Wahlberg taking no `Prisoners' in 09

It seems Mark Wahlberg is putting in a real effort to make up for a `disappointing’ 2008. I use `disappointing’ in inverted commas because as a hardcore Wahlberg fan I was definitely not disappointed with any of his performances last year. Critics on the other hand didn’t respond as positively leading to many a Wahlberg-lashing (metaphorically, thank heavens) online. For example, check out this letter to Mark Wahlberg published on the Empire blog which asks him to make better movies in `09. Of course, critics being critics they were all quick to condemn his parts in The Happening and Max Payne but were more than willing to overlook his brilliant turn in We Own The Night which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. Now that you have a bit of background history, it looks like Wahlberg has got a busy year ahead of him. Not only is he starring in Peter Jackson’s film adaption of The Lovely Bones (FYI the film Movie Mazzupial is most looking forward to this year) it has also been announced he will star alongside Will Ferrell in The B-Team, a action comedy about two incompetent cops. See the post February post Taking one for the team for more info. On top of this the sequel to The Italian Job, hilariously titled The Brazilian Job has a 2010 release date so he’ll be working pretty heavily on that. To throw another ingredient in his-return-to-form recipe, it as been announced Wahlberg will star in a dark thriller called Prisoners. Penned by up and comer Aaron Guzikowski, its about a Boston family-man whose 6-year-old daughter and best friend are kidnapped and then he takes matters in to his own hands by kidnapping the man he thinks is responsible. Yawn. This sounds like tired storyline which has been done again and again and again. Think Mel Gibson in Ransom, Denzel Washington in Man On Fire, Bruce Willis in Hostage and more recently Liam Neeson in Taken. This role plays right in to real life Boston boy Wahlberg’s comfort zone but the thing that interests me here is people are comparing the dark nature of the script to films such as The Silence Of The Lambs and Seven, which sounds a lot more promising than a formulaic rehash. Although Wahlberg is confirmed to star, studios are still trying to choose a director. Stay posted for more Prisoners updates.

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Dear Mark Wahlberg

So it's no secret I have an unhealthy obsession with Mark Wahlberg. Therefore you can only imagine my delight when I read a letter written to Mark Wahlberg by Dan Goodswen at one of my favourite blogs - theEMPIREblog. Although I will support Marky till death, or an AVO, do us part I found this post very endearing and reflective of how a lot of fans are feeling at the moment. You can read the letter in its entirity here: http://www.empireonline.com/empireblog/post.asp?id=308

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Break through the Payne barrier

God damn am I angry! I know it’s hard for many of you to believe but yes, Movie Mazzupial has the capacity to rage and rant and rage some more. After weeks of shiteous reviews I finally got up the courage to see Max Payne. And what happened? A decent, thrilling movie supported by a well rounded cast of brilliant actors. In its two hour entirety I saw nothing of a bad storyline or for that matter any of the thousand other things critics listed as elements that made this movie bad. Undoubtedly I may be a tad biased due to my obsession with Mark Wahlberg but try and put that aside for a second. I’ve read review after review comparing Max Payne to the dozens of other terrible video-game to movie adaptations and I beg you to ignore the critics. This film is worth the entry price and if you don’t see it, you’re missing out on one of the best action thrillers of 2008. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some door-knocking to do.

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World of Payne

So, the count down for the new Mark Wahlberg film is over. I would like to think I wasn't the only one crossing off days on the calendar but, odds are, I probably am. His latest flick Max Payne opens globally tomorrow (let me here you say `whoop whoop'). Max Payne news has featured heavily on this blog so I'm not going to bore you by going over the same ol' stuff. What I will say is I'm a little heartbroken at two early reviews for the film which have both given it one star out of five. One star! The fact Wahlberg is in the movie means it should automatically get two stars! The reviews appeared in the Sunday Mail and Empire Magazine online and in summary said the film maintains the low-standard of video game to film adaptions. My dream of an awesome action movie hasn't been completley shattered (yet) with majority of critics only being able to view the film tomorrow. A general consensus on Rotten Tomatoes hasn't been calculated due to no reviews being posted....so there's still hope! Just quietly I'll be holding my breath until I catch the wise words of Margaret Pomeranz and David Stratton on ABC tonight for At The Movies (10.05pm). Honestly though, if they give it one star too I might have to get all Max Payne on their arse.

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Wanna meet my friend Payne?

It’s a day ending in Y and that means another Max Payne trailer has hit the net. Not that I’m complaining, I mean, how could I? Any movie with Mark Wahlberg has got me bouncing up and down on my seat and squealing like a banshee. This trailer is likely to be the one screening in cinemas at a full length of 2 minutes 33 seconds unlike the teaser trailer I posted last month which was only 1 minute 13 seconds. Max Payne has a late October 2008 release date in Oz. What do you think of the new trailer? Thoughts? It shows a lot more of Mila Kunis which will have Family Guy fans excited. Check it out at http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1810007086/video/9486308
Looks angsty.

Oh, and here's some fresh promo images too. If these don't satisfy your Max Payne movie appetite than no bullet ridden, noir poster will.

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Good things come in twos, Part II

Secondly, the film adaption of the popular video game Max Payne has got me marking October 16, 2008 (the Australian release date) on my calendar with a big red YAY. As far as video game to film adaptions go all have been crap. Yes, that’s right, ALL. Think Doom, the Resident Evils, Final Fantasy, Hitman. Need I say more? I’m not sure whether it’s the slick trailer or edgy movie posters that have got me hoping Max Payne is the exception. It also might have something to do with Mark Wahlberg playing the title character. Not only is he a fine actor and at home in the action role he’s also, as a work colleague described, `total hotness’. The story is pretty basic and more of an excuse for lots of action and violence; however, it’s the cast who will pull this one off. After his wife and child are murdered as part of a conspiracy DEA agent Max Payne goes on a hunt to find those responsible. He teams up with assassin Mona Sax who’s out to avenge her sister's death. To add a bit of fuel to the raging inferno police, mob and a corporation are also hunting the pair. With Oscar nominee Wahlberg taking the lead his portrayal of Payne is likely to be high calibre. What’s even more enticing is the stellar support cast of Mila Kunis, Ludacris and Chris O’Donnell. Kunis is looking like she’s on her way to becoming a huge star thanks to her interesting choice in movie roles. Best known for being a central character on That 70s Show, she has also played a serial killer/psychopath in the sequel to American Psycho which was creatively titled American Psycho II. More recently she proved she can pull off comedy in Forgetting Sarah Marshall and only time will tell if she can handle being an action gal when she takes the reins in Max Payne as Mona Sax. Rapper by day and actor by night Chris `Ludacris’ Bridges is always good and former Batman sidekick O’Donnell is a strong performer in heavy, action laced roles.

You can view the Max Payne trailer here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JboQmDIdKWs

What movie are you looking forward to????

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