - The White House, CIA, and Pentagon all gave special access to Hurt Locker director Kathryn Bigelow to help with her movie about Osama bin Laden's death, according to documents obtained by the conservative Judicial Watch . In one interview , Undersecretary of Defense Mike Vickers tells Bigelow that top admirals can't talk because it would set "a bad example if it gets out," but that she could interview a SEAL Team 6 operator, who would "give you everything you … would get from Adm Olson or Adm McRaven." More»