Pain & Gain!!!!

Pain & Gain.

Straight from the mind of the Transformers and Bad Boys film franchise Michael Bay comes his low budget film Pain & Gain. Set in the US it sees a young Daniel Lugo (Mark Wahlberg) working as a gym trainer in a local gym, "my name is Daniel Lugo and I believe in fitness....." is his motto  as he thinks fat people are "unpatriotic". 

As Daniel wants to have alot more in his life he goes to a self help seminar presented by Johnny Wu (Ken Jeong) and soon enough adopts the new motto of "Don't be a dont'er, do be a do'er". Soon enough after training with one of his rich clients Victor Kershaw (Tony Shalhoub) he decides to put his new life plan into action. As Victor says to him "you know who invented salad, poor people" he finally gets that kick to become a doer. Roping in his fellow gym buddy Adrian Doorbal (Anthony Mackie) and new gym employee Paul Doyle (Dwayne Johnson) they hatch a plan to kidnap Victor and steal everything from his life then dispose of Victor and live the rest of their lives rich and wealthy men. 

As the men steal everything from Victor they soon start to live the high life they'd been dreaming of, Lugo gains the house and lives a life of luxury. Doyle turns back to his old drug taking ways and soon party's and snorts his life away with his stripper girlfriend in tow. Doorbal meets Robin Peck (Rebel Wilson) his nurse treating him for impotency and they soon marry and move into a house together. Of course the money doesn't last too long for the boys and they soon enough hatch another plan to rob and steal from a sex phone business owner Frank Griga (Micheal Rispoli). 

What happens next for the trio is not what they expected, failing to kill Victor Kershaw, a slip up in handling Frank Griga, an old investigator Ed DuBois (Ed Harris) hot on their tail as well, something bad will happen soon enough.

The film in itself is something you feel as you watch is something that could not have really happened but it did. At the start of the film and certainly near the end when Doyle BBQ's cut off human hands your reminded that the film is in fact real which is shocking. The characters are well portrayed and Wahlberg plays Lugo with a sense of idiocy yet dertermination, Johnson plays Doyle perfectly the spiritual yet psychopathic man lost in a world of drugs. Mackie as Doorbal is a great addition as he brings in another idiot character who is strung along by Lugo and told of his potential fortune. 

Bay's camera angles are great from views down a gun, the front of a car and a distorted image of Lugo's muscle bound body in a swimming pool it's great. The sheer ludicrous scenes you see on screen just add to what is in my eyes a black comedy, real life portrayed film which shouldn't really work but it does. I can see it has a mixture of this years other releases, the sun kissed beautiful people heist from Spring Breakers and the true story of doing your own thing in life from The Bling Ring. And yet Bay has managed to bring these two elements together and make it feel like a comedy which is impressive. When Bay works on a small budget he can still bring the story and action and at times has shown he can certainly bring the black humour.

8/10.

The Bling Ring!!!!

The Bling Ring.

Their is a quote at the start of the film by Nicki (Emma Watson) just before she enters the court room in which she stands trial for the Hollywood robberies:  "I'm a firm believer in Karma and I think that this situation was attracted in my life because it was supposed to be a huge learning lesson for me to grow and expand as a human being. I see myself being like Angelina Jolie but even stronger. I'm studying business because eventually I want to be a leader. I want to lead a country, for all I know". This quote pretty much summed up the whole naive mentality that not only did Nicki have but her other fellow friends also had as well.

Written and directed by Sofia Coppola (Lot In Translation, Marie Antoinette) the film is set within Hollywood and tells the story of a group of friends who decide to steal from celebrity's. Rebecca (Katie Chang) is a young aspiring girl with big ambitions who meets new boy Marc (Israel Broussard) and soon enough they become inseparable. As Rebecca introduces Marc to some of her other friends Nicki, Sam (Taissa Farmiga) and Chloe (Claire Julien) they all soon enough go out partying and keep up to date with the local celebrity's movements on Twitter and various new sites. Realising that celebrity's are "out of town" Rebecca and Marc take into action what they've always wanted to do, enter their idols houses and see how they live. Entering Paris Hilton's home by using a key left under the front door mat they see the extravagance of the life they live. Room packed full of clothes, shoes and coats and even a closet full of jewellery they leave with a few items.

As word gets to Nicki that Rebecca and Marc have been to Paris Hilton's house they decide to try this theory out again and again and again and again. Taking Nicki, Chloe, Sam and one time only Emily (Georgia Rock) with them they break and enter into some top A-list celebs homes. Orlando Bloom, Megan Fox, Audrina Patridge, Rachel Bilson and Lindsay Lohan's homes are all targeted and they steal as much expensive clothes, jewellery and money as possible.

Partying the night away just like their idols they show off  their newly acquired items and at one point decide to sell some of the stolen items on Hollywood boulevard to make some extra money. With Marc selling Orlando Bloom's stolen Rolex's to a nightclub owner Ricky (Gavin Rossdale) the teens live the lifestlye they have always wanted. Obviously the high life doesn't last for too long as the "bling ring" are tracked down and arrested they are brought to trial and fitting punishments are handed out.

You can tell this is a Coppola film as the films is just like Lost In Translation and Marie Antoinette it has that underlying feel of characters being outcasts and trying to do the right thing to fit in and find their place in society. The camera angles are nicely shot especially with the robberies taking place as each one is framed differently, Audrina Patridge is done at a really wide angle while Orlando Bloom is done via CCTV footage.

Emma Watson is perfect for the role as her american accent is spot on and she plays Nicki with impressive naivety and youth. Israel and Katie really make you feel that Marc and Rebecca's friendship had the best intentions at first but knew it would all change and end up ending badly. Usually in robbery style films their is a accomplice but for The Bling Ring it's the websites and social networks we all use on a daily basis. Twitter, Facebook, TMZ and Google maps are all used to orchestrate and plan the robberies and just shows how the youth and society use the internet to their advantage in the 21st century. 

A great addition to Coppola's filmography and what has to be her most mainstream and accessible film to date. Definitely a film that shows us how completely alien the celebrity culture can be at times and how people sometimes just need that escape to another world but obviously do it legally. 

8/10.

Now You See Me!!!!

Now You See Me.

A cross between the first Oceans Eleven film and The Prestige this latest blockbuster film brings all the excitement of a heist movie with the amazement of a Magic show. As a super group of various entertainers team up, J Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg) a close-up magician, Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson) a mind reader, Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher) an escapologist and Jack Wilder (Dave Franco) a pickpocket with aspirations, nicknamed The Four Horseman they put their big magic show into action. Pulling off a bank robbery and sending a member of the audience supposedly through time and space the group give back all the money to the audience. 

As a FBI agent Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) and Interpol agent Alma Dray (Melanie Laurent) are sent on the case to catch the magic group the action soon kicks into the film and it comes thick and fast. With fights including throwing dangerous cards to car chases through inner New York the group will do anything to allude the agents. 

The group is of course financed by insurance magnate Arthur Tressler (Michael Caine), they have his full support and endless help in perfecting and pulling off their massive illusions. With sceptics in the crowd one of them is professional trick-ruiner Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman) who films and watches the group and is soon enough brought in to help the FBI agents. 

As the group becomes more elusive they pull off their final big trick and soon enough we find out who is really behind the group and will they ever be caught by the FBI agents or will they still run free?.

The film itself is a great heist style movie with the added ooh's and aah's spectacle as you watch all the tricks being performed on screen. Action scenes are thrown in to really excite you and keep you hooked with the added twists and turns added into the film and of course the "big reveal" at the end it'll have you saying "so that's how it was done" almost like the film was one big magic trick.

Character wise they all work really well together and really do look natural on stage and it shows the actors have had training and really worked hard to perfect their individual characters craft. The camera shots are great from flying high cameras to close up shots of hands and cards the diversity of camera work is good. So if you like your heist and chase movies with abit of magic throw in and really enjoyed Oceans eleven and The Prestige then you will love this film, fast, fun, entertaining and all round magical.

I'll leave you with this line from the film: "Come in close, closer, because the more you think you see the easier it'll be to fool you"

7/10.

Trance!!!!

Trance.

We all know of the man Danny Boyle who choreographed the Olympic ceremony in London in 2012 and wowed million's of people around the world. One thing people didn't know is that between planning and rehearsing the opening ceremony Danny was also off making a film, this one to be precise. 

Described by Danny himself as a mix of Inception meets Memento meets Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, it's a great combination for a film and it interested me right away. Set in the present day it sees the character of Simon (James McAvoy) working at a auctioneers where he is the main security man. If a robbery takes place he is to take the painting on auction out of the room, into a case and place it into a metal safe. This of course all sounds normal until Frank is called into action and goes through the motions until he is held at gun point by Franck (Vincent Cassell), hitting him on the head Franck flees with the painting.

Soon enough Franck opens the case, picks up the frame and realises that the painting has gone. The story then goes back to Simon as you learn he was in on the robbery and because he was hit on the head suffers amnesia and doesn't remember where he put the painting. 

Trying to get him to remember is proving hard for Franck and so Simon suggests using a hypnotherapist Elizabeth (Rosario Dawson) to help he regain his memory and locate the painting. As the relationship between patient and Dr start to become more close and intimate Simon's world spirals out of control as he try's to remember where the painting is and hold onto his sanity. 

As the film moves along you learn about how the three main characters are linked, why Simon can't remember and of course where is the painting?. With some twists and turns mixed into the storyline it adds some great suspense moments and has you guessing what will happen next. 

The pace of the film is nice, it's only an hour and forty minutes long and doesn't have any scenes that feel as if they drag on and it keeps you on your toes. The overall feel of the film is just how Danny described it, it has hints of Inception and Memento to do with memory and the internal memories we have. The twists and turns in the story from the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind are there and all three blend well.

James McAvoy as Simon is perfect he plays a distraught, confused man who is doing and using all his brain power to work out whats going on and you do feel sorry for him. Vincent as Franck is a great addition as the desperate hitman who only wants one thing, the painting and will do anything to get it. Rosario as Elizabeth brings in a mysterious feel to the film and you can't quite work her out and what she's up to. 

Set in London for obvious reasons (Olympic Ceremony location) is adds a certain air of darkness as the sets are dark and claustrophobic and really make the film interesting. Being shot mainly at night it gives it that edgy feel. 

A great film addition to Danny Boyle's film back catalogue and another genre of film from the big UK director is ticked off on his list. Psychological thriller, DONE.

8/10.