 If you ever wondered what filmmaker Michael Bay considered to be a low budget character piece, I suppose Pain & Gain is literally your answer. A dim witted and only sporadically amusing action comedy, Bay still makes things as flashy and vapid as usual, just this time he’s attempting to do something that’s tongue in cheek. The problem is, there’s no sense of irony here and it’s about as subtle as a root canal, leaving you with the distinct feeling that you’re supposed to identify with these loathsome characters populating the film. To be fair, there are attempts at making them more than just imbeciles, but it rarely succeeds. The main trio of Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne (formerly The Rock) Johnson, and Anthony Mackie are having a good deal of fun here, and Bay is as well, but the script they’re utilizing from Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely is not nearly good enough to make the movie work. This is an overstuffed, overlong, and immature flick that probably has more in common with the ‘Transformers’ franchise than it’d ever want to admit. This is Bay’s best film in a number of years, but that just means that it’s severely mediocre instead of downright dreadful.
Read more on Pain & Gain (**)…
Categories: Film Reviews Tags: 2013 releases, Anthony Mackie, Christopher Markus, Dwayne Johnson, ed harris, Ken Jeong, mark wahlberg, Michael Bay, Pain & Gain, Rebel Wilson, Rob Corddry, Stephen McFeely, Tony Shalhoub
 Snitch is one of those films that you go in expecting one thing and get those judgments and preconceived notions blown to bits by a sharp screenplay, fantastic acting, and confident direction. A fascinating character study wrapped in the thin shroud of an action thriller, Snitch, starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is a powerful statement film about drug trafficking, masculinity, and ultimately how humans react when faced with extraordinary circumstances. Read more on Snitch (***)…
As Awards Season draws to a close this weekend, new releases feebly hoping for some viewership are kept to a conservative minimum. With no shortage of derivative action and horror pictures monopolizing theaters in the year’s early months, Dwayne Johnson (in his first of many) joins they fray with Snitch along with paranormal thriller Dark Skies. Mystery, drama Inescapable rounds out the meager showing.
Read more on Weekend Openings: 2/22/2013…
Dwayne Johnson stars in the fast-paced action thriller, Snitch, playing a father whose teenage son is wrongly accused of a crime. In a desperate attempt to rescue his son, he makes a deal with the U.S. attorney to go undercover and act as an informant, risking his life as he infiltrates a drug cartel. Susan Sarandon, Barry Pepper, and Benjamin Bratt also star. Snitch hits theaters on February 22nd. Watch the trailer after the jump.
Read more on First Trailer for Summit Entertainment’s ‘Snitch,’ Starring Dwayne Johnson…
 Michael Bay’s Pain & Gain was set to be his follow up project to Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen but ended up getting pushed back till after he finished the 3rd film in the franchise (with a 4th scheduled for a June 14, 2014 release date). Pain & Gain, set to be released on April 26, 2013, tells the true story of a gang of Miami bodybuilders who get involved with extortion, kidnapping, and murder. With a budget of $20 million, Bay’s film will use star power (Dwayne Johnson, Mark Whalberg and Anthony Mackie) to combat the lack of Decepticons and CGI imagery. Paramount has also released a full poster which you can see after the jump.
Read more on Michael Bay’s ‘Pain & Gain’ gets a poster, April 2013 release date…
 It was only a matter of time before the success of The Avengers and The Hunger Games had an affect on the industry. In a relatively last minute move, Variety is reporting Paramount is pulling G.I. Joe Retaliation from this summer’s movie line up to convert the film into 3D. The movie will now be released on Mar 29, 2013. Paramount was apparently motivated to make the move because focus groups questioned why the film wasn’t in stereo and that the movie would make even more money oversees.
Read more on G.I. Joe: Retalliation being moved to 2013!…
 With Cinema Con in full force out in Las Vegas, more information regarding many of the summer blockbusters is being released. The folks over Paramount Pictures have been hard at work promoting G.I. Joe: Retaliation and just recently released a new trailer to give us a better glimpse at what we should expect from the sequel.
Read more on G.I. Joe: Retalliation Trailer…
"Fast Five" is cheesy and ridiculous, but the franchise is finally entertaining…
On the way to the screening for “Fast Five”, it dawned on me that not only is this the fifth film in the “Fast and the Furious” franchise, but it also turns the franchise a decade old. There are occasional moments I have enjoyed sure, but by and large, I have rarely liked these films and have hardly, if ever, given these films a second thought after finishing one. Until now.
Read more on Fast Five (**1/2)…
|
