Director: Jeff Nichols
Writers: Jeff Nichols
Stars:  Matthew McConaughey, Tye Sheridan, Jacob Lofland

Synopsis: Two teenage boys encounter a fugitive and form a pact to help him evade the bounty hunters on his trail and to reunite him with his true love.

[/info]

DIRECTION
Jeff Nichols is just one of those directors who really knows how to tell a story well on screen. The aesthetics of this film are amazing. Nichols does a great job of making you feel like you are in the deep south and creating an environment that is raw and real. The movie is shot similar to To the Wonder in terms of it’s gorgeous visuals, but also has that Beasts of the Southern Wild rawness to it. I love how Nichols uses the nature of Arkansas and the Mississippi River to bring you into the world he’s drawing us to. Nichols does a great job of getting amazing performances out of his actors which is what carries most of this film. His music choices are perfect in bringing the southern, working hard lifestyle that’s in the film. The biggest knock on this film, is that he takes a long time to get where he’s going. Some of the scenes aren’t necessary and the Michael Shannon character is pointless. For the most part though, Nichols is on his game though.

Grade: B+

[divider]

SCRIPT
The script is also written by Nichols. The dialogue in Mud is my favorite part of the script. The conversations between Tye Sheridan and Jacob Lofland are incredible. For young teenage boys, there’s some pretty colorful language, but it’s so realistic. The dialogue for McConaughey’s character is also great and actually a crucial part to his character. The story itself though is a little lackluster, which left me a little disappointed. There isn’t any depth to the story. I expected there to be more layers and drama, but Mud is more straight forward and surface level. Little pieces of it started to feel unrealistic in some places, but overall was very believable. While the story wasn’t deep, I did love the theme of the film and how relationships and love is such a driving force for our lives. It was somber in many way but it left you with the feeling that love is worth fighting for, which I thought was a great touch. There is a lot of foreshadowing in this movie, which makes things a little predictable toward the end, but at the same time, it leaves you with that feel-good experience.

Grade: B

[divider]

PERFORMANCES
This is probably my favorite McConaughey character I’ve ever seen and one of his best performances. You don’t get the goofy, wacky, shirtless McConaughey you see in most of his films. In Mud, he’s isolated, quiet, and is ironically superstitious about having his shirt on. His character is driven by love and doing whatever it takes to be with the people he loves. And for the personality that McConaughey has, this is such a different character that I could have seen it being a little difficult for him. Simply, it’s the best McConaughey I’ve seen in film. Tye Sheridan and Jacob Lofland are just as good and fun to watch. Their chemistry is amazing and really make you believe they’ve been best friend their whole lives. Sheridan’s character is gullable and inexperienced, yet knows what he’s fighting for at the same time. Michael Shannon (while I love him) and Reese Witherspoon’s performances are forgettable. They aren’t in the film a ton though so it doesn’t really detract from the film as a whole. McConaughey, Sheridan, and Lofland carry the film and make Mud one of the year’s best films so far in 2013.

Grade: A

[divider]

SCORE
The score was done by David Wingo, whose work I’m not 100% familiar with, but I loved this score. It’s kinda similar to Beasts of the Southern Wild but more laid back and serious. I love the southern draw it has with it’s strings which keeps the film and the aesthetics where it should be. The music is perfectly executed here and while it’s not my favorite to listen to, it’s got me interested.

Grade: B+

[divider]

Overall Grade: B+

Director: Michael Bay
Writers: Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely; based on the magazine articles by Pete Collins
Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson, Anthony Mackie, and Tony Shalhoub

Synopsis: Bodbybuilders Daniel Lugo (Wahlberg) and Adrian Doorbal (Mackie) team up with ex-con Paul Doyle (Johnson) to live the American dream by stealing someone else’s life (Shaloub) and making it their own.

[/info]

DIRECTION

Pain & Gain is not exactly an ineptly directed film, but it walks too fine a line to say so with certainty. Michael Bay is neither in nor out of his element with this film. Pain & Gain appears to be Bay’s first attempt at a legitimate dramatic film, one he hopes the critics won’t scoff at; unfortunately, no scoffing has been avoided. Bay graduates his film shots and editing techniques in Pain & Gain (by actually keeping scenes on a screen for longer than 3 seconds), yet the movie still doesn’t know what it is. Is Pain & Gain a docudrama? Is it hyperbole? Is it satire? Is it good? Is it crap? The answer for each question: yes! Pain & Gain is too varied in quality and technique for it to work as a comprehensive film. There are scenes that work phenomenally on their own (e.g. the opening sequence, Doyle’s backstory, Ken Jeong’s scene). But a movie cannot hold up based just on the strength of a few of its parts. Unfortunately, Pain & Gain is a movie to watch highlights of on YouTube rather than watch in a linear fashion.

Grade: D

[divider]

SCRIPT

As poor a job as Bay directed Pain & Gain, not all blame lies on his shoulders. Much of the film’s fault is its writing. The script was penned by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, who attempt to tell a black comedy version of horrific (and idiotic) real-life events a la Fargo. The story is was written for them and it is a fantastic story! Mostly, though, Markus and McFeely just give it an angle, a fresh spin. However, when the film comes together, much of what they intended as satiric or piercing just falls flat and leaves the viewer with a sour stomach. The other flaw of the script is the dialogue. Pain & Gain‘s script teeters between grace and  chaos, as if part of a half-done infinite monkey experiment. Pain & Gain may have been a better movie if it was told in a routine dramatic style but unfortunately the wrong creative lens taints it.

Grade: C

[divider]

PERFORMANCES

A stronger point of Pain & Gain is its performances. Despite being fed inane lines and given bipolar direction, the lead actors go out in a blaze of glory. Mark Wahlberg as Lugo is a trip to watch. He is utterly convinced he is this character. From his accent to his mannerisms to his muscles, Wahlberg is Lugo. Dwayne Johnson makes a valiant effort as the lovable, morally torn sidekick. Although his character becomes flat by the end of the film, some of his early scenes, Johnson portrays a range previously unseen in film going from action mode to comedy to tenderness to rage. Anthony Mackie’s portrayal of Adrian Doorbal is also notable. Mackie is a veteran yet mostly unknown actor. Similar to Wahlberg, he is his character. He has little emotional range, but he’s convinced that he doesn’t have any. Tony Shalhoub also gives a stellar performance as Victor Kershaw, the film’s antagonist. Despite all of the torture Kershaw is put through, Shalhoub plays the character so deftly that you still have no sympathy for Kershaw even though moral wisdom says the audience should. Supporting performances by Ken Jeong and Rob Corddry are two of the best in the film, playing well against and with type, respectively. Pain & Gain is also not always helped out by its performances. Rebel Wilson’s one-note role as a nurse specializing in male anatomy falls flat when she should be riotous. Additionally, Ed Harris is too low key for his role. The performances in Pain & Gain help to redeem what would have otherwise been a disaster of a film without them.

Grade: B+

[divider]

SCORE

Steve Jablonsky’s score is the only true brillance in all of Pain & Gain. (I like it so much, I’m actually listening to it right now as a write this review.) The score keeps a consistent dramatic tone even when the movie does not. Jablonsky’s use of electronic drum beats and far off strings create an unsettling feeling for the listener and heighten much of the unpleasant nature of the film. The opening piece “I’m Big” captured my ears and heart so fully that I knew I didn’t care how good or bad Pain & Gain was I would at least watch the movie with my eyes closed. And that’s my advice to viewers: the best way to experience Pain & Gain is buy the soundtrack!

Grade: A

[divider]

Overall Grade: C