Pain & Gain (2013)
In 1994/1995 Miami, sh-t went down due to 3 inept violent idiot thieves/murderers. This is a very good, blackly comic rant on the American dream. Danny (Mark Wahlberg) decides it is much more logical to become a criminal than earn a legal living. He has envy, jealously and wrath so recruits a dumb shill and a loudmouthed opportunist (Anthony Mackie) to be his accomplices for his aspirational grand narrative.
There is slow-motion, bare flesh and ignorance is widely celebrated. These brawl magnets are not coldly brilliant. The trio shout and flail at one another during the barking mad plot. They make fanciful promises and Paul (Dwayne Johnson) does a lot of cocaine. These are very dumb people and the obligatory wife (Rebel Wilson) and girlfriend fail to notice. Their standards are less than exacting obviously.
The trio are searching out better and more. Unspiritual things happen as they are inept. That is their besetting sin. That and being stupid and immoral and plain dumb. The police have justified complacency. There is no moral control as their first victim (Tony Shalhoub) is tormented, robbed and nearly killed. Paul becomes drug torn, Danny has forcefulness and the police dismiss their fist victim as a degenerate who went on a bender. Then they move onto their 2nd set of victims and things get even more violent and unpleasant. Luckily a PI (Ed Harris) will save the day. This was very good and unbelievably, it is all true.
Best Lines:
“Unfortunately, this is a true story.”
“You know who invented salad? Poor people.”
“Another 40 years of wearing sweatpants to work.”
“Free membership for strippers.”
“Stage a diversionary fistfight.”
“Rekill me.”
“Beaten with sex toys.”
“Doing so awesome.”
“You smell like a Cuban stripper.”
“Sirens coming for you.”
“I didn’t have any warrants in Florida.”
“Titty-brothers.”
“That’s so illegal.”
“Physically hurt.”
“Human extraction.”
“A lot of homo stuff.”
“I want you not to have it.”
“He’s crying.”
“That’s okay, he’ll stop.”
“Overseas in Europe, saving elephants.”
“The evil ninja weightlifters.”
“Some large men.”
“Delusional alcoholism.”
“Well, this plan didn’t work.”
“You are a very difficult victim.”
~
Risk (2016)
This scrappy documentary about wikileaks seems pointless. It shows the emotional disaffection, infuriating smugness and unseemly revelry of one Julian Assange. The documentary maker annoys as she inserts herself into the story while documenting Assange’s staggering level of self-absorption and how he is so powerfully detestable in his ranting about ideological dogma.
This was purposeless. The documentary maker whines about surreptitious surveillance. There is no winning honesty. I don’t care about the documentary maker or her attempts to assert or opine. Watching this is a numbing process as the patently detestable Assange spews his toxic venom. This has a depressing sense of emptiness and non-achievement. Assange is arrogant, rude and ignores the unwarranted consequences of his acts.
Assange is testy about his moral debt. Some dude goes on and on and on about Twitter. People fawn over Assange and act like a cult. This was all utter worthlessness. Assange is repellent. The documentary maker seems to think she and this documentary are significant. Everyone films and records everybody else. Assange has a mortifying inability to self-excoriate.
Assange is platitudinous and has no sober prudence and doesn’t live up to his social image. This pushes the bounds of coherence. Assange has paranoia and gender perceptions and arch ostentation. This covers years and in one scene Assange is in Norfolk and in other Assange claims asylum in an embassy and in another Trump is elected POTUS. The documentary maker helped him break the law. Lady Gaga shows up, Assange is snotty, Snowdon is fleetingly seen and there is talk of misconduct and the 2016 election. I really didn’t care.
Best Lines:
“Severe threat to my freedom.”
“Create maximum ambiguity.”
“I don’t think that’s helpful to you.”
“She’s a bad woman.”
“Unsafe computing.”
“Threat model.”
“All of the London media, who hate us.”
~
Stepford Wives (2004)
Clumsy.
Notting Hill (1999)
Baleful.
King Hearts And Coronets (1949)
I didn’t like it.
Volcano (1997)
No