Marky Mark and Christian Bale and Amy Adams in David O Russell's THE FIGHTER

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/paramount/thefighter/

this looks... kinda conventional!

scared

stoked for bale's bald spot and accent though

bale looks like a junkie

i was looking forward to 'nailed'

wd like to see nrq directly address him as Marky Mark and watch what happens

i don't know why you'd wish that on marky mark?

he probably has pretty good health insurance, but dude, seriously.

seems like salt of the earth bostonians are the fucher of white ppl in hollywood, guaranteed to bring realness/craic

FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT btw

this looks... kinda conventional!

new trailer makes it look … less conventional

http://incontention.com/2010/10/17/the-fighter-featured-on-mad-men/

looks decent. mickey ward.

looks dope :)

http://incontention.com/2010/11/10/afi-fest-the-fighter-crashes-the-party/

bale looks like a junkie

― sexy mfa (history mayne), Thursday, September 16, 2010 10:29 AM (1 month ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

he's playing a crack addict

im seeing this next weds yay

damn, d o r rly h8s his mum

great filmmaker tho :)

no idea why DOR made this til I read the below.

add a star if u love laughing @ Irish ppl from Massachusetts.

http://www.movieline.com/2010/01/david-o-russells-the-fighter-was-a-kooky-experience-says-melissa-leo.php

“It was hard work,” she admitted. “It was hard filmmaking. When you get such big players in there and the director is not getting final cut, and in fact one of the actors is…It was Wahlberg’s project. He’d had it for a long time. He’s very quiet — it’s not like he was manipulative and push-and-shovey — but it was complicated, hard work.”

On its face, the project might seem more conventional than the films Russell is known for (I Heart Huckabees, Three Kings), but Leo says his approach was anything but.

“I don’t know what to think about it! It’s such a kooky way of shooting a film. It’s all in O. Russell’s head, and he knows it and he’s talking to you while you’re shooting. I have some pretty specific ways in which I work, and I kept trying to work the way I work, and he was like, ‘Don’t do that!’ [The character] is probably a lot more frazzled than I meant her to be.”

Never thought about final cut going to Wahlberg. Weird! Has that happened in other movies (non-directing actor with final cut)?

Sorry if that's a dumb question :)

I've read about Edward Norton not only rewriting his films but working on his cut of the movie while the nominal director worked on his.

btw Bale in this movie reminds me of Ed Norton... NOT EDWARD Norton, but Ed Norton of The Honeymooners. On crack.

haha yeah I can see that! That skinny, Bale's all eye sockets.

I'm actually keen to see this. If they do it right it'd be a great story to see on film

they didn't.

Oh. Thumbs down, eh?

they didn't do it wrong. in a lot of ways it's not what you'd expect from david o russell, but what do we expect, exactly? i think the real outlier among his films is 'three kings'.

but he's in movie jail and made this with the weinsteins, who i think 'fucked him over' on 'flirting with disaster'.

it's like a massively mainstream studio drama, straight-down-the-line, only in an era when studios don't really make 'em, or do them badly. this is 'done well' but it's hard to be all 'effing loves it'.

the beginning of the trailer i seriously keep expecting Wahlberg to say "say hi to your mother for me," it's almost distracting. also ads for this and for the new FX show Lights Out just make me feel like it's impossible to do a story about a boxer without it seeming kind of generic and full of cliches. and it would be kind of funny if THE FIGHTER won oscars just a couple years after THE WRESTLER. maybe they can serialize it, a blandly titled award season film for every sport.

I didn't realize this was out. I think I started a thread on it last year on ILF but can't find it now. Anyway, looking forward to seeing it due to love of MW and the fact that a couple of my friends worked on it.

It's not out, enrique and I are special. Opens in the US Dec 10.

it's impossible to do a story about a boxer without it seeming kind of generic and full of cliches

ding ding ding sorta, but it doesn't help when you shoot The Big Fight at the end with HBO-style handheld video, I guess for fear of being accused of aping Scorsese if you make it at all expressionistic.

I really detested the weepy last third of Million Dollar Baby, but it had more going on than this.

(altho Russell kinda treats Wahlberg's shrewish, big-haired sisters kinda like the hillbilly relations in MDB, only for laffs)

http://filmdrunk.uproxx.com/2010/12/spike-jonze-wants-ya-to-put-the-fightah-in-yo-ah-reahview

looks p good imo

jonze has obviously been reading this thread re: the trailers

Armond sorta loves it bcuz he loves Russell, of course. I thought the Bee Gees scene was one of the phoniest moments, myself.

http://www.nypress.com/article-21937-fighting-for-class.html

Oh this is out now!

so, they really have the story end with Ward winning a "championship" at the end?

There's something I find really disgusting about blatant disregard for the truth in sports movies. Actual boxing champions have a hard enough time getting recognized for their achievements, but I guess Micky has the complexion to get the connection, as Don King once said. But at least they should have found a white guy who won a real title.

Nobody cares what really happened, and I'm not enough of a fight fan to know what your objections are.

you forget about shea neary or something?

xp

Nobody cares what really happened, and I'm not enough of a fight fan to know what your objections are.

― kind of shrill and very self-righteous (Dr Morbius), Saturday, December 11, 2010 4:03 AM (7 hours ago) Bookmark

Pretty sure some fighters who won real titles would care that a glorified trialhorse like Ward has a movie that celebrates his ridiculous WBU title win.

http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/slides/photos/000/471/758/492114_display_image.jpg?1288226916

would probably enjoy a movie about Butterbean becoming heavyweight "champ" though.

Man, Fuck Don King.

Very tired of actors getting praise for losing weight for the sake of a role.

a o scott's review nailed it imo

A dissent.

"Never thought about final cut going to Wahlberg. Weird! Has that happened in other movies (non-directing actor with final cut)?"

Yeah this happened with American History X and Ed Norton as noted above.

I thought the most natural performance was by the cop/trainer ... who played himself.

IM THE ONE FIGHTING NOT U AND NOT U AND NOT U

craparek strikes again

xposts

limited release is so lame whats the point i really shouldnt have to go all the way to lincoln sq to see this awesome movie

lol, that's a new one, people complaining films are too hard to see in their own city.

so Eklund is awaiting trial now, yes? why didnt we get a title card about that?

I thought this was OK - the best part was definitely seeing Adams break heads. Found it distracting that the two big fights were basically identical. I agree with Morbs that the Bee Gees bit was phony.

Wahlberg felt just as mannered to me as Bale, just in the opposite direction.

movie of the year hands down suck it zuckerberg

proud all the best movies take place in metro boston now tho

social network had a glaring lack of awesome accents tho

feel like this one surpassed departed for best use of boston accents ever in a film

does mark wahlberg use the n-word in this, that's my barometer for a good movie

no hes sort of a nice guy sry

still lookin forward to it imo

its real good

if you like formula horseshit

*sigh*

I can't wait.

rmde @ norn

norn!

norns even

enfuque

if you like formula horseshit

― kind of shrill and very self-righteous (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, December 14, 2010 7:46 AM (3 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

if by formula you mean an amazing story of seven sisters and their mother all fitting into one white oldsmobile then fine yes

Is it wrong that the first descriptor that came to mind for the sisters was "retarded Greek chorus"?

the sisters were amazing there was one scene where nothing was really going on it was just them and the mother hanging out at home, most of them had their own tv tray and were smoking and it was just like OH MY GOD

Dickie Eklund, the character played by Christian Bale, features prominently in the documentary High on Crack Street: Lost Lives in Lowell which was deleted from youtube just a few days ago.

the filming of the doc is a major part of the film #spoilers

circle of life

aw man, I would have loved to watch that. spent a lot of time in Lowell last year. maybe it's on Hulu.

in rip van wankos link, it is there

j0e, that's formula bashing of the working class, or as a colleague called it, a visit to the Boston zoo

you cant even see them as people, its sad

what were there Seven Dwarfs names? Beaver...?

bever and red dog were as far as we got w/the nicknames iirc

those are just for family tho

we can make up the other five

Chu Chu
Cookie
Dashboard Dolly

big jenny
lil jenny

At a private screening for family and friends in Lowell this week, Phyllis Eklund, one of Ward’s seven sisters, was less than impressed. Played in the film by Conan O’Brien’s sister, Kate, Phyllis angrily walked out of the movie and was overheard afterward saying, “I don’t like it.’’ Considering how feral and unfriendly the sisters are in the movie, that is not a surprise. But her opinion isn’t shared by everyone. Other sisters said the film is fair, and even Alice, who’s portrayed as a merciless, foul-mouthed matriarch, told friends she was prepared for worse.... Asked if he worried that the less-than-flattering portrayal might offend the Ward clan, Wahlberg said no. “To an extent, we did tone down [the script]. It was originally much more heavy-handed in terms of addiction and drugs,’’ he said. “But, obviously, it’s tough watching your life played out on a screen for two hours.’’ That just one of the sisters objects to the film is worth noting, said Russell, who called the story “ultimately redemptive.’’ “Hey, one out of seven ain’t bad,’’ said the director.

d.o.r. wins that particular "bout" (boxing pun) imo

feel liek they portrayed the free wheeling mania of drug abuse better than most films, like it doesnt always look so dire, sometimes it looks funny

this was okay, it was definitely surprisingly foursquare, the fight scenes were really good, i liked christian bale's cartoon character... thing... i dunno. when it ended i was kinda like "really?"

the sisters thing wasnt nearly as bad as the family in MDB (gahhh sooooo bad)... but the worst part was the preppy at the movie being all "the new york times said the cinematography was DELIGHTFUL"

also did it kind of feel like dor saw "the wrestler" and was like "i want one of those"

the worst part was the preppy at the movie being all "the new york times said the cinematography was DELIGHTFUL"

― tickle me imo (s1ocki), Tuesday, December 14, 2010 6:01 PM (37 minutes ago) Bookmark

i lol'd because im cheap

but yeah the end did have me like, oh come on, a FREEZE-FRAME

fuck it tho, i liked this film a lot

it was enjoyable enough, it was a bit "this happened and then THIS happened and then this happened" tho eh

Russell, who called the story “ultimately redemptive.’’ “

especially if you end before Eklund relapses and resumes his criminal life, eh? THAT'S HOLLYWOOD

it was enjoyable enough, it was a bit "this happened and then THIS happened and then this happened" tho eh

― tickle me imo (s1ocki), Tuesday, December 14, 2010 6:43 PM (46 seconds ago) Bookmark

well... think it was more like ACT ONE: the underdog is an underdog ACT TWO: he confronts a crisis ACT THREE: crisis resolved, kind of ish nah? what with the training montages. it's just that i think DOR made it fly.

what Bee Gees song?

I am not seeing this movie

will you screen it?

especially if you end before Eklund relapses and resumes his criminal life, eh? THAT'S HOLLYWOOD

― kind of shrill and very self-righteous (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, December 14, 2010 1:43 PM (4 minutes ago) Bookmark

whoa u just cut hollywood to the very core man... that's cold

apparently he had a girlfriend the whole time too

*gasps*

yeah, the second hundred years of dramatic fraud bores everyone, forgive me

closeup of Mom's ashtray bugged me

but it's supposed to telegraph her addiction, see – like the closeup of the stick of butter Jennifer Lawrence will use to fry potatoes and fuck up her cholesterol in Winter's Bone.

also Matt Armstrong seems to believe Ward never won a legit title

it's not a documentary iirc

again with the butter!

I know, s1ocki, nor much of anything else.

it's an old-fashioned boxing picture. im good with that.

mark wahlberg! boxing picture! whaddaya need, a road map?

butter!

nrq is this screening in public anywhere before the nominal feb 4 release date?

not that i've heard. i mean there'll probably be week-of-release previews but.

drat

fuck it tho, i liked this film a lot

― Breakin': Based on the Novel "Two" by Electric Boogaloo (history mayne), Tuesday, December 14, 2010 1:41 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

yeah feel like this is the type of movie people/critics will be all 'its flawed but' in some sad attempt at ass covering from who knows who - this was an ill film, it sparkled magically, appreciate it

better than 3 kings maybe even

also did it kind of feel like dor saw "the wrestler" and was like "i want one of those"

― tickle me imo (s1ocki), Tuesday, December 14, 2010 1:08 PM (2 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

def like 1mx better than 'the wrestler' which was dece but painfully labored and basically wholly dependent on having mickey rourkes face to look at

btw amy adams was wicked frickin hot in this

"it sparkled magically"?

think bligee

das right alfred, better jump on this

with an n tho

bligee with an n

very much in character

btw amy adams was wicked frickin hot in this

― ice cr?m, Tuesday, December 14, 2010 3:40 PM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark

this is incontestable

think it's better than 3 kings, which i liked and has great things but is a bit awkward and message-y at points

probably even prefer it to 'huckabees', though i guess it's partly that im not in a jon brion soundtrack place right now

btw amy adams was wicked frickin hot in this

― ice cr?m, Tuesday, December 14, 2010 8:40 PM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark

fn a

better than huckabees? woah.

Amy Adams – magically delicious

i like 3 kings a lil better than huckabees i think, tho huckabees is one of the most lol movies, this stands w/either imo, prob have to let it sink in before i fully rank it

I like them both a lot but I really love Huckabees (yes, very lol). I haven't seen 3 kings in a long time though.

'bored to death' has kind of turned me against j-schwarz and... that sort of thing for a bit

usually i, if you will, heart 'huckabees' tho

i like 3 kings better than huckabees, too, i have a high tolerance for message-y. will see this and hold jho responsible if it's not awesome.

lol this movie not being 'labored'

this fighter is light on its feet, it achieves flow

horseshoe throwin down gauntlet, i can deal, i think

how many cigarettes does Melissa Leo smoke in order to guarantee herself an Oscar nodD?

I believe it's proportionate to Christian Bale's body fat %

one of the jokes i liked in this movie is bale in a crackhead haze bragging abt how good a runner he is and then they show him running and hes great at running

this is one of the best boxing movies ever

no way it's better than diggstown

"ever" starts when?

I had forgotten if I ever knew that D Aronofsky was attached to this before The Wrestler.

Also, why is Wahlberg holding himself on the cover of Sports Illustrated?

but the worst part was the preppy at the movie being all "the new york times said the cinematography was DELIGHTFUL"

― tickle me imo (s1ocki), Tuesday, December 14, 2010 1:01 PM (4 days ago) Bookmark

lol that was one of my favorite parts

i really liked how ~tender~ the scenes between wahlberg and adams were - never saw the big deal about adams before, but shes good in this - everyone is, no weak links and nobody really dominates it either, tho bale & leo come closest

o. russell's fingerprints are all over this - i dont think hes capable of making an unfunny movie (good to see bale showing some personality again, he's been playing a lot of stiffs for a few years now), but when the movie gets serious (darkwing duck voice) it pulls u in pretty easily

came in expecting the fight scenes to be sorta perfunctory but the climactic fight is one of the most dramatic ive seen in a boxing movie in a long-ass time - i was ready to revel in dude's triumph, and when the freeze frame happened instead of groaning i was just like "yes! of course!" - this is probably super obvious but i guess it just goes to show that nailing The Big Fight isnt about the staging, u just gotta get the audience invested in seeing your protag's strugglez

cool soundtrack, on the way to the theater i was saying to my friend that more movies should shell out for some zep tunes - and lo and behold, theres some sick ass zeppage in this

as for the sisters et al, they're sorta played for laughs but there's an undercurrent of familial fondness that makes it impossible to hate them or the mother no matter what happens - i feel like it could've been a much less generous portrayal, and as it is the family needs to be that colorful to play off wahlberg

idk, i just bought into this emotionally and dramatically and w/e - in a lot of ways it was just irish rocky, but rocky owns so thats cool

well i said 'one of' - i just think as far as populist underdog boxing flicks go, this is about as good as its gonna get

This was okay. Wahlberg, Leo, and Adams were fine; I didn't care for Bale. The art direction looked accurate: liked the shot of Walberg watching TV, with a cross and cassette rack on the wall.

Wahlberg had better filial tension/chemistry with Joaquin Phoenix in We Own The Night.

Why didn't you like Bale?

ur dragging we own the night into this, 4real

lmao

Yeah, why not.

I just don't like Bale. He tries so damn hard.

The only scene that really bothered me: Melissa Leo only realizing how bad her son's crack addition was after watching it on HBO. It's not like she didn't see him flinging himself out of a crackhouse's window once a week for years, right?

because that movie is totally irredeemable is why (mendes booty excepted)

i bought into that... there's a big difference between knowing about it and actually watching him smoke crack and talk about what being high is like - i thought it was interesting how long the entire 'everyone watches the hbo special' sequence was btw, seems like the kind of thing that would've ordinarily been conveyed in about 30 seconds

actually felt like bale kinda reigned it in, it's a showy role no matter what and i sorta expected him to take it over the top and he never did

otm + the embarrassment of everyone you know watching yr son smoke crack

really enjoyed the repeated usage of whitesnake... magnificent

The only way the scene works for me is if I think Leo cringed in embarrassment, knowing Lowell and the entire US knows about Eklund; that sense of public preening is built into her character and performance.

the whole movie is somewhat bugged out and cartoonish, bales performance fit right in w/o obscuring the irl aspects of his character, i felt him as a charming fearless dude who is just totally addicted to the rush whether it be sporting interpersonal or crack based and just cant deal w/life

feel like the embarrassment is a big part of it, but its also just her shoddily constructed denial got hit from an unplanned for angle and crumbled

IM THE ONE FIGHTING NOT U AND NOT U AND NOT U

― ice cr?m, Saturday, December 11, 2010 12:26 PM (1 week ago) Bookmark

Scarier than Bale's bug eyes: the Eklund sisters' hair and the acres of stone wash jeans.

i loved wahlberg's wardrobe in this

shirts w/random triangles

pretty sure I wore a shirt like it in '93.

all the 1990s massachusetts minutia was magnificent for sure

ice cream's longer post about this otm

exactly right about why you go along with the conventional stuff. like, he gets up the morning after a bad night, and there's a guitar chord, and he then has a training montage; somehow i was on board.

that was me... not ice 'cream'... ~_~

sry

i rescind my otm

lol i was looking all which longer post is he referring to

it did seem out of character

so again, what's marky sayin here?

http://tragicomical.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/mark-wahlberg-christian-bale-si-cover.jpg

IM THE ONE FIGHTING NOT U AND NOT U AND NOT U

― ice cr?m, Saturday, December 11, 2010 12:26 PM (1 week ago) Bookmark

― Princess TamTam, Saturday, December 18, 2010 2:45 PM (3 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

This wasn't part. Best part was...Amy Adams...

wasn't bad

so again, what's marky sayin here?

he's saying "hi dere, our heads were photoshopped clumsily into this picture" afaict

Not buying any of these characters could afford HBO.

Other than Amy Adams, Wahlberg and Bale mumble-singing "Here I Go Again" together on the way to the ring was the best part of this.

^^yess

oh man that sounds awesome xpost

hoping to finally see it this weekend

just googled that. Whitesnake. fuck this movie.

Wait. Whitesnake? Okay, I'm so there.

Finally saw this and thought Bale did a pretty decent job. As others have pointed out itt, I could totally have seen him pushing this too far over the top but I don't feel like he ever did.

Speaking of his performance, can someone explain the rules of Actor versus Supporting Actor? Does it have to do with billing? I'm just kinda surprised to see Bale getting all these Supporting Actor noms when he has just as much (if not more) screentime than Wahlberg and the file was just as much about his character.

nah its called The Fighter not the Fighter's Bro, its about micky and his triumph - IM THE ONE FIGHTING NOT U AND NOT U AND NOT U

Speaking of his performance, can someone explain the rules of Actor versus Supporting Actor? Does it have to do with billing?

It's whatever the studio says he/she is.

I just voted in a poll for Amy Adams so goddamn Melissa Leo doesn't win

Okay, thanks, I was genuinely curious as to how that worked in awards season.

I voted for Mila Kunis because she's the hottest.

She plays the black boxer that Wahlberg KO's right?

No, she plays the Black Jew boxer that beats his ass.

I thought she played Conan O'Brien's sister.

I just voted in a poll for Amy Adams so goddamn Melissa Leo doesn't win

― kind of shrill and very self-righteous (Dr Morbius), Sunday, January 2, 2011 10:21 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark

why do you hate melissa leo???

I don't, just this example of overacting

I thought this was amazing. Bale and Leo completely nailed it. I think everything that I would have pointed out has already been mentioned here but I thought it was amazing. I have this thing with movies where if I get drawn in emotionally then I REALLY get drawn in. This was one of those for me. By the time they showed the clip of M&D at the end I was had been at least on the verge of tears for at 20 mins.

First thing I've ever seen Adams in and she was really great too. The sisters could have been plucked straight off the streets of today's Lowell never mind the 90's. The two of them singing "Here I Go" really worked for me too.

exactly right about why you go along with the conventional stuff. like, he gets up the morning after a bad night, and there's a guitar chord, and he then has a training montage; somehow i was on board.

otm. I did think for a minute lol training montage but that changed pretty quickly to YES! Training Montage!

Adams gave the best performance by far.

the sisters were amazing there was one scene where nothing was really going on it was just them and the mother hanging out at home, most of them had their own tv tray and were smoking and it was just like OH MY GOD

― ice cr?m, Tuesday, December 14, 2010 11:41 AM (1 month ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

YES!! There was also one who had a bottle of bud in her hands in all of the living room shots. There was one short squat blonde sister that just killed me throughout.

I keep thinking about how good Bale was.

I loved when he went to Adam's place and they were screaming at one another and he asked the old guy across the street what kind of dog he had.

Also pretty cool that O'keefe was played by the real guy.

Adams gave the best performance by far.

― Rich Lolwry (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, January 30, 2011 4:56 PM (6 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

I thought she was v good but I sort of don't think that was a really tough role. I thought Bale and Leo were more impressive.

Oh the other scene that sort of killed me is when Bale started singing to a crying Leo in the car before she just joined him and drove off. It just sort of drove home the whole dynamic of their relationship and the whole she knew but really didn't want to know sort of thing regarding this addiction.

Yeah, I said upthread I couldn't see Bale through all his acting. Leo was worse. It's just me: I don't like that kind of acting.

you can watch the original HBO doc here

http://www.snagfilms.com/films/title/high_on_crack_street_lost_lives_in_lowell/

seeing this tomorrow

x-post Thank you. I looked a couple weeks ago and couldn't find it. Going to watch it now.

I started reading "Irish Thunder" - has anyone else read this? I'm 3 chapters in and I'm finding it maddening the way his timeline jumps around so much, it's driving me crazy. Is this the best book about Mickey or are there others out there?

I recommend reading a different boxing book about someone who was actually a world champion or an actually interesting person.

omg again? We get it dude.

I don't think you do.

no, tell us more, we REALLY GIVE A SHIT about boxing

Please fo,dude isn't a boxing great or anything but he had a lot of heart.gatti trilogy was amazing.

and apparently he had a girlfriend all along!?!1

just like Zuckerberg

[that's the joke]

Please fo,dude isn't a boxing great or anything but he had a lot of heart.gatti trilogy was amazing.

― À la recherche du temps Pardew (jim in glasgow), Sunday, January 30, 2011 10:40 PM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark

Oh indeed it was, also not in the movie.

Gatti also a much more interesting person who was actually a world champion, but not an Irish guy from Mass. so I guess we'll have to wait on that movie.

xp *tuts at myself* Honestly though, I'm really looking forward to seeing this tomorrow, to pass through the hype and chatter and all..

no, tell us more, we REALLY GIVE A SHIT about boxing

― history mayne, Sunday, January 30, 2011 10:38 PM (12 minutes ago) Bookmark

this isn't about "boxing." They needed a movie about a white champion, and when they couldn't find one they liked they just invented the championship and called it a true story. That is suffused with racism and great white hope-ism and they should be taking a lot more shit for it.

Wait who is it that you mean "needed a a movie about a white champion".

?

no, you are making about boxing and whether the fight is part of a "real" championship, and im saying i couldn't give a shit. nor that his brother relapsed irl. there should be more movies about black boxers, but i wouldn't need them to be the absolute "truth" either. i think part of the point of this film is that wahlberg kind of isn't interesting, the boxing isn't part of some kind of pathology, as it is for la motta in "raging bull".

xpost

would this movie have been made if it was about a club fighter who lost in all his title shots?

would this movie have been made if it was about a club fighter who lost in all his title shots?

no, you are making about boxing and whether the fight is part of a "real" championship, and im saying i couldn't give a shit. nor that his brother relapsed irl. there should be more movies about black boxers, but i wouldn't need them to be the absolute "truth" either. i think part of the point of this film is that wahlberg kind of isn't interesting, the boxing isn't part of some kind of pathology, as it is for la motta in "raging bull".
― history mayne, Sunday, January 30, 2011 11:05 PM (4 seconds ago) Bookmark

Just make it about a fictional character then. Making him a champion in the end is a fantasy that has racial connotations that go back over a hundred years.

The Rocky movies took a lot of (partially deserved) criticism for great white hope-ism, but at least those movies had the decency to be about a fictional character instead of re-writing history.

I also think it's somewhat disingenuous to say this doesn't matter because "no one cares about boxing." This wouldn't be a big movie if it was a gritty table tennis drama.

you're really being a literalist about this. the movie's not made for hardcore fight fans, and i think it's a credit to the movie's quality that i didnt even care that they omitted Gatti. bitching about a WBU belt so misses the point - just because it's not a big deal to us doesnt mean it wasnt a big deal to him, and in the context of his character arc it wouldn't have made sense to treat it like the equivalent of a golden gloves fight.

Was it a big deal to him? He never defended the belt. It wasn't his biggest payday. It wasn't his greatest performance.

Pretty sure the Vince Phillips fight was a bigger deal, but he lost that one.

I had a argument similar to this yesterday over The King's Speech. Historical authenticity doesn't bother me if the results justify themselves; it's when my mind starts wandering in the theater that I think about "tasteful" omissions. The Fighter didn't bother me as much as TKS though.

Was it a big deal to him? He never defended the belt. It wasn't his biggest payday. It wasn't his greatest performance.

― Matt Armstrong, Sunday, January 30, 2011 11:26 PM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark

it was a big deal to him in the film ffs

well yeah, it was a WORLD TITLE in the film

Man, that documentary. Maybe should have waited until I was in a better mood but damn that was some heavy stuff. The scenes with him and lil Dickie were heartbreaking as was the fundraiser that the mom tried to throw. Oh and for me, seeing her irl just reinforced how good Leo was. Interestingly though I expected Ekland to be featured more heavily in the doc.

don't give a damn about the veracity of the events -- why start now? --just the snide caricaturing and hambone award-winning acting.

Dicky not "Dickie" obv

This film is really solid, well-acted, has more than a whiff of 70s Hollywood about it. It hasn't really made a lasting impression on me though. Lacks the X-factor of a truly superb film.

Melissa Leo borrowed some of her mannerisms from Susan Tyrell's Oscar-nominated turn in Fat City, another boxing movie. I'll concede this: Mark Wahlberg is almost as solid as Jeff Bridges.

gotta say morbz, you're being inconsistent here re: veracity--

F/N and SM are of the same caliber stink.

F/N rewrote history. Nixon WAS NOT LIKE THAT, nor were the interviews like that.

― Dr Morbius, Saturday, January 3, 2009 7:29 PM (2 years ago) Bookmark

2 years ago

I actually thought this might be one time we'd be on the same team!

yeah but morbz implied he hasn't cared about historical accuracy in the past.

im just glad nobody digs up shit i said years ago that might be 'inconsistent' with more recent opinions

whatever dude. Morbz hated F/N for the same reason I did but he doesn't apply the same standard to this movie. Honestly I'm surprised he doesn't.

welll... i'd throw it out there that f/n is actually about nixon, a bit, and that nixon is a significant historical figure. this boxing guy, not so much.

I would argue that insulting a dead asshole like Nixon is at least as bad as inventing a world title so Marky Mark can have his little boxing champion fantasy project.

err, got it backwards there haha

What bothered me about F/N wasn't the inaccuracies -- one of its other mistakes is investing those interviews with world-historic fervor -- so much as the phony dynamics. The film builds to a "DID YOU ORDER THE CODE RED?!" moment

Yes, F/N really raised the bar for historical inaccuracy. It's like JFK without the conspiratorial fervor.

the whole concept of the movie is a lie.

What bothered me about F/N wasn't the inaccuracies -- one of its other mistakes is investing those interviews with world-historic fervor -- so much as the phony dynamics. The film builds to a "DID YOU ORDER THE CODE RED?!" moment

― Rich Lolwry (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, January 30, 2011 7:41 PM (1 minute ago) Bookmark

haha otm - when i first saw the trailer i was almost galled by the phoniness of the presentation, the big CODE RED moment being something that was supposed to make the audience gasp except its something nobody cares about - i remember asking why anyone would possibly want to see that movie.

ended up not being as bad as i expected, had a decent script and some good acting, ron howard the wrong guy for that material though

Didn't buy Langella for a second.

didnt buy him as nixon, but it was a very good performance imo

I didn't watch this but I guess Christian Bale won and Dicky showed up. It's at about 3:18:

http://tv.gawker.com/5747786/everything-you-missed-from-the-sag-awards-in-under-four-minutes

I also think that might be the first time I've heard Bale's Welsh accent. Strange. Oh and Mark W. looks fantastic.

not read this yet (finally seeing the film this pm), but here's joyce carol oates:

http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2011/feb/03/fighters-cruel-art/

didnt know ol' oatesy was such a fight fan! good piece

ummm:

http://www.amazon.com/Boxing-Joyce-Carol-Oates/dp/0880013850

She's certainly knows more about boxing than film.

oh Morbius

Yeah, iirc she is a huge fan.

why would i have even heard of any of her stupid books, get real morbs

actually just looked at her bibliography and have literally never heard of anything she's ever written (unless the movie Foxfire counts) - not sure why i even know her name

i had so much fun watching this film. movie of my year in movies imo. i will now otm the following posts in reverse chron order. hats off to jh0 for winning my spirit of the thread award.

I loved when he went to Adam's place and they were screaming at one another and he asked the old guy across the street what kind of dog he had.

Also pretty cool that O'keefe was played by the real guy.

― ENBB, Sunday, January 30, 2011 10:01 PM (6 days ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

IM THE ONE FIGHTING NOT U AND NOT U AND NOT U

― ice cr?m, Saturday, December 11, 2010 12:26 PM (1 week ago) Bookmark

― Princess TamTam, Saturday, December 18, 2010 2:45 PM (3 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

― ice cr?m, Saturday, December 18, 2010 10:49 PM (1 month ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

came in expecting the fight scenes to be sorta perfunctory but the climactic fight is one of the most dramatic ive seen in a boxing movie in a long-ass time - i was ready to revel in dude's triumph, and when the freeze frame happened instead of groaning i was just like "yes! of course!" - this is probably super obvious but i guess it just goes to show that nailing The Big Fight isnt about the staging, u just gotta get the audience invested in seeing your protag's strugglez

― Princess TamTam, Saturday, December 18, 2010 7:01 PM (1 month ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

one of the jokes i liked in this movie is bale in a crackhead haze bragging abt how good a runner he is and then they show him running and hes great at running

― ice cr?m, Tuesday, December 14, 2010 10:30 PM (1 month ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

btw amy adams was wicked frickin hot in this

― ice cr?m, Tuesday, December 14, 2010 8:40 PM (1 month ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

movie of the year hands down suck it zuckerberg

― ice cr?m, Tuesday, December 14, 2010 6:21 AM (1 month ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

IM THE ONE FIGHTING NOT U AND NOT U AND NOT U

― ice cr?m, Saturday, December 11, 2010 5:26 PM (1 month ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

lol :)

Not content to leave her marketing in someone else's hands, Melissa Leo has purchased personal ads touting her to Academy voters. The ads, which ran on entertainment websites and magazines, feature a photo of Leo wearing faux fur with the tagline: "Consider." They make no reference to The Fighter, the movie that earned Leo a nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Leo said the ads came after months of frustration with not being able to land magazine covers, which she believes is because of her age, 50 years old, and the fact that she isn't considered a box office draw. "I took matters into my own hands," she said. "I knew what I was doing and told my representation how earnest I was about this idea. I had never heard of any actor taking out an ad as themselves and I wanted to give it a shot."

yah that was odd

http://www.deadline.com/2011/02/oscar-melissa-leo-goes-rogue-with-her-own-personal-campaign-ads/

'Bouffant-haired, improbably slim after having borne nine children (!), Leo’s Alice reminded me of James Joyce’s description of Ireland—“The old sow that eats her farrow.”'

haha

oscar frontrunner? she was fine but didn't stand out especially. thought o'keefe was really good.

Finally saw this tonight and my brain is just OMG YES THIS MOVIE. Was so happy with that final fight, showing it as a real fight almost and not all chopped up for people who hate boxing....and the family stuff was so right on, and the humor was excellent, guy behind me and I were laughing up a right old storm...also Boston reminds me of Australia for some reason. Maybe just the shitload of Irish and the drinking but...damn that was a fine, fine, FINE movie.

Loved when Dickie asked the guy about his dog. DYING

Oh and Micky's Mum and sisters.... Holy shit they reminded me SO much of my sister's bogan inlaws, scary Mum and sisters with faces like slapped asses, god they were so great I can't get over it really

In 1985, The Color Purple Supporting Actress Margaret Avery ran an ad that read: "Dear God, My name is Margaret Avery. I knows dat I been blessed by Alice Walker, Steven Spielberg, and Quincy Jones who gave me the part of 'Shug' Avery in The Color Purple. Now I is up for one of the nominations fo’ Best Supporting Actress alongst with some fine, talented ladies that I is proud to be in the company of. Well God, I guess the time has come fo’the Academy voters to decide whether I is one of the Best Supporting Actresses this year or not! Either way, Thank You, Lord for the opportunity. – Your little daughter, Margaret Avery." Avery was roundly criticized for the ad which was written in a dialect not even used by character in the film. She lost to Anjelica Huston for Prizzi’s Honor.

O_o

yipes

o_O

yeah, uh - wow

I was just looking up stuff on the sisters and didn't realize that one of them is Conan O'brien's sis irl: http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2010/12/conans_sister_the_fighter.html
My fav was Jill Quigg btw.

hoping, praying Leo and Bale lose Oscars

feels kind of a trivial thing to pray ovr

Seems like the only person who has a shot of beating Leo is Steinfeld, whom I'd root for if not for the fact that she's in the wrong category.

nah, HBC has a shot

i don't like 'the king's speech' but some people do

liked this too, only wish they would have gotten more into the Gatti fights.

i don't like 'the king's speech' but some people do

Well, obviously: it's the Best Picture and Best Actor frontrunner.

You're probably right about HBC having a shot. Leo may be turning people off with her campaign, and HBC has momentum from her BAFTA win. Would be a shame, though: it's such an unremarkable performance.

Stansfeld and Adams are the only deserved wins.

Lisa Stansfield?

she's been around the world, baby

it's such an unremarkable performance

it's the Oscars

I also think that might be the first time I've heard Bale's Welsh accent. Strange.

ENBB, that is not a Welsh accent.

bales accent is sui generis

It is Batman's accent.

Well I've heard Welsh accents before and sort of love them but I guess his sounds like a mish mash of all diff sorts. He is from Wales originally though, right?

yes but afaict he's never had a welsh accent (or he had a v good vocal coach in empire of the sun)

i wonder if he has a real accent that he saves for close friends and family

according to Wiki he left Wales by the time he was 4 and grew up mostly in England. But he is Welsh-born, you are correct ENBB :)

x-post - Aw he was so good and little in that. Not so secret fact - I spent a large portion of my early teen years harboring a HUGE crush on him and watching anything and everything he was in. I still love him even if he's an asshole and/or a little crazy.

ah so he probably grew up with Welsh accented parents and stuff. Anyway I don't care what kind of accent it is because it's hottt.

I was just coming here to post the same thing! He can be as barmy as he wants irl, I still love him in pretty much everything he's in. Empire of the Sun is one of my favorite movies ever. P-51 MUSTANG CADILLAC OF THE SKY

:)

Um he is the reason I've seen Newsies more times than I care to admit.

haha!

you guys read the esquire profile right? he is the good kind of crazy asshole i think.

No, I didn't read it. Is it a recent thing?

WANT

http://www.esquire.com/features/christian-bale-interview-1210

it's kind of weird

See also: Swing Kids

I mean c'mon Christian Bale and Robert Sean Leonard in amazing three piece suits? So awesome.

I enjoyed him as Patrick Bateman (esp showering)

thanks caek

so hot

http://i40.tinypic.com/x0xq39.jpg

ENBB, you might be vindicated

His English accent hits a sweet spot on the higher edge of working class, with a hint of the warm burr of his native Wales

You guys...

OK weird confession - I've never seen American Psycho. The book is one of my favorites and has been since forever and I just haven't been able to bring myself around to watching the movie even though I know it's supposed to be good. I should just get over it and watch, huh?

y

1000x y

k

he's a great actor, who cares if he's an asshole

Empire of the Sun is the only Spielberg movie I feel fondness for, and even that one is ruined by the awful, mawkishly oppressive score

i think there's a touch of wales in his irl voice

ESQUIRE: What about Bringing Up Baby?

BALE: Is that a movie?

LOL

I like him even more after that interview. The way he talks about acting, about having it not be held up as a 'craft' reminds me of the way Russell Crowe talks about it too. On Inside the Actors Studio someone asked Crowe, 'What if you don't get along with the director. How do you work in that environment' or something like that, and he just stared them down and said, "You show up to the set to work. The director is your boss. Don't act like you're there creating something amazing. You're there to work, so work."

I mean lol Crowe is just as barmy in real life too I know, but I kind of prefer that kind of pragmatism than actors who try to tell you that the character is acting through them or something.
Just me maybe.

You guys...

― Alba, Wednesday, February 16, 2011 5:49 PM (20 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

It coulda been yooooooou.

ENBB, here is a very good reason to watch American Psycho, even if it's only one time:

http://energiafitness.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/christian-bale-american-psycho.jpg

It's a relief that Bale feels that way about acting (would that his American counterparts stopped taking The Craft so goddamn seriously!) but it doesn't come through in his performances. He's such a Method guy.

I find him a chore most of the time, honestly. I've only loved him in Empire of the Sun and American Psycho, in which his blankness was the whole point.

Yeah I think he definitely has a natural talent for it, and he obviously works at it even if he would never admit it out loud; it's probably good for all of us that he hates talking about it.

it it it it

he is a laff riot in Velvet Goldmine oh man

and in I'm Not There too!

In retrospect Velvet Goldmine is slashfic twice over. Where else will you get Obi-Wan having his wicked way with Batman?

Don't make me search.

The first time I saw it I hated it, because I was serious and boring and hated fun.

Now I appreciate it for all of the wonderful reasons Ned illustrated above

Al, no one's stopping you :D

Velvet Goldmine is totally loony and ridiculous and awesome. I am always baffled by the haters who criticize it for getting details wrong or whatever. Missing the point entirely, they are

that was me before: but now I am :D

I started a new <3 Bale thread so that I don't make Morbs and everyone mad with Bale derailment

CHRISTIAN BALE: BARMY HOTTNESS AHOY

Where else will you get Obi-Wan having his wicked way with Batman?

Happily, the scene is untarnished for me by the association of two of their worst roles

Lol

will see this and hold jho responsible if it's not awesome.

― horseshoe, Tuesday, December 14, 2010 3:56 PM (3 months ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

finally saw this. i enjoyed it a lot, although i couldn't believe dicky didn't relapse and everything ended so well.

The only scene that really bothered me: Melissa Leo only realizing how bad her son's crack addition was after watching it on HBO. It's not like she didn't see him flinging himself out of a crackhouse's window once a week for years, right?

― Gus Van Sotosyn (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, December 18, 2010 2:30 PM (3 months ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

i don't know, haven't you ever known parents in total denial about and thereby indirectly enabling of their children's problems? especially addiction, really. that rang completely true to me.

i was prepared to be annoyed by bale, but i thought he was pretty amazing. nice that he played a not-completely-joyless character for once. (i think TamTam pointed that out upthread.) also i got choked up after dicky went to charlene to get her to agree that he could train micky and micky showed up and they talked about the sugar ray fight and micky backed dicky's version and said, "you were my hero." in conclusion, i am exactly corny enough for this movie to have totally worked on me.

at the point where melissa leo was throwing pots at her saintly husband i was like, "hmm, maybe david o. russell has some mother issues," but alice gets sort of improbably redeemed, so i don't know.

i got choked up after dicky went to charlene to get her to agree that he could train micky and micky showed up and they talked about the sugar ray fight and micky backed dicky's version and said, "you were my hero."

Yes!

brothers!

:)

in conclusion, i am exactly corny enough for this movie to have totally worked on me.

otm

yeah the Melissa Leo denial over Dicky's addiction rang really true for me, especially that moment in the car when he starts singing... it's like the only way they can survive as family members is to hold on to a past that never really quite existed, hold on to the story you tell yourself in your head, and never look directly at what's actually happening.

The singing thing made me cry so hard. ;_;

me too!!

just made me call 'bullshit'

just that one time? :)

stalker

thought this was pretty decent, though melissa leo's and (to a lesser extent) christian bale's characters were so over-the-top i had trouble believing in them, even though i know it's "based on a true story." i love leo thanks to her being on homicide but she shouldn't have won the oscar for this, it was all braying in a boston accent and BIG! EMOTIONS! but amy adams was good and i liked all the local color, the way the neighborhoods and the insides of the houses and the background characters (especially the sisters) looked

learned from marc maron's podcast that one of those sisters is conan o'brien's sister irl, and it was her first gig

that is all that local media ever really talked about re: this movie

(the degree to which local stations were backing "The Town" over "The Fighter" was kind of funny)

i had heard that, and i could tell which one was his sister

Melissa Leo and her daughters were dead-on Bostonian version of my sister's boyfriend's family in Australia. You think such people don't exist except on tv but they really, really do. All over the globe, lol

but the worst part was the preppy at the movie being all "the new york times said the cinematography was DELIGHTFUL"

― tickle me imo (s1ocki), Tuesday, December 14, 2010 12:01 PM (3 months ago) Bookmark

this is OTM btw

and so is this"

btw amy adams was wicked frickin hot in this

― ice cr?m, Tuesday, December 14, 2010 2:40 PM (3 months ago) Bookmark

otm

hahah i liked the preppy dude and the delightful comment - whatevs

melissa leo's and (to a lesser extent) christian bale's characters were so over-the-top i had trouble believing in them, even though i know it's "based on a true story." i love leo thanks to her being on homicide but she shouldn't have won the oscar for this, it was all braying in a boston accent and BIG! EMOTIONS!

Uhhh. I don't know. I watched the documentary and although the mom was only in it for a bit she was pretty much exactly like Leo's portrayal. Also, having been in and worked around Lowell I can honestly say that I don't think the stereotypes were exaggerated all that much.

Btw, Janet Maslin said no such thing about the cinematography:
http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9800E2D91F3BF936A15751C0A962958260

that guy was such a poseur

I still haven't seen The King's Speech, 127 Hours or Toy Story 3 but this was my least favorite of the 7 oscar best pic noms I did see. What's the point of putting so much authentic in your Rocky XVIII if you're gonna put some obvious award-grabby hambones in the center stage (show anyone who doesn't know leo a picture of her with the daughters and i'm sure they could pick out of the line-up which one was up for an Oscar). Depressing that David O Russell and Marky are all "let's do a sequel!" now.

Actually, I don't know if Russell is gung ho about a sequel - and Wahlberg has just been foaming for a franchise for years

(show anyone who doesn't know leo a picture of her with the daughters and i'm sure they could pick out of the line-up which one was up for an Oscar)

This seems like a really silly and weird criticism to make.

What is “head, body, head, body”?

Well, I hit him in the head, and then his hand’s gonna go up to protect himself, so it opens up his body, and then when I hit him in the body, the hand goes back down, I go back up to the head, hand goes back up, hit him in the body. People who don’t know fighting think you can do a lot of damage hitting somebody in the head, but you do more hitting them in the body. So what do you think? Can I take you out?

rescreened this on the plane and it was still wicked awesome

the mom died a couple weeks ago, at least she lived to see herself caricatured Oscarstyle

http://i.imgur.com/aTLg9.jpg

you forget about shea neary or something?

― Princess TamTam, Friday, December 10, 2010 11:07 PM (7 months ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

a+

forgot about s.h.e.a.

I enjoyed this & thought that all the acting was great.

I am quite a corny kind of a guy.

http://www.avclub.com/articles/today-in-news-you-cant-walk-out-on-david-o-russell,67283/

NEWSWIRE
Today in news you can't walk out on: David O. Russell accused of groping his transgender niece

By Sean O'Neal January 6, 2012

In a story that even David O. Russell wishes were just another “David O. Russell walks out on something” report, director David O. Russell has become the unlikely center of a quasi-incestuous, inappropriate groping scandal involving his 19-year-old transgender niece—a story that most of you would probably like to walk out on yourselves, toot sweet, but hey, we’ve already come this far, so here we go. As reported by The Wrap, Russell spent last Friday working out in the gym with his adopted sister’s son, Nicholas “Nicole” Peloquin, a 19-year-old who’s currently undergoing hormone treatments in preparation for upcoming gender-reassignment surgery. And while doing some abdominal exercises, during which Russell’s hand “hovered above Peloquin’s private parts,” the discussion naturally turned to the way the hormones had increased the size of Peloquin’s breasts. Not so naturally, Russell then slipped his hand under Peloquin’s shirt to find out for himself.
In the police report, Russell says that he only did so because he was “curious about the breast enhancement,” insisting that he did it only after she gave him permission, and even then he repeatedly asked if he was making her uncomfortable. But his niece, while admitting that she never asked Russell to stop, later told her family that she did feel violated, spurring her to contact authorities. The fact that Russell made her “pinky swear” not to tell anyone probably didn’t help those feelings that something wrong had occurred—nor, honestly, does Russell’s follow-up statement to police that, since beginning her transgender transformation, he believes his niece “has become very provocative and seductive,” which is probably not something you should mention in this sort of situation, or in fact, ever. Nevertheless, Russell’s rep has stated that the director “emphatically denies any wrongdoing,” except, of course, for darkening our morning with one of the more awkward family stories since Spanking The Monkey. Anyway, there. Let’s all walk out now, together.

well :/

Trying to come up with a "Peloquin stuck in a tree" tie-in joke here and drawing a blank.

...

O_O

pinky swear

wincing over here

And while doing some abdominal exercises, during which Russell’s hand “hovered above Peloquin’s private parts,”

I mean what the hell is this

pretty sure you don't need a spotter to do Kegels

all of this is just...*shudder*

Has anyone started a thread for Silver Linings Playbook yet?

You think we'll get any Whitesnake in this one?

the ads weird me out because the lead role was sooo clearly meant for wahlberg to play. like that scene where he's freaking out about Hemingway. i dont mind b-coop but the ghost of mark wahlberg is haunting this movie

Some strong minority opinions emerging that SLP sucks, which would make a pattern.

x-post - Interesting, I hadn't thought about that before. Cooper, who I don't mind either and have sort of grown to love, was on the TV this morning talking about it and he said that Russell pursued him for the role because he's Italian-American and from Philly (which I guess are both true of the character he plays). Maybe you're right though and that was after MW said no? I'm gonna watch it next with that in mind because I can sorta see what you mean.

Anyway, I really want to see this. Ignoring you Morbs.

I watched Cooper, DeNiro and Russell on Charlie Rose last night. They spent a long time talking about getting the Philly accent right.

I saw this last night, finally. It is exactly the kind of movie my wife would never choose to watch, but my dad and his brothers did some boxing and he taught me to appreciate it, so the violence of it was nbd.

this looks... kinda conventional!

Yeah. It followed the normal sports movie story arc pretty closely. The main characters were nothing special; not badly drawn or poorly acted, just kinda conventional, fitting comfortably into the 'gritty working class' hollywood mold. The seven sisters were a bit of hoot. Amy Adams did what she could with her role, but it was not that meaty. The mom was given all the good lines.

In the end, what I liked best was that they took a lot of trouble to get the fights fairly realistically choreographed. Most boxing movies go for a lot of confused close-ups of punches being thrown, because you get a sense of the action, but it drops out the context, which is hard for actors to get right. Here the camera stayed back much of the time and showed each fights more as a televised fight might be shown. That means they couldn't just cheat and blur their way through them. Movies like Raging Bull or Million Dollar Baby and just about every boxing movie ever tend to go the other direction, keeping the narrative, but omitting the actual boxing.

Whoever trained Wahlberg and choreographed the fights did a great job. They got him at least halfway to believability as a boxer, which is a noteworthy feat.

that isn't so difficult, he has the physique and natural terrier aggressiveness of one of those arturi gatti types

also wasn't he a teenage remedial shithead etc

IM THE ONE FIGHTING NOT U AND NOT U AND NOT U

Hamlet this was not.

http://i.imgur.com/aTLg9.jpg

― nakhchivan, Sunday, 19 June 2011 13:25 (1 year ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

DD Lewis p convincing in The Boxer, with no godawful hammy award-winning supporting performances.

One of the hammier performances I've seen in the past half decade was Daniel Day Lewis (on DVD) in There Will Be Blood. I don't blame him, though. There was little else could be done with that part as written.

that is, y'know, not the movie I'm talking about.

(but that was mostly a good hammy performance)

I watch boxing movies for character, not HBO-style fights.

also wasn't he a teenage remedial shithead etc

― there is no special cathexis with mini fried donuts (Nilmar Honorato da Silva), Saturday, May 11, 2013 7:42 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark

http://i.imgur.com/iXvKtai.png
http://i.imgur.com/1b1aYyN.png

good fights are a welcome detail in a boxing movie though. imo. if you like boxing. a lot of ppl don't though ymmv

xpost yeesh

At approximately 9:00 p.m. on April 8, 1988, Thanh Lam, a Vietnamese adult male who resides in Dorchester, traveled by car to 998 Dorchester Avenue, Dorchester, Massachusetts. At 998 Dorchester Avenue, Thanh Lam left his car carrying two cases of beer. As he crossed the sidewalk, Mark Wahlberg attacked Thanh Lam. Wahlberg was carrying a large wooden stick, approximately five feet long and two to three inches in diameter. Wahlberg approached Thanh Lam calling him a “Vietnam fucking shit”, then hit him over the head with the stick. Thanh Lam was knocked to the ground unconscious. The stick broke in two and was later recovered from the scene. Thanh Lam was treated overnight at Boston City Hospital.
After police arrested Wahlberg later on the night of April 8, 1988, Wahlberg was informed of his rights and returned to the scene of 988 Dorchester Avenue. In the presence of two police officers, he stated: “You don’t have to let him identify me, I’ll tell you now that’s the mother-fucker whose head I split open”, or words to that effect.

As a police officer arrived at the scene of 988 Dorchester Avenue, Wahlberg and two other youths who were with him fled up Dorchester Avenue toward Pearl Street.
Shortly after 9:00pm on April 8, 1988, Hoa Trinh, an adult Vietnamese male who resides in Dorchester, was standing several blocks away from 998 Dorchester Avenue, near the corner of Dorchester Avenue and Pearl Street. Hoa Trinh was not aware of the altercation outside of 998 Dorchester Avenue.
Wahlberg ran up to Hoa Trinh, put his arm around Hoa Trinh’s shoulder and said: “Police coming, police coming, let me hide.” After a police cruiser passed, Wahlberg punched Trinh in the eye, causing him to fall to the ground.
Police arrived and Hoa Trinh identified Wahlberg as the person who punched him. Wahlberg was placed under arrest and read his rights. Thereafter, he made numerous unsolicited racial statements about “gooks” and “slant-eyed gooks”. After being returned to 998 Dorchester Avenue, Wahlberg identified Thanh Lam as the person he hit over the head with a stick.

jesus christ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6B-qMqLqESQ

sequel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3T7LCg2VOcs

lifestyles of the tastelessly clad and accent-ridden

i want a mod to change this thread title to THE FIGHTAH