Brawn But No Brains

Pain & Gain shows that Michael Bay isn't so bad after all

Director Michael Bay has long represented much that is wrong with the Hollywood system. Despite churning out craptacular films like Armageddon, The Island and, of course, the Transformers trilogy, the success of most of those films at the box office has ensured that Bay keeps getting chances to make more movies.

The good news with Bay’s latest, Pain & Gain, is that the director has finally seemed to embrace how laughable his films can be.

The film opens with Daniel Lugo (Mark Wahlberg), a trainer/bodybuilder on the run from police for unknown reasons. Bay focuses on Wahlberg’s grimacing, spittle-spewing face, making his leading man look ridiculous instead of cool.

In Michael Bay’s Pain & Gain, the loathed director finally seems to embrace how laughable his films can be.

In the process, Bay spoofs his tendency toward over-the-top, slow-motion sequences, an indication that this film may not be the same as his others.

Bay continues that theme for most of the film as we find out that Lugo has delusions of grandeur, wanting to move up in the world from his relatively lowly position at his gym. Deciding the only way to do so is to rob one of the gym’s rich clients, he recruits Paul Doyle (Dwayne Johnson) and Adrian Doorbal (Anthony Mackie) to help him achieve his goal.

The film goes back and forth between out-and-out comedy and action, but unlike some of Bay’s previous films, it never takes itself too seriously. Even when things inevitably start going wrong for the trio, the inanity of their scheme and personalities keeps the tone light.

The story doesn’t quite hold up all the way through, though. The criminal arc depicted in the film has been done many times before — and better. Ironically, this is more noticeable because Bay reins in some of his more annoying flourishes, like ultra-quick edits. The fact that it’s disappointing the story doesn’t hold up is a testament to Bay’s other improvements.

Wahlberg, Johnson and Mackie fully embrace their characters’ flaws, especially Wahlberg and Johnson. They both take what normally would be one-note macho characters and turn them into interesting, often hilarious roles. In so doing, they keep the film on track longer than it deserves to go.

The characters in Pain & Gain don’t have much going on in the brains department, but for once that’s by design. By showing that he’s in on the joke and crafting a film around that idea, Bay shows that he just might be worthy of his status after all.

Anthony Mackie, Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson in Pain & Gain.

Pain & Gain

Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Anthony Mackie, Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson in Pain & Gain.

Concert News

Big day for music fans with news of a dozen concerts coming to Dallas

Coheed and Cambria

Photo by Brandi Schulz

undefined

For summer concert lovers in Dallas, today brings a bounty of good news with a big round of tours coming through Texas in 2023.

In a single day, details have been revealed for tours featuring TLC, Christopher Cross, Steve Miller Band with Cheap Trick, and Coheed & Cambria.

The backstory is that for many of these tours, tickets go on sale this week. So check out what's new and what needs to be on your to-see list, which organized below by date:

March 31-April 2: TAY-Gates at Arlington Backyard
Taylor Swift is bringing her record-breaking tour to Arlington March 31-April 2 at AT&T Stadium, and that part is well known. But the new twist is TAY-Gates, an accompanying pre-party which will take place at Arlington Backyard at Texas Live! all three days of the tour, from March 31-April 2 from 2 pm-7pm.

This event is all ages and tickets start at $5; you do not need tickets to Taylor’s concert to attend.

April 25: Ville Valo at House of Blues
Valo, AKA "VV," is the former singer-songwriter of Finnish "love metal" band Him, which disbanded in 2017. In January, he mounted a headlining tour that started in Europe and will hit the U.S. in April, beginning in Philadelphia, with three stops in Texas: Dallas' House of Blues on April 25, followed by Aztec Theater in San Antonio on April 26 and Houston's House of Blues on April 27.

Tickets start at $51 and are on sale now.

April 27: Cold at Amplified Live
Florida band first discovered by Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst celebrates the 20th anniversary of their album Year of the Spider with a tour first announced in December 2022. Now they reveal the dates, which include stops at Amplified Live on April 27, along with Paper Tiger in San Antonio on April 23, Scout in Houston on April 26, and Come And Take It Live in Austin on April 28.

TAY-Gates will let you get up close and personal to a lifelike Taylor Swift cardboard cut-out.Courtesy photo

May 4: Steve Miller Band and Cheap Trick at Dos Equis Pavilion
The Steve Miller celebrates the 50th anniversary of their album The Joker with three shows in Texas with special guests Cheap Trick. Both acts were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016. They'll stop at Dos Equis Pavilion in Dallas on May 4; at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in The Woodlands on May 6; and at Germania Insurance Amphitheater in Austin on May 7.

Tickets go on sale on Friday, March 17 at 10 am at LiveNation.com.

May 6: Feid at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
Colombian singer-songwriter Feid brings his Ferxxo Nitro Jam Underground Tour to 29 cities across the US and Canada, kicking off on April 20 in Seattle, bringing Feid to bigger venues across North America after his successful debut run in the U.S. in 2022. Dates in Texas include Houston on May 13 at Smart Financial Centre, Dallas on May 17 at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory, and Austin on May 21 at TBC Bass Concert Hall.

Tickets will be available via an artist presale starting Tuesday, March 14 at 10 am. The general onsale for Ferxxo Nitro Jam Underground Tour will start Thursday, March 16 at 10 am on LiveNation.com.

May 15: Coheed and Cambria at House of Blues
The C&C "Neverender: No World For A Waking Mind” Tour was initially announced in January, and now more specifics are locked down including dates in Dallas at House of Blues on May 15. The band will performing their album No World For Tomorrow in full, along with a mix of songs from their most recent album Vaxis II: A Window of the Waking Mind. They'll be joined by special guests Deafheaven and make stops in Austin on May 17 at Stubb's Waller Creek Amphitheater and Houston on May 18 at House of Blues.

Tickets for the Dallas date are already sold out but are still available for Austin and Houston.

June 9: Christopher Cross and Air Supply at Bass Performance Hall
Mr. "Sailing," Christopher Cross and rock icons Air Supply will be the featured artists for the 2023 Legends Concert Series — The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth’s signature fundraising event at Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth at 7:30 pm. Cross has won five Grammys, an Oscar, a Golden Globe, had five top-10 singles and sold 10 million albums. Australian duo Air Supply is known for their harmonies, and had seven top-five singles on the Billboard Hot 100 list from 1979-1983, including the No. 1 hit “The One That You Love.”

Tickets go on sale Friday March 18 at 10 am. The concert, presented by JPMorgan Chase & Co., will benefit HSC students and the establishment of HSC’s new College of Nursing.

June 24: Drake at American Airlines Center
Drake brings his 2023 "It’s All A Blur" tour to Dallas, part of a three-month run that kicks off in New Orleans on June 16 and travels to 21 cities across North America. In addition to Dallas, Drake will also go to Houston on June 21.

Ticket sales begin with a Cash App Card presale, going on sale March 15 at 12 pm through March 16 at 10 pm. There will also be a Sprite presale on March 16 from 12-10 pm; fans can look for updates on Sprite.com and sign up for Sprite emails to gain access.

June 30: TLC at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
Supergroup TLC and Jamaican icon Shaggy join forces with TLC & Shaggy: Hot Summer Nights Tour 2023, joined by special guests En Vogue and Sean Kingston. The tour kicks off on June 1 in Alabama and stops in Dallas at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving on June 30, and The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in The Woodlands on July 1. It'll be a hit-fest with “Waterfalls,” “No Scrubs,” “Unpretty,” and “Creep,” En Vogue’s “Hold On, My Loving (Never Gonna Get It)”, and “Free Your Mind”; and Sean Kingston’s “Beautiful Girls” and “Take You There.”

Tickets will be available starting with a Citi presale beginning on Tuesday, March 14. General onsale starts Friday, March 17 at 10 am at LiveNation.com.

July 15: Marca MP at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving
Mexican group Marca MP, featuring singer-guitarist Chato, guitarist Omar Valdivia, and tuba-player Ernesto Franco, plays romantic songs and old-fashioned corridos with a daring aesthetic, heard on songs such as the upbeat corrido “El Güero”. Their 2023 Brindó Tour, promoting their single "Déjame Ser," has five Texas dates including Majestic Theatre in San Antonio on July 8; Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land in Houston on July 14; and The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving on July 15.

Tickets will be available starting with Citi presale on Tuesday, March 14. Additional presales run throughout the week ahead of the general on sale beginning on Friday, March 17 at 10 am at livenation.com.

August 7: Jimmy Eat World and Manchester Orchestra at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
The two acts will co-headline The Amplified Echoes Tour, hitting 29 cities beginning July 11, with three Texas dates: at 713 Music Hall in Houston on August 7, Moody Amphitheater in Austin on August 8, and The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Dallas on August 9. Middle Kids will be joining the tour across all dates.

Ticket sales start with a Citi presale on Tuesday, March 14. Additional presales will run throughout the week ahead of the general on sale starting on Thursday, March 16 at 10 am at livenation.com.

August 23: Counting Crows at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
After a worldwide tour, rock band Counting Crows mounts a U.S. tour, joined by cult-favorite and longtime friend Dashboard Confessional, plus English singer/songwriter Frank Turner on select dates. The 56-date mega tour kicks off on June 13 in Omaha, with a stop at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving on August 23. Other Texas dates include August 19 at Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land, and August 22 at the Majestic Theatre in San Antonio.

Ticket presales begin on Tuesday, March 14 in select markets and the general ticket on-sale begins on Friday, March 17 at 10 am.

Loading...