With The Happening opening today, I thought it appropriate to post up a new top five list – something I haven’t done for a long time. Since I haven’t seen The Happening yet, I can’t include that film in the list (I doubt it would make it anyway).
This is a list of the best Mark Wahlberg movies. Both in terms of acting and the quality of the film as a whole. List inspired by a little tangent Kurt and I got on during the most recent cinecast. At any rate, here are Mark Wahlberg’s top five performances/films.
5) Fear
– I admit I was just a pup when I saw this one, so maybe it’s a horrible movie; but it was either this or Rock Star and I remember leaving the theater with my date 12 years ago enjoying this movie. Not to be confused with the 1990 Ally Sheedy film of the same name.
4) I Heart Huckabees
– Again, it’s been a while since I’ve seen this, but A) we’ll be digging into this one on the upcoming movieclub podcast, B) Kurt mentioned how strong Wahlberg’s performance was in this film and C) I just found my review for this film way back when and it specifically mentions Wahlberg’s great performance. As for the film itself. Not so sure.
3) The Departed
– Up for a best supporting actor, Wahlberg was one of the many stand-outs in this picture. And as much as I love to bash Scorsese and come down on this movie for getting all the accolades when all it was was a rip-off, I gotta admit it was a damn good movie.
2) Three Kings
– Original, relevant, fun. Clooney and Wahlberg kicked some serious ass with their chemistry in this one. Tack on a great style and tone from David O. Russell and you have one of my top 100 favorite movies of all time.
1) Boogie Nights
– Forget top 100, this in my top 5. Love love LOVE this movie. And while PT Anderson is the main reason for that (check his commentary on the DVD; it’s terrific), it was also due, in no small part, to Mr. Wahlberg as Eddie Adams/Dirk Diggler/Brock Landers.
Thank you, good night and have a great weekend. Good luck to all on the 10,000 comment contest!
I really like Truth About Charlie. I also wish that Donnie would get more of the Roles that Mark is getting. I also think he is overrated in The Departed. The Flashy characters are always the easiest in my mind.
John, have you seen the original CHARADE? It’s great fun, with a boatload of watchable actors, including James Cobourn and Walter Matthau. A very fun time old-fashioned flick.
My Top 5 Wahlberg flicks:
1 Boogie Nights
2 Three Kings
3 I Heart Huckabees
4 The Basketball Diaries
5 The Departed
And FEAR absolutely stinks. Like total ass. I can’t believe you like that teeniebopper pablum. Embarassing to Wahlberg and especially Witherspoon. I remember feeling stupid just watching it years ago….Sorry I’ve got nothing constructive to say, I think I’ve mentally blocked it out.
Surprisingly, I’ve actually seen most of Wahlberg’s films. Here’s my list:
1. Three Kings
2. Boogie Nights
3. We Own the Night
4. Rock Star
5. The Big Hit
And I don’t mind Fear. Yes, it IS teeniebopper whatever but it’s not the worse film I’ve seen (though likely the worse with either of those actors)
Doh. Forgot about Bktball Diaries. Wahlberg wasn’t a big part of it though was he?
The Big Hit. heh.
Planet of the Apes baby, oh yeah.
Watching The Happening I noticed that he has a limited range with his voice, he is incapable of sounding menacing, its always a but whiny, which is why Boogie Nights was the perfect fit for him.
I kinda like the Planet of the Apes remake….
I liked him in Planet of the Apes, he was probably the film’s only redeeming factor ….
I don’t think I could name more then two movies I liked that he was in. He needs a new agent.
@Kurt – Yup I really like that movie also. It has “better” stars but I actually prefer the feeling of the remake more.
http://yesyouare.ytmnd.com/
just let it play
It gets funny after about the 20th time.
Fear is great! Anyone who defends The Happening doesn’t know what the fuck their speaking about.
Andrew, I can’t find any fault with this list.
I liked The Happening for the reasons mentioned n that podcast. As for Linda’s comment above, NO! The only redeeming factor from The Apes remake was Tim Roth as a terrific villain. In fact, if I remember correctly, it’s on par with Heath’s performance of Joker. Yeah, it’s that good. The thing TDK has going for it though is the movie itself is also good while Apes blows hard and cold.
My Happeining comment was directed at Kurt.
For the record, I don’t believe any of you actually liked that movie.
‘The Happening’ was a terrible film. There is no redeeming value in that film to me at all. M. Night Shyamalan is on my short list of directors who I won’t trust with my eight dollar price of admission.
I used to be a big fan of M. Night. He’s gotten too self involved though. All his films, from the Villiage and beyond, turn into referendums on himself.
He needs to stop worrying about whether or not people ‘get’ his films and go back to making sure his films are worth getting in the first place.
Regardless of whether or not I ‘got’ The Happening, the movie just sucks. It’s poorly constructed, inserts a completely inappropriate and unsuccessful sense of humor randomly into scenes. And it’s pretty clear that the actors were uncomfortable with his direction, and with good cause; it doesn’t make any sense and makes them look bad.
I like The Happening quite a bit. I wasn’t as big a fan of it as the previous four Shyamalan films, but it’s still better than most other american blockbusters.
At least you acknowledge his films are self involved and appreciate them on that level. Rather than concoct some tortured apology for them.
I can appreciate were you’re coming from and actually enjoy reading your thoughts on M. Night.
I highly recommend the book The Man Who Heard Voices though, if you give a shit about Shyamalan or the creative process either way.
“Like” The Happening isn’t quite right. I enjoyed watching a mad man direct a film and I like the discussion that can be sparked by said film.
Watching Wahlberg and Zooey absolutely fall apart was kind of fun and I sort of enjoyed the idea of nature physically fighting back. Even if it is unexplainable and carried out in a rather juvenile fashion.
Also, I associate the very end of the film sort of to Invasion of the Body Snatchers [1978]. Everyone sort of faking the happiness to appease nature. Or are they really happy people because of their ordeal or because they’re scared of it happening again.
Also, some of the shots in the movie are pretty cool. The hand gun in the street scene comes to mind.
Andrew, I think you should’ve made that distinction better in your original review. We all enjoy watching bad movies from time to time. But reviews that pretend that terrible films are really good annoy me. There’s a big difference between enjoyably terrible and actually good and if you’re going to be a serious critic it’s your obligation to make that distinction.
I’m a Shyamalan defender, and join Jay C. and Henrik as a Lady in the Water defender…
…but I thought the Happening was shit by any standard, and Wahlberg’s awful performance certainly helped a lot in arriving at that opinion. I will say though, that his horrible performance definitely makes the movie VERY entertaining and easy to watch.