Pain & Gain Movie Review 0 1484

Pain and Gain - movie review

There’s something of a trend that has developed in the world of movies this year, one that takes on the idea of the American dream and attempts to dissect what makes it tick, twist it and put it up on-screen in striking fashion. Harmony Korine and his Spring Breakers pretty much hit the nail on the head in all its blissful shamelessness while Sofia Coppola’s repetitive and rather dull The Bling Ring missed the mark.

Unfortunately the latest in that trend, Pain & Gain, falls on the wrong side of the fence alongside Coppola’s b(l)and of celebrity house robbers. Although it could never be called dull, Michael Bay’s brash and in-your-face tale of bodybuilders biting off more than they can chew squanders almost all of its potential thanks to the director’s self-indulgent and casually misogynistic sensibilities.

Based on an “outrageous” true story taken from a series of magazine articles, Pain & Gain centres on bodybuilder Daniel Lugo (Mark Wahlberg) who has worked his way up the ranks in a Miami gym. He dreams of living the American dream and the lifestyle of fast cars, big houses and supermodel girlfriends. He then comes up with a plan to, with the help of fellow bodybuilders Paul (Dwayne Johnson) and Adrian (Anthony Mackie), kidnap and extort rich crooked businessman Victor Kershaw (Tony Shalhoub). However, when their plan goes horribly wrong the three of them are left trying to hold onto what they’ve achieved without being caught.

You can see what Bay was trying to do with Pain & Gain. First of all he’s doing something a little bit different to what’s been known for at least as of late. This is more Bad Boys than it is Transformers, at least in its cops and criminals framework (this time we’re on the latter side), but something altogether less obsessed with action scene after action scene. Secondly it’s an attempt at tackling the idea of the American dream and what that means in today’s world where the lifestyles of the rich and the famous seems to be the ultimate aspiration for millions worldwide.

Pain and Gain movie review still
Dwayne Johnson, Mark Wahlberg and Anthony Mackie in Pain & Gain

And while the attempt must be commended it’s in the execution that Bay’s latest film fails. Is it supposed to be clever or funny? The heightened style – bright colours, repetitive use of slow-mo, obnoxious low camera angles and obsession with icky violence, to name but a few things – just comes across as immature. Of course being over-the-top is part of the point but the crude and blunt approach wastes potential in favour of being the loudest one in the room. It’s the movie equivalent of a gym trainer shouting in your face to push yourself harder for two hours.

Luckily Bay has made some wise casting decisions. Wahlberg has really committed to the lead role of Daniel, not just in a physical sense i.e. his bodybuilder physique but in how he dives into the mindset of the role and really gets across the naive desperation the character has for wanting everything and not really caring (or rather, knowing) how he gets it. Mackie embraces the absurdity, too, with a character that seems content to follow any orders (including dressing up in a green ninja costume to kidnap somebody) as long as it achieves their goal. And Johnson is perhaps the highlight as an ex-convict and born again Christian, providing any of the film’s absurd comic moments that happen to work (and it’s not that many), proving he’s more than just a muscled action star even as he looks bigger than he’s ever been.

The likes of Tony Shalhoub as the poor guy kidnapped by the bodybuilding trio (who wouldn’t be out of place in a Coen bros. farce) and Ed Harris as a retired private detective bring dramatic weight to the proceedings though they’re somewhat undeserved by a script that seems obsessed with trivialising brutal violence and leering at any women characters who happen to wander on-screen in a bikini; it’d be hard not to feel sorry for Rebel Wilson and the dubious, paper-thin role she gets here.

The cast merely make Bay’s latest film bearable rather than completely saving it. While we can all be thankful that summer 2013 went by without us having to suffer yet another Transformers movie (although we won’t be able to say that about next year, unfortunately), what we get in its place is every bit as subtle as a sledgehammer to the face. Pain & Gain is a loud, brazen, frequently irritating experience not just because of the over-stylised “Bayisms” that not so much punctuate the film as completely smother it but because of how that style chokes the life out of what otherwise might have been an interesting “so ridiculous it has to be true” crime story.

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I'm a freelance film reviewer and blogger with over 10 years of experience writing for various different reputable online and print publications. In addition to my running, editing and writing for Thoughts On Film, I am also the film critic for The National, the newspaper that supports an independent Scotland, covering the weekly film releases, film festivals and film-related features. I have a passion for all types of cinema, and have a particular love for foreign language film, especially South Korean and Japanese cinema. Favourite films include The Big Lebowski, Pulp Fiction and 2001: A Space Odyssey.

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Tolkien Biopic to Be Released in May 0 5291

10th May, 2019 is when Tolkien will be released to the world, an autobiographical film that will revolve around the early days of legendary author J.R.R. Tolkien before he became the literary giant that he is today.

Here on Thoughts on Film we are big fans of his work and the recent films made by Peter Jackson. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings (LOTR), are responsible for originating a universe that has gone on to inspire movies, animation, fiction, and modern media interpretations.



This is why Tolkien is regarded by many as the greatest fantasy author of all time. His creative stamp can be seen nearly everywhere in modern media. There’s the direct reinterpretation of his work in the recently released action roleplaying game Middle Earth: Shadow of War, where players are thrust into a major role in Tolkien’s literary canon. George R.R. Martin, who originated the now globally-popular Game of Thrones series on HBO, openly reveres LOTR as the inspiration for his work, citing the early death of Gandalf in Fellowship of the Ring as having a profound effect on his “own willingness to kill characters at the drop of a hat.” On the web, more Tolkien-inspired work can be found on leading slot portal Slingo and its many online titles dedicated to the fantasy genre, including Amazon Queen, Fae Legend Warrior, and Magic Castle, all of which feature elements that can be traced back to the author’s massive body of work. Technically speaking, the same can be said of nearly every major fantasy brand out there today, from Dungeons & Dragons to Magic: the Gathering. In short, almost every type of entertainment that features western fantasy can be traced back to the works of Tolkien.

In the upcoming Tolkien movie, the man will be played by Nicholas Hoult, whom is best known for Mad Max: Fury Road and Hank McCoy in the most recent X-Men movies. And now, the actor’s versatility will be tested as he steps into the shoes of the most iconic fantasy writer of all time. Starring alongside Hoult will be the actress Lily Collins as Edith Bratt – the woman whom Tolkien loved above all and is reportedly the inspiration for all “elven princess characters” in the LOTR series.

Helming the film is director Dome Karukoski whose CV includes 2017’s Tom of Finland, a critically acclaimed chronicle of the life and works of the controversial artist of the same name. And while media outlets haven’t yet heard from either the cast, director, or crew of the film, an official synopsis of the movie has been released via Collider. “Tolkien explores the formative years of the orphaned author as he finds friendship, love and artistic inspiration among a group of fellow outcasts at school. This takes him into the outbreak of World War I, which threatens to tear the “Fellowship” apart. All of these experiences would inspire Tolkien to write his famous Middle-earth novels.” It sounds like a real treat for film, literature, and Middle Earth fans.

Feature: 2019 Oscar Predictions 0 4031

I think it’s fair to say that the run up to this year’s Oscars has been a little messier than usual, from unexpected and bizarre wins at other awards shows (Vice winning Best Editing at the BAFTAs, anyone?) to ridiculous decisions by the Academy to change the show around.

The latter has proved a particular point of contention with both those in the industry to onlookers on social media, with choices such as not letting all the songs be performed to introducing a Best Popular Film category (whatever that means) to not airing four categories live; Editing and Cinematography proved a particular issue, sending the folks of Film Twitter into a Hulk-like rage.

Thankfully all of these decisions except for the one to not have a main host have taken the walk-back of shame; I look forward to Clint Eastwood talking to an empty chair again. Of course there’s still the issue of plenty of thoroughly deserving films, filmmakers and performances not being up for any Oscars at all (*cough* Toni Collette! *cough*) but of course that’s not an issue unique to this year.

The show must go on, as they say, and I thought a week out from this year’s ceremony I’d throw my hat into the ring as far as predictions goes. Below I’ve listed what I think will win in each category, as well as what I personally would like to see pick up that little gold man come next Sunday evening.

Best Picture

Want to win: A Star is Born
Will win: Green Book

Lead Actor

Want to win: Bradley Cooper (A Star is Born)
Will win: Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody)

Lead Actress

Want to win: Olivia Colman (The Favourite)
Will win: Olivia Colman (The Favourite)

Supporting Actor

Want to win: Richard E. Grant (Can You Ever Forgive Me?)
Will win: Mahershala Ali (Green Book)

Supporting Actress

Want to win: Emma Stone (The Favourite)
Will win: Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk)

Director

Want to win: Alfonso Cuarón (Roma)
Will win: Alfonso Cuarón (Roma)

Animated Feature

Want to win: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Will win: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Adapted Screenplay

Want to win: BlacKkKlansman
Will win: BlacKkKlansman

Original Screenplay

Want to win: First Reformed
Will win: The Favourite

Cinematography

Want to win: Roma
Will win: Roma

Documentary Feature

Want to win: Free Solo
Will win: Minding the Gap

Foreign Language Film

Want to win: Roma
Will win: Roma

Film Editing

Want to win: BlacKkKlansman
Will win: Bohemian Rhapsody

Sound Editing

Want to win: A Quiet Place
Will win: Bohemian Rhapsody

Sound Mixing

Want to win: A Star is Born
Will win: Bohemian Rhapsody

Production Design

Want to win: Roma
Will win: The Favourite

Original Score

Want to win: If Beale Street Could Talk
Will win: Black Panther

Original Song

Want to win: Shallow (A Star is Born)
Will win: Shallow (A Star is Born)

Makeup and Hair

Want to win: Mary Queen of Scots
Will win: Vice

Costume Design

Want to win: Black Panther
Will win: The Favourite

Visual Effects

Want to win: Avengers: Infinity War
Will win: Ready Player One

Animated Short

Want to win: Bao
Will win: Bao

Live Action Short

Want to win: Marguerite
Will win: Marguerite

Documentary Short Subject

Want to win: Black Sheep
Will win: Lifeboat

Do you agree? Disagree? Feel free to leave your predictions/wishes for the winners below or tweet @TOF_UK or @rosstmiller.

Roll on Sunday!