Movie Review Report

Clearly, I had to go see this movie because my man, Mark Wahlberg is in it (Can’t I still call him Marky Mark?). I was so glad to see he was in an action movie after seeing the disappointment of the year: The Happening.

Plot summary from Netflix:

Mark Wahlberg stars as the title character of this gritty crime thriller, centered on an undercover New York City DEA agent who teams up with a female assassin (Mila Kunis) to avenge the murder of his family. With supporting performances by Beau Bridges, Ludacris, Chris O’Donnell and Donal Logue.

I guess I should start off by saying I do not play video games. I’ve heard this movie is based on a video game but I’ve never heard of the game or seen the game so I’m sure hardcore gamers will have a very different and more passionate review for this movie. But, I’m just gonna pretend it’s not based on a video game because… I can.

I have to say, this was one of the weirdest movies I’ve ever seen in my life. I don’t know why, I just walked out of the theater thinking ‘Holy crap that was weird’. It had a very unique, strange feel to the whole movie.

Saying all that though, I did like the movie. There were some really awesome slow motion action scenes that were so cool to see. I thought it had a very original (albeit strange) plot line and the special effects were pretty cool.

Mila Kunis was kind of a weird casting choice but I didn’t hate her. Marky Mark did an awesome job as usual. And hopefully he is sticking to these types of characters once and for all. Please?

I would say it’s definitely worth the watch. I went with my Dad and he liked it too. It was kind of a man movie I guess.

My Rating:

Liked it

Review: Shooter
Review: We Own the Night

Max Payne, movie review, Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, Ludacris, Beau Bridges, Chris O’Donnell

I’m not gonna lie to you. Lately I’ve been in the midst of a pretty big obsession with the Wahlbergs. It started out with just Mark but has since grown to include Donnie (thanks to the New Kids on the Block reunion!). So, when I looked Donnie up on IMDB I came across this show, Boomtown. When I clicked on it I thought it sounded really interesting and like something I would enjoy so I rented a couple discs from Netflix. Ever since then I’ve been obsessed with this show…and Donnie. (Hey, don’t judge me, I have already watched every single movie Mark has been in and I needed a new obsession)

Here’s a short synopsis from Netflix:

This acclaimed series, starring Donnie Wahlberg, Neal McDonough and Mykelti Williamson, puts a unique spin on the typical police drama. Each crime story is told from several points of view — the detectives’, the cops’, victim’s, the perpetrator’s, the rescue team’s, the district attorney’s and the media’s — all presented out of sequence, leaving viewers guessing about the facts of the crime until the very end.

I absolutely LOVE this show. It’s the best show I’ve seen in a very long time. Each episode starts out with a new crime and usually showcases one character, but they show the story from every one’s point of view (like it says in the description). It kinda reminds me a little bit of Law and Order or something like that but very unique. I love every single character on this show, which is a really hard thing to accomplish because I have a real issue with making sure I like the characters. Because they show the story from each person’s point of view, it allows us to see different sides of each character and really understand how they feel about what’s going on and also get a look at what’s going on in their lives at the same time. The acting is amazing too. The cast is perfect and everyone does such a great job with their characters. My personal favorites are Detective Joel Stevens (Donnie Wahlberg), Officer Tom Turcotte (Jason Gedrick), and Teresa Ortiz (Lana Parilla).

The fact that they tell the story from different points of view may scare some people off, but they do it in a way that really accentuates the story instead of hurting it by being repetitive. You will definitely never get bored during an episode of Boomtown. You have to check these DVDs out. You will not be disappointed.

I cannot believe that it was cancelled during it’s second season! With all the garbage that is on TV today, they couldn’t keep a really entertaining, unique, well-made show on the air? It absolutely disgusts me. Luckily I got my hands on the lost 6 episodes of the second season so I got to see the entire series. I adored it from start to finish and I would highly recommend it to anyone. In fact, I already made a bunch of people watch it and they all loved it too.

My Rating:

Absolutely Loved it

Boomtown, Boomtown review, Donnie Wahlberg, Jason Gedrick, Lana Parilla, Neal McDonough, Mykelti Williamson, Mark Wahlberg

I had to go see this movie as soon as it came out because I love Mark Wahlberg and I was really excited to see him in something new. I rarely go out and spend the $10 to see a movie when it first comes out… and now I know why.

Plot summary from mymovies.net

Humanity is under threat in this chilling story which focuses on a middle school science teacher (Mark Wahlberg), his estranged wife (Zooey Deschanel), best friend (John Leguizamo) and his daughter as they fight to stay alive while a powerful neurotoxin creates global chaos.
What exactly is going on here? People all along the Eastern Seaboard of the United States are just dropping down dead. Is this some kind of new terrorist attack perhaps? Or is it something else? Something insidious and embedded in nature itself? Something has taken control of the world‘s animals and plants and that something also has plans for humanity. Cut off from the rest of humanity, the small band of survivors must rally together and determine the source of this strange pandemic.

This movie was not good. I was actually shocked by just how “not good” is was. As I’ve said before, I’m a huge Mark Wahlberg fan but this was by far the worst movie I’ve ever seen him in and also by far his worst performance. The acting was laughable (no really, I was in the theater laughing). Most of the characters were pointless and there was absolutely no character development. The plot was extremely weak. I just can’t believe that they thought this was going to pass off as a scary movie. It was not scary at all. There were definitely a few disturbing images but they were few and far between and also not really scary at all. I will say there was one part that was pretty creepy but I was already laughing at the movie by that point so I didn’t care.

I feel like this must have been M. Night Shyamalan’s fault because the whole movie had this really ridiculous vibe. Why does he get so much recognition when The Sixth Sense was his only good movie? And I’ve already completely forgiven Mark Wahlberg, because since all the acting was horrible I blame that on the director as well. I know Marky Mark is at his best when he’s being a bad-ass, but I’ve seen him do very well in other types of roles so I really have to blame this on poor direction or something. I don’t know, they were all acting really weird. You really have to see this movie to really understand what I’m talking about. The dialogue is HORRENDOUS. Nobody would ever say any of those lines in real life.

I’m sad, because I thought this movie had such potential and it was just not executed properly.

There’s nothing more I can really say. All the hype you’re hearing is completely unfounded. They made it look so good in the previews and they get me every time! Curse you enticing movie trailers!

I would say, you have to see this movie to believe it… but wait until it comes out on DVD.

By the way, these are the exact faces that both of these characters are making throughout 90% of the movie. I kid you not.

My Rating:

Didn’t Like it

Review: Shooter
Review: We Own the Night
Review: The Departed

The Happening, Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel, M. Night Shyamalan, The Happening review, movie review

Well, I’ve been in a little bit of a Mark Wahlberg phase so I’ve been watching a lot of his movies lately. I actually wanted to see Shooter when it came out in theaters but none of my friends wanted to see it with me. But that’s OK, I prefer watching movies alone anyways so I’m sure I enjoyed it more this way.

Plot summary from All Movie Guide:

A top Marine sniper who previously abandoned the military after a routine mission gave way to tragedy is double-crossed by the government after reluctantly being pressured back into service. There was a time when Bob Lee Swagger (Mark Wahlberg) was the best trigger-man in the military, but after growing disillusioned with the system, he disappeared without a trace. After being located at his remote mountain retreat by high-profile government officials following an extensive search, Swagger is coerced back into service in order to stop a determined assassin from taking out the President of the United States. In the process of carrying out his mission, however, Swagger suddenly realizes that he has been betrayed when he becomes the subject of a nationwide manhunt. Now wounded and desperate to reveal the culprits behind the conspiracy before it’s too late, Swagger sets into motion a revenge plan that will send shockwaves rippling to some of the most powerful and corrupt leaders in the free world.

So, I know this movie got some pretty mixed reviews but I really liked it; it was right up my alley. I’m a bit of a conspiracy buff so I loved the thriller/ conspiracy angle of the movie. Plus, it’s Mark Wahlberg in a great role giving yet another great performance. It’s a little different than some of his usual roles, but it was still Marky Mark doing what he does best; kicking ass.
Danny Glover also starred in the movie but not as the lovable father figure you’re used to seeing. He was a bad guy! Danny Glover as a bad guy? I didn’t like it. I’m not saying he didn’t do a good job but I just don’t like seeing him as the bad guy; it doesn’t fit.

This screams ‘guy movie’ but I’ve been known to enjoy a good ‘guy movie’ with the rest of them. If you haven’t seen it, would definitely say, ignore any bad reviews and sit down and watch a very entertaining action/thriller movie. It’s definitely worth watching.
And ladies, if you don’t like explosions, violence and car chases, you can at least enjoy watching Mark Wahlberg for two hours… let’s be honest here.

My Rating:

Really Liked It

Review:The Departed
Review: We Own the Night

Shooter, Mark Wahlberg, Michael Pena, Danny Glover, conspiracy, movie review

I wanted to see this movie when it came out on DVD because I’m a big fan of Mark Wahlberg and it looked like the kind of movie I usually enjoy, but I ended up having mixed feeling about it.

Plot summary from imdb.com:

Brooklyn, 1988. Crime is rife, especially drugs and drug violence. A Russian thug is building his heroin trade, while everyone laughs at the cops. Brothers have chosen different paths: Joe (Mark Wahlberg) has followed his father Bert (Robert Duvall) into New York’s Finest; he’s a rising star. Bobby (Joaquin Phoenix), who uses his mother’s maiden name, manages a club. Bobby too is on the rise: he has a new girlfriend (Eva Mendez) and a green-light to develop a Manhattan club. Joe and Bert ask him to help with intelligence gathering; he declines. Then, Joe raids Bobby’s club to arrest the Russian. From there, things spiral out of control: the Russian puts out a hit on Joe, personal losses mount, and Bobby’s loyalties face the test.

Can I just start out by saying that I’ve always hated Joaquin Phoenix for some reason; I’m not really sure what it is. But I hated him much less in this movie than I normally do (I’m not saying I liked him, I’m just saying I hated him less). Same with Eva Mendez actually, she wasn’t as annoying in this movie as she normally is. But on the opposite side, I have always loved Mark Wahlberg and in this movie it was no different. He did an awesome job and I just love him.

The movie wasn’t as good as I thought it was going to be. I love this type of movie: crime, drug busts, cops, yadda, yadda, yadda, but for some reason when it was over I was just like, eh.
I thought the overall ideas of the movie were kind of a mix between The Departed and American Gangster but nowhere NEAR as good as those two movies which are two of my all-time favorites. That’s why I was a little surprised that I didn’t like it more… it had the potential to be a very good movie but for some reason it just missed the mark. It was actually kind of boring in parts which was surprising considering the subject material.
I would say that it’s worth checking out but don’t expect too much from it. Some of the performances, especially Mark Wahlberg’s, will make it worth the time.

My Rating:

It was OK

Review: American Gangster
Review: The Departed

We Own The Night, Mark Wahlberg, Joaquin Phoenix, Robert Duvall, Eva Mendez, The Departed, American Gangster, movie review

After watching American Gangster I realized that I hadn’t seen The Departed in a long time. When The Departed first came out I was obsessed with it. I think I honestly watched it like 7 times in a very short period of time so I had to give it up for a while. Now, I finally just watched it again for the first time in over a year, and I still love it just as much as the first time I saw it.

Short plot outline from imdb.com:

Two men from opposite sides of the law are undercover within the Massachusetts State Police and the Irish mafia, but violence and bloodshed boil when discoveries are made, and the moles are dispatched to find out their enemy’s identities.

This is one of my all time favorite movies. The acting in this movie was just so awesome and there were so many great actors. Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, they all gave amazing performances as well as the rest of the cast. I have to say though, my favorite character is definitely Billy Costigan; I loved the way Leonardo DiCaprio played him. He had so much depth and was such a vulnerable character.

I remember watching the Academy Awards for 2006 and I had to make sure that The Departed won for Best Picture because it was just such and amazing movie and it deserved to win, for sure. And I was also very happy that Martin Scorsese finally got an Oscar for Best Director. I was a little surprised though that there weren’t more nominations for the actors (Only Mark Wahlberg was nominated for Best Supporting Actor). The Departed had everything you could ever want in a movie. Even though it was over 2 and a half hours long, it never once dragged for felt like it was too long.
Great cast, great acting, great story. Doesn’t get any better than this.

Review: American Gangster
Review: Leonardo DiCaprio in Blood Diamond

My Rating:

Absolutely Loved It

The Departed, movie review, Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Matt Damon, Academy Awards, Best Picture, American Gangster