Pain & Gain

Spanks – 3

Director – Michael Bay

Writers – Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely

Starring – Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson, Anthony Mackie, Tony Shalhoub, Ed Harris, Rob Corddry, Rebel Wilson & Ken Jeong

Release Date – 26 April 2013

MPAA Rating – R

Run time – 129 Minutes

Pain & Gain is based on a true story. It is such a crazy story that that point was reminded to the viewer throughout the movie. It is the story about a trio of stupid criminals in Miami Florida. The plan was to kidnap a man they believed to bad and to torture him to be able to extort him for his money. The plan didn’t go exactly as planned and things just got crazy and out of control.

The actors did a great job at playing their characters. Dwayne Johnson has the best character of the bunch and every scene he is in he says or does something funny. Mark Wahlberg’s character is a jerk and is not a person you want to like and he does that well in this movie. Ken Jeong plays a motivational speaker and he always has a good character.

Pain & Gain isn’t your normal Micheal Bay film. There isn’t giant explosions and lots of special effects that he is known for (and expect). It is just a simple entertaining film.

42

Spanks – 5

Director – Brian Helgeland

Writers – Brian Helgeland

Starring – Chadwick Boseman, Harrison Ford, Nicole Beharie, Lucas Black, Alan Tudyk & John C. McGinley

Release Date – 12 April 2013

MPAA Rating – PG-13

Run time – 128 Minutes

You can put 42 in the top five baseball movies ever made. The movie tells the story of Brookyln Dodgers General Manager Branch Rickey hiring Jackie Robinson in 1945 to a minor league contract. On April 15th 1947 Robinson played his first game in the major leagues at Ebbets Field breaking the color barrier in the baseball. The movie takes place from just before Robinson is signed through his first season with the Dodgers.

Before seeing the movie, I did not know much about Jackie Robinson. I am not surprised by some of the adversity he was given. I was surprised by some of the events that happened on the field by people and players (some who were Dodgers) who were against him. Jackie’s first year in baseball wasn’t easy, and I am sure there were many times when he wanted to quit. He stuck with it with the help from Rickey and some of his teammates and won the Rookie of the Year award in ’47. He would go on to win a World Series, win an MVP award, and he is a Hall of Famer.

The filmmakers did an awesome job at recreating the time period. Games were played at four different ballparks that have long been torn down, but with the help of technology I was watching baseball played in those places.

The movie should inspire you, because if Jackie Robinson could succeed with pretty much everything against him, then why shouldn’t you be able to have the same success.