Film releases

WHILE most pensioners are wondering how far they can travel on their free pass Sylvester Stallone is busy fighting and shooting and then fighting some more on screen – a real 68-year-old action man.

Every so often he calls up some pals in the same position and says, “Let’s make a movie to show audiences we’re not past it and let these young screen whippersnappers know we can still kick some ass.”

So Sly embarked on his third screen franchise (after Rocky and Rambo) The Expendables in which a bunch of mainly ageing mercenaries take on the bad guys and after much shooting, punching and thumping, emerge victorious.

Sly’s Barney Ross finds himself pitted against his former partner and Expendables co-founder Conrad Stonebanks (Gibson) who’s become an arms dealer.

But plot, at least one that makes sense, is not a major consideration here. Dialogue is kept to a minimum which is a good move as some of this wild bunch couldn’t deliver a letter let alone lines. The twist is Ross introduces fresh blood to the team, including Antonio Banderas, Twilight star Kellan Lutz for the teenage audience and Harrison Ford.

British action star Jason Statham is on hand for some good-natured banter with Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger pops in and there’s fun at the expense of Wesley Snipes over his jail sentence.

The Unbeatables 3D (U, 97 mins) 3/5 stars 

THE beautiful game turns ugly in Juan Jose Campanella’s flowing computer-animated fantasy.

Released in South America more than a year ago where it scored a record-breaking opening weekend, this English language version is a visual treat.

However the script scores a few own goals with a tepid romantic subplot and an emotionally underpowered final shootout.

The film’s unlikely hero is Amadeo (voiced by Rupert Grint), who lives in a small village with his publican father (Darren Boyd).

The lad is a wizard at table football and when local bully Flash (Anthony Head) challenges Amadeo to a match in front of the lovely Lara (Eve Ponsonby), Amadeo overcomes his nerves to emerge victorious with his favoured yellow and green striped team.

Flash vows revenge. Years later, the bully returns as a football star with a slimy agent (Stanley Townsend) and a contract granting him permission to build a gargantuan stadium on top of the village.

To save the community from the bulldozers, Amadeo agrees to a rematch – only this time, they will play on a proper pitch.

In the run-up to the televised grudge fixture, Amadeo’s table footballers magically come to life.

The Rover (15, 108 mins)

IN 2010, Australian director David Michod dazzled audiences with his debut narrative feature Animal Kingdom, earning Jacki Weaver an Oscar nomination as Best Actress In A Supporting Role. For his follow-up, Michod heads into the outback for a gritty thriller set in a dystopian hell, where every resource can be traded for dollars in the aftermath of a global economic collapse. Eric (Guy Pearce) parks his car by the side of the road and enjoys a drink in a bar. Outside, robbers Henry (Scott McNairy), Archie (David Field) and Caleb (Tawanda Manyimo) crash their car during a haphazard getaway and they steal Eric’s motor. Eric gives chase and when he confronts the trio,, they knock him unconscious. Waking some time later beneath the blazing sun, Eric continues his pursuit of the robbers.

Thankfully, he crosses paths with Henry’s injured brother Rey (Robert Pattinson). Rey agrees to lead Eric to his sibling’s hideout and en route, the two men bond.

Hector And The Search For Happiness (15, 120 mins)

BASED on the book of the same name by Francois Lelord, Hector And The Search For Happiness is a romantic comedy directed by Peter Chelsom about a man, who learns to appreciate everything he already has. Hector (Simon Pegg) is a London-based psychiatrist, who is beginning to feel just as depressed, dissatisfied and jaded as the patients he is supposed to be treating. In an effort to jolt himself out of this fug, Hector kisses his long-time girlfriend Clara (Rosamund Pike) farewell and embarks on a globe-trotting journey of self-discovery to seek true happiness. As he zigzags the globe, visiting a Tibetan monastery and discovery the delights of China, Hector crosses paths with a motley crew of disillusioned souls including a world weary banker called Edward (Stellan Skarsgard) and Professor Coreman (Christopher Plummer), who is in charge of Happiness Studies at UCLA. Hector also reconnects with his ex-girlfriend.