The Wrestler. Directed by Darren Aronofsky. WIth Mickey Rourke...

...looks like the first Aronofsky movie that wont create a dispute between the critics.
Rourke looks frightening in the trailer.not surprising.

Who hated Requiem?

hand up here

and here

i liked it at the time but have never felt like rewatching it. I'm intrigued by the rehabilitation of Mickey Rourke's career though.

Rourke is fine and difficult to look at. The movie is sentimental and, when it leaves the wrestling milieu (or Rourke's grimly funny day job at the deli counter), sentimental, esp re the estranged daughter played by Evan Rachel Wood.

http://www.firstshowing.net/img/wrestler-rourke-fl.jpg

uh scuse my Friday fatigue-impaired writing -- the second "sentimental" shd be "formulaic".

i think it's one of those films that's easy to hate when you're not watching it. i've seen requiem a bunch of times and always found good, but remember it is as stylistic drek, i guess because that stuff's the most memorable. i think it's a good film. pi was way less impressive after my teenage enthrallment.

i liked the springsteen song on the new trailer.

vs.

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc90/aida_aida_bucket/MickeyRourke.jpg

i remember seeing requiem with a few friends and no one saying a word for about five minutes after we left the theater, until someone finally broke the tension. but in retrospect it's a pretty terrible (if visceral) movie.

and becomes an Aronofsky retro thread in 3, 2, 1...

My exp has been it's not a good idea to reevaluate retrospectively until you watch/hear/read something again. The mind does funny things.

btw this film is written by a former Onion staffer.

I'm curious about this but Aranofsky's track record is horrible. Pi was okay, a cute little first film. Requiem was pretty crap, despite my having enjoyed the book in the 80s. Didn't see that last sci-fi love story bomb thing (did anybody?)

i've enjoyed all of his movies, including the "sci-fi love story bomb thing" but they definitely all have problems.

The Fountain was his weakest but I didn't hate it.

The Fountain was very pretty but crazy. I watched it the same night as the Solaris remake. That was a bad day.

I am looking forward to The Wrestler a lot. It sounds mawkish in that way I like, but I know a lot of people hate. Mickey Rourke with a hearing aid. Good grief.

Is this based on a true story or something?

not directly so far as I know, but there are plenty of bit players from the 'industry' in it.

Oh god I got to see this trailer the other day. Insufferable.

looks like Oscar bait to me, but i can't resist this type of flick so i'll probably see it as soon as it comes out on ntflx.

morbz is otm. this is a good movie but about as subtle, emotionally, as anything he's ever done.

Rourke genuinely looks like a washed-up mid-card star from the late-80s/early-90s after fifteen years of coke (like all good washed-up mid-card stars from the late-80s/early-90s), so it's got my vote.

Oh god I hated Requiem. All it had going for it was "intensity" -- and the same could be said for a bad car accident (which is, frankly, also more exciting to sit through)

I actually enjoyed Pi though.

films could use more of the right "intensity," less of the hokey eyewash re Rourke's relations w/ the two women in this film.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/3740936/Hollywood-film-The-Wrestler-insults-Iran.html

aronofsky is the classic dork tryin too hard - pretty much want to see this tho

Rourke's character make a pointed distinction between Def Leppard (rawks) and Kurt Cobain (pussy) -- is it supposed to be irony that the movie and Rourke's character are definitely less Leppard and more Cobain?

Unless The Boss is meant as the middle ground.

Pi is one of my fav films ever, but Requiem I've seen once and not sure I want a repeat - too much of a bash over the head.

This movie also does not act like I've come to expect an Aronofsky movie to act. Only scene that reminded me of Requiem was Rourke's last day behind the deli counter.

I want those deli outtakes.

Hmmmm, who would want to see a Leppardy movie? Besides all the ILE Ivan Reitman fans?

(kinda wanted the Ram to die after the "pussy Cobain" line, anyway)

(I think Kelly Reichardt is a more Cobainy filmmaker than DA, fwiw)

so if this is less Aronofskyian than his others, it's a good thing, no?

Requiem was a drag. You could have cut out 90% of the Ellen Burstyn popping pills and rifling through the fridge and it still would have been too much. Plus Jared Letlol!!

i hate aronofsky but this is clearly going to owne

Hmmmm, who would want to see a Leppardy movie?

Obviously not my genre, but I think I'd rather see a Leppardy movie on this subject matter. Indeed, that's what we're watching during the extreme wrestling sequence with the staple gun.

lol ernest the cat miller

lol Eric, "hair metal" was a fashion show, sonically and every other way! Staple gun is more Nine Inch Nails (I'm sure Ram thinks Reznor a pussy, too -- I wonder if he's ever heard of GG Allin). My idea of a Leppardy movie wd probably be The Devil Wears Prada, if I'd seen it.

?!

You have a weird idea of what Leppard fans are into.

I think the most 'Leppard' line is when Rourke sez "Let's all take a shower."

to wash all the sugar off?

btw, comedian Todd Barry as supermarket boss

http://carpetbagger.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/17/rourkes-comeback-semi-good-for-the-jews/

On first meeting his director, Darren Aronofsky, Mr. Rourke said “he looked real Jewish and real smart but he had this swagger.”

On first meeting his director, Darren Aronofsky, Mr. Rourke said “he looked real Jewish and real smart but he had this swagger.”

haven't seen this yet but it sure looks like it's inspired by the Jake Roberts section in "Beyond the Mat" -- or maybe all washed-up professional wrestler stories take the same shape.

Whoever set Rourke looks perfect for the part is OTM

set = said

thought pi was okay
disliked requiem's afterschool-special-on-steroids steez
tuned out for the fountain
am down for anything that tries to revive mickey rourke's career

This film is not aging well in my memory. It's diverting bullshit, really, and makes explicit even in the dialogue that it's The Passion of the Christ in tights.

The thing I really took away from this movie is how much I hate old people at deli counters and supermarkets. They end up complaining about every little thing and asking about sales/coupons/etc, and hold up the line with their drama. I think I would rather die of heart failure than deal with them on a daily basis.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2009/jan/28/mickey-rourke-wwe

Nicole otm. after the second time the old lady sent me back for her german potato salad i would have gone totally hulkamania

It seems like I always end up stuck in line behind these people when I go grocery shopping.

Haha, the two things I always think whenever I'm in those kinds of situations are:

1) "Okay, I'm not them and maybe they have some unknown reason influencing why they're like that, so bite yer tongue and be patient."

2) "That said, I am going to do my damnedest never to be like that when I am at that age, and I hope I'm not like that now."

Admittedly my working in public service has helped influence this a lot. I remember last year I had to talk to AT&T for a bit to clear up a massive billing glitch. I described it all calmly, I was v. patient waiting on hold while it was worked out and thanked them for clearing everything up in the end, and whoever was on the other end thanked me for not yelling or being angry or the like! Can't imagine what they must deal with regularly.

lol when i was in the video rental industry i had a guy threaten to spit on me when i wouldnt remove his late fee

was he like... 'I will spit on you!'

really enjoyed this, btw. liked how they budgeted for a real NES game. and for all the talk about about how conventional this movie is, I really didn't expect that dude to catch the meat when the Ram lobbed it from behind the deli.

lol chris jericho vs mickey rourke smackdown:
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2009/01/28/lkl.rourke.jericho.cnn

Really *loved* this and it's been mulling around in my head ever since seeing it. A couple of points that stand out: best ever use of G'n'R in a film? Reading up on how they could "afford" to use Sweet Child o' Mine (ie. Rourke swung it for free) makes this even better. Also, the Randy Cam style trailing camera felt like a direct homage to the Dardenne Bros' "Rosetta", which was nice.

A...Apter?

Haha

I'm trying to decide which I disliked more, GnR or Rosetta.

Sicinski otm:

The Wrestler actually shares pro wrestling's lunkheaded conservatism, right down to a preference for unreconstructed Reagan-era debauchery (shit-metal like Quiet Riot and Ratt, plus watery domestic brewski) over "that pussy Kurt Cobain." Hell, even Bruce Springsteen's closing song is just Sting's "King of Pain" with all the metaphors removed. Sad thing is, there's actual material here that could have been provocative had anyone concerned actually thought about it....

http://academichack.net/reviewsDecember2008.htm#Wrestler

ie, sorry Eric, it's a metal movie to the core.

Let's not talk about this anymore.

You really think a form of entertainment that, for the past at least 40 years, has thrived on "evil white rich guy gets out-thought, outfought and vanquished by plucky redneck/African-American/Hispanic (delete depending on minority of choice in local area)" counts as conservatism, Morbz?

wdn't "evil A-rab" fit better in the very first ring scenario in the movie?

I'm just going by the predilections of high-school knuckledraggers I knew who were obsessed by it, until later I met hipsters who paid attention too.

Morbs has always struck me as a wrestling heel, but I do mean this as a compliment.

http://www.in-sect.com/scr/the_genius.jpg

^^ keepin it positive

/studying to be a board lawyer

Vince may not be a genius...

Man, was I the only one who was disturbed by the Necro Butcher fight? I never followed pro wrestling as a kid, but I saw it a few times, and I don't remember anything remotely like that. My eyes were like half-closed the entire time.

I didn't read the thread too closely, because I don't want too many spoilers, but I saw Necro Butcher do a Staple Gun fight with New Jack, and there were a about 30 people there.

A few years later, I saw Terry Funk and Eddie Guererro lose to noname locals at a race track, and this was long after they might have headlined at MSG. (and before Eddie got to come back)

So to chime in without seeing the movie, yeah there is a long way to fall after the big time. Where is Brutus the Barber now?

there were acrobatic wrestlers at high levels throughout the history of pro wrestling, so I don't think I'd get upset because a fictional character was doing modern stuff too early. Very little of it is new. ever.

I haven't watched this movie yet, because it is kind of painful to remember how much I loved this stuff and how ugly it all ended up.

For me this was his best film so far. In fact, I think every film of his has surpassed his previous film. He's halfway to becoming the next Cronenberg..

uh waht

Man, was I the only one who was disturbed by the Necro Butcher fight? I never followed pro wrestling as a kid, but I saw it a few times, and I don't remember anything remotely like that. My eyes were like half-closed the entire time.

― Bianca Jagger (jaymc), Sunday, 1 February 2009 07:25 (6 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Someone needs to watch a New Jack compendium imo.

saw it today. blah blah cliched blah blah rourke is great blah blah pretty bleh overall though. don't understand why tomei got an oscar nom. maybe nominators liked her boobies is all i can figure.

pretty good guess tbh

just saw this tonight - usually i try and not to get stuck up on open ended endings but i was left really wishing i had seen rourke act out his death in the ring, he was so good in this that i felt kind of robbed to have not seen him 'take on' his characters death.

i don't have much to add otherwise except i think there should be a spin off reality show kind of like dirty jobs except it's surly mickey rourke - deli scenes were maybe the funniest scenes i saw all year (challops)

First deli scene was so good

I got a kick out of how they had Ernest "The Cat" Miller in there. And I had to explain to my friends about the hardcore match that "that's what they really do" and told the story of seeing ECW in 1999, where New Jack did have the trash can of stuff + staple gun.

I was really impressed by the attention to detail for randy's part: the NES game(the wiki/imdb mentions its a rom-hacked version of Wrestlemania), the opening shots of press-clippings straight out of all those late-80s ish of Pro-Wrestling Illustrated I would flip thru at the local drug store before buying that month's Mad, the thumb tacks, etc.

I did laugh at marisa tomei of all people being "movie ugly" and the contrivance of no guy in the place wanting a dance from her.

Other wrestling books worth tracking down:

Roddy Piper's Bio, Mick Foley's bio(tho he didn't get big until the 90s), the Wrestlecrap book, and some of the histories that Scott Keith put out. The Roddy Piper book is distinctly disjointed which demonstrated to me that a guy who got head trauma repeatedly as a part of his professional career wrote it. He also would do shit back then of getting paid for big matches with cocaine.

The formulaic bit i didn't like was the 2nd deli scene, where i figured he'd have to be fired or quit right after retiring because we need our tragic hero at his very lowest and so all this shit just has to happen to him.

Kingfish did you see this @ Lloyd Center?

Cinema 21

LIPNICK

This is a wrestling picture; the audience wants to see action, drama, wrestling, and plenty of it. They don't wanna see a guy wrestling with his soul — well, all right, a little bit, for the critics — but you make it the carrot that wags the dog. Too much of it and they head for exits and I don't blame 'em. There's plenty of poetry right inside that ring, Fink. Look at "Hell Ten Feet Square."

LOU

Blood, Sweat, and Canvas.

LIPNICK

Look at "Blood, Sweat, and Canvas." These are big movies, Fink. About big men, in tights — both physically and mentally. But especially physically.

this was very whoa:

http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/10077

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/0d308ebcbb/the-uncler-w-uncle-sam-and-alyssa-milano

yea i saw that rose interview. liked it.

i reeeally wanna see this movie

Mickey's awesome speech at the Independent Spirit Awards

Reminded me of π.

to state the obvious, Spirit speech > The Wrestler

<3<3<3 amazing. thanks for that ET

http://idolator.com/5160174/the-idolator-q--a-ne+yo

oops

was supposed to be

http://kotaku.com/5158834/the-making-of-wrestle-jam-the-wrestlers-unsung-hero

whoever did costume design for this is pretty great

PASSION OF THE TIGHTS

this movie was rocky vi: rocky wrestles

this movie was awful.

i'm probably repeating myself from upthread, but man, those fights were tough to watch. evan rachel wood films nicely at dusk.