• 9Mar 09

  Movie Review: The Wrestler

  
  It is ironic that in the same year Jack Nicholson was faulted for merely playing himself as the 1989 Joker, Mickey Rourke shows just how effective this relationship can be. Rourke plays out his life in 115 minutes as Randy 'The Ram' Robinson; a former icon now reduced to school hall signings and amateur fight nights. "You never really stopped acting" an interviewer once said to Mickey Rourke, "yeah but I acted in a lot of crap" Rourke tactfully replied.

  It is in his performance that Rourke gives the film its real resonance but it is in that which is represented that provides the film with its strangest interest. In refusing to belittle the sport (or stage) of wrestling director Darren Aronofsky has created something of an eye-opener. The films' opening backstage scenes reveal the workings of these fights as pseudo-improvised acting and presents the wrestlers themselves as respectful-if rather odd fusions of actors, bodybuilders and athletes. On the more extreme end The Wrestler showcases the more dangerous side of 'Hardcore' wrestling, which includes (in this case the very real use) of staple guns, barbed wire and planks of wood. More importantly, the films shows the long term self destruction of its stars. Rourke's character is battered and worn out; his heart collapsing under the years of steroid abuse necessary for his physique, his finances nonexistent and his family no longer apparent. Alone except for the stripper he visits almost every night Randy seeks redemption with his estranged daughter and wishes to form something more with the stripper he visits.

  These are familiar themes for any sports drama but rarely are they handled with such an unnatural sense of realism. The direction is almost documentary-esque and the soundtrack never seeps into anything more than ambience. But it is again the performances that give the film its added weight. The 45 year old Marisa Tomei plays stripper Cassidy with the same kind of realisation as Rourke plays 'The Ram'. Too old to be doing what she does her life runs parallel to Randy's in the same way that her playing a stripper at 45 (no matter how good she looks) mirrors her character. Evan Rachel Wood as the forgotten daughter may or may not have been abandoned when she was younger but her startling transformation in the equally self destructive Thirteen at least gives her some experience in the unhinged daughter role.

  Against the weight of all other films The Wrestler presents something far crueller. For all the fame, for all the glory Randy has lost everything to that which he loves and there are some pains that just can't be healed and there are some realities we don't want to face. "The only place I get hurt is out there" he plainly tells Cassidy at the start of the films heart breaking climax. There is humour along the way, but it's bittersweet as it always carries the further realisation of how out of touch Randy is with the world. The scenes where he is trying to find a present for his daughter or when he plays a videogame with one of his neighbours are brilliantly portrayed but they build up: fusing with the moments of him just trying to get by, or when he's at autograph signings-the camera lingering on the canes and wheelchairs of his associates. It results in a film that combines self loathing, obsession, narcissism and redemption to create a character that could not be played by anyone better, by anyone else. And as the final shot fades to black you couldn't ask for a better ending; leaving you to ponder for a few weighted moments over the only conclusion that can be drawn, just long enough to hear Bruce Springsteen quietly count the film into the credits, and sum up Rourke's character in one mournful line: "If you've ever seen a one trick pony then you've seen me."
  

  • Posted Mar 9, 2009 12:07 pm PT
  • Category: Movies
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• 24Jan 09

  Winner of the Writers' Lounge 'Holiday Review Competition'

  It's always nice to be appreciated and it's also nice to actually take part in a union that you have a genuine interest in. The Writers Lounge is quite a small union for the length of a time it has been operating (around a year), but it has a dedicated community of users who upload such varied works as poems, reviews, short stories and yes-the occasional piece of fan fiction.

  I'm more of a lurker in the union itself, as I myself only really take part in writing reviews (though one of my pieces of coursework for my english gcse was a Half Life 2 story) I only feel like i'm a member there for a portion of what the union is about. Nevertheless, when the Writers' Lounge announced they were having a review competition I though it'd be the perfect time to take a stab at seeing what the union had to offer.

  As you can tell, I won the competition. I used my de Blob review as it was the most recent review I posted and you can take a look at in my profile. There was some hefty competition, including Aberinkulas, who-as well as being one of my favourite reviewers on Gamespot-procured a review for Half Life; a game that is not only very hard to analyse (given its status), but also one of my favourite games.

  Upon winning the competition i was granted with this nice little tag which I have since put in my signature.

  Though it didn't make my impending exams any easier to think about, it certainly made me feel extremely happy and made the somewhat frustrating wait for ONM's December review competition to seem more bearable (currently there's still no announcement there).

  You can check out the Writers' Lounge here, the competition itself here and the results page here.

  • Posted Jan 24, 2009 11:47 am PT
  • Category: Writing
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• 16Nov 08

  Movie Review: Bridge to Terabithia

  

  Much like the main characters it presents Bridge to Terabithia is caught in the middle of being both a children's and an adult's film. It delves into the areas of fantasy, hope and friendship all against the backdrop of loneliness, under appreciation and worry. Like all good films it combines the two to produce a sweet, endearing and at times heart breaking film.

  The film gently introduces its main characters to us, establishing family set ups and main characters positioning throughout their school system. Unsurprisingly main character Jess Adams is a bit of a misfit, his farmyard upbringing the brunt of the bullying he faces at school. Once this is established we meet Leslie Burke, the likewise equally misunderstood female character who plays the role of the slightly kooky, imaginative girl. Like all childhood friendships their relationship develops quickly, a slight sense of tension at the start is quickly forgone thanks to some tried and tested chewing gun and a race to a tree. It's both a charming and an idyllic relationship, hints of romantic interest remain appropriately as hints-never going too far but amicably showing affection and the ever popular method of having two friends have a quarrel and then make up later in the movie is thankfully avoided. The actors themselves are strong as well. I was never really a fan of Josh Hutcherson (who plays Jess) mainly because I didn't like Zathura, but here he gives a strong performance, particularly from someone his age. Likewise AnnaSophia Robb (Leslie) is also strong. Her more positive and inquisitive character is easier to pull off than Josh's (who, it has to be said has to go through varying emotional stages) but she does do her job very well and most importantly the chemistry between the too leads is there is full force. This is perhaps the area where Bridge to Terabithia will mostly appeal to adults. Children will find the early parts tedious, anxiously waiting for Terabithia itself, but for adults the two characters relationship is one of endearing innocence. Such relationships can never happen with those past that mystical puberty ridden gateway so the sense of friendship and excitement is all the more powerful here.

  Something that well extends into Terabithia itself. The two create this dreamland out of their own forest as a means of escaping the bullies and school that populate their real lives. Its meaning is not merely so superfluous however; this is a world where both can foster their own gifts of imagination and creativity. Terabithia turns out not to be a means of escape but a means of creation. It is a world that adults really have no business entering or have any means of even attempting to enter. As someone who long ago crossed the bitter border that separates childhood from teenage angst I felt slightly incredulous about how they could imagine such a world based on real features; but that was the thing that really got to me about Bridge to Terabithia, it's a film that I can no longer fully connect with because it is an idea that has mournfully now left me. Ultimately this made the film connect to me on a different level and one that truly had a far greater impact. It reminded me of how wonderful and escapist being a child can be. How turning ordinary events into extraordinary creations was not only the norm but also brilliantly fascinating. Again, thankfully the film keeps this sense of imagination alive; whereas in most films the parental figure at some points tells the child to grow up and live in the real world here such a feeling are never presented. Though the family are financially struggling and although the Dad still asks for Jess to help out more the intrusion of family life into this world is never pressed. What really takes Bridge to Terabithia to the next level is how the opposite occurs. The real world does not take its toll on Terabithia, Terabithia makes its mark on the real world and it is at this point that the true reasoning behind growing up, the true understanding of knowing the limitation to such fantasies make their most tragic mark.

  Bridge to Terabithia is a film that deals with the realities of life in ways we perhaps would not want it to deal with. Films often deal with growing up when faced with adversity, but rarely do films show this sense of childhood-this innocence in the imaginative sense. It has its share of niggles-the script is aimed and necessarily written for younger people and at times you will see the characters do things you would rather they didn't. But this is because you can see so much of yourself here in this film that it resonates with you to the point at which the somewhat repetitive dialogue ("wow" "Jess over here" "wow") becomes not only understandable but also familiar. In the end this is a film that has made me wonder why I ever even wanted to grow up in the first place but more importantly it made me look up at the trees and wonder just what could really be lurking there... a valt, a gredarg, or even a chelit perhaps? You have no idea what these are because I made these creatures up after watching Bridge to Terabithia. The film gave this particular reviewer part of his imagination back, and for that he is eternally grateful.

  

  • Posted Nov 16, 2008 3:03 pm PT
  • Category: Movies
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