This Could Be My Ticket Back To The Top

The Wrestler
2008, dir. Darren Aronofsky
starring Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood

I saw one review for The Wrestler that said, "Witness the resurrection of Mickey Rourke," and I don't think anyone could have put it any better. After years of small roles and b-movies with cookie cutter performances, Rourke has again showed the kind of acting skill he routinely displayed twenty years ago. In the film, Rourke plays the eponymous character named Randy The Ram Robinson, a wrestler once at the top of the game in the 1980s, but who has, with age, fallen to wrestling in community centres and high school gymnasiums for a couple hundred bucks at a time. His body, and spirit, are broken from the toll pro wrestling takes on a person, almost every person, who has ever been in the industry. After a heart attack, Rourke is told he must quit, and he does try, but he finds he has no other place in this world than in the ring, and is drawn back in for a rematch of a classic main event battle he had in the 80s.

Supporting Rourke are Marisa Tomei as a stripper that Randy is friendly with, and Wood and Randy's estranged daughter. Tomei's character Cassidy, like Randy, is also a performer in an industry that does not bode well for the aging, and who also finds that she must move on, but proves to have a bit more strength to do so, probably because she has some family left, whereas Rourke really doesn't. Wood, as Randy's daughter Stephanie, has all but given up on him, basically because he all but gave up on her when she was growing up. Randy tries to reconnect with Stephanie after his heart attack, but finds that his problems still prevent him from fully taking responsibility for his relationship with his daughter.

The Wrestler is only the fourth film from Darren Aronofsky, and although it may not seem to have anything in common with Pi, Requiem For A Dream, and The Fountain, at the heart of it, all are about the failings of the body holding back the strength of the mind. Rourke, like the protagonists of those other films, has desires of greatness, but is held back by his weaknesses and the passages of time, which are inescapable for us all. Rourke is any many ways a doppelganger for Randy, but hopefully this performance will allow him to escape those trappings.

5 stars out of 5

Seen Friday night at the Bytowne with Steph, Paddy, and Gary. Had some popcorn and a diet Pepsi.

Upcoming movies in the next week

If the weather and the transit strike aren't keeping you down, there are a few new movies coming out in the next week for your enjoyment

Friday

Milk, 2008, from director Gus Van Sant. Stars Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, James Franco, Emile Hirsch, and Diego Luna. I caught this in Vancouver a couple of weeks ago, and now it opens wider, including in Ottawa. I highly recommend it, and I have no doubt that it will garner some Oscar nominations.




The Day The Earth Stood Still, 2008
This remake of teh 1951 sci-fi classic hits regular and IMAX theatres as well on Friday. I'm a big fan of teh original, so I'll be checking this out for curiosity's sake, if nothing else, though I admit the trailer intrigues me.
Stars Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Kathy Bates, and Jaden Smith.




Outsourced, 2008
I have no idea what Outsourced is about, so:

"Outsourced opens in Seattle, where thirtysomething mid-level manager Todd Anderson (Josh Hamilton) oversees the call centre for Western Novelty, a company selling kitschy knick-knacks. In a ruthless cost-cutting maneuver, Todd’s shark of a boss informs him that Western Novelty is outsourcing the call centre to India. Unless Todd agrees to relocate to India for three to four months to train his replacement, he’ll not only lose his job, but his stock options as well.

Grumbling all the way to Bombay, Todd initially makes zero effort to embrace his new home or familiarize himself with India’s rich and varied culture, despite the unfailingly friendly efforts of his replacement, Puro (Asif Basra) to make him comfortable. Over time, however, Todd gradually overcomes his resistance to savour and celebrate the cultural differences between the U.S. and India. Of course, it helps that he has a lovely and spirited tour guide in Asha (Ayesha Dharker), his star employee.

Sweet but never saccharine, Outsourced benefits greatly from the pairing of Hamilton and Dharker, whose beguiling workplace romance feels natural, as the film mostly avoids the rank clichés found in the majority of contemporary romantic comedies. More impressively, the filmmakers depict the Indian characters with empathy and respect; they’re as puzzled by Todd as he is by them.

Outsourced is a happy surprise. What could have easily been yet another, patronizing fish-out-of-water comedy, about an American yuppie surrounded by zany ethnic stereotypes, turns out to be a smart, low-key charmer.
– Tim Knight, Reel.com"




If you're a Patti Smith fan, you'll be expecting, of course, Patti Smith: Dream of Life, which opens at the Bytowne on Friday. The trailer played in front of Resevoir Dogs on Monday, and it looked like your standard musician documentary.




and, if you want to know what you SHOULDN'T do with a power drill, check out Darren Aronofsky's debut feature PI, from 1998. I caught this at the Mayfair when it first came out 10 years ago, and I'm excited to see it again on the big screen this Monday night at the Bytowne. It comes just in anticipation of Aronofsky's latest work, The Wrestler, which should be out in January. It is worth seeing, buses or no buses.

caution, this trailer does contain some spoilers, apparently




Have fun!