From Ice-T to Eminem, the Game’s Best Raptors (Rappers x Actors)

Posted by E. Jaffe on 01/31/11 | Filed under Top Stories, Features, Movies

In life, two things are certain: change and “raptors” being in awful movies. For those of you who aren’t hip with the new lingo, a raptor is an individual, gifted or not, who displays talent as both a rap artist and an actor. In a sea of awful, the following individuals are being awarded for their merit in each respective medium. These are Hollywood’s Best Raptors.

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enigmAtic And ecstAtic (joshL)	Mark Wahlberg a bad actor? Stick to music E. Jaffe, you obviously don't know anything about the film industry.
	Posted on Jan 31, 2011

E. Jaffe

^Actually, I'm a student at the most selective film school in the country. So try again.

The Happening
Max Payne
The Planet of the Apes (Remake)
The Lovely Bones
Fear
The Truth About Charlie

Are we really going to argue that this is good acting:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Rq-7zEVuwI

Come on. He's better than most musicians-turned-actors, but he's certainly nothing special. His delivery is stiff and he's emotional capacity ranges from angry to annoyed. He was great in The Departed (for the five minutes he was actually in the movie) and good in The Fighter (a movie that he was easily the weakest part of), but the praise really ends there. He's in some okay films, but he's not a good actor. I'll stand by that statement until the day he wins anything that isn't a Nickelodeon Kid's Choice award.

Posted on Jan 31, 2011

Dro	No Tupac?
	Posted on Jan 31, 2011

E. Jaffe	^Should have mentioned it was the best alive. Sorry about that, Dro.
	Posted on Jan 31, 2011

BMW53	Hey Eminem actually made a small cameo in Funny People with adam sandler and seth rogen also...fyi.
	Posted on Jan 31, 2011

E. Jaffe	^Very true. Forgot about that. The role went uncredited for some reason. Props.
	Posted on Jan 31, 2011

enigmAtic And ecstAtic (joshL)

Just because you tell me you are in a high prestige school, it doesn't add any credibility to what you are saying. It also don't automatically qualify you as a film expert or even have a clue what you are talking about.

Three Kings
Rock Star
The Italian Job
The Perfect Storm
Invincible
The Departed
The Other Guys
The Fighter

Yet somehow the rest of America approves of this body of work and his performances in these movies, yet your opinion is the only one that matters. Kind of interesting don't you think?

Posted on Feb 01, 2011

enigmAtic And ecstAtic (joshL)	Yeah he has made some bad movies and had some bad performances, but I guarantee you that you can't name one actor where that hasn't happened.
	Posted on Feb 01, 2011

E. Jaffe

I never claimed my opinion was the only one that mattered. I made the list, it was posted, and it was done. You're the one who decided to make it personal ("Stick to music E. Jaffe, you obviously don't know anything about the film industry.")

You're entitled to your opinion and I'm entitled to mine. As for "the rest of America" approving of Wahlberg's body of work - find me one respectable film critic who would say he's an elite performer. The movies you listed are (for the most part) good. "Three Kings" is actually one of my favorite war films, but just because he's in good movies doesn't make him a good actor. "Three Kings" was a great film because David O. Russel is a top-notch director. Wahlberg's presence didn't add anything to the film.

Wahlberg is a mediocre actor. The movies you listed were good because they had good directors.

"The Fighter" is nominated for 8 Oscars right now:
Best Supporting Actor - Christian Bale
Best Supporting Actress - Melissa Leo
Best Supporting Actress - Amy Adams
Best Picture
Best Editing
Best Original Screenplay
Best Directing

Funny that every cast member was nominated but Wahlberg. I'm not claiming these are facts - they aren't - but if you're going to play the "rest of America approves of this body of work" card and speak for the entire country (ironically, you say I'm the one who thinks my opinion is the only one that matters), at least demonstrate that you know what America thinks.

Posted on Feb 01, 2011

E. Jaffe	That being said, other than Will Smith and maybe Queen Latifa, Whalberg is better actor than any of the other raptors on this list, but that's not saying much.
	Posted on Feb 01, 2011

enigmAtic And ecstAtic (joshL)

I never said he was elite like De Niro or anything like that, I said that he is a good actor and there is a lot of evidence that others agree.

If you honestly think that the director is the only thing that makes those movies good, then we obviously are at total different ends of the spectrum. Acting, screenplay, editing among many other hings is what makes those movies good. It is a team performance.

As for Marky Mark not being nominated for best actor, that is one of the most difficult things to accomplish in the film industry. There are plenty of cases where good or great actors don't get nominated for the award because of the level of competition.

When I said America approves of him, I wasn't talking about solely the film The Fighter. I was mentioning his body of work that has had major success. Do not try and say that America doesn't approve of Wahlberg, but enjoy all of his movies where he plays lead actor. Obviously writers, producers, and directors think he is talented.

I apologize for being a bit personal in my first comment, I just don't agree with what you said and fail to see your reasons for discrediting an actor who has a lot of influence in the film industry.

Posted on Feb 01, 2011

enigmAtic And ecstAtic (joshL)	One last thing, The Fighter is nominated for Best Picture and is widely being noted as the best Sports film of the decade. You don't get that kind of recognition from mediocre acting.
	Posted on Feb 01, 2011

Set_Gecko	Denzel does not look at explosions.... Blade does not look at explosions.... Van Damme does not look at explosions... Mark Whalberg is wearing a hat
	Posted on Feb 01, 2011

undadog4eva	i love Wahlberg! In fact he's a pretty big name here in australia! Any movie with his name on it is a guaranteed hit (apart from lovely bones...horrible movie!) nice list though! forgot about Mos Def in 16 blocks!
	Posted on Feb 01, 2011

E. Jaffe

Alright, I'm just going to close my argument by saying this: Wahlberg is not an awful actor. He has a lot of mainstream appeal and gets featured in a good film from time to time (as undadog4eva has pointed out), but he's far from the acting elite. "The Fighter" was nominated for Best Picture because it excelled in every category except, as it's nominations have shown, in it's leading role. On a scale from one to ten, I'd give Wahlberg a perfect five. He has proven, to some extent, that he can act, but never have I seen him in any performance that I would deem Oscar-worthy. As for the being in successful films argument - Michael Bay is probably the most successful director alive today and he's also one of the worst. Commercial success in film means exactly what it does in music: nada.

Posted on Feb 01, 2011

Nathan S.	^ I knew this was going to inspire an avalanche of comments and I was obviously right. I'll split the difference and say that Wahlberg is decent. He was dope in The Departed, although he was essentially just playing himself. He has had some bombs though.
	Posted on Feb 01, 2011

Danielle Harling	Can't we all just get along? Why must we let Marky Mark come between us?
	Posted on Feb 02, 2011

Mr Rizla	Well its funny how all them good directors just want to work with Mark, seeing as his not a good actor. Ok so he hasnt won an Oscar, but neither has ed norton or Brad pitt and they made Fight Club...
	Posted on Feb 05, 2011