Joe Carnahan Smokin movies and not so Smokin Aces II

Lovley Latinas, Sofia Vergara, left and Martha Higardeda, right.

I watched a little of it and enjoyed Martha Higardeda's character in this move but it was a well deserved trip to direct to DVD. It lacked the star power and the suspense of the original Smokin Aces! Like Jermy Piven, known for his role as Ari Gold in Entourage. Ironically, the director, Joe Carnahan, seemed to consider Sofia Vergara for Higardeda's role, having had a minor role on HBO's Entourage, Adrian Grenier charater Vince, stars in a movie about Paublo Escobar. Carnarhan is making the movie, Killing Paublo , Mark Bowden's excellent book by the same name. Carnahan seems to have a simular relationship that the HBO series Oz had with the the cast and crew of NBC's Law and Order in a weird way. Autumn Reeser had a bit part last seasons Entourage and plays a hillbilly assassin in Smokin Aces II.

Joe Carnahan's great B movie Smokin Aces was followed by a not so great or smoking Smokin Aces II.

To save you from the trouble of watching this movie, here is a synopsis of it.

“Smokin’ Aces 2″ synopsis: Federal agents once again match wits with a cadre of creative killers in the high-octane feature-length film Smokin’ Aces 2: Assassins’ Ball. Walter Weed (Tom Berenger) is an unassuming desk jockey at the FBI when the Bureau uncovers a plot to assassinate him. A team of degenerate, psychotic assassins dispatched by mystery man Hal Leuco to win a huge bounty includes a resourceful beauty who has a unique method of killing her prey (Martha Higareda), a power-tool wielding psychopath (Vinnie Jones) and a deadly master of disguise (Tommy Flanagan). Also in the hunt is the fan-favorite Tremor family from the original film, featuring nympho maniacal gun-nut (Autumn Reeser) and her lethal kinfolk (Maury Sterling, Michael Parks and C. Ernst Harth). Baker (Clayne Crawford), the agent in charge of the operation, puts himself and his team in the line of fire to defend Weed, but it’s not until the smoke clears on the film’s explosive climax that the surprising identity of the plot’s mastermind is revealed.
Working on the film are executive producer Joe Carnahan (Narc), the writer/director of Smokin’ Aces, and director P.J. Pesce (Sniper 3, Lost Boys: The Tribe).
Some of the familiar faces are back including Lazlo Soot and the Tremor Brothers; Tommy Flanagan (Sin City), Maury Sterling (Smokin’ Aces) and Christopher Michael Holley (Smokin’ Aces).
New to the film are Tom Berenger (Training Day, Sniper 1,2,3), Clayne Crawford (Brooklyn to Manhattan, Steel City), Martha Higareda (Street Kings), Ernie Hudson (“Heroes”), Michael Parks (Grindhouse), Autumn Reeser (Entourage) and Vinnie Jones (Lock, Stock and Two Smokin’ Barrels).
“Smoking Aces 2: Assassins’ Ball” will be available on Blu-ray™ Hi-Def, DVD and digital download on January 19, 2010.

Presently, in post production, Carnahan is coming out with the A-Team, with UFC's Rampage Jackson as BA Baracus, Mr. T's eighties character in the original TV show. I am not looking forward to the A team as much as I am Killing Paublo, but I do look forward to watching both.

Update

Another property that is making the leap from one media to another is “The A-Team.” The television show is the basic for a live-action film due to hit theaters on June 11. Now IDW has announced a series of A-Team comic books that will delve into the backgrounds of the movie’s characters. One of the comics, “A-Team: Shotgun Wedding,” will be co-plotted by the film’s director, Joe Carnahan. The comics’ series begin in March.