Who knew underwear models could be so complex?

Yes, today we present two sides of the man, the myth, the Marky Mark.

Maybe a remake of "What's Happening!!" would have been better: "The Happening"

Ah, yes ... the latest from M. Night Shyamalamalamalan. I remember the trailer being intriguing, and the reviews being not so hot. I also recently saw an IMDb comment board post that said Night would make great 15-minute movies. That's about right.

Our story: One morning in Manhattan, people start getting confused, then killing themselves. Soon the attack/virus/whatever is spreading, causing people in Philadelphia to flee. This includes Mark Wahlberg as a high school science teacher, his might-be-cheatin' wife Zooey Deschanel and their friend John Leguizamo, who has a cute little daughter. They end up on a train to the country, but let's just say it gets harder and harder to get away from whatever is ... happening. (Ooohh!)

Strange movie, and not even in the normal Night way. For one, it's R-rated, and I can see why. There's some gruesome stuff in here. Not bloody as much as, well, horrifying. When people are somehow ordered to kill themselves, the cleverness they show is surprising. Still not sure how I feel about it all, but suffice it to say it wasn't pleasant.

Second, while Shyamalan apparently wanted Wahlberg for this role, it's a bad, bad fit. Wahlberg is always better when he was at least some menace, and here he's just a lost teacher. I felt bad for him, and not just because of his wife. (Deschanel wasn't a great choice, either.)

Then there's the explanation for the happening. I actually liked the idea, which made sense in a way. But people trying to outrun an unseen foe doesn't usually work outside of the "Evil Dead" movies, and the resolution of the crisis left me wanting. What was meant to be a ominous warning really came off as a "That's it?" moment. Even the very last scene couldn't save it, and this comes from a guy who has no problem seeing the French go down.

Somewhere Billy Zane is p*ssed off: "Shooter"

I mean, his "Sniper" was the definite "looking through a scope" movie, right?

This one seemed to come out of nowhere a couple of years ago, and I vaguely recall it not being panned by critics. Throw in Wahlberg as a much tougher guy than in the above spookfest, and "Shooter" was worth a spot on the DVR list.

Our man Mark is a former military sniper who got wronged while on a top-secret job. A few years later, some super-secret guys ask him to help thwart a planned assassination of the president. Alas, it turns out our hero is framed, and goes on the run after the near-death of the Commander in Chief. Coming to his aid are his buddy's widow and an FBI agent who smells something fishy in the whole assassination investigation. (Say that five times fast.)

Now this role is right for Wahlberg. Sure, he's a little small to be a convincing military badass, but he pulls it off well enough. The generally good Michael Pena, as the FBI agent, is solid, too, although his coming around happened a little too smoothly. As the widow and would-be love interest, Kate Mara is -- what's the word I'm looking for here? Ah, yes -- hot. Or maybe it was the very first shot of her in a tight white tank top that showed her ... attributes, and in more detail than I expected. More cleavage shots followed, and I must say I was pleasantly surprised as what she brought to the party.

Other notables include Danny Glover as the guy who gets Wahlberg for the job, Elias Koteas as his crazy cohort and Rhona Mitra as ... someone else. Oh, and let's not forget Ned Beatty as a corrupt senator and Levon Helm(!) as a gun expert who has some funny lines.

In the end, though, this is about Wahlberg and the bang-bang, and despite some silliness -- like our hero's name (Bob Lee Swagger) and him not having a clue that this just might be a set-up -- "Shooter" isn't bad. The sniper stuff is interesting, and there's some good chase/action stuff. Wahlberg and his character have the right attitude for the situation. Definitely better than original choice Keanu Reeves. Sure, he was an Eff Bee Eye agent and all, but I'll take Dirk Diggler over Neo, seeing as how this is outside the Matrix.