By John Solomon
How the government's punishing of the exposure of official wrongdoing can linger for years
"Pain & Gain" is an appropriate name for a movie that inflicts so much of the former on its characters, and, in search of the latter, the audience. It may be the only appropriate thing about this frequently funny but also outlandishly crude and juvenile send-up of mid-1990s body-building culture.
Mark Wahlberg was in a somber mood at the New York premiere of his new film, "Pain and Gain" — still grappling with the bombings that struck his hometown of Boston.
Mark Wahlberg was in a somber mood at the New York premiere of his new film, “Pain and Gain”– still grappling with the tragedy that struck his hometown in Boston.
Ted didn't actually come on stage at the Oscars. It was, of course, a bit of TV magic.
Nominations morning last month revealed major surprises for the Academy Awards, promising one of the most wide-open campaigns ever for Hollywood's highest honors.
Jessica Chastain easily outmuscled Arnold Schwarzenegger and Mark Wahlberg over the weekend, topping the box office with both her supernatural horror film "Mama" and the Oscar-nominated Osama bin Laden hunt thriller "Zero Dark Thirty."
Jessica Chastain easily outmuscled Arnold Schwarzenegger and Mark Wahlberg over the weekend, topping the box office with her supernatural horror film "Mama."
Styled as a film noir homage, "Broken City" is maddeningly literal in the way it pays tribute to the genre.
It should come as no surprise that every character in a movie called "Broken City" is either rotten to the core, or a liar, or a schemer, or the bearer of seriously damaging secrets.
"Broken City" _ It should come as no surprise that every character in a movie with a title like this is either rotten to the core, or a liar, or a schemer, or the bearer of seriously damaging secrets. What is surprising is that these characters never feel like real people, despite a series of twists that should, in theory, reveal hidden, unexpected facets of their personalities and despite being played by big-name stars including Mark Wahlberg, Russell Crowe and Catherine Zeta-Jones. They're all still conniving, only with varying alliances and targets. At the center of these dizzying double crosses is Wahlberg as Billy Taggart, a former New York police detective who got kicked off the force after a questionable shooting. Seven years later, Billy is barely getting by as a Brooklyn private eye. Then one day, the mayor (Crowe), who'd always been on Billy's side, hires Billy to investigate whether his wife (Zeta-Jones) is having an affair. He's up for re-election in a week and doesn't want to lose to a young, well-financed challenger (Barry Pepper) over revelations that he's being cuckolded. But Billy's digging leads to further revelations involving the mayor's rival, the rival's campaign manager (Kyle Chandler), the police commissioner (Jeffrey Wright) and some wealthy, well-connected land developers. Everything is simultaneously too complicated and overly spelled out. Director Allen Hughes' film is a forgettable piece of pulp. R for pervasive language, some violence and sexual content. 108 minutes. One and a half stars out of four.
Highlights of Hollywood's 2013 schedule (release dates are subject to change):
The Connecticut school shooting rampage compelled Hollywood to air disclaimers before violent television shows, swap some programs for others, cancel film openings and present somber specials on daytime TV shows that are usually more focused on entertainment.
The Connecticut school shooting rampage has compelled Hollywood to air disclaimers before violent television shows, swap some programs for others, cancel film openings and present somber specials on daytime TV shows that usually are more focused on entertainment.
The Connecticut school shooting rampage compelled Hollywood to air disclaimers before violent television shows, swap some programs for others, cancel film openings and present somber specials on daytime TV shows that are usually more focused on entertainment.
Special operations commanders and some members of the Obama administration are courting the media with details on secret missions, such as the 2011 SEAL raid that killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, to fit a political or public relations agenda, critics say.
New York rapper 50 Cent was a guest at the premiere, and before going inside, he expressed his dismay.
Mark Wahlberg: Boston native upset over bombings during marathon →
He added: “When you see kids involved in it, I can’t write it off.
