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Weekend Preview: Michael Bay's Latest a 'Pain'-Filled Experience; Jeff Nichols' 'Mud' Captivates Critics; Skip 'The Big Wedding'

News

Fans of Michael Bay and his cast of beefy cohorts will likely flock to dumb male comedy "Pain & Gain," a soulless, "low-budget" exercise in machismo that has appalled critics. Those looking for lighter fare might seek solace in "The Big Wedding," which has earned universal pans despite its top-drawer cast. They are better off RSVPing to another event, such as "Take Shelter" director Jeff Nichols' southern drama "Mud," which premiered at Cannes, starring Matthew McConaughey, or the Oscar-nominated maritime doc "Kon Tiki," which traces a Norwegian's journey in 1947 across the Pacific Ocean in a balsa wood raft.

By Anne Thompson and Ryan Lattanzio
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April 25, 2013 3:42 PM
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Reviews

I had the misfortune of seeing Michael Bay's "Pain & Gain" at CinemaCon, which Paramount mystifyingly screened to the nation's exhibitors, who tend to be a conservative family-oriented bunch who are always begging the studios to release less R-rated fare. Don't get me wrong.

By Anne Thompson
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April 23, 2013 2:05 PM
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1 Comment

Video

Oh, Michael Bay. Keep milking the pockets of teenage boys and overgrown manchildren as long as you can, because one day--there is hope--the dominating movie tastes will change. In Bay's upcoming "Pain & Gain," out April 26, Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson and Anthony Mackie star...

By Sophia Savage
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January 7, 2013 1:27 PM
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1 Comment

News

Mark Wahlberg will be the new leading man in Michael Bay's "Transformers 4," and the production may have its sights set on mainland China for this installment of the testosterone-fueled franchise.