Green Book
The title of this movie refers to ‘The Negro Motorist Green-Book’, which was a guidebook for black road travellers. It was published by Victor Hugo Green from the mid-thirties to the mid-sixties when discrimination against non-wites was the norm across much of, in particular, the southern US. Green’s book helped coloured people to find accommodations, restaurants and road houses where they would be welcome.
Pain & Gain
Michael Bay + Marky Mark + The Rock…? That doesn’t bode well…
So I started watching it with some trepidation. Guess what: it is surprisingly entertaining. No spoilers so I won’t go into the story, but these guys have lost the plot. And this is supposedly not even just based on a true story, it effectively is a (Bay-ified) docudrama of the actual events. The acting is surprisingly good – The Rock is funny in his reborn stupidity; Tony Shalboub is on form as asshole/victim, and Mark Wahlberg is believable as the man-with-a-plan.