Blog Archives

2 guys, a girl and a movie enjoy ‘The Wrestler’

Posted on by
Reply

K = one guy              E = the other guy    S = the girl

 

E:  For those afraid that this is a movie about Hulk Hogan or anyone from the WWE (WWF, for those of us who remember Junkyard Dog)… you will be pleasantly surprised.  The Wrestler is a character focused piece that shows the human side of a superhuman filled fantasy world.

 

K:  The critical buzz on Mickey Rourke actually lives up to the hype folks! The best soul-seeking physical performance of 2008, which happens to be the comeback acting story of the year.

 

S:  But, WOW, I had to look away for at least 4 scenes.  They were brutal to watch.  Very real and well shot but HARD to watch.  (This ‘sport’ wasn’t my cup of tea when it first came out and still isn’t.  So, I might be a little more squeamish than others of you.)

 

E:  That may turn off some OSCAR voters.  I thought some of the wrestling footage seemed like it came straight out of Jackass (who uses panes of glass and barbed wire in a fake sport?), but that extreme, sideshow side of wrestling is real too.  I think this nomination is Rourke’s to lose. 

 

K:  Rourke’s recent compliment regarding 9/11 and the former President Bush presidency might hurt his chances in Hollywood for winning the Best Actor Oscar.  Then again, Oscar voters generally like to reward comeback performances.

 

E:  I thought all of the performances were solid.  The movie keeps you interested in the characters.  It has a lot to say about entertainment, performance, family.  I thought there was a lot to take away.

 

S:  I loved Marisa Tomei, too.  How interesting to see the life outside the strip club of an aging stripper.  I think this was better than her performance in My Cousin Vinny.  OOOOOOO, but her dress at the Golden Globes or the Sags…the Pirate one…what was she thinking.  I know, it was either channelling Johnny Depp or Gasparilla in St. Petersburg/Tampa.  (It’s Mardi Gras for Pirates!)

 

K:  Marisa Tomei had a comeback, Oscar nominated, sensual performance in this movie. Evan Rachel Wood shows why she’ll be a talent young actress to watch in future years.

 

S:  Yeah, but do you find it as creepy as I do that tabloids are saying she is now dating her movie dad, Mickey Rourke?  It creeps me out a little.

 

E:  I saw this movie the same day as Gran Torino and thought The Wrestler was a more engaging (I think better) movie.  You have to get used to the camera style.  It’s almost shot like a documentary.

 

K:  Kudos to director Darren Aronofsky for making a realistic looking film about the unglamorous post career of old school, professional (“fake”) wrestlers.

 

S:  This was a big departure from his (Darren Aronofsky’s) other movies, too.  I can think of The Fountain and Requiem for a Dream off the top of my head and those both had big fantasy elements to them.  This one CERTAINLY did not.  It was real, gritty and uncomfortable.  I guess that makes for a good movie.  Oh and he’s engaged to (maybe married, I don’t remember for sure) Rachel Wiesz from The Mummy movies.  I loved her in those.

 

K, E and S ALL AGREE:  Full Price. Rourke’s Oscar nominated performance worth it.

evan rachel wood not dating mickey rourke

Posted on by
Reply

The most entertaining storyline from the aftermath of the SAG Awards was Evan Rachel Wood allegedly going up to the hotel room of Mickey Rourke – her on-screen father in The Wrestler.

A lot of people were disgusted with Wood for hooking up with Rourke, but many simply weren’t surprised because of her dating history (aka Marilyn Manson).  It looks like the reports were false, though, Wood tells Rolling Stone….

Recently, Manson and Wood parted ways, and Wood has been single ever since.

There have been inaccurate reports in the press recently that link Evan to her co-star in The Wrestler, actor Mickey Rourke. The latest rumor is that they locked lips at the SAG awards ceremony a few nights ago.

With no other friend in the press to turn to, we heard from Evan this morning. She has been so distraught by these rumors, and the attention they have taken away from the brilliant movie, that she asked us to pass along this message. And we obliged.

“I’m upset because I feel disrespected by the press and by Mr. Rourke,” she told us. “Just because I’m single doesn’t mean that you can take advantage of me. It’s unfair that the performances might suffer because of all of these distractions.”

And regarding her alleged affair with Mr. Rourke, Wood says, “I’m not attracted to him, he’s too old for me. Nothing ever happened and nothing ever will.”

So yeah.  I don’t know if that entirely clears things up, but all this Wood + Rourke tabloid business seemed like a bit of a stretch.  But it made sense because Wood is so often slammed in the media for dating Manson when she was so young.

who was snubbed for an oscar

Posted on by
Reply

So, if you haven’t heard, the Oscar nominees were announced today.

(If you’re looking for a run-down of the nominees, head here)

A lot is being made about the Oscar snubs, and I’ve got to say: what’s the big deal?

So what if Gran Torino wasn’t nominated for Best Picture, and Clint Eastwood wasn’t nominated for Best Actor?

It really doesn’t matter, because I don’t think Gran Torino had any chance in either category.  You know what I mean?

The whole Oscar-snubs type of arguments is directly related to to sports and All-Star games, though the Oscars do actually mean something.  But if you saw the Golden Globes, or even just the winners, you’ve seen the favorites for each of the major awards.  And I don’t think that there’s going to be that much of a difference between the GG and the AA.

Slumdog Millionaire is (seemingly) the favorite for every category it’s in, Mickey Rourke is the favorite for Best Actor and Heath Ledger is a shoe-in for Best Supporting Actor.

I guess, with all of this being said, the only thing that is disappointing is that The Dark Knight wasn’t nominated for Best Picture.  I personally think it deserved it, even though I haven’t yet seen The Reader, which was (allegedly) the final film to make it in to the Best Picture nominees.

The Oscars air on Feb. 22.

golden globe fallout: fcc’s getting involved

Posted on by
Reply

A week ago, the United States was exposed to a foul-mouthed/middle-finger laden broadcast on network TV.  And as is typically the case, most people haven’t thought much of Seth Rogen joking about snorting cocaine with Mickey Rourke, or The Wrestler director Darren Aronovsky giving the bird to Rourke.

I certainly found both funny during my live blog, and wasn’t at all offended.

But in the week following the NBC broadcast, the FCC has reportedly received 18 complaints about three incidents (the two above and Colin Farrell joking about his cocaine use).

The FCC “is reviewing the program for possible violations of indecency rules… after receiving multiple complaints,” the Los Angeles Times reports.

We’ll see what comes of this, but I frankly don’t see the big deal.  I mean, doesn’t everyone have a middle finger?  And isn’t joking about cocaine use funny and over the heads of all young kids?

Here’s what I think: Don’t expect NBC or the Golden Globes to be fined.

what is mickey rourke doing?

Posted on by
Reply

I have to question Mickey Rourke’s next movie choice, even though I haven’t read the script.

Rourke, according to Variety, has signed on to the ensemble cast of Sylvester Stallone’s upcoming action film titled The Expendables.

Already signed on for the project are Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li and Randy Couture.  At this point, Variety reports that Ben Kingsley and Forest Whitaker are both considering coming aboard to join Rourke, who plays an arms dealer who’s hired by some mercenaries.

I personally don’t understand this role for Rourke.  He was great in Sin City, and is supposed to be really good in The Wrestler – a movie that I plan on seeing in the next week.  He’s even being discussed for an Oscar for his The Wrestler role.

But then, of all roles available, he picks a Stallone film.  I mean, Stallone’s directing.  Come on, you’ve got to be kidding me.

Come on Mickey, you’re better than Stallone’s films.

sag nominations are out

Posted on by
Reply

There’s nothing I love than award shows, which is why I am stoked that the SAG Award nominations are out today.  Let’s get to the nominations for the movie side of the award show, shall we?

Leading the pack with five nominations was Doubt.  Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams and Viola Davis all were nominated.

The fifth award Doubt was nominated for was Best Ensemble.  Also nominated is “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” Richard Nixon interview-film “Frost/Nixon,” the Sean Penn-driven ”Milk” and a movie that I really want to see in “Slumdog Millionaire.”

As was expected, Heath Ledger earned a nomination for Best Supporting Actor for the second biggest movie ever.  He is the clear favorite to win.

Kate Winslet will give it another go at a Best Actress Oscar in February, but a SAG win in either the Best Actress category for Revolutionary Road or Best Supporting Actress category for The Reader should give her a decent amount of momentum going into the Academy Awards.

Also up for the Best Actress Award is Angelina Jolie for Changeling, Anne Hathaway for Rachel Getting Married and Melissa Leo for Frozen River.

Nominations for Best Actor are: Richard Jenkins, “The Visitor”; Frank Langella, “Frost/Nixon”; Sean Penn, “Milk”; Brad Pitt, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”; and Mickey Rourke, “The Wrestler.”

The award show will air on Jan. 15 on TNT and TBS.