contraband

Contraband

Mark Wahlberg stars as Chris Farraday, a reformed smuggler who gets dragged back into illegal activities when a drug dealer (Giovanni Ribisi) threatens his family. In order to secure his family's safety, Chris must employ his drug-running skills and settle his brother-in-law's debt to the crime boss. Intense action ensues as Chris assembles his former team and heads to Panama for a final run that goes awry. Ben Foster and Kate Beckinsale also costar. DVD extras include a making-of featurette, deleted scenes, and commentary from the director and producer.

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Dark Tide

Shark expert Kate (Halle Berry), once known as "the shark whisperer," leaves the business of diving with the fearsome creatures after a shark attacks and kills her mentor. As her life begins to fall apart and her debts grow higher, her old boyfriend (Olivier Martinez) shows up with a proposal that could earn her the money she needs to save her company. Kate has to overcome her fears and guide a thrill-seeking millionaire through the infested waters of Shark Alley.

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Audiences were eager to see Kate Beckinsale back in her leather suit, as her action sequel Underworld: Awakening won first place at the box office with $25.4 million. It was followed by historical drama and fellow new release Red Tails, which earned $19.1 million. The third spot went to last weekend's box office winner Contraband, with $12.2 million. The 9/11 tearjerker Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close came in at No. 4 in its first weekend in wide release with $10.5 million, while Stephen Soderbergh's new action release Haywire rounded out the top five with $9 million.

Photo courtesy of Screen Gems

Audiences were looking for action in the theater this weekend, as the Mark Wahlberg-led new release Contraband won first place at the box office with $24.1 million. Following behind was the re-release of Beauty and the Beast in 3D, which earned $18.5 million, and was also a brand new entrant into theaters. In third place was the sequel Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol, which added $11.5 million to its haul, while Dolly Parton and Queen Latifah's Joyful Noise was hot on its heels with $11.3 million. Rounding out the top five was Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows with $8.4 million.

Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures

Mark Wahlberg is back in his finest action star form for Contraband, where he stars as Chris Farraday, a man who used to be criminally great at smuggling, but has since gotten out of "the life." Though he's now a stable family man married to a blond Kate Beckinsale, he finds himself pulled into one more heist after his wife's brother gets involved with some thugs, led by Giovanni Ribisi. When they threaten his wife and kids, Chris has no choice but to jump back in with a job smuggling a huge load of cash and reunite with his old crew, which includes Ben Foster and Lukas Haas.

I like Wahlberg the most when he's heading up an action thriller, gun in his hand, and that's exactly what Contraband offers. The trailer is fast-paced, exciting, and with the whizz of gun shots being fired over a rap song, plenty of fun. The movie comes out Jan. 12, but watch the trailer now after the jump.

Remember the story about the passenger who brought rancid meat onto a plane (and the ensuing maggot infestation)? Well, it turns out, old meat isn’t the weirdest thing a passenger has brought onto a plane. Not even close.

Artist Taryn Simon decided to tackle the strange world of contraband seized at JFK airport for a new exhibit and book, and the results are . . . disturbing, to say the least. Simon set up camp for five days at inspection sites in the international airport, and photographed every piece of contraband that came through. Want to hear about some of the oddest things she saw? Keep reading.