RED 2 (Retired, Extremely Dangerous) July 19, 2013

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July 17, 2013
Interview: Byung-hun Lee of 'Red 2'
'On-camera, I have to be calm, the perfect villain .. but I'm so excited, because I get to fight Bruce Willis!'
By James Rocchi The HitList
As the best-paid -- and best -- assassin in the world, Korean killer Han Cho Bai stalks Frank Moses (Bruce Willis), Myron Boggs (John Malcovich) and the rest of the 'Red 2' gang like a grim hound of hell. Offscreen, though, Byung-hun Lee is relaxed, smiling and personable -- in other words, not at all like the silent, smoldering slaughtering killers he's played in films from "Joint Security Agency" to "G.I. Joe." We spoke with him in New York about "Red 2," the fun of mixing comedy with stunts and what it's like for any action fan to have to beat up Bruce Willis ... MSN Movies: There's a fight sequence in this where you have a fridge door handcuffed to you that's just incredible.  How long does it take to shoot that and do you have any fun doing it? Byung-hun Lee: Yeah…I liked that scene.  So much. (Laughs)  When I first read the scene, I thought, 'Oh, this is going to be so hard ...' you know, fighting against more than 10 'policemen.'  It's not normal people. Right. 
It's 'policemen.'  And, 'Wow, it's going to be so hard.'  But, so I trained a lot and tried to memorize all the choreography so hard.  And also, Bruce Willis brought a lot of ideas to that scene, so we made really great scene, I think.  And I really enjoyed it.  It took around three or four days to shoot that. I mean, I think you and I are both of an age where when we saw "Die Hard," we were relatively young.  When you wake up and go, 'Oh, it's time to pretend-fight Bruce Willis,' how incredible is that as somebody who loves the action cinema? Of course, I was so excited to work with Bruce Willis.  Especially, you know, just like you, I was a huge fan because I grew up with his action films.  So, it's an amazingly exciting thing, but I need to be calm because I'm a professional.  Especially in front of the camera, I need to be, you know, a perfect villain.  So, I always need to control myself, to be calm.
You've been in great films that have combined action and comedy before, like 'The Good, the Bad, the Weird" which is a great film.  It's very rare for an American film to combine comedy and action like this.  Were you impressed with how well the director and the cast brought together that very perfect balance of action and comedy? It's rare in Korea too. (This is) so not like 'The Good, the Bad, the Weird.'  This has its own color and mood. Right. So, fortunately I was a huge fan of "Red," so I could adjust to that environment.  But, still it was kind of hard to balance between serious seriousness and also a fun thing.  So I need to be serious from the beginning until the end, the whole time, but also I need to give a lot of sense of humor and laughter to the audience.  That was hard.  But the director, Dean (Parisot), gave me a lot of directions to do, so I think it worked ...

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July 17, 2013
Stars Paint the Town ‘Red 2′
By Sarah Tooker WSJ
 Charles Sykes/Invision/APFrom left: Bruce Willis, Mary-Louise Parker, Helen Mirren and producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura at the special screening of Summit Entertainment’s ‘Red 2′
A special New York screening of producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura’s new sequel “Red 2” brought stars Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Mary-Louise Parker to the Museum of Modern Art  Tuesday night.
(The movie also stars Anthony Hopkins, John Malkovich and Byung Hun Lee, but all were away from the city busy with new work).
Following the screening, actors and special guests attended a posh after-party hosted by The Cinema Society and Bally on the rooftop of the Refinery Hotel.  Attendees included actor Joel McHale, director Taylor Hackford and “Revenge” actress Margarita Levieva.
Many guests were still laughing about “Red 2′s” action-comedy plot, which is driven by explosive scenes and a good chuckle at every move Willis, Parker and Malkovich make as an unlikely team that saves the world.
Speakeasy caught up with Willis before the screening, and the actor credited the energy of his co-stars to a great set environment.
“I have such great chemistry with Mary-Louise Parker; she is so funny and a great comic,” Willis said. “And John Malkovich is hysterical.”
Parker, who wore a stunning black Dolce & Gabbana dress, said the entire cast got along really well. “I think we’re all pretty similar in our vibe,” she said. “There were probably more pranks last time [in the original "Red"], but it was in Montreal and London this time and everyone was freezing and too cold to play pranks.”
Helen Mirren, who said she based her character “Victoria” on Martha Stewart, said her favorite on-set moment was being in the car with Byung Hun in an epic gun scene. “Being in that little car with Byung Hun day after day was fun because he is unbelievably gorgeous and also happens to be very sweet,” she said.
Zeta-Jones, who looked incredible in a studded Michael Kors black dress, explained the tone of the overall set was always comfortable. “I’ve worked with Bruce before, and of course Tony Hopkins – I’ve known him since I was a kid,” she said. “Everyone knew their lines so that gave us more time on the set to goof around and have fun.”
When asked who was the “most goofy,”  Zeta-Jones named Malkovich. “He’d always come up with a one-liner just before I had to do a shot and it cracked me up,” she said. “And he’s naughty – he does it on purpose.”
Bonaventura, who also produced the “Transformers” films, gave us a brief token of advice on success. “Some people like to make movies that win awards,” he said. “I like to make movies that people like and you only get to do a sequel if people really like things.”
With such a star-studded cast, Bonaventura said one of the hardest parts of filming was making sure no one outshined someone else in a scene. “It’s like a jigsaw puzzle,” he said. “How do you get everything out of each of them and how do you make sure one doesn’t overshadow the other? That was one of the fun things, just watching these guys try and top each other.”
“And at the end of the day,” Bonaventura joked, “It’s always fun to put every possible kind of gun in Helen Mirren’s hand.”

[Guest pugnp]

Despicable Me 2


An opening picture informs America that massive and ugly CG monsters ‘kaiju’ are rising from the deep for ages, which years of fighting with mammoth, robotic ‘jaegers’ controlled physically ANd psychically by Charlie Hunnam’s Raleigh Becket et al. has resulted in an close at hand, complete war with meaner, smarter and nastier creatures – and humanity’s secured extermination. however wait: the grieving naturally Raleigh’s tracked  down by the Commander Idris Elba and compelled to control ‘Gipsy Danger’ against ‘Category 5’ beasts off port and on the far side, and therefore the stage is about for rather superb FX destruction aplenty.

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July 17, 2013
‘RED 2’ Video Interview: Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura On Making Blockbusters
by Perri Nemiroff ScreenRant
Lorenzo di Bonaventura knows how to make a summer blockbuster. Transformers scored $70.5 million opening weekend in 2007, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen topped that with nearly $109 million in 2009, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra posted a $54.7 million start just after that, and then Transformers: Dark of the Moon pulled in $97.9 million its first weekend out in the summer of 2011. Now the question is, can he take a long-range success and turn it into one of those summer tentpoles?
RED opened in October of 2010 with a moderate $21.8 million. Considering the film had a $58 million production tab, $21.8 million is sufficient, but also doesn’t necessarily scream franchise-worthy. However, then RED went on to spend a whopping four months in theaters, never losing more than 50.1% of its profits in a single weekend, which let it end its theatrical run with a domestic grand total of $90.4 million and a worldwide total of $199 million. Now a number like that deserves a sequel – which is why summer 2013 brings us RED 2.
While in New York City supporting RED 2’s July 19th release, di Bonaventura explained that it actually wasn’t the film’s impressive theatrical run that inspired the team to give it another go, but more specifically, the film’s appeal to a broader audience than they expected:
“Well, it did that unusual thing now, which is it played for four months in the theaters, you know? Honestly, even coming out of the theaters, I don’t know that we thought it would necessarily generate that, but what happened was the DVD and the rental market was gigantic for it. It began going down, instead of our original audience, it became a family audience and a lot of kids watched it, and we were all very cognizant of the fact that the audience was shifting on us in a really good way and big way, and that’s, in a way, what stimulated the sequel.”
But that still begs the question: Is RED 2 a summer movie? Come July 19th, it’ll go head-to-head with three other highly-anticipated features – The Conjuring, R.I.P.D., and Turbo. Fortunately for all four, there isn’t all that much genre overlap, but they’re still bound to step on each other’s toes. Di Bonaventura admitted making the move from October to July is a risk, but he’s hopeful that RED 2 will make its mark:
“That’s the worst part of all this is picking your release date and then hoping to god you pick the right one because you have no idea. You can use as much intelligence and analysis as you want. At the end of the day, was it a good idea? We’ll know a few weeks after our release, probably. Or maybe we’ll know Friday night. You never know.
Lionsgate and Summit, they wanted this movie to be bigger and so, you know, it is a bigger movie than the first movie and we have great additions to the cast, so they thought they could compete in the summer. I hope they’re right. We’re rooting for it, that’s for sure!”
If a bigger cast and a more expansive production mean more success at the box office, RED 2 is certainly on the right track. In the sequel, Frank Moses (Bruce Willis) is back and, again, trying to live the happily retired life, but this time with Sarah (Mary-Louise Parker) by his side. That all comes to a crashing halt when John Malkovich’s Marvin steps back in to warn Frank that an old case has returned to bite them in the you-know-what. They’ve been linked to a Cold War weapon known as Nightshade, a potentially devastating device that vanished on their watch.
Now it’s back and the US government and MI6 think they know where it is so dispatch assassins to hunt them down. MI6 calls in Victoria (Helen Mirren) and the US hires Han (Byung Hun Lee), a deadly contract killer whose got some unfinished business with Frank. In an effort to put an end to all of this, Frank, Sarah, and Marvin travel the globe and run into curious characters like David Thewlis’ The Frog, Catherine Zeta-Jones’ Katja, and Anthony Hopkins’ Edward Bailey while trying to track down and disable Nightshade.
You think that’s a lot of big names? Should RED 2 warrant a third film, the cast will only get bigger. Di Bonaventura noted that he’s already been approached by agents and managers regarding clients interest in becoming Retired and Extremely Dangerous. And that’s not just a new development that came with the success of the original. Di Bonaventura recalled their good fortune with casting right from the start:
“I think the easy part of the process has been casting, continuously, because we have very singular characters so actors want to do that. It was funny, in the first movie, we said to ourselves, ‘Who’s Frank?’ And it’s like, ‘Well, of course it’s Bruce Willis.’ We went to Bruce Willis. He said yes. And, you know, we were like, ‘Who’s Victoria?’ ‘Well, Helen Mirren.’ There was a little debate for us with Meryl Streep. Then it started going to, ‘Who’s Marvin?’ ‘John Malkovich,’ who actually, originally, was unable to do it because Spider-Man 4. He was gonna be the villain, I think. And then that fell apart. In the meantime, John C. Reilly had come aboard and then he had bailed on us, unceremoniously, and we got our first choice back, which was great!”
The RED movies are truly an instance where it’s very fortunate they wound up securing all their top choices because after catching the first film and then the second, it’s just so clear that they wouldn’t be the same movies without Willis, Mirren, Malkovich, Parker, and now Hopkins, too. As much as they all do need to lose themselves in their roles to a degree, part of the fun of this series is seeing these specific actors engaging in such outrageous violence, action, and banter.
You’ll see for yourself when RED 2 arrives in theaters on Friday, July 19th, but in the meantime, check out our full interview with di Bonaventura to hear more about the producing challenges he faced putting the new film together, find out how many projects he’s truly developing, the state of the Four Brothers sequel, Five Brothers, and more.

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July 17, 2013
Movie review: “RED 2” another good ride
By Rich Heldenfels Beacon Journal popular culture writer Ohio.com
Asked during another round of derring-do if he feels old, former CIA agent Frank Moses says, “Not really.” And that’s the essence of the RED movies.


2010’s RED and the new RED 2 argue repeatedly and with great humor that passing 40, or 50, or even 60 is no reason to give up on having relationships, feeling sexy, stopping bad guys and generally tearing things up. Youth is a handicap in the RED movies, based on a series of comic books; when one young operative tells an old pro that her exploits were “before my time,” he gets a painful reminder of how effective that pro still is.
Consider: Frank is played by Bruce Willis, 58. Other key players in the films include John Malkovich, 59; Helen Mirren, 68; Mary-Louise Parker, 48, and Brian Cox, 62. RED 2 adds Anthony Hopkins, 75; Catherine Zeta-Jones, 43; Byung Hun Lee, 42; and Neal McDonough, 47. Not a twenty- or thirtysomething in the bunch.
Of course, having a bunch of veteran actors giving good performances is of no use if your story is weak. From the same writers as the first film, RED 2 includes enjoyable action, and a car chase that felt fresher than some, and a lot of pleasant character interplay.
Yes, there are some say-what moments in the plot, especially at the end. And Parker’s performance, while somewhat understandable, is at times more excitable than fits with the rest of the actors. But it’s a good time at the movies, regardless of your age.
For those of you arriving late, the original RED found Frank in a grumpy retirement in Cleveland before an assassination attempt dragged him back into his violent game, where he had help from Marvin (Malkovich) and Victoria (Mirren) while settling into a romance with Sarah (Parker), who found in Frank’s adventures a delightful if dangerous change from her ordinary life.
The second film picks up well after the end of the caper in RED and the adventure in Moldova that capped the earlier movie. Frank is once again vying for domestic harmony, gleefully shopping at Costco and failing to notice that Sarah is grindingly bored. Enter Marvin, with news that an old operation, Nightshade, has gone public and people will be coming after Frank and Marvin. Frank is wanted by the feds and killers, among them the characters played by McDonough, Zeta-Jones and Lee. And the key to the whole thing may be held by another figure from Frank’s past, played by Hopkins.
Frank’s attempt to save himself and resolve unfinished business from Nightshade take him to England and Russia. (Willis fans will note that he was in big-screen Russia not long ago in A Good Day To Die Hard.) Sarah not only comes along, but she also insists on being part of the strategizing — especially after Zeta-Jones enters the scene.
One of the nice, goofy touches in the RED films is the inserting of domestic issues into the adventures. However high the body count, the film is funny, and director Dean Parisot — who made the much-loved Galaxy Quest — knows how to balance the action and comedy tones. So the Frank-Sarah relationship is an ongoing topic in RED 2, nudged along by advice from the other characters.
Parker’s Sarah has an almost crazed desire for excitement, and her responses to inclusion are child-like at times. And that’s in contrast to Willis’ Frank, a guy whose assurance with fists and guns is very different from his uncertainty about women. He’s a more comic, if even more lethal, version of John McClane in the earliest Die Hard movies.
For most of its running time, RED 2 seems more briskly paced than RED, the players more comfortably settled into their roles. It does falter near the end, as it struggles to tie up its plot, which proves less entertaining as it goes along. But the characters and acting hold up nicely. I expect to be back for the already-planned RED 3.

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Source: RED 2 Facebook
Only two more days until you can see RED 2 in theaters...but who’s counting? 
Get your tickets now: http://red-themovie.com/

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July 17, 2013
Piping hot actionRED 2 promises to wake up the neighbours

Source: The Star Online

Mean business: Lee Byung Hun takes no prisoners in 'Red 2'.
HALLYU star Lee Byung Hun emerges guns a-blazing as a ruthless hitman in RED 2. Coming from his blade-wielding Storm Shadow background in two G.I Joe movies, Lee reportedly declared that he much preferred gun-fighting to hand-to-hand combat. “Then, I don’t have to train so hard.”
The South Korean thespian joins Anthony Hopkins, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Neal McDonough and David Thewlis as newcomers aboard the much-anticipated sequel to the Hollywood sleeper hit RED (2010).
Stars of RED (which stands for Retired, Extremely Dangerous) Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Mary-Louise Parker, Helen Mirren and Brian Cox reprise their roles from the original action-comedy, which was helmed by German director Robert Schwentke.
Directed by Dean Parisot, RED 2 brings back high-octane action-comedy as retired black-ops CIA agent Frank Moses reunites his unlikely team of elite operatives for a global quest to track down a next-generation device that can change the balance of power in the world. In the mean time, they have to deal with an army of relentless assassins, ruthless terrorists and power-crazy government officials, all eager to get their hands on the super weapon.
Former CIA black-ops agent Frank Moses (Bruce Willis) has spent his life dealing with bad guys, so, hand-to-hand combat, diplomatic intrigue and jumping out of moving vehicles are the tools of his trade. Only when it comes to a relationship with Sarah Ross (Mary-Louise Parker) do things get shaky for him. Though Frank may be content with their quiet life, Sarah is worried that things are getting a little stale between them.
The story opens with Frank Moses and his old partner Marvin Boggs (John Malkovich) being dragged into a whirlwind as Nightshade – a next generation weapon from the Cold War that went missing on Frank and Marvin’s watch – apparently resurfaces. And everyone now thinks that the two of them know of its whereabouts.
MI6 has given Frank and Marvin’s buddy, deadly sharpshooter Victoria (Helen Mirren), a contract to eliminate the duo. In addition, a corrupt US official (Neal McDonough) sends contract killer Han (Byung Hun Lee) after them, which pleases the assassin, since he has an old score to settle with Frank.
Their mission has them globe-trotting from London to Paris to Moscow, where they cross paths with Frank’s old flame Katja (Catherine Zeta-Jones). All of them end up trying to find long-ago-locked-away genius scientist Edward Bailey (Anthony Hopkins), the only person who might be able to unravel the mystery of Nightshade.
“The structure is of an action movie, but the characters are comedic because they can’t resolve their absurd issues which are happening during a lot of extreme violence,” says director Parisot, in production notes provided by the distributor.
While the movie features lots of action in exotic locations, at its core, it’s a relationship movie in which Frank struggles to strike a balance between the Black Ops game and keeping Sarah safe. However, she wants the opposite and finds an ally in Marvin.
“Frank is ill-equipped to handle a basic relationship and Marvin is only too happy to dispense advice on how to make a relationship work, yet there’s a good chance Marvin knows nothing about the subject,” reveals Willis.
“The old adage ‘a stopped clock is right twice a day’ is applicable here because Marvin is most likely idiotic about relationships, and any knowledge he thinks he has probably came from a self-help book,” notes Malkovich.
Frank gets a more sophisticated and educated angle on relationships from Victoria, who is well-versed in mixing work and romance. “I think Victoria is in charge of Frank’s emotional life to a certain extent,” says Helen Mirren, who reprises her role as Victoria.
“Marvin may advise Frank, but Frank pays attention to Victoria, who’s actually had relationships in the context of her work. She’s balanced in a strangely perverse way but understands that you could die at any time, so you have to commit and move forward,” notes Parisot.
On the other hand, Sarah, while more emotionally stable, is not all together when it comes to her spy skills. “She’s not a good liar; not very crafty and just doesn’t have a lot of valuable traits at her disposal,” says Parker.
And then, she meets Frank’s ex-flame (Katja) and sees the polish, sophistication and sheer sultriness, and realises that she has her work cut out for her. “She just wants to be one of the gang and for a while, all she can fall back on is her earnestness.” What remains from the first movie, however, is the almost retro feel of the dialogue between Frank and Sarah. “Bruce and me always thought that our interplay should have a 1930s screwball comedy feel to it,” says Parker.
The interplay between the two actors gave Parisot a lot of options in the editing room: “Mary-Louise and Bruce play off each other so brilliantly that I chose to go with a lot more two-shots than singles because I didn’t want to cut away from either of them,” says Parisot. “It’s a lot like the chemistry of the old Tracy-Hepburn movies and it was great fun watching them on set get to a fantastic place in the scene.” – SETO KIT YAN
RED 2 blazes into cinemas tomorrow. However, thanks to GSC Movies, you can watch the film tonight! Details are in today's paper (Star2, page 19). There are 90 pairs of tickets set aside for readers of The Star. The movie is rated 18, so the screening is restricted to viewers aged 18 and above only.

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July 17, 2013
Review: 'Red 2' plays it too safe
By Tony Hicks MercuryNews
In 2010, "Red" delightfully sneaked up on us. The story of retired CIA black-ops veterans pressed back into service was funny and fresh and, most importantly, gave the world the chance to watch Helen Mirren kick butt in ways that would make Jason Bourne think twice about stealing her purse.
The film did so well that producers whipped up "Red 2" for Mirren, Bruce Willis, John Malkovich and company. Unfortunately, while the sequel manages to retain some of the charm of the original, it does little else. There is a sense that "Red 2" is resting on its laurels and relying on the audience to simply enjoy the interplay among the actors while absorbing jumbled plot points that are being offered without much explanation.
Who were the bad guys? I'm still not sure.
But at least the actors look like they were still having fun, in a "Let's Make 'Ocean's 13' so George Clooney can hang out with Brad Pitt and Matt Damon some more" kind of way.
All of which adds up to a movie that isn't particularly good, but is still fun, thanks mainly to the sheer strength of the cast.
At times "Red 2" is like watching a Dean Martin roast back in the '70s (get on YouTube and search for Don Rickles and Frank Sinatra). There's not a lot of substance but it's difficult not to enjoy watching the interplay of talented, funny people who seem to enjoy working together.
A new cast member, Korean martial arts wizard Byung-hun Lee, shows off some subtle comedy chops as a hit man out to get Willis' Frank Moses, who has been accused of hatching an operation called "Nightshade" that involved a hidden, portable nuclear weapon. Another new edition, Anthony Hopkins, plays a semi-looney scientist who created and hid a suitcase nuclear weapon some three decades ago, the finding of which is the centerpiece of the film.
Not surprisingly, the story line is more humorous than logical. Of course it's funny when Malkovich's neurotic, socially challenged Marvin Boggs tracks down Moses at Costco -- where he's trying to engage in some domestic shopping with his partner Sarah Ross (Mary-Louise Parker) -- to tell him he thinks they're in trouble and to remind him, after all, that Moses hasn't killed anyone in months. And Mirren is always a pleasure to watch, especially when hilariously disposing of a body while talking business on the phone.
But step back from the comedy and the story gets thin. The first film dealt more with retired spies trying to adjust to real life, which gave it some depth. Now, that story line just feels played out, especially since Willis has seemingly dedicated his career to playing aging former military and law enforcement studs out to prove they haven't lost their edge (Willis is supposedly lined up to play a retired CIA agent/mentor in an upcoming adaptation of one of Vince Flynn's Mitch Rapp books).
Parker is a pleasant surprise, showing comedic chops and a newfound ability to get into the violent swing of things. She steals a number of scenes, especially those with Catherine Zeta-Jones' Russian agent (and Moses' former flame) Katja.
But for the most part, the surprises are few and far between. Fans of the first film should view "Red 2" as a chance to savor the interplay of very good actors but not much else -- meaning it is likely worth a matinee or a rental down the road. Which is a shame; the first "Red" was a great idea and an unexpected hit.
Any good spy has to take risks to be successful. Too bad director Dean Parisot and his team didn't employ the same concept.

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Source: RED 2 Facebook
The more linked in you are, the easier it is to find you.You already have a job: STAY ALIVE.

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July 18, 2013
‘Red 2’: Spy comedy is still a blast
A movie review of “Red 2,” a funny follow-up to the 2010 hit about Retired Extremely Dangerous secret agents starring Mary-Louise Parker, Anthony Hopkins, Bruce Willis, John Malkovich and Helen Mirren.
By Soren AndersenSpecial to The Seattle Times
Movie Review 3 stars 
‘Red 2,’ with Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Mary-Louise Parker, Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, Catherine Zeta-Jones. Directed by Dean Parisot, from a screenplay by Jon Hoeber and Erich Hoeber. 116 minutes.
Rated PG-13 for pervasive action and violence including frenetic gunplay, and for some language and drug material. Several theaters.
The defining image of 2010’s “Red” is Helen Mirren, dressed in an immaculate white evening gown — and combat boots! — calmly blasting away with a .50 caliber machine gun on a tripod. That’s some image, that is: an unexpected mixture of classiness and violence. It’s bizarre. It’s funny.
We didn’t see that one coming.
In “Red 2,” here’s Dame Helen again, in a low-slung sports car dodging automatic-weapons fire from pursuing killers, shouting “show me something” to her driver — and then showing him something as she whips out two pistols and, firing out both side windows simultaneously, cancels the killers’ pursuit.
We sort of did see that one coming.
That’s a key difference between “Red 2” and the original movie: The element of surprise is largely gone. Largely, but hardly wholly.
“Red 2” does have its share of surprises, and the biggest of these is how funny the picture is and how very much fun the actors in it seem to be having.
Returning for this second go-round along with Mirren are Bruce Willis and John Malkovich, all three again playing Retired Extremely Dangerous secret agents. Returning, too, is Mary-Louise Parker, playing the Willis character’s civilian girlfriend, who has developed a hankering, if not exactly an expertise (at first, at least), for doing secret-agent stuff. Brian Cox is also back as the Mirren character’s Russian-spy lover. New to the game are Anthony Hopkins as an oddball weapons designer, Byung Hun Lee as a super-deadly Korean assassin and Catherine Zeta-Jones as a Russian femme fatale.
The plot is a ridiculous but diverting assemblage of spy-movie tropes: a weapons-of-mass-destruction threat, hit squads, car chases and megafights in scenic foreign cities that borrow heavily from the “Bourne” movies. All are handled with brisk assurance by director Dean Parisot (“Galaxy Quest”), who smoothly juggles mayhem and comedy.
Willis and Malkovich are still center stage, but it’s Parker and Hopkins who have the best scenes and lines of dialogue. Parker’s big-eyed, slightly dizzy embrace of the Willis character and his violent world is a consistent source of laughs, and Hopkins’ loosey-goosey take on his character is his best, most relaxed work in years.

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Source: RED 2 Facebook

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July 18, 2013
Review: 'RED 2' reunion familiar but entertaining
By ROGER MOOREMcClatchy-Tribune News Service SouthCost Today
2.5 stars
Directed by Dean Parisot and starring Bruce Willis, Mary Louise Parker, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren, Anthony Hopkins, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Byung-hun Lee and David Thewlis. Running time: 1:48. MPAA rating: PG-13 for pervasive action and violence including frenetic gunplay, and for some language and drug material.
They bicker, emotionally blackmail each other, kiss and make up. Because they have history.
But Bruce Willis and John Malkovich aren't the "real" couple at the heart of "RED 2," the action comedy sequel about retired government assassins. They're just part of a love triangle, one that Mary Louise Parker completes. Her character Sarah may be Frank's (Willis) dizzy but decreasingly naive lady love, but Marvin (Malkovich) is the one who gullibly fills her in on this bloody if exciting life they've led and somehow continue to lead. And he's the one who gives her guns.
Frank is incredulous. But as the bullets fly and the plot thickens, once mild-mannered Sarah gets into the spirit of things entirely too quickly.
"Let's face it, Columbo," she purrs at him. "Things were getting a little stale."
The joy of "RED" was seeing a cast packed with Oscar winners (Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman, Richard Dreyfuss, Ernest Borgnine) and very good actors (Malkovich, Parker, Brian Cox and Karl Urban) flesh out and class up a Bruce Willis action film. "Codgers make the coolest killers" was its motto.
And if anything, this "Retired, Extremely Dangerous" sequel ups the ante. There's a new acronym — "ICE: Incarcerated, Cannot Execute." They've replaced killed-off Oscar winners with Anthony Hopkins as an addled old scientist and Catherine Zeta-Jones as a Russian agent and one-time lady love of Frank's. And the change in directors to comedy-specialist Dean Parisot ("Galaxy Quest") means there's a laugh a minute amid all this mayhem.
Somebody's Wikileaked info about a secret bomb project named "Nightshade" that Frank and Marvin were linked to decades before. Now they need to survive the hitmen — played by Neal McDonough ("The Guardian") and Korean actor and martial arts star Byung-hun Lee ("I Saw the Devil," "G.I. Joe: Retaliation") — sent to get them. Frank and Marvin also have to find the mad scientist who built the bomb (Hopkins) to clear their names.
Frank drags Sarah along to Paris, Moscow and London as they do. Mirren returns as her droller-than-droll MI6 assassin, Brian Cox reprises his Russian spy boss. And David Thewlis shows up as a sadistic spy and snooty wine lover.
Some bit players are bland, but the difference between Willis in the more recent "Die Hards" and here is that of an exhausted old man forced to repeat himself and carry a movie, versus a lark where he gives action cred to supporting players who do the heavy, funny lifting.
It's a movie of hilarious reaction shots — little moments where the mere expression on Parker, Mirren, Hopkins or Malkovich's face sells the gag — and scores and more scores of jokes. Malkovich is a laugh riot — watch how he pizza-schools a Russian whose Moscow Papa John's they take over while breaking into the Kremlin. Moments after an epic brawl ends, Byung-hun Lee's Han-the-Hitman limps away, and for effect gives a vigorous shake of the leg that early in the fight we saw take a vicious whack from a fire extinguisher.
The car chases are played for exciting laughs. Sarah dives into an ancient French Citroen deux chevaux and shouts, "I've SO got this!" even when she SO doesn't. And the fights are both credible and, in the case of the skilled Mr. Lee, INcredible.
It's all ground we've sort of covered before and things do tend to drag before the too-violent third act turns too-bloody.
But "RED 2" goes down easily, from Malkovich's demented moments of relationship advice to Dame Helen's tender and amusing "Hitchcock" reunion with Sir Anthony. There's a knowing twinkle in their eyes, and in everybody else's.
"Yeah, we could've done a Bond film," they seem to wink. "And it would've been a bloody fun one, at that."

[rubie]

July 18, 2013
'Red 2': Does that Little Blue Lotus Steal the Show?
By Jonathan Welsh WSJ

Lotus CarsFilm crew prepares a Lotus Exige S for a scene in “Red 2.”
Could there be a more fitting car to feature in an action-adventure movie about aging ex-CIA agents than a Lotus? Just like the main characters in “Red 2,” the Lotus brand hasn’t seen front-line spy service for a quite a few years.
Indeed, the last time the English carmaker wowed many of us was in 1977′s James Bond film “The Spy Who Loved Me.” That movie included a white Lotus Esprit that turned into a submarine and dashed along under water almost as well as it did on pavement.
Now a new, “laser blue” Lotus Exige S is poised to make a splash on screen.
In the sequel to 2010′s “Red,” which opens tonight, retired agent Frank Moses ( Bruce Willis) joins up with other operatives, including some from the previous film, to find a missing nuclear device.
As is typical of this genre, the film is full of guns, fistfights and speeding cars. But Lotus hopes its Exige S sports car, which plays heavily in the plot’s climax, will stand out among the Porsches and other hot cars vying for audiences’ attention.
Lotus said the filmmakers asked them if any Exige S models were available for the film around the time production started. Lotus spokesman Kevin Smith said the company had turned out just four pre-production test cars and hadn’t begun to ramp up the assembly line. Still, it was an opportunity for the tiny car maker to make a big impression.
Lotus handed over three of the four cars free of charge, with one stipulation: Matt Becker, the company’s chief engineer of testing and development had to do all the stunt driving for the movie. Smith called it “one of those rare occurences in movie product placements” that didn’t require pages of contracts and large sums of money.
The movie is as close as many U.S. drivers will ever get to an Exige S road car, which isn’t available in the states. There is a track-only version sold here,and the company said it is “a possibility” that it will the street-legal version here later.

[rubie]

July 18, 2013
5 Cool Lotus Exige S Facts from "Red 2"The action-flick Red 2 hits theaters today and a sports car plays a leading role
By Annette Carrion European Car
The Details:
• Lotus Exige S featured in Red 2
• Film opens nationwide Thursday, July 18th
• Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, and Anthony Hopkins star in the film
A Lotus Exige S is playing a starring role in Hollywood’s latest action film Red 2, starring Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, Anthony Hopkins, Catherine Zeta-Jones, John Malkovich, Mary-Louise Parker and Byung Hun Lee. Featured as a nimble getaway vehicle when the bullets start flying, below you will find a handful of interesting facts regarding the appearance of the Lotus in the film:
 Lotus Exige S• Lotus provided the use of three cars to production for the project, one had the engine removed and was mounted to a ‘skate’ (pictured above) to create one of the more dramatic driving maneuvers.
• Matt Becker (Lotus Chief Engineer - Test and Development) performed the driving stunts as Han’s (Byung Hun Lee) stunt double. Complete with wig, make-up and costume Matt follows in his dad’s footsteps as Roger Becker drove the Lotus Esprit in the 007 ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ movie.
• A Lotus Exige S is ‘borrowed’ by character Han to help Victoria (Helen Mirren) escape a gun battle at the Iranian Embassy in London.
• After a highway chase sequence which sees the nimble Exige S hide under a moving 12-wheel truck, the Exige S darts in front of the truck, but the Range Rover can’t match its agility and ends up rolling along the highway on its roof.
• 345 hp at 7000 rpm
Red 2 opens in theaters nationwide Thursday, July 18, 2013
Vehicle Background
Model: Lotus Exige S
Engine: Mid-mounted, transverse 3.5-liter supercharged DOHC V6 VVT-i
Horsepower: 345hp at 7000rpm
Torque: 295 lb-ft at 4500rpm
Weight: 2592.6 lbs. / 2570.6 lbs. (roadster)
Performance: 0-60 3.8 seconds, 170mph top speed
*Spec data provided by Lotus
It has been since 2011 when the Lotus Exige made new car headlines as covered by Motor Trend when the track-edition became available in the United States and spy shots leaked of what was then said were the first snaps of a next-generation model that would arrive in 2015.

[Guest sarahp]

MovieBob did a review of Red 2.

[rubie]

July 19, 2013
‘Red 2’ even more fun than the original BY BILL ZWECKER Chicago Sun Times

Helen Mirren, back as MI6 sharpshooter Victoria, is one of the seasoned actors making the most of hilarious one-liners in “Red 2.”
After the success of the sleeper hit “Red” in 2010, it’s no surprise a sequel was fast-tracked to capitalize on the audience’s delight in watching Helen Mirren, Bruce Willis and John Malkovich as retired international spies and assassins — pulled back into the fray of global espionage and intrigue.
Happily, unlike so many sequels, prequels and the like, “Red 2” not only delivers the action, laughs and thrills of the original — in many ways it surpasses it.

[rubie]

Source: RED 2 Facebook
NOW…only in theaters. RED 2 heats up the summer! Don’t miss the action! Get tickets here: http://bit.ly/RED2tix

[rubie]

July 19, 2013
'Red 2' Review: Anthony Hopkins shines in rare sequel that's better than original
By Justin Craig FoxNews.com

Now that the joke of aging and retired assassins is behind us, having been successfully played out in “Red”, “Red 2” is able to move beyond its initial concept and allow this mighty talented cast to really flex their comedic muscles in a sequel that just slightly surpasses the original.
When Marvin (John Malkovich) tracks down Frank (Bruce Willis) and his new spouse Sarah (Mary-Louise Parker) to alert them they are CIA targets and need to find the location of a long-lost nuclear weapon, the retirees go on the run. Former Black Ops team member Victoria (Helen Mirren) is tasked with targeting and killing Frank and friends, but even she has to beat newcomer and ace assassin Han (Byung-hun Lee) to the kill.
As Frank, Sarah and Marvin traipse across Europe chasing the MacGuffin, they encounter a ragtag team of new and returning characters, including Brian Cox reprising his role as Ivan and newcomer Catherine Zeta-Jones as a seductive Russian operative. Parker’s cattiness compared to Zeta-Jones’ smooth-talking tigress is an enjoyable contrast that heats up some scenes.
Anthony Hopkins is delightful as an insane professor who knows the whereabouts of the lost nuclear device which the CIA is racing Russia to uncover. His zany antics combined with his erudite and genteel British scholarliness gives the thespian a satisfying range to work with. Hopkins makes the role look like a cakewalk for him, which it probably was.
Once again, John Malkovich steals the show. In “Red,” Malkovich created Marvin, a perfect concoction of paranoia, mad scientist and dorky juvenile prankster. With “Red 2,” Malkovich boosts Marvin’s charisma and drollness without sacrificing quality. A character as quirky as Marvin could become stale rather quickly, but Malkovich keeps his craft fresh and vibrant. Everything from his occasional puppy-dog pouts to his hilarious costumes, like his stereotypical senior citizen jump suits, to his crazy conspiracy theories make Marvin one of Malkovich’s best roles yet. Honestly, there should be a spinoff film just about Marvin and give Malkovich his very own franchise. It’s a win-win for the universe.
Not all the comedy lands. Some of the gags are on the verge of mediocrity; a gentle push in either direction of absurdity would make all the difference. Just when the film starts to feel like it could potentially hit a wall, along comes Anthony Hopkins to breathe comical new life into the second half.
Though “Red 2” has some uproarious moments, it is still a high-octane actioner with some fantastic “Bourne”-like sequences, which director Dean Parisot (“Galaxy Quest”) skillfully maneuvers between the comedy. Essentially this is a “Bourne” film laced less with intrigue and more with comedy. Some of the fight sequences, especially between Bruce Willis and Byung-hun Lee, are top notch.
The film is at its best when the entire ensemble is together, which surprisingly is a decent portion. While teaming Mirren and Willis was a head-turner in “Red,” teaming Willis and Hopkins here is equally exciting. They all appear to be enjoying their time shooting (and shooting) their away across Europe which is reflected in the final product, making “Red 2” an enjoyable ride.
The “Red” series is based on comics by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner and screenwriters   John and Erich Hoeber have nicely adapted Eliis and Hamner’s world into a Hollywood one, but really it’s the perfect casting that has made the "Red" franchise such a sleeper hit.
Behind the scenes, director of photography Enrique Chediak and editor Don Zimmerman give “Red 2” a Bourne-like sophistication and intensity while composer Alan Silvestri keeps the film moving at breakneck speed with his groovy score.
While “Red 2” is a fairly traditional espionage film with a comedic twist and brilliant cast, the film is ultimately as Hopkins’ character frequently quips: “Jolly good.”
MPAA Rating: PG-13. Running time: 1 hour and 56 minutes.

[Guest sarahp]

A Pajiba review of Red 2.

[rubie]

July 19, 2013
Seeing RED … againCast returns to gleefully romp another day
By Philip Martin Arkansas Online
In a season of miscalculations and misfires (presumptive summer blockbusters Man of Steel, The Lone Ranger and Pacific Rim have all disappointed on multiple levels), the modest charms of a movie like RED 2 (“RED” is an acronym that stands for “retired, extremely dangerous”) are likely to be overrated. So let’s just stipulate that for all its creakiness and obviousness, it’s remarkably good fun to watch the old pros who comprise the primary cast of this baby-boomer action comedy put through their paces. While RED 2 is by no means an important or especially memorable movie, it is a refreshingly competent experience.
If that’s faint praise, it’s praise nevertheless - the veteran cast, Dean Parisot’s unfussy direction and the vicarious pleasure of actually being in foreign cities that haven’t been digitally realized make RED 2 a perfectly enjoyable summer time waster, the sort of midsummer sequel one’s maiden aunt might enjoy. All the violence is suitably cartoony, and while the threat of sex hovers constantly about Mary-Louise Parker’s character, it never settles on the screen. What’s mainly left is the goony charisma of John Malkovich and Dame Helen Mirren’s remarkable equanimity in the face of ridiculousness. There is a modest amount of fun to be had in watching RED 2, but it is one of those movies you suspect was even more fun to make.
So on to the plot. Frank Moses (Bruce Willis), the retired CIA field agent you may remember from 2010’s RED, has apparently settled down with Sarah (Parker), the somewhat younger woman who fell in love with him after he repeatedly saved her life in the first movie. They are engaged in some sort of domestic relationship, which the film telegraphs by opening in a giant warehouse store (a Costco, I would guess) where they are shopping for mundane household items. They they are set upon by Frank’s old partner, Marvin Boggs (Malkovich), who means to warn them about a government plot to eliminate them because of their involvement in a long ago covert mission into the Soviet Union. Marvin and Frank unwittingly helped smuggle a nuclear device into the Kremlin in the ’70s. And that information has just hit the Internet, courtesy of WikiLeaks.
So, with the bomb’s mad creator Edward Bailey (Anthony Hopkins) safely detained in a secret London prison, the U.S. government (or, more precisely, a rogue faction within the intelligence community) has decided to eliminate the retired operatives. Sarah is riveted by Marvin’s tale, while Frank poohpoohs it but then Marvin’s car explodes, lending some credibility to his account.
Before long, the (spoiler alert) not-quite-dead-yet Marvin, Frank and Sarah go on the lam to elude their would-be assassins, who include Jack Horton (Neal McDonough, who had an enjoyable arc on the most recent season of Justified), South Korean contract killer Han (Byung-hun Lee) and - surprise, surprise, surprise - Victoria (Mirren), Frank and Marvin’s old MI6 colleague.
Globetrotting commences, and in Paris, our gang meets up with Russian agent Katja (Catherine Zeta-Jones), one of Frank’s old flames, and dispenses with (for reasons I didn’t quite get) The Frog, a French wine connoisseur played with aplomb by David Thewlis. Then they move to England, and from there, Moscow, where the remarkable Lee gets to show off his considerable kung fu skills in a well-choreographed, brilliantly kinetic sequence allegedly set in a Moscow convenience store (but more likely filmed on a London soundstage).
Parisot - who directed Galaxy Quest 14 years ago and has since done his best work in TV - seems to have deliberately toned down any directorial style, opting to let the considerable charms of his cast of good sports and the mild shock of the actual locations stand on their own. This seems a reasonable strategy, as the film feels a bit less brutal than its predecessor. But it also feels a bit more generic and middle-of-the-road.
And I fear that’s on purpose. About the best - and maybe the worst - that can be about RED 2 is that it is an exceedingly safe pick.