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The Wrestler
Ever since I had to miss this movie when it came to SLIFF (St. Louis International Film Festival) due to prior arrangements, I have regretted it. Every site I have looked at has either A) already have a review and they are positive or B) haven't seen it but really want to see it. Movieforums.com is now in A.
As I've implied, I really dug this movie, like a whole lot. Mostly for Rourke's incredible performance. If you've seen a picture of him before this, then see Randy "The Ram" your jaw will drop. If his physical transformation wasn't enough, he has a lot of powerful scenes where he can really show his range. Evan Rachel Wood also has a role, but it's a pretty nothing role, she does do well in it though. Marrissa Tomei can't act her way out of a paper bag really, The only good part for her I remember is her topless.
Darren Aronofsky however did do very well. The way he filmed some of those fight scenes were very interesting. At times he used a special camera effect that gave it a grainy look which made you think at times that it was documentary. You get the feel that you're actually in the crowd.
The script by Robert D. Siegel helps with this. The story does go well, and you can see why everyone did what they did, Ram's dialogue worked well, and Marrissa Tomei's lines try so hard to not sound like Adrian from Rocky but I got that vibe a whole lot. Evan Rachel Wood's dialogue just seems so P.O.'d most of the time, and I really dug Robert's portrayl of the real world, always making fun of Randy.
The best part of the script was that Randy "The Ram" is such a flawed character, he's single, broke, lives in a crap trailer, has hearing problems, has heart problems, and his daughter hates him, but he's so likable. Marrissa Tomei's is kind of a one sided "stripper with a heart of gold" character, the only thing I can remember is that she didn't like being a stripper and had a kid. We also learn next to nothing about Evan Rachel Wood, which works because we just have to know about as much as The Ram does. Even with these, it was still my favorite script of the year.
Another thing that was one of my favorites of the year was the song by Bruce Springsteen. I'm a mild fan of his but the song at the end blew me away. It summed up the movie perfectly and I'll be damned if Miley "look I'm half-naked but thank god I'm hot" Cyrus beats him.
Rating: This is going to be a surefire Oscar winner.
The Wrestler
Ever since I had to miss this movie when it came to SLIFF (St. Louis International Film Festival) due to prior arrangements, I have regretted it. Every site I have looked at has either A) already have a review and they are positive or B) haven't seen it but really want to see it. Movieforums.com is now in A.
As I've implied, I really dug this movie, like a whole lot. Mostly for Rourke's incredible performance. If you've seen a picture of him before this, then see Randy "The Ram" your jaw will drop. If his physical transformation wasn't enough, he has a lot of powerful scenes where he can really show his range. Evan Rachel Wood also has a role, but it's a pretty nothing role, she does do well in it though. Marrissa Tomei can't act her way out of a paper bag really, The only good part for her I remember is her topless.
Darren Aronofsky however did do very well. The way he filmed some of those fight scenes were very interesting. At times he used a special camera effect that gave it a grainy look which made you think at times that it was documentary. You get the feel that you're actually in the crowd.
The script by Robert D. Siegel helps with this. The story does go well, and you can see why everyone did what they did, Ram's dialogue worked well, and Marrissa Tomei's lines try so hard to not sound like Adrian from Rocky but I got that vibe a whole lot. Evan Rachel Wood's dialogue just seems so P.O.'d most of the time, and I really dug Robert's portrayl of the real world, always making fun of Randy.
The best part of the script was that Randy "The Ram" is such a flawed character, he's single, broke, lives in a crap trailer, has hearing problems, has heart problems, and his daughter hates him, but he's so likable. Marrissa Tomei's is kind of a one sided "stripper with a heart of gold" character, the only thing I can remember is that she didn't like being a stripper and had a kid. We also learn next to nothing about Evan Rachel Wood, which works because we just have to know about as much as The Ram does. Even with these, it was still my favorite script of the year.
Another thing that was one of my favorites of the year was the song by Bruce Springsteen. I'm a mild fan of his but the song at the end blew me away. It summed up the movie perfectly and I'll be damned if Miley "look I'm half-naked but thank god I'm hot" Cyrus beats him.
Rating: This is going to be a surefire Oscar winner.