Showing posts with label Mark Wahlberg. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mark Wahlberg. Show all posts

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Contraband

Directed by Baltasar Kormakur
2012
Viewed January 14, 2012

This is a pretty generic heist movie. Chris Farraday used to be a smuggler of all things illegal and has gotten out of that scene to focus on his wife and two young sons. His brother in law, Andy,  went on a drug run and ended up having to dump the drugs so as not to get caught by customs. Tim Briggs, who had sent Andy for the drugs wants $700,000 to replace the drugs, and he wants it quickly. Farraday sets up a run for some counterfeit money to make up for Andy's mistake. While he's gone Briggs makes good and sure to scare Farraday's family to make sure that he gets his money. This movie was pretty predictable, and as always, Mark Wahlberg (who plays Farraday) has the same expression on his face that he does in every other movie he's ever made. Briggs, played by Giovanni Ribisi is a generic unimaginitive thug. Ribisi needs to stop trying to play villians because he's not good at it. They had to give him facial hair and tattoos to make him look "scary". I did like Ben Foster as Farraday's best friend. I've always been a huge Ben Foster fan. I was entertained and Contraband was fun to watch and see how they pulled off their heist, so I think that I'll go with a C+

Sunday, December 19, 2010

The Fighter

Directed by David O. Russell
2010
Date Viewed: Friday December 17, 2010

The Fighter is based on the true story of boxer "Irish" Micky Ward and his journey to the World Welterweight Title. He was trained by his brother Dicky who was also a boxer until crack started to take over his life. This movie was pretty good, but I felt like Mark Wahlberg wasn't that great. I'm not sure if it's just that he didn't really have anything to do, or that that's just the way Micky really was. Just sort of deadpan... My guess is that it's just Mark Wahlberg since that's sort of how he always is (say hi to your mother for me)... The supporting cast was fantastic however. I always love Amy Adams in everything she's in, so that's sort of a given. Melissa Leo was horribly good as Micky's overbearing mother but the one who stole the show was Christian Bale. He completely transformed into Dicky Eklund. In the end of the movie they have footage of the actual people the movie is based on and Christian Bale was totally and completely Dicky. The Fighter has totally been set up as an Oscar contender, do I hear a nomination for Christian Bale??? A-