Is 'That's What I Am' Oscar Worthy?

"I am a WWE wrestler, that's what I am." You won't hear Randy Orton say that line in the new WWE film aptly titled "That's What I Am." You will hear at least the line we've all heard for several weeks if you see the film with Orton saying he'll go to the papers if he has to. You may be wondering what his role is and what he's talking about.

Apparently, "That's What I Am" is WWE's attempt to address school bullying and social inadequacies, albeit back in the mid 60's. It tells the story of a freak of nature kid who sticks out like a sore thumb at his school. The main boy of the film is partnered with him for a project, making the main character uneasy with the unwanted attention he'll get.

Orton's role is that of the father of a bully who gets expelled from school. The bully was apparently harassing another student. When Orton's shown making the threat he is, it may be over an alleged scandal involving a teacher played by Ed Harris.

So this is WWE's latest entry in the "drama" genre, following in the fooststeps of "Legendary" starring John Cena. It appears WWE is looking to get attention for its positive messages in films and who knows, maybe searching for some movie awards. They seem to be bringing in well known actors lately, including Ed Harris, Patricia Richardson and Danny Glover. That won't make up for bad acting from John Cena, Triple H, Big Show or Randy Orton, but it may garner WWE's film department positive press. That can't hurt as WWE looks to move forward as more of a sports entertainment industry rather than plain old wrestling.

"That's What I Am" opens on April 29th in limited engagement showings at select theaters.

Legendary DVD Release Date 9/28/10

The "Legendary" movie DVD release date will be this Tuesday September 28th, 2010. The DVD is available exclusively from Walmart (link below). The new movie stars WWE Raw Superstar John Cena, Patricia Clarkson and Danny Glover. It tells the tale of a family torn apart, including John Cena's character who's in and out of trouble with the law. His scrawny younger brother looks to him for help in preparing to become a state champion wrestler, but their mother questions if the older brother will be of much help. The heartfelt drama movie carries a PG-13 rating and also stars Devon Graye.

Official "Legendary" movie synopsis:

Cal Chetley is an extremely bright, engaging, undersized fifteen year-old. He's been picked on most of his life primarily because he's always been a little different. Mike, Cal's older brother (WWE Superstar John Cena) and one time world-class high school/collegiate wrestler, left him and his mother behind years ago after a tragic car accident killed their father... an accident to this day Mike feels responsible for. Hoping to revive a relationship long since forgotten, Cal joins his high school wrestling team in the hopes his brother will train him. More importantly, Cal uses wrestling as the tool to reunite his family.

WWE's latest film "Legendary" starring John Cena arrives on Tuesday 9/28/10. Order your own copy of the Legendary DVD at Walmart.com!

The Marine 2 Blu-ray review

WWE Films The Marine 2 is the followup to the original movie "The Marine" which starred John Cena as a determined Marine who returned to civilian life only to have his wife kidnapped. This caused Cena's character to go on an all-out rampage to get her back. In the sequel there's no John Cena, but instead new rising young star, Ted Dibiase of WWE's Legacy Stable (Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes). In an interesting side note, fans may be interested to know that Randy Orton was originally due to play the part but due to his collarbone injury couldn't take the role.

In this action-packed sequel, Dibiase plays a Marine named Joe Linwood who arrives home from a mission to take a 5-day trip with his gorgeous wife, Robin, played by the lovely Lara Cox. The couple goes to a fancy Thailand retreat where Linwood's wife has organized a major event for her boss who built the high-tech environmental resort. Although it seems like a fun-in-the-sun party at first, the plot thickens when the party's fireworks become real in the form of gunfire and missiles. A terrorist group takes control of the affair taking a group of hostages which includes Linwood's wife and her boss. Dibiase is displaced from the resort during a fight, and then tries to formulate a plan to save the day, but most especially his wife. It's basically the plot used in The Marine and 12 Rounds, where the guy's wife is kidnapped and the WWE star must rescue her.

The movie's rather short at just 1:35 so fans won't exactly feel like much time was wasted if they don't particularly enjoy it. Some may see it as little more than a cross between Die Hard, MacGuyver and Rambo, which has less than half the IQ. Comparing Dibiase's acting to Cena's is difficult because one's an established major star in the WWE, while Dibiase is a young rising star. However, Ted Dibiase looks a little more subtle yet still charismatic in this first movie role which he handles somewhat well. Seeing this film makes you curious to see more films from Dibiase to see what he's really capable of. The fact that Cena's had a lot more vocal roles in WWE than Dibiase may also help with this performance, giving his character a mysterious feel. It also makes you wonder how Randy Orton would have done in the film's lead. Also starring in the movie is a familiar face from many other TV/movie roles, Michael Rooker, who plays a vet named Church. Temuera Morrison, who played the role of villain Jango Fett in Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones, takes on the role of the villainous terror group leader in M2.

There's plenty of gunshots, explosions and violence in this flick to entertain most nonstop action fans. As with many of the newest Blu ray disc releases, this one has stunning sound and a decent picture for a straight-to-video release which is demonstrated by the beautiful scenery (shot on location in Thailand) and shootout/gunplay scenes which make plenty of noise. There are some scenes which come off grainy compared to the rest in picture quality, but nothing that takes away from the general action of the movie. The on-screen menus are also well integrated into the film making them less intrusive while viewing the movie. The Blu ray disc also contains a number of bonus features including deleted and extended scenes, featurettes and more for those interested in learning more about this latest WWE project.

While this is a standard straight-to-DVD action movie, it's still got its own entertainment value in its own right. The plot is nothing groundbreaking and many will find plenty of holes to poke in it, but action movies are rarely Best picture Oscar contenders. With the recent events involving Legacy and the seeming rift between Rhodes, Dibiase and Orton, it seems as if this film is the launchpad for the possible face turn of a newly reborn Dibiase who will be popular with the fans. Stay tuned to see if WWE puts as much faith in him in more films as they have in his young wrestling career.

Order The Marine 2 [Blu-ray] here at Amazon.com

12 Rounds makes 2009 movie list

Before WWE Superstar John Cena gets too excited, he should keep that 2009 Superstar of the Year Slammy Award on prominent display in his trophy case. The top wrestler from WWE for 2009 was recently mentioned on a segment which took a look at the past year's worst films, based on lack of money made versus their budgets. This list came from Fox News channel, presented by Fox entertainment reporter Courtney Friel.

On 12/25/09, Fox & Friends presented their segment of "Forgettable Flicks", or the movies you don't want to rent this year. They mentioned blockbuster action movies including "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra", and comedies like "Confessions of a Shopaholic", "I Love You Beth Cooper" and "The Ugly Truth".

The segment also mentioned honorable mentions for "Box Office Flops of 2009" which included the action flick "12 Rounds"
starring John Cena. The movie has a bit of a Die Hard feel to it, where Cena is racing against the clock and a madman villain to try to save his girlfriend's life. The movie only brought in $12,234,694 which was below the overall costs for production. This should easily give The Miz more material for when he ribs Cena about his movie performances. It also gives Ted Dibiase Jr. reason to smile about his upcoming movie The Marine 2 which won't go to theaters, but instead straight to DVD and Blu-ray disc. Also on the Box office flops list were "Jennifer's Body", "Whiteout" and "The Box" starring Cameron Diaz.

Fox News' Courtney Friel added her expert opinion on the worst overall movie of 2009, which she said was the comedy "Brüno" starring Sasha Baron Cohen.

Latest WWE News: Seth Green, 12 Rounds, Billy Graham...

Seth Green's appearance on WWE Raw this past week has drawn some decent reviews and attention. Coverage here at MTV Movies Blog and also at Miami Herald about Seth's celebrity hosting gig. Seth even posted his own blog about guest hosting over at WWE Universe. Read it here.

Next week's hosts in Raleigh, NC will be rock band ZZ Top. No word yet on whether they will book another Divas Summer Swimsuit Spectacular or put themselves in a tag match against Legacy. Read more about the band here: ZZ Top to Host 07/20/09 Raw

Last night's ECW featured Christian, Shelton Benjamin, Vladimir Kozlov, and ECW champion Tommy Dreamer in action. There was no Abraham Washington and it will return next Tuesday with Dreamer and Christian as his guests. See the ECW Recap for 07.14.09 here.

WWE Hall of Fame Superstar Billy Graham (Wayne Coleman) had some not-so-kind words for his former employer recently. Due to the fact Graham was released from a consulting contract with WWE, and that he said Vince McMahon told him the WWE Hall of Fame will only ever exist in his head, Graham had enough. Graham recently put his WWE Hall of Fame ring he received in 2004 up for auction on Ebay due to the claim there won't be a WWE HOF. The ring is currently bringing in a bid of over $8,000. See more on this story at The Sun UK's article.

Also according to the Sun UK website, John Cena's 12 Rounds DVD has sold a bit over 200,000 units, grossing $3.1 million for the week ending July 5th, 2009. The movie took in 15 million at the box office. Combined with the DVD sales it's a big loss for WWE Studios which spent $23 million to make the action film. Read WWE Characters the Blog's Review of 12 Rounds DVD

WWE SmackDown commentator Jim Ross gives his thoughts on MMA/UFC 100 in his latest JR's BBQ blog. JR discusses the fights as he saw them with an Oklahoma football coach. He also talks about Brock Lesnar and his conduct at the event. Read JR's BBQ blog here.

12 Rounds DVD Review

(WWE's John Cena stars in 12 Rounds)

Not long ago, John Cena decided to go the route of WWE predecessor The Rock, and start in on his movie career. His first attempt was the movie "The Marine" and it received mixed reviews, although none were too positive on Cena's acting. In that movie, Cena played a Marine who came home to work as a security guard, whose girlfriend wound up being kidnapped by some bank robber villains. Cena had to chase after them and play invincible action star to save his girl. "12 Rounds" has Cena in just about the same role and plot, only this time with some better actors, directing, and special effects around.

Cena's follow-up role is in the Reny Harlin film, 12 Rounds, set in New Orleans, Louisiana. This time Cena plays Officer Danny Fisher who ends up pissing off the wrong psychotic criminal. In the opening scenes, the FBI's working a sting operation to bust the villain Miles Jackson (Aiden Gillen) in a weapons exchange deal. Things go awry and we see just how nasty the villain can get. The FBI calls in available police units for backup to find the escaped villain, and that puts Danny into the middle of the situation. The villain tries to make an escape with his beautiful girlfriend, but she ends up getting killed as Cena tries to arrest them. Miles goes to prison, but it's not long before he's out to wreak havoc on Cena by blowing up his home and kidnapping his girlfriend Molly (Ashley Scott). From there, Cena becomes part of a game of "12 Rounds" where he must endure various tasks in order to keep his girlfriend alive and eventually find her. Many will find the plot very similar to Die Hard with a Vengeance where Bruce Willis and Samuel L Jackson also had to endure tasks set up by the mastermind villain.

In terms of progression, this movie's definitely a step up from The Marine for Cena. The plot's a bit more compelling, there's more interesting characters and better special effects. Even some of the jokes are laughable. But as with most action flicks there are also a fair share of implausible scenarios and weak plot concepts. One of those concepts is the idea that Cena's character can get to any location within about two minutes, whether on foot or in a car. Another is being able to outsmart a bomb after it's timer has hit 0:00. The scenes do seem rushed together in terms of all the various resources being put together for each part of the game, but then again, this is a movie. Some of the lines used also seem used before in action movies such as "this guy's really starting to annoy me", "Sorry!" and "C'mon Danny don't be no cowboy!" Then again the guy in charge of the flick also worked on Die Hard, which was noted when the movie was being promoted. The movie features notable actor Steve Harris who starred in ABC's "The Practice" and several movies. Harris actually shows the most talent of the bunch, as he should.

John Cena also continues to progress in terms of his on-screen movie acting, but he's not quite near the level of The Rock yet. We've all seen Cena's work on WWE shows and in the ring, but it's not the same when you're on screen. With most actors though, it takes time and Cena seems to have that on his side as he juggles his WWE duties with his silver screen acting attempts. As Cena gets more and more roles, hopefully he'll progress beyond WWE Films too and start carving out a solid action star niche. I recommend 12 Rounds, only because it outdoes The Marine, and is probably one of the better WWE Films action movies.

The film clocks in at 1:48 and includes both the theatrical version and an unrated version. As for special features there's Alternate Endings, trailers, "A Crash Course: John Cena Stunts" documentary and a Never-before-Cena Gag Reel.

12 Rounds is currently available on regular DVD or Blu-ray at Amazon.com.

John Cena Married, 12 Rounds & Mr. Grey

Sorry ladies, WWE Superstar John Cena is officially off the market, as he will be a married man as of this weekend. The 32 year-old Massachusetts native was spotted days ago in a Boston court to negotiate the waiting period on getting married after a license is acquired.

According to TWNPNews.com:

John Cena was in a Boston court today asking that the three day wait for getting married after receiving a license in the state of Massachusetts be waived. It is believed that he is getting married this weekend.

The WWE Superstar was in court with his fiance Elizabeth, as well as another female, who appeared to be his publicist. They filled out paperwork and were there for about a half hour, which saw the judge waive the waiting period. Cena waited in line like everyone else, but signed a few autographs in the meantime. He later thanked the staff for helping him.

Cena revealed while filming the 12 Rounds movie that he was officially engaged and planned to marry later in the year. Speaking of the movie, despite poor reviews all over, the DVD is being heavily rented. It's currently #1 on Entertainment Weekly's Top DVD Rentals chart ahead of Disney's Princess Protection Program. IMDB.com lists 12 Rounds at the #2 spot for rentals behind Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino. Pickup 12 Rounds at Amazon.com

Also, Examiner.com has a recent article discussing how Cena is the "Mr. Grey" of WWE, a man who is both cheered and booed at the same events.

Behind Enemy Lines: Colombia - DVD Review

WWE Superstar Ken "Mr. Kennedy" Anderson's first motion picture role comes in the straight-to-DVD action shoot em' up film Behind Enemy Lines: Colombia. If you watch Raw, ECW or Smackdown on television you most likely were bombarded with the previews for the film as well as behind the scenes vignettes with cast and crew interviews. The movie is the third sequel in a series of films following "2001's Behind Enemy Lines" and "2006's Behind Enemy Lines II: Axis of Evil". It's official release to DVD and Blu-ray was back on January 6, 2009. Recently, I added the film to the Netflix queue in order to see how Mr. Kennedy held up in his first on(DVD)-screen role.

With a tagline of "Framed. Abandoned. But never defeated", the movie plot involves a specially trained group of Navy Seals performing recon on a meeting involving insurgent guerilla terrorists in Colombia known as "FARC". This comes on the heels of a recent explosion which killed several civilians in Bogota and peaceful negotiations are being sought. While the SEALS are observing things, an attack happens at the meeting, and one of their own men is taken hostage. Soon after, the government begins labeling the SEALS as assassins, saying they invaded to kill off peace talks between the government and the FARC. The remaining 2 or 3 fugitive seals in Colombia begin working to clear their names from the apparent set up while trying to rescue the hostage. Amongst the SEALS, WWE's Mr. Kennedy stars as MCPO Carter Holt and lends some bits of comedy to the role with a few jokes scattered throughout the tenseness of the team sneaking through the jungles. Also starring in the film are Joe Manganiello, Keith David and Steven Bauer (Scarface). The Colombia movie is full of gunshots, running and yelling but nothing new in terms of the overdone search and rescue military/action genre.

As with most action movies this isn't on pace to win any big awards and the plot is a far cry from anything new or original. Navy SEALS watching this might be entertained or they might be insulted by some of the sloppy tactics. The movie's also a violent one but not quite as violent as Austin's "The Condemned". Of course some of the action and violence scenes in this one were way overdone. For example, they try to overemphasize troops getting shot up by slowing down the scene to show the hits. Also, seeing a watermelon get shot up on a table while there's an all out gun fight inside a building seems like a waste of footage. Of course that's a small detail, but the majority of the movie involves yelling, running and shooting in the jungle. At times it can get confusing as to who's who, so luckily Kennedy is pretty identifiable to wrestling fans. Overall, I'd say it's good this came straight to DVD because it definitely wouldn't warrant the $10 price of admission for movie tickets these days.

After seeing movies with other WWE stars Glenn "Kane" Jacobs, Stone Cold Steve Austin and John Cena, Mr. Kennedy clearly seems to have some great potential for roles outside of WWE. He's got the personality and in this role glimpses of his talent shine through at times. Not what you'd called Oscar-worthy, but definitely charismatic while the other WWE actors seem to be coming to grips with escaping their wrestler personas in their various movie roles. Stone Cold and Kane showed this more so than Cena, but after "12 Rounds", Cena's been getting dissed for lack of personality in the role. I don't know that Mr. Kennedy will be getting any bigtime roles that trump those Cena is getting. Kennedy could easily transition into made for TV movies or a recurring TV role beyond his Smackdown wrestler and do quite well with it. While the performance in Colombia wasn't groundbreaking it's Kennedy's arrival on the movie acting scene and he just may have a bright future ahead. Of course seeing him back in the wrestling ring with WWE isn't a bad deal for us fans either.

Rated R for violence and language, Behind Enemy Lines: Colombia
has a running time of 1 hour 34 minutes from WWE Studios, and is currently available at Amazon.com on DVD or Blu-Ray. The DVD also includes plenty of special features such as behind the scenes of the stunt work, a feature on the casting of Mr. Kennedy, original movie trailers, and a blooper/comedy reel.

12 Rounds of Reviews for John Cena

John Cena's second WWE film "12 Rounds" was officially released this past Friday in theaters nationwide. WWE fans are very familiar with the movie by now, from the barrage of previews, behind the scenes documentaries and advertisements shown during each of the WWE shows. Ironically, there were previews shown during WWE's competitor, Total Nonstop Action (TNA) wrestling as well. Now that the movie's been released, it's officially time for the critics to have at the film, and its sophomore WWE action star, John Cena. There's unfortunately plenty reviews bashing Cena's new film, or his lack of acting skills. What the critics always seem to ignore is the fact not many action films are nominated for Oscars, nor are the actors in them nominated. It may be just the way these fast-paced entertainment flicks are geared towards certain audiences that are there for the enjoyment factor, and that causes a lack of compassion from film critics and award panels. Rare exceptions of standout action performers include Tommy Lee Jones in "The Fugitive" and Heath Ledger as the Joker in "The Dark Knight", both of whom received awards for their respective work in action flicks. Cena still has time to get to that level.

12 Rounds Reviews are all over the internet now, and here you'll find a collection of 12 of them. There's reviews from all over, including Cena's homestate and the state of New Orleans where the film was shot...

1) Detroit Free Press' review by Roger Moore (not the guy who played James Bond), states "If anybody could shoot and cut an action film to hide wrestler John Cena's lack of training as an actor, it's the director who made Stallone look like a mountain climber in "Cliffhanger." " Moore goes on to discuss his thoughts on the choice of villain for the movie as well as the overall plot and level of action.

2) The Hollywood Reporter is equally unkind to Cena in its review, going as far as to say "Bottom Line: Wrestling star John Cena is the dead weight that drags down this brainless but energetic action picture." Read their full review here.

3) How about some love from John Cena's home city? The Boston Herald's Stephen Schaefer writes "While he may rival Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in biceps, he still seems tamped down. Only on the few occasions when he smiles and lets those dimples show does Cena promise he might project the kind of personality necessary for a first-rate action star.". Read the full Boston Herald review here.

4) Boston Globe was kind enough to compliment John Cena on his acting skills, as a WWE wrestler that is. Read Boston Globe's 12 Rounds Review.

5) Luckily there were some positive reviews. New Straits Times had a favorable review here which states "Special effects, which can sometimes overshadow the script, are kept to a minimum with greater emphasis on the non-stop action and dialogue". Ironically they say the villain steals the show, while other reviews feel that maybe a WWE wrestler would have made for a better villain.

6) TwinCities.com's review states the movie is fake (no kidding) but is still fun. Read their full review here.

More 12 Rounds Movie Reviews:

7) John Cena's '12 Rounds' is standard action fare with New Orleans flair at The Times-Picayune, New Orleans

8) MLive.com's "Plot of '12 Rounds' shot after first round"

9) John Cena Flick 12 Rounds Aims Low, Hits Target

10) 12 Rounds: At least it didn't go on for a 13th round

11) Movie review: '12 Rounds' isn't a knockout but it packs a punch - EnterpriseNews.com

12) 12 Rounds Review at IGN.com

BONUS: Check out WWE.com's 12 Moments that elevated WWE Superstar John Cena to greatness!

Purchase The Marine starring John Cena at Amazon.com!


Did you get to check out 12 Rounds on its opening day, or are you planning to go see it in the near future? If you've seen the film, feel free to leave your comments about it below!

John Cena News - TMZ, Gillette & 12 Rounds

While arriving in Washington, DC, TMZ caught up with World Heavyweight Champion John Cena and grilled him with several questions including which celebrities he'd most like to step into the ring with, mentioning his previous feud with K-Fed. The celebrity news outlet also asked Cena bout his favorite all-time rapper and his Valentine's Day plans. View the full video over at TMZ.com.

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Cena was also part of a recent promotional event for the new Gillette Fusion Gamer razor in Florida. The event held at the UCF Arena was to showcase the Gillette Fusion Power Gamer razor at the Gillette-EA Sports Champions of Gaming tournament. The event featured sports celebrities playing video games against fans while promoting the new razor.

CentralFloridaFuture.com had the following to say about Cena:

Junior legal studies major Elissa Weiss wore her Cena shirt in anticipation of meeting the WWE Superstar. Elissa was able to get his autograph.

"He's really nice," Weiss said. "For someone who's famous, you don't really expect that."

After taking in the festivities, the World Heavyweight Champion had nothing but good things to say about the event and the university.

"This is a fantastic building. They've turned this into virtually a set of Monday Night RAW - all the screens, all the staging, all the lights, all the celebrity."

When asked how good the razor is, the "Doctor of Thuganomics" approved.

"It's the best," Cena said.

Other stars attending the event included NFL New Orleans Saints star, Reggie Bush; MLB Yankees All-Star, Derek Jeter; pro-golfer, Tiger Woods; and Orlando Magic NBA star, Jameer Nelson. Read more about the event here.

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John Cena's "12 Rounds" arrives to theaters on March 27th. There's currently a website set up at http://www.12rounds-movie.com/ for the film which shows a movie trailer and has a spot fans can sign up for updates regarding the movie.

12 Rounds Movie Trailer

On Monday Night Raw 1/26/09, the World Premiere Trailer for the latest WWE film was shown, "12 Rounds" starring WWE Superstar John Cena. In the new action flick, Cena plays Detective Danny Baxter, a man whose girlfriend (Ashley Scott) is kidnapped by a revenge-seeking villain from Danny's past. Danny (Cena) must complete 12 tasks, going 12 rounds with the villain in order to save his girlfriend from a perilous demise. The movie rated PG-13 was shot mostly on location in New Orleans, Louisiana, was directed by Renny Harline (Die Hard 2, Cliffhanger), and hits theaters on March 27th, 2009.

Watch the 12 Rounds trailer here at YouTube.

Behind Enemy Lines: Colombia DVD Info

If you've seen an episode of Raw, ECW or Smackdown lately, you've most likely seen the advertisements for the upcoming movie "Behind Enemy Lines: Colombia" starring Ken "Mr. Kennedy" Anderson. This will be Mr. Kennedy's debut role in a straight to DVD produced by WWE Studios. In the movie Ken Anderson plays a Navy seal named Chief Carter Holt. The plot centers around a group of Navy Seals (including Mr. Kennedy) invading Colombia in order to clear their names and rescue a hostage from enemy territory. The film also stars Joe Manganiello who has been in Spider-Man and has had recurring TV roles on the shows One Tree Hill, Til' Death and ER. A newer actress, Jennice Fuentes, plays the lead female role of Nicole Jenkins.

Plot synopsis from WWE:

Colombia is in chaos, caught in a bitter war between its government and insurgent guerillas. While on a secret mission to observe a meeting between the two factions, the SEALs suddenly find themselves framed for the murder of leaders from both sides. Now, abandoned by their own government, the group must survive long enough to prove their innocence and prevent the brutal war from spilling over the border.

Directed by Tim Matheson, this will be the third film so far in the Behind Enemy Lines series. It had an original working title of "Behind Enemy Lines 3: Ghost Watch". Colombia will be the followup to "Behind Enemy Lines II: Axis of Evil" and the original "Behind Enemy Lines". Most of the movie was filmed in Puerto Rico, and it is rated R due to violence. It should be interesting to see if comparisons are made between Mr. Kennedy's first film and John Cena's "The Marine".

Behind Enemy Lines: Colombia is set for a January 6, 2009 release date directly to DVD.

Extras for the DVD will include commentary with stars Tim Matheson, Joe Manganiello and Mr. Kennedy and six other featurettes which are 'The Big Guns: Military Action On Film', 'Colombia Norte: On Location In Puerto Rico', 'The Rocket's Red Glare: Explosions Explained', 'The Art Of The Fall: Stunt Secrets', 'Comedy In Colombia: Bloopers & Other Relief' and 'Stars With Stripes: Casting Joe & Mr. Kennedy Featurette'.

Pre-order your copy of Behind Enemy Lines: Colombia at Amazon.com!

Watch the trailer for Behind Enemy Lines: Colombia

John Cena's Next Movie: "12 Rounds"

John Cena has been busy over the past few months, playing the role of Detective Danny Baxter for the 2009 WWE/20th Century Fox film called "12 Rounds".

Similar to "The Marine" in plot, it will involve Baxter's girlfriend (Molly played by Ashley Scott) in the movie being kidnapped by evil crime lords. Cena's character, the detective, will have to chase them around the streets of New Orleans, trying to match wits in a 12 round battle to save his girl. The movie is directed by Renny Harlin and written by Daniel Kunka. Cena's co-star will be Ashley Scott, who also starred in "Into the Blue" (with Jessica Alba & Paul Walker), and also appeared on the TV show Jericho this year.

This is WWE films first movie shot in the US, with most of it shot in New Orleans and other parts shot in Australia. The rumored budget for the latest WWE film is said to be $20 million. Vince McMahon will serve as executive producer. There's been no official release date given for the film other than 2009.

"12 Rounds" will be WWE Films 4th attempt, with previous films "See No Evil" (starring Glen "Kane" Jacobs), "The Marine" and "The Condemned" starring Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Read more about 12 Rounds at Variety.com.

Motley Fool on WWE Films

Motley Fool, a website that looks at stocks, investing and finances recently discussed the news that WWE replaced the head of its film division, Joel Simon with Michael Lake. Lake was the executive producer of Stone Cold's film, "The Condemned". Motley fool goes on to discuss the fact that the WWE's film division hasn't done so well with its releases:

"The theory of using movies as vehicles for wrestlers hasn't worked so far, with the exception of The Rock. (He is featured in Disney's (NYSE: DIS) The Game Plan.) But should WWE stop making films? It's a legitimate question. If a business is not getting a return on its capital, then it normally might indicate that an exit strategy is in order. However, I don't think the company should stop. WWE's mandate is clear -- to grow, it must become a bigger media concern, and it must diversify into appropriate businesses beyond wrestling. Movies make sense.

My solution would be to forget about producing "vehicles for WWE Superstars." Instead, find great scripts that have commercial stories within them. Look for edgy, youth-targeted plots and promote the heck out of them during its shows. "

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This does make perfect sense as you can see a lot of movies that are sponsors for WWE and having their ads run during the various shows and on WWE.com. Examples would be the recent "Resident Evil" as well as past movies such as "300" and "Grindhouse". If WWE could start putting out movies of these types or that attract the right target audiences they might have a profitable film section on their hands. Full article on Motley Fool is available here

The Condemned DVD - 09/18

You've probably seen the advertisements running during Raw and the other WWE television shows by now, stating that Stone Cold Steve Austin's debut WWE film, "The Condemned" hits DVD next Tuesday (09/18).

"The Condemned" tells the story of Jack Conrad (Stone Cold Steve Austin), who is awaiting the death penalty in a corrupt Central American prison. He is "purchased" by a wealthy television producer and taken to a desolate island where he must fight to the death against nine other condemned killers from all corners of the world, with freedom going to the sole survivor.

Special features "The Condemned" DVD will include:

• Five-Part Featurette - "The Making of THE CONDEMNED"
• "Capital Carnage Reunion" - A Look Back at the First Meeting of Stone Cold Steve Austin and Vinnie Jones in 1998
• Audio Commentary with Stone Cold Steve Austin and Director Scott Wiper
• Audio Commentary with Director Scott Wiper
• Stone Cold at Movie World - Exclusive Footage
• Storyboard Sequences
• Theatrical Trailer

Running time: 113 minutes, Rated R for Violence and language.

The DVD will be available in Full Screen, Wide Screen and Blu Ray formats.
The Condemned (Widescreen Edition) is available for pre-order at Amazon.com.

Official website for "The Condemned".

View the trailer for "The Condemned" here.

Linda McMahon in NY Times

Linda McMahon has a great interview with Juston Jones of the New York Times which was published yesterday. In the piece she discusses the WWE's recent business problems, the Benoit tragedy, expansion of WWE into Europe and more. Amongst the current topics she mentions are how WWE plans to focus more on DVD's instead of theater released films. She also discusses UFC Fighting as competition to WWE and if live WWE events should be considered "family fare".

Read the full interview here.

HHH as Thor?

There are rumors that Triple H (Paul Levesque) may possibly play the Marvel superhero "Thor" in an upcoming movie release.

From tomorrowsentertainment.blogspot.com:

"....director Matthew Vaughn is going to start work on " Thor," a movie version of the popular Marvel Comics character.. For the uninitiated, Thor is hammer - wielding hero with long flowing blonde locks who's sent from the planet Asgard to Earth to protect mankind.. Mark Protosevich ( I Am Legend ) has adapted the comic book series from the big screen and it’s understood that Marvel Studios are aiming to start production later this year..

But who will play the mighty character " Thor?" Well there is are rumors of two contenders..

Kevin McKidd of the HBO series Rome may be the guy to play Thor in the upcoming film.. Well when you look at the above pics of McKidd and Thor, there does seem to be a close resemblance..

The other contender is WWE's Jean - Paul Levesque, aka Triple H.. Marvel wants wrestler Triple H to play the god of thunder, while Vaughn is dead set against it.. Triple H is a name that comes up in a lot of fan casting for the role, mainly because the guy really does look Thor - ish, but his acting resume is a little thin, so I can see where Vaughn is not happy with the idea of making his lead an actor whose main film experience was in Blade: Trinity.. Then again, Triple H would bring his own hammer; even if it is a sledge hammer.. But which movie does Triple H want to be attached too? Thor, Conan or He - Man? "

Triple H seems to fit perfectly into this role and since he's already been a part of the comic book based movie Blade - Trinity (New Line Platinum Series), another role with him now as the lead character could be interesting. Levesque is also scheduled to be in an upcoming WWE film entitled "Jornada del muerto" (aka Journey of Death).