There’s no question that Bloodsport starring the legendary Jean-Claude Van Damme is one of the very best ’80s movies of all time, and one of my all-time ’80s favorites…as I made clear when it was reported that they might be remaking the movie. And when I say it is one of the very best I don’t mean in terms of it actually being a great, awards-caliber feature film or anything, but just in terms of it being an entertaining, magnificently ’80s flick. It is perfectly cheesy goodness for all to enjoy.

One of the scenes in the movie, as you might already be aware, happens to also double as the perfect Mentos commercial with just a quick swap of the audio track and nothing more. You can check it out below.

Today’s Thrashback Thursday theme is: great band, cool song, terrible record. Megadeth‘s anthemic track “Crush ‘Em” was just about the only redeeming factor of their otherwise abysmal 1999 album Risk. The record’s title reflects Megadeth leader Dave Mustaine’s belief that the band was ready to take a risk and step outside of their comfort zone. The problem was that the step they took was toward pop metal and the risk that they took alienated many fans. The album would be the last to feature legendary guitarist Marty Friedman, who left the fold a year later.

“Crush ‘Em” was also used as the theme song for the equally terrible Jean Claude Van Damme and Bill Goldberg movie Universal Soldier: The Return and the song’s official video features both actors.

Jean-Claude Van Damme gave a fantastic performance in The Expendables 2 as the aptly named Jean Vilain though, for reasons we’ll leave vague here on the off chance you haven’t seen the film yet, he would not be able to return for a future installment. With JCVD, much like the rest of the 80s and 90s action superstars currently enjoying a bit of a renaissance, it’s a shame we won’t be able to see him take on Sly Stallone and the rest of the crew again. Or could we?

Van Damme has openly expressed his desire and willingness to return to the franchise, along with a bit of a potential teaser that could bring the muscles from Brussels back for more van damage. Check out what he had to say here after the jump!

Late last year, the internet was treated to Jean-Claude Van Damme in a commercial for Volvo performing a most epic split between two trucks. The video was an instant smash that became rife for parody and impersonation including Channing Tatum and Chuck Norris.

Now JCVD, or at least a computer-generated version of him, is back to reclaim the crown for most epic splits. In the video below, watch as Van Damme performs his signature split between two satellites, which then drift away letting him keep the split in zero gravity.

Remember the recent video of Jean-Claude Van Damme’s epic split between two moving Volvo trucks? It made quite the impression on everyone, but now Channing Tatum is out to make an even bigger impression on the world with his own epic split.

Check out the video here below of Tatum as his 21 Jump Street character creating his own epic moment.

When I think of 80’s action star Jean-Claude Van Damme, I think of two things: The movie where he fights the guy who feels no pain and manages to defeat him, and his awesome splits, like in that the movie where he jumps up into a split over a kitchen counter.

It seems like the 53-year-old actor Belgian martial arts actor hasn’t let age slow him down, as he apparently can still perform those epic splits.

JCVD recently did a video for Volvo where he does a split between two moving Volvo semi-trucks. It’s pretty sick! Watch the video, titled “Epic Split,” here below.

The Expendables 2
Netflix | Amazon | Epix | iTunes | SEN | Vudu | Xbox
DVD | Blu-ray
Directed by Simon West
Starring Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, Liam Hemsworth, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Yu Nan
Lionsgate
Originally Released: August 17, 2012

Oh, the glory of the ridiculous action delivered in The Expendables 2. This is vibrant popcorn-movie wonder, a kick ass explosive injection of testosterone straight to the stones, and enjoyable. The cheese is thick and hearty – after all, who doesn’t like a little cheese with their nachos?

Picking up sometime after the first Expendables movie, Mr. Church (Bruce Willis) comes back to claim a mission in place of the lost revenue from the last mission. Barney (Sylvester Stallone) rallies his team, accompanied by Agent Maggie Chan (Yu Nan), to retrieve sensitive computer data lost in a downed plane in Albania.

One of my personal favorite 1980s movies is Bloodsport, the Jean Claude Van Damme movie about Frank Dux, a martial artist who competed in a highly secretive, highly dangerous underground fighting tournament known as the Kumite. Basically MMA before anyone knew what MMA was. The movie is a quintessential ’80s action-fighting flick, and features one of the very best ’80s movie songs you’ll ever hear. What more could one ask for?

Now comes word that Relativity Media is getting ready to remake the movie, with a writer, director, premise, and filming plans already in place. And another one bites the dust.

The Expendables 2
Directed by Simon West
Starring Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Terry Crews, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Chuck Norris, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis
Lionsgate Entertainment
Rated R | 103 Minutes
Release Date: August 17, 2012

“I now pronounce you man and knife.”

Simon West (The Mechanic) takes over directing duties for Sylvester Stallone with The Expendables 2, the sequel to Stallone’s 2010 bullet-blasted action flick.

Written by Richard Menk (The Mechanic, 16 Blocks) and Stallone, The Expendables 2 features an all-star lineup of ’80s and ’90s action stars and their new school successors.

Led by Barney Ross (Stallone), The Expendables consist of blades specialist Lee Christmas (Jason Statham), martial artist Yin Yang (Jet Li), weapons specialist Hale Caesar (Terry Crews), demolitions expert Toll Road (Randy Couture), and snipers Gunner Jensen (Dolph Lundgren) and Billy the Kid (Liam Hemsworth), the new guy.

Yesterday no less an authority than President Camacho himself, Terry freakin’ Crews, promised us that a new trailer for The Expendables 2 would be arriving online today to put a blood-and-skull-splattered boot in our collective ass. Sure enough as I sit here with The Dirty Dozen, the original (and still best) of the all-star superteam action-adventures, playing in the background I sit here writing this: Today Crews’ loud and awful snarly promise was fulfilled.

You can watch the mighty new trailer here below.

I’m a huge fan of the first Expendables, but having re-watched it on Blu-ray recently it’s clear that the movie has serious problems when it comes to the narrative structure and the staging of the action sequences. Don’t get me wrong, Sylvester Stallone did a fine job directing the movie overall, especially when you take into account that he was also writing and starring in the movie at the same time (and taking some near-paralyzing injuries in the process). But when the aging but still active action hero announced that a new director would take the helm of The Expendables 2 while he stuck to acting duties I took a great amount of relief in that news.