Tag: Mark Wahlberg

Shooter

Being a big fan of anything that involves snipers – movies, video games, books, etc – I am surprised that I haven’t heard anything at all about “Shooter“.  It is one of those niche things that is done for the fans only.

The story is not particularly thick or twisted.  On the contrary, it’s quite straightforward and predictable.  But that didn’t spoil the film too much.  It was shot nicely, with some really nice photography.  And the casting was excellent – Mark Wahlberg, Danny Glover, Rade Serbedzija, Rhona Mitra, and the rest did their job very well.

Overall, there is not much too say more.  If you are a fan of snipers, this movie is a must see.  If not, then I don’t know – it’s a nice action movie based on a rather weak story.  4 out of 5.

The Fighter

The other day I watched “The Fighter” – a sports drama based on the life and career of the boxer Micky Ward.  As with most other sport dramas, the main course of the story is known and predictable.  Those movies are not done, watched, and enjoyed for their twisted plots.  Instead, they are all about people and specific circumstances.  And this film is not an exception.

To be honest, I’ve never heard about Micky Ward before this film.  So it was interesting for me to discover who he is and how he came up to be what he is.  It was also interesting to see a rather realistic approach to the story – less glamor, hot chicks, and big fights and more of hard work, sweat, personal drama, and overall resistance.   The film helps to illustrate the idea that champion is 1% of talent and 99% of hard work.  It also shows how impossible it is to satisfy everyone and how that often leads one to very hard choices, and how those choices have to be made.

Overall, I really enjoyed the film.  Interesting characters, good acting, and authentic cinematics all make this film so much better.  A 4 out of 5 from me.  Recommended.

Date Night

Last Friday I went to see “Date Night“.  Actually, I went to see another movie, but I was confused by the scheduled and arrived at incorrect time.  So instead of going back home decided to see this one.  Even though I didn’t particularly liked the trailer and didn’t expect much of this movie.

It wasn’t exceptional by any means – the story was average, the acting was average, there were plenty of things we’ve seen before in other movies.  But somehow it still made me laugh a lot and left me with a couple of things to think about.

Good Friday evening entertainment altogether.  4 out of 5.

Max Payne

I just came back from the movies – watched “Max Payne” with a friend of mine.  I wanted to see this film since I came across the trailer.  I know a few people who were waiting quite a bit for this film, since there is a video game with the same title, and, if I am not mistaken, everything started with a comics.  But don’t take my word for it.

The film turned out to be very pleasing visually.  Lots and lots of really cool special effects, focal points, perspective changes, and the like.  Lots of things are done properly – snow, water, fire, broken glass, flying bullets, explosions, and so on and so forth.  And all that comes together with nice soundtrack.  Pleasant experience.

As for the rest of it – the film was pretty weak.  The story is one of those usual stories that you have seen in a million other stories.  Characters aren’t very well developed though.  And the best characters never live up to their fame.  Nicely looking lady – killed in the beginning.  Really evil looking guy – even worse.  There is a lack of major battle, and whatever replaces it is a sorry excuse.  Disappointing.

Altogether, I’d give it a 6.5 out of 10.  If you like good visuals, then go see it on the big screen.  You won’t be disappointed no matter how lacking the rest of the film is.  But if you need more than just special effects, than wait for the DVD to come out.  That’s about all I can say about this one.

The Departed

How many celebrities can you imagine involved in a single movie?  Try the cast of “The Departed“.  Directed by Martin Scorsese.  Main roles played by Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio, Martin Sheen, Mark Wahlberg, Alec Baldwin, and more.  Even one of the co-producers was Brad Pitt himself. There was practically no way to spoil this film.  So, no wonder it won 4 oscars plus a whole bunch of other awards and nominations.

Did I like this film?  Yes.  It was very good.  I liked the story and the way it was told.  I liked acting a lot.  Leonardo did especially well.  And Baldwin.  And Nicholson of course.  And the other ones too.

But.  Something is missing in this film. I can’t put my finger on it though.  I’d rate this film as a solid 8.5, or maybe even 9 out of 10.  But, it was so very close to 10, to a perfect movie, but it’s not.  If you have any idea of what is missing, please share in the comments.  I’d really like to know.  Because the rest of it is so good…