Pain & Gain

Marky Mark is Daniel Lugo, a bodybuilder personal trainer dude who hatches a plot to kidnap one of his rich clients and force him to give him all of his possessions. The Rock and Anthony Mackie are his bodybuilder compatriots. This is a black humor movie that's funny and beautifully shot and that's the problem. See, this is a true story and it adheres to the facts fairly tightly but changes them just enough to turn real life psycopathic killers into goofballs who didn't intend to hurt, let alone kill, anybody. And that's what makes it messed up. The movie is enjoyable and entertaining and then you're reminded it's a true story and that these guys really did torture some poor guy for a month and that they really did use a chainsaw to dismember two others and that's just messed up. So you end up entertained and feeling conflicted about it. 7/10.

The Yards

Marky Mark just got out of prison and is looking for work. Joaquin Phoenix is his cousin's husband and works for a railroad supply company that's a bit ethically challenged. They visit the yards one night to impose their will on a competitor and things go south. This is a movie that thinks it's a lot better than it is and seems to be very impressed with itself. It tries to be some kind of gangster epic or something and never really gets there. Loaded cast - Wahlberg, Phoenix, Charlize Theron, James Woods, Jessica Lange, etc - but ends up as nothing special. 5/10.

Lone Survivor

I admit it, I'm a big-time fan of Mark Wahlberg. He's easily my favorite movie star at the moment. He plays Marcus Luttrell, one of a four-man Navy Seals team sent in for a mission against a camp in Afghanistan. While waiting to attack, they are discovered and make the mistake of letting the discoverers go. They warn the camp and the four Americans are soon under attack. What follows is an extremely tense, extended battle sequence. As the title implies, only one guy survives - that's not a spoiler - but how it happens is pretty darn remarkable. Based on a true story, this is a terrific movie. It kinda plays like an "Afghan version of Black Hawk Down" but with some twists. The cast is excellent, including a nice turn by Taylor Kitsch, one of my favorites from the Friday Night Lights TV show. Highly recommended - 9/10.

The Italian Job

Love this movie. It's like 90% style and 10% substance, but I don't care. It's got Marky Mark, my favorite actor going. It's got Edward Norton, who I also like a lot. And it has scorching hot Charlize Theron at the absolute peak of her hotness through the entire movie. Throw in some fun car stuff, a couple cool heists, and you've got movie gold. 9/10.