Today, we're celebrating the 41st birthday of actor Mark Wahlberg. A Boston native and the youngest of nine children, Mark had plenty of ups and downs during his adolescence and youth. He got his first big start as a member of his brother Donnie's musical group New Kids on the Block, but he soon branched out on his own and created Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. From there, Wahlberg channeled his impressive physique into modeling for Calvin Klein. At the same time, however, Mark had quite a few run-ins with the law after some rather serious offenses. Ultimately, he managed to keep his fury at bay, and he transitioned to the acting scene and has slowly grown into one of the more popular men to grace the silver screen. In 2009, Wahlberg married long-time girlfriend Rhea Durham, with whom he has four children. Wahlberg has also started to take seat in the producer's chair, most prominently with his producing role for the television show "Entourage." Here's a look at some of the fun facts and accolades associated with Wahlberg's acting career:
Acting
First Film: Renaissance Man (1994)
Last Film: Contraband (2012)
Next Film: Ted (2012)
Academy Awards
Nominated: Best Supporting Actor, The Departed (2006)
Nominated: Best Picture, The Fighter (2010)
Over the years, I've managed to see twelve of Wahlberg's films, and on average, his films have received a 'B-' grade. From these twelve, I have created the following list of my five favorite of his performances:
5. Micky Ward
The Fighter (2010)
*****
4. Mickey
The Basketball Diaries (1995)
*****
3. Eddie Adams / Dirk Diggler
Boogie Nights (1997)
*****
2. Dignam
The Departed (2006)
*****
1. Tommy Corn
I Heart Huckabees (2004)
Once again, I would like to wish Mark Wahlberg a happy 41st birthday!
It's been a little while since I've seen this former Best Picture winner, but it was high time that I sat down and gave The Departed another viewing. I'll never forget the first time I saw the film: I was living in Santa Cruz at the time, and my mother and some friends had driven up the coast to see me. They thought the best way to enjoy the company would be to take in a movie, so we opted to go with this Scorsese venture. And while I don't personally think it's the best of Scorsese's films - for me, that would have to be 1976's Taxi Driver - but it was the one that finally garnered him an Academy Award win for Best Director. If you ask me, that has to say quite a bit.
What most people don't know is that The Departed is actually a bit of a remake, fashioned as an Americanized version of the 2002 Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs. I personally haven't seen that particular film, so I can't really compare and tell you which is better, but with an all-star cast like the one we're given in this version, I think the original fare would be hard-pressed to be considered the better of the two. Let me break this down for you a little bit: just between the actors listed above, they have a whopping twenty Academy Award nominations and three wins (although, twelve nominations and all three wins belong to Nicholson). Still, that's quite an impressive roster that we're dealt. Wahlberg scored an acting nomination for his role in the film, but I personally believe that Nicholson was snubbed a bit as he delivers easily the best and most entertaining performance in the film. I could probably go on for days about how good each particular member of the cast proves to be, but that would take me literally days. Just know that you're given an all-star cast that delivers on all cylinders.
Now, I know there have been some individuals who had issue with the film's screenplay. Namely, they were a tad confused by the speed with which the film ends. To be fair, the final ten minutes of the film pass at blinding speed, almost giving the audience no time to absorb everything they're seeing. Yes, it's frantic, but I personally think it offers just the right amount of catharsis needed for a film of this nature. The overall plot is so elaborate that the audience finds itself getting so worked into the story that we need some sort of drastic release at the end. This is where The Departed truly delivers. Sure, the journey towards the end is fantastic, but the ultimate payoff is the reason that this film has reached into the annals of film history and cemented itself as an instant classic.
We also get an utterly fantastic and innovative musical score from the likes of Howard Shore, who has also scored films like Se7en, The Aviator and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. However, he may have presented my favorite of his compositions with this film. Here's a little taste of what he brings to the table - I'd bet you that you'll enjoy it:
Overall, Scorsese definitely brought a winning combination of screenplay and acting to the screen for this Best Picture winner. It's a movie that definitely doesn't get old with multiple viewings, and in fact, I'm sure I've started to appreciate it all the more each time I watch it. If you haven't seen this film, you should drop what you do and give it a gander. I can almost guarantee you'll enjoy it.
Before you start jumping the gun, there's a perfectly legitimate reason for me to own The Happening. I first saw the movie on its opening weekend with a friend of mine, and in the beginning, we were actually intrigued and enthralled by the originality of the storyline. An unknown airborne toxin causes people to lose control of their wits, leading to their eventual suicide. Sounds creepy enough, right? However, one particular scene changed the film from a thriller to a comedy. If you read my post about finding the beauty in bad movies, you'll have seen that clip. At that moment, I literally laughed out loud in the theater, and within the next few minutes, the rest of the audience had joined my chorus of laughter.
This film's screenplay is arguably one of the worst I've ever experienced. It starts out strong enough, but it ultimately starts to spiral out of control. In the beginning, we get an effective thriller that does well to pique our interest, but it slowly turns into a movie that sees our characters running away from the wind. When you're simply bouncing from suicide to suicide, there's really not much for the audience to latch onto, except perhaps the acting performances.
(Un)fortunately, we're given some career-worst performances from both Wahlberg and Deschanel. I could probably go on for hours about the other major supporting roles, but most of the blame for this flick lands on our two leads. To be fair, a lot of the problem lies with how the characters were written, but you'd think that such consistent actors as Mark and Zooey would find a way to make the childishness of their characters seem a little more believable. As it stands now, they're just childish, all the way down to wearing mood rings to show their love for another.
Overall, The Happening truly is a massive joke that Shyamalan probably thinks holds a massive political statement. Unfortunately for him, it quickly turns into a laugh-fest that simply cannot be taken seriously. There's a reason I placed it on my list of favorite "so bad, it's good" films and why it now ranks as the worst film I've ever seen. Sometimes unintentional comedies are the most satisfying.
