Mark Wahlberg Getting Washed Away...

Is it me or has Mark Wahlberg getting old already? I mean I love his films, and he's a decent actor, but now its just getting all old, his best work was in The Basketball Diaries & Fear.


What do you all think?

I have to disagree. I think Mark is getting better all the time, and Planet of the Apes is probably his largest project to date. I havn't seen more than a little bit of Boogie Nights, but I've heard much praise for him there. Not long ago, he was in both The Perfect Storm, and Three Kings. In my opinion, he's getting better, and not worse. I havn't seen The Basketball Diaries, but from what I remember of Fear, I was unimpressed.

Oh, you really do need to see The Big Hit. It slows down a little as it goes on, but it's only 90 mins or so long, and is hilarious! Wahlberg is excellent, as is Lou Diamond Philips.

I agree w/you TWT 100%. I have seen every film of Wahlberg's and yes a few of his stunk but that happens to every actor. But he is no way washed out. As long as he doesn't do a New Kids on the Block reunion, he'll be just fine.

Eeew, The Big Hit? That's like his worst movie.

He really is a very good actor, as Boogie Nights and Three Kings shows. I'd like to see him play a psychotic murderer who does lots of screaming (Fear doesn't count. That was an MTV film ).

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I really thought Fear was one of his best, and he was ok in the perfect storm and boogie nights, the big hit was pathetic.

Hey, he may not have been the best in The Big Hit, BUT it was still a really cool, funny movie.

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I liked the Big Hit for what it was. Certainly not his best work (though Mark was still good in it), and it's certainly a flawed movie. But I enjoyed it for what it was.

"Mmm, I wanna pour milk on you and make you part of my complete breakfast"
"Yo baby, do you have a number for me?"
"911!"
"Damn lesbians!"

LOL!

Oh god, that movie is SO terrible. I'm sorry, I just can't enjoy 100 minutes of redundant explosions, gunplay, and terrible dialogue. It's not funny at all. It's shockingly unoriginal as well. Seriously, I start scratching my head when thousands of bullets are fired all over a room, but no one in the place is shot unless the terribly expository dialogue sets it up. And how racist is that movie? What the hell is up with the scene with Marky's girlfriend's parents? That's a terrible stereotype of Jewish folks. I suppose if you enjoy soulless movies that try way too hard to be "cool" then you are in heaven. If you like movies that actually make you think, and actually mean something, then you're SOL.

I couldn't agree more Steve.

C'mon. The Mummy Returns doesn't mean anything. Tomb Raider didn't make you think. A movie doesn't have to do to be either of those things to be good. As for stereotypes: I don't really give a crap, to be honest with you. If it's done reasonably well, and is funny, that's all that matters to me. And yes, this includes stereotypes relating to me. I don't care when I see Ned Flanders looking like a fool on The Simpsons -- it's funny stuff!

I guess the summary of this post would be "chill out." We can either be offended when someone pokes fun at us, or we acknowledge that it's partially true (most stereotypes are just exaggerated truth) and have fun with it, or we can complain about it. I realize that MOST outspoken Christians are too sappy for their own good, and I also realize that most Jewish people are handy with money. Big whoop...certain cultures emphasize certain things.

I'm sure I'll be flamed for this. Oh well.

I wasn't crusading against dumb movies in general, just The Big Hit. It's too self-important for its own good, and it thinks its way too funny. Tomb Raider had something that The Big Hit and for that matter, the Mummy Returns didn't: a heart. It knows how goofy it is, and it revels in it, and doesn't cave into the cynical crap that infects most movies today. (not to mention that Tomb Raider's visuals and action sequences are top-notch, while the Mummy's are boring and shoddy, and The Big Hit's are unoriginal.)

Also, I'm not opposed to using stereotypes as a form of comedy. I agree with your opinions on it, for the most part. But I am opposed to it when there's no setup, payoff, or unique angle shed onto things. I don't see a reason in the film for his girlfriend's Jewishness other than to set up these stereotypical characters, and that is wrong to me. They're using Jews as a gimmick - they want us to think it's funny that her parents are Jewish, not that they're well written, humorous characters (which, unfortunately, they aren't.). That just doesn't seem right to me, and I've got to call that movie out on it.

Well, perhaps, but you seemed upset with the racial aspect of it, rather than your feeling that they are written poorly. Oh, and I think The Mummy Returns was damn good.

I guess we'll disagree then, Steve. My friends and I think that The Big Hit is an awesome film. The Jewishness of the parents is an excuse for the mother to dislike the son (for example, "I'm sure you are very nice... Irish-German boy"). It could have been any illogical or prejudiced reason, so why not Jewish racism against Melvin? He had a good job (they don't of course know that he is a hitman), he treats their daughter well, and so on. I also can't see how it's racist when the father has no problem with Mel - indeed, the only reason that he doesn't particularly think that Mel should marry his daughter is that Mel is too good for her! Even the name Melvin Smiley for a hitman is funny - it revels in it's own ridiculousness, such as the over-the-top first scene where they go and do the hit in the hotel. Brilliant!

If it's the racism in films that annoys you, then I suggest that you avoid watching any film where the criminal is English or Russian, as they always seem to be, and feel free to look back in the threads for a long discussion we had ages ago over how Hollywood falsifies facts to glorify the American's role in things that they had nothing to do with (such as in UH-571). Everyone is sunject to racial stereotypes, and part of the jokes is that people who are switched on know that they are just that, and nothing more. Do you really think that every Jew's first thought on persuading her daughter to dump her fiance would be whether or not the dumpee (Mel) would let the ex-future-parents-in-law keep the $50,000 that he lent them?

I loved that movie too! I think its great!

I find The Big Hit to be a very funny movie. I mean so what it's not a big action packed blockbuster. It has a lot of actors in it that didnt have a good career going..It still made for a good movie.

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I keep reading different reviews about The Big Hit. I haven't seen it yet ....with all this hub bub i think i will.