Standard Sequel Operating Procedure dictates that, though the filmmakers can mix up certain elements in order to keep things fresh, some other elements that audiences responded to must be kept firmly in place.  2010's The Expendables was a testosterone-fueled shakey-cam actionter with no shortage of foul language and arterial blood spurts, and as such bore an R-rating for, in the inimitable words of the MPAA, "strong action and bloody violence throughout, and for some language."  Turns out, The Expendables 2 won't repeat the rating of its predecessor, and will instead be rated a more tame PG-13.

Did you know that The Expendables 2 is on the way next summer?  Did you know that Sylvester Stallone will again be joined by a cadre of muscular action stars wielding guns of various sizes and probably kicking, punching, and stabbing many, many nameless henchmen?  Since you might be unaware of these facts, Lionsgate has released the very first teaser trailer for The Expendables 2, which helpfully introduces all the dudes who will be shooting, kicking, punching, and stabbing.  That's pretty much all it does though, sidestepping plot and all that jibba jabba* to supply a single name and image for Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, septuagenarian Chuck Norris, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, Liam Hemsworth, Jean Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

There have been a lot of rumors lately about The Expendables 2, a sequel to Sylvester Stallone’s 2010 testosterone-filled, action-packed extravaganza. Some of them have turned out to be true, and others have been false. The original film earned over $250 million worldwide at the box office and featured a long list of ‘80s and ‘90s action stars including Stallone, Jason Statham (The Transporter), Jet Li (Romeo Must Die), Dolph Lundgren (Rocky IV), Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler), Bruce Willis (Die Hard), and Arnold Schwarzenegger (Terminator 2: Judgment Day).

While Stallone co-wrote and directed the first film, it has been previously announced that Simon West (Con-Air) would be taking over directing duties from “Rambo” and David Agosto and Ken Kaufman would be crafting the script. Part of the fun of the first film was seeing all of these unique action stars on the big screen at the same time, and there have been many rumors about which actors “Rocky” might ask to join him for the next installment. The impressive list of hopefuls include Jean Claude Van Damme (Timecop), Chuck Norris (The Delta Force), Scott Adkins (X-Men Origins: Wolverine), Hulk Hogan (No Holds Barred), Steven Segal (Out For Justice), Tom Arnold (True Lies), Mr. T (Rocky III), Carl Weathers (Predator), Vin Diesel (xXx), Dwayne Johnson (Fast Five), Charlie Sheen (Wall Street), Christopher Lambert (Highlander), John Travolta (Pulp Fiction), Nicolas Cage (The Rock), and Christian Slater (True Romance).

While it was recently announced that Willis and Schwarzenegger would be reprising their roles (in a larger capacity), and that Chuck Norris, Jean Claude Van Damme, and Scott Adkins had been confirmed to join the cast, one actor who will not be appearing in the upcoming sequel is Tom Arnold. Last week another news site reported that the comedian/actor might be appearing in The Expendables 2, but last night I had a chance to catch up with the actor at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood and he denied the report. I had the pleasure of speaking with Tom Arnold on the red carpet at a release party for X-Men: First Class, which is available on Blu-ray and DVD today. I asked the actor point blank if he will be appearing in The Expendables 2 and here is what he had to say about the script for the film, the rumor, and how it all got started.

Netflix's streaming Watch Instantly service is fast becoming America's favorite way to watch movies (instantly). The library of available titles is so vast and mutable that you, the avid instant watcher, could no doubt use a guide as you navigate the streaming frontier.

Luckily for you, we'll be here every Tuesday to update you on the latest titles available for instant-watching, as well as bringing attention some gems and even some enjoyable calamities out there in the instantly watchable wilds.

Right now, the ensemble team-up movie of the summer of 2012 that seems to be getting all the attention is Marvel's The Avengers, but that film will surely contain far, far fewer instances of brutal violence and swaggering He-Man testosterone than The Expendables 2.  Since the appeal of the first The Expendables was in seeing Sylvester Stallone lead a group of hyper-masculine, more age-advanced action heroes into battle, there's been no shortage of conjecture about which familiar cinematic ass-kickers would join the party.  Two names have been added to the mix, and if they're actually signed on, then The Expendables 2 will take the 80's action trappings of the first film to a whole new level.  That's right, Chuck Norris and Jean Claude Van Damme may very be high-kicking some skulls in the sequel.

You're about to be treated to a bevy of headlines all using the painfully obvious I'll Be Back allusion that was dated about fifteen years ago, as everybody's favorite orange-haired former California governor is looking to return to acting.  That's right, everybody, Arnold Schwarzenegger tweeted the big news that he is now seriously considering acting offers again, after sending the better part of a decade heading up one of the largest economies in the world.

Vegas! Boxing! Testosterone!

James Maldonado was both lucky and Tough Enough to be selected to join Randy Couture and his band of merry massive men at the headquarters of Extreme Couture, a mixed martial arts oasis in the neon Vegas desert.

The summer of 2010 has been a less than stellar year when it comes to movies.  While things turned around a bit with some surprisingly effective hits including Inception and Toy Story 3, there were a ton of films that just didn’t connect and left a little something to be desired.

Charisma Carpenter (The Expendables) and Ty Olsson ("Eureka") have been cast in Crash Site, an indie survival thriller which just began filming in Vancouver.

Another week, another batch of new releases to help close out the summer. With the hot moviegoing season almost at an end, five new flicks came into the marketplace to help pry some money away from last week's muscular winner, The Expendables. So who wound up being the victor?