Pain and Gain

ACTION/ADVENTURE, COMEDY

Bigger Than Yours

8.0 out of 10 | Movie or DVD

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Rated: R Language throughout, bloody violence, drug  use, crude sexual content and nudity
Release Date: April 26, 2013
Runtime: 2 hours 9 minutes

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Director: Michael Bay
Writers: Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely, Pete Collins
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson, Anthony Mackey, Tony Shalhoub, Ed Harris, Rob Corddry, Ken Jeong, Rebel Wilson, Mindy Robinson

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SYNOPSIS:  A trio of bodybuilders in Florida get caught up in an extortion ring and a kidnapping scheme that goes terribly wrong.

REVIEW: Director Michael Bay made his mark on Hollywood with his adrenalized actioners Bad Boys, Pearl Harbor, and The Transformers franchise. He takes a break from robots in disguise to return to something more terrestrial. The true story is adapted to the big screen by Captain America and The Chronicles of Narnia series writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, and new writer Pete Collins.

Daniel Lugo (Mark Walhberg, Broken City) has a dream. He is a body builder trainer with ideas of being the best he can be. He's a do-or not a don't-er. After going to a self-help seminar led by Johnny Wu (Ken Jeong, The Muppets), Daniel gets it in his head to target one of the gym's wealthy clients, Victor Crenshaw (Tony Shalhoub, Monk), and take his house and money. A three-man job, in his opinion, Daniel enlists the help of fellow trainer Adrian Doorbal (Anthony Mackie, Gangster Squad) to help. Needing one more man, they approach ex-convict muscle head named Paul Doyle (Dwayne Johnson, G.I. Joe: Retaliation). Looking to have Crenshaw sign over his property and bank accounts, the trio end up being bumbling idiots and unable to get the kidnapping for the transfers done right the first time around. When Crenshaw somehow survives the experience the cops do not believe his story and Daniel, Paul and Adrian hunt Crenshaw down again. Crenshaw goes to the Yellow Pages to find former Miami cop and former private detective Ed Du Bois (Ed Harris, Man on a Ledge) to take his case. When Daniel, Paul and Adrian start living the big life off the money they stole from Crenshaw, their living in excess has its costs and forces them to plan another job, thus allowing the Miami-Dade police department to close in.

Michael Bay returns to the directors chair to leave behind giant robots and alien invasions. This time, he focuses on an unfortunate true story that seems almost as unbelievable. Michael Bay was the originator of the slo-mo hero walk and overly stylistic cinematography. In this effort he adds in some Tarantino-esque edit stop shots and on-screen labels to add to the story. With the added elements, it  shows that the director is expanding his palette a little bit.

Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, and Anthony Mackie devoted their bodies to fitness for the making of this film - and it shows. Each of them normally have great physiques but they completely bulked up for these roles. Wahlberg is thick, Johnson has no neck, and Mackie looks almost unrecognizable (except for his mug). The trio is so big there costars Tony Shalhoub and Ed Harris look utterly puny in comparison.

Wahlberg knows his way around both drama action and comedy. Pain and Gain is right up Mark alley. Anthony Mackie adds in his own style, and The Rock plays against type as a coke-snorting, Jesus-finding ex-con. These guys makes for a modern day Three Stooges criminal disorganized ring. One would like to believe that Americans aren't this stupid, but since it is based on true story I guess anything is possible.

Coming in at two hours and eight minutes this film is long, but he keeps moving. Michael Bay changes narrative perspectives, by letting each of the main characters have their own voice over. Switching perspectives keeps everybody involved in the plot line and keeps the story moving. It also helps that all the characters are just fun to watch.

The success of Pain and Gain comes in the fact of its ridiculousness. Wahlberg is a master of the straight man with absurd dialogue and monster stunts without cracking a smile. The film is a series of misdeeds and misadventures on a scale larger then Dwayne Johnson's biceps.

Filled with laughs, a degree of cat and mouse antics, and some Oceans 11 style planning, Pain and Gain will make you laugh and will make you cringe. This film is never better then when Mark Wahlberg and his cronies are at their worst.

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Transformers: Dark of the Moon IMAX 3D

Pulse-Pounding Thrill Ride

Director: Michael Bay
Writers: Ehren Kruger
Cast: Shia LaBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley,Josh Duhamel, John Turturro, Patrick Dempsey, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich

SYNOPSIS: As they defend our planet, Optimus Prime, his Autobots and Sam Witwicky may finally have come across a Cybertronian foe they cannot defeat.

REVIEW: Director Michael Bay, using a script from Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen scribe Ehren Kruger, returns to the world of Autobots, Decepticons and Sam Witwicky. What happens when a young man helps sentient machines save the world twice from Decepticon threats, receives a medal from the President of the United States, graduates from college, but can't get a job and just wants to feel like he contributing something to the world greater than delivering from the mailroom? What happened on the dark side of the Moon during the first successful manned landing that attracts the attention of the Russian and United States governments, eventually leading to a possible race between the Autobots and Decepticons to get back to the Moon first?

To say anything more about the story would be to give too much away. To suffice to say, Transformers: Dark of the Moon intertwines government conspiracies, a high-tech war epic, and a story of an attempt to overcome insurmountable odds against overwhelming forces into a heart-pounding, non-stop bullets and explosions robo-actioner.

New characters abound in this third outing for the Transformers. The departure of Mikaela (Megan Fox) and the introduction of Carly (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley adds a fresh dynamic to Sam Witwicky's (Shia LaBeouf) personal life, adding a renewed belief and wonder of discovering Optimus Prime and his Autobots for the first time. Patrick Dempsey comes onboard as Carly's boss Dylan and perceived rival for Carly’s affections. As Sam’s boss, Bruce Brazos, John Malkovich brings his Malkovich-y self to alpha-dog self-absorbed yellow-loving role, Bruce Brazos. Director Meade, played by Frances McDormand, brings a tough as nails female to the role of NEST Operations overseer. Epps (Tyrese Gibson) and Lennox (Josh Duhamel) reprise their roles as senior field agents for NEST, getting in the trenches with their teams against a foe so superior they certainly can not hope to defeat it alone – although they never give up. For levity, Bay replaced the annoying Skids and Mudflaps from Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen with the return of Agent Simmons (John Turturro), the addition of Simmons personal assistant Dutch (Firefly's Alan Tudyk), researcher Jerry Wang (The Hangover's Ken Jeong) and pint-sized Autobots Wheelie (voiced by Tom Kenny) and Brains (Reno Wilson).

As with Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, some of the Cybertronian characters could have been expanded on. Of course, Optimus Prime, Bumble Bee, Megatron and a couple others get plenty of exposure, but Sideswipe and other Autobots seem like little more than glossy, high-detailed window dressing. The armies of Decepticons are certainly mechanical minions in the battle for the planet, but only Starscream, Shockwave and Soundwave getting any evil doing screen-time. At a runtime of 2 hours 37 minutes, Bay must have had more to cut out than he could keep, but he did manage to develop the secondary characters as best he could – to fine effect.

The IMAX presentation in 3D brought bone-vibrating sound and in-your-face graphics. The dust and debris hung in the theater, the explosions rocking the seats and the arm cannon blasts blinding the senses. The entire third act is an edge-of-your-seat thrill ride worthy of a movie all its own. Along with the typical classic Michael Bay slow motions and cheesy adrenaline-fueled one-liners, we get a few Autobot/Decepticon Quentin Tarantino moments, and a Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan reference. In IMAX 3D, regular 3D or good ole-fashion 2D, Transformers: Dark of the Moon will renew your faith in the franchise, the three films as a complete trilogy, and the humanity of both man and machine!

WORTH: Friday Night Opening and Blu-Ray