Peter Jackson sees dead people. Or rather, he likes seeing dead people. From the zombies of Braindead to the ghosts of The Frighteners to the Armies of the Dead in Return of the King, the no-longer-living seem to be a favorite subject of his. Which explains why, perhaps, he was drawn to buy the rights to the acclaimed book The Lovely Bones, about a murdered girl who watches her family from a sort of limbo in the wake of her death. Undoubtedly, the chance to use special effects to re-create the constantly morphing In-Between was part of the appeal for Jackson, but he should have saved his pixels for King Kong 2.

Tags: Mark Wahlberg, The Lovely Bones

In all the ways that count, The Other Guys is a standard Will Ferrell movie. It features absurd scene resolutions, conversations about conversations, and violent vocal outbursts a-plenty. But it may be the funniest one yet. I know, I know, Anchorman, Elf and Talladega Nights are all pretty damn funny, but there's nothing like seeing a fresh movie for the first time to eclipse everything that came before. At the very least, this movie is just as funny as anything Will Ferrell has ever done, thanks to hysterical performances by Mark Wahlberg and Michael Keaton, and possibly even more ridiculous and nonsensical. Seriously, there are moments in the film where you will literally say, out loud, "What the hell?!" Okay, you'll probably use stronger language, but I'm assuming there will be kids around -- it's PG-13, after all.

Tags: Mark Wahlberg, review, The Other Guys, Will Ferrell

Have you ever watched a sports underdog movie and been satisfied by the formula, but just thought to yourself "If only these characters were ridiculous Masshole caricatures, this movie would have been so much more special and enjoyable"? Then you and Fighter director David O. Russell have that in common. Something else you two have in common? You were both right.

Tags: Amy Adams, boxing, Christian Bale, David O. Russell, Fighting, Mark Wahlberg, Melissa Leo, review

Have you ever watched a sports underdog movie and been satisfied by the formula, but just thought to yourself "If only these characters were ridiculous Masshole caricatures, this movie would have been so much more special and enjoyable"? Then you and Fighter director David O. Russell have that in common. Something else you two have in common? You were both right.

Tags: Amy Adams, Christian Bale, David O. Russell, Mark Wahlberg, Melissa Leo, review, The Fighter

The Mark Wahlberg video-game adaptation Max Payne recently came out on DVD, and consider me one of the 18% who think the movie was pretty damn good. I'm not a gamer, so I can't compare it to the source material, but I enjoyed the hell out of it, and that goes a long way with a movie like this. I'm not saying it's Oscar-worthy or anything, but if there was an Oscar given out to video game movies starring overrated actors, this one would totally deserve it, because it has so many things working against it, and I still thought it was a blast. Because I'm 13 years old, apparently. See the five obstacles it faced -- and surpassed -- after the jump.

Tags: Mark Wahlberg, Marky Mark, Max Payne, video game

Mark Wahlberg has been out promoting Max Payne over the weekend, and in the process making -- and breaking -- a lot of news.

- In a Q&A with ComingSoon.net, Wahlberg said that Darren Aronofsky's The Fighter might not be happening at all, much to Wahlberg's disappointment (and ours). Wahlberg says he's not going to stop training for the tale of real-life boxer Mickey Ward (whom Wahlberg was to play), but that he's doubtful it will happen now, but he wouldn't elaborate, saying it's "too depressing to talk about." Maybe the reason is that Brad Pitt's no longer involved. (I have to wonder: Does Pitt have something against Aronofsky, because he keeps signing up for his movies and lending them a high profile, then dropping out. The Fountain recovered with Hugh Jackman, but sounds like The Fighter might not.

Tags: Cocaine Cowboys, Darren Aronofsky, Entourage, Mark Wahlberg, Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, Saturday Night Live, Smoke Jumper, SNL, The Departed 2, The Fighter

Earlier this month, Das Gamer posted an interview in which director John Moore bemoaned the fact that the Motion Picture Association of America gave his Max Payne an R rating. Normally, this wouldn't be surprising, as the video games on which the movie is based earned "Mature" ratings from the ESRB, the gaming world's equivalent of an R movie. But the news did surprise Moore, who not only aimed for a tamer rating while filming, but saw The Dark Knight's PG-13 and expected to earn the same for his own movie. The association's reasoning, according to Moore, was that it "felt dark." Well, what a difference a few weeks makes. Game Daily is now reporting that Moore has won his battle with the MPAA and gotten Payne its PG-13.

Tags: John Moore, Mark Wahlberg, Max Payne, Mila Kunis, MPAA, rating, video game movie

Some people look to movie stars for tips about the latest starvation diet secrets or how to properly maintain one's hair extensions. Some may look to directors for insight about how to handle long work hours, or how to manage the egos of our bosses and coworkers. But they have other advice to offer, advice we can put to use in our own lives in very practical ways. Or at least we can mock it a little. First up is advice from writer/director/"actor" M. Night Shyamalan. According to MTV, the worst advice actor Mark Wahlberg ever got was from Shyamalan. Are you shocked? Neither am I.

Tags: Angelina Jolie, Clint Eastwood, Jason Butler Harner, M. Night Shyamalan, Mark Wahlberg, Max Payne, The Happening