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Darren Aronofsky's "The Wrestler" is short on flash and flair. There are no fancy camera tricks and no mind blowing plot twists. The story plays out chronologically, and there are very few action sequences and no special effects. "The Wrestler" is nothing more than simple and direct story telling at its very finest.
"The Wrestler" stars Mickey Rourke as Randy "The Ram" Robinson, a professional wrestler who probably should have retired about a decade ago. He's well past his prime and, despite being in great shape, is riddled with injuries. Randy lives in a trailer, and can barely afford his rent. Aside from a daughter he barely knows, he has no family. He's so lonely that his best friend is a stripper named Cassidy, played by Marisa Tomei. When your best friend is a stripper, how are you supposed to be sure that you even have a friend in the first place? The pay for over-the-hill wrestlers must not be too good either, because Randy has a second job (or is wrestling his second job?) at a deli.
The only place Randy gets any respect is in the ring. His fellow wrestlers are honored to work with him. They relish the opportunity to lose to him in the ring. His fans adore him, and boo his opponents mercilessly. They roar with anticipation as he climbs the ropes to perform his signature move.
Outside of the ring, Randy's life is not so glamorous. He gets no respect at his job at the deli, being forced to wear a name tag sporting his real name, Robin. His daughter, who he knows nothing about, loathes him. He attempts to reconciliate, only to fail yet again. Unfortunately, he does not have the success rate in real life that he has in the ring. Randy's also confused about his relationship with Cassidy. He thinks there's something between him, but Cassidy is quick to draw the line between herself and her "customers." Despite severe health problems and with no one to turn to, Randy returns to the ring, the only place where he is respected and wanted.
The power of "The Wrestler" is in its simplicity and realism. Aronofsky puts us right into the middle of Randy's life, both figuratively and literally. The camera regularly follows around the film's protagonist, making us feel as if we're chasing Randy throughout the film. Most of the scenes are shot in medium to close range, and the wrestling matches are very intense. The camera gets right in there for every bit of the action, and we can almost feel every blow. When most people talk about wrestling, they refer to it as "fake." It's no secret that wrestling is staged, but Aronofsky makes it a point to show that nothing is fake about bodies hitting the concrete...or in some cases, barbed wire and thumb tacks. He then takes us backstage, and shows us how real wrestling actually is. There's nothing fake about sewing up open wounds and removing thumb tacks and staples. There's nothing fake about taking drugs, constantly working out, altering your appearance, and putting your body on the line, only to barely be able to afford rent. It's all very real to Randy, much more so than his life outside of the ring.
Mickey Rourke is astounding as Randy, and will probably earn himself an Oscar nomination. Rourke shows Randy as a man with a lot of pride on the outside, but a lot of pain and loneliness on the inside. Randy suffers from something a lot of us can relate to: feeling of inadequacy. He feels inadequate as a father, worker, and in his love life. We can see the pain in Randy's tear-filled eyes as he begs his daughter not to hate him. Randy's a simple man; all he wants is to be significant outside of wrestling. We feel for him when we realize, and he realizes, that he can never be a good father. Then, we understand, as he does it, that he must accept his fate. Acceptance of your place in life is another theme that we can all relate to, and Randy accepts his place and bows out gracefully. Most importantly though, he finishes on top, and we're happy for him.
Do truly good people really exist? What causes a person to do a selfless act? Is any act truly selfless? Don't we all get something from every good thing that we do? Even if it's only the satisfaction of helping another human being, if we enjoy that feeling, are we truly being selfless? There are two reasons people do nice things, one reason is good, and the other is bad. The first reason is because they enjoy helping others. They like to make other people smile, and it makes them feel good when they make someone else feel good. They do it simply because they want to. The other reason is because they hope they will get something in return; or, they are afraid of what will happen to them if they aren't nice. They don't do the nice act for someone else, they do it for themselves. The truly good people do kind acts for the first reason; the pseudo good people do it for the second. So again, do truly good people really exist?
Will Smith's latest movie, "Seven Pounds," shows us that it is indeed possible for good people to exist. "Seven Pounds" isn't so much about Smith's character, Ben Thomas, being a good person; it's about his quest to find good people. Ben, an IRS agent who has probably spent most of his life doing bad things, is trying to do something good. He has something at his disposal that, as we hear in the trailer, can "drastically change someone's circumstances." So, Ben is on a quest to find seven people deserving of this gift.
Director Gabriele Muccino, who also directed Smith in "Pursuit of Happyness," masterfully takes what sounds like a simple and, frankly, uninteresting premise, and does a fabulous job of generating and maintaining interest from the opening credits. Muccino does this by constantly raising questions, and then revealing the answers at precise moments throughout the film. Not one answer need, or should, be given any earlier or later than it is. Why does Ben behave the way he does? Ben seems like a great guy one minute, but then is inexplicably cruel to a blind man over the telephone the next. Who are these people Ben has chosen to help? Why has he chosen them? Why is he helping them? Why seven people? We know Ben is going to help these people, but how? What is his gift? Muccino expertly answers these questions sporadically throughout the film, just in time to maintain your interest and then create more.
As has come to be the norm for Will Smith, his performance is marvelous. We can tell that Ben has something inside him, compelling him to do good things. We don't know what it is, but we can see that he struggles with it. Throughout the entire film, Ben tries to retain his composure. We don't know why he's so sad, or so determined, but we can feel his pain and his struggle. Ben's quest only becomes more complicated when he falls in love with one of the women he's attempting to help. He wants to tell her the truth, and we can see that as bad as he wants to, he knows that he can't.
Smith's career has been filled with great performances that did not get the credit they deserve, and this year will probably be no different. It seems as if every time Smith gives a great performance, someone else gives the performance of their career. Is Smith going to get an Oscar nomination? The answer to that question is not clear. There have been many great performances this year. However, there is one question that needs to be answered sooner than later. When will Will Smith get the Oscar nomination, and win, that he deserves?
"Seven Pounds" is a film that makes no secret of its intention to tug at your heart strings. It will undoubtedly touch many people, and it should. It is rare in today's world to see people being good, just because they want to. One man asks Ben why he was chosen. What did he do that made him so deserving of Ben's help? Ben tells him, "You're a good man…even when you don't know people are watching you." If only we all were…
Speaking from personal experience, becoming a parent is a difficult time. There is much to learn, and no time to learn it. We learn on the fly. Once we grow up, there is little thought given to the difficulties of being a child. To say that "Towelhead" gives adults an idea of what it's like to be a child would be a drastic understatement. "Towelhead" gives us an in depth look into the life of Jasira, a 13-year old Lebanese girl, born in America. Jasira, like any other 13-year old, is just beginning to understand herself, her body, and her sexuality. At the same time, she has to deal with other external factors that make her life exceedingly difficult.
Jasira's mother has just shipped her off to live with her dad. She found out that Jasira had allowed her step dad to shave her, and blamed Jasira. She felt Jasira needed to live with a man in order to know how to act around one. Jasira's father is an extremely strict Lebanese man who is very traditional. He slaps Jasira for coming to breakfast in a t-shirt with no bra and boy shorts. He talks to her rudely, seems to have little to no care for her well being, and generally just treats her horrendously. At school, Jasira is constantly being made fun of for being foreign - she's called every dirty racial slur in the book - despite the fact she is American. When she finally finds a boy who likes her, her dad forbids her to see him because he's black. As most racist parents say, he's only doing this for her. He didn't create the world's rules. At the same time, her father hates their next door neighbor Travis, played by Aaron Eckhart, because Travis thinks he likes Saddam Hussein. He'd really hate Travis if he knew that Travis had an eye for his daughter.
Jasira's life is so complex, much too complex for a 13-year old. One can only hope that the average teenager doesn't have it this difficult, although if they do, it would go a long way into explaining all the teenager suicides and murders. Jasira is taught to respect adult men, but where she should she draw the line? Is it OK to allow Travis to touch her? Or does she know it's wrong, but her teenage hormones want to allow it?
Jasira needs help, but doesn't seem to realize how harsh and unfair her life is. Even if she did, she can't turn to her self-absorbed father. His trivial problems are much more important to him than her well-being; "just do this and you will be fine" pretty much sums up the extent of his fatherly advice. Jasira has one neighbor, Melina, played wonderfully by Toni Collette, who appears to be the only person concerned for Jasira. Unfortunately, Jasira grows to resent her because of her suspicions about the inappropriateness of Jasira's relationship with Travis. All of this may seem to be a lot to take it, but that is the life of the confused American teenager.
The performances in this film are all very well done. You hate Jasira's father, played by Peter Macdissi. Macdissi plays the father as a traditional Lebanese man, but only when being traditional benefits him. He has no semblance of an accent, sounding almost completely white, and carries all kinds of American beliefs. He's so disrespectful to Jasira, and we feel for her because we know what she's going through. Then we feel worse because we know that not only does her father not know, but he seems to have no interest in knowing.
Toni Collette is splendid as Melina, the only person looking out for Jasira. She's sees Jasira fraternizing with Travis, and wants to nip the relationship in the bud before it becomes inappropriate. You can see all the worry and concern in Melina's face as she chases Jasira from Travis' house.
Aaron Eckhart is yet again first-rate in his "other" role this year. Travis is someone who seems completely normal, like a pretty cool guy, until he's sneaking Jasira off to restaurants far away from their town in order to cut down the chances of anyone they know seeing them. Jasira, the naïve child that she is, calls herself Travis' girlfriend, "You touched me down there. I'm your girlfriend." Travis gives a shy smile and chuckles, and it sends a shiver down our spine. Eugene Jones III is also pretty good as Thomas, the black boy Jasira isn't allowed to see. He really seems to care for her, but of course has his own teenage boy agenda.
"Towelhead" is a very good film, and it gives its audience an idea of what it's like to be a teenage girl. However, it gives us very little new information nor does it explore any new territory. It's not like it's a surprise to find out that pretty 13-year old girls have boys their age, as well as grown men, trying to have sex with them. The fact that Jasira is Lebanese adds a different angle to the film, but again, racism is not exactly a new concept in film either. It's difficult to find any reason to recommend this film over any other film like it, for instance, "Thirteen." Director Alan Bell takes his material and does a great deal with it, making a very respectable film. Films about teenage angst are not in short order, so if you decide to make one, it should really find a way to stand out from the others. "Towelhead" seems to come off as a film that wants to be new and different, but doesn't want to put in the effort. The film may have benefitted from focusing on one or two teenage issues, and really building on those, rather than lumping them all into one 2 hour film.
Last year's "3:10 to Yuma" did more than its part in helping to rejuvenate the western genre in Hollywood. Ed Harris hopes to continue the resurgence of the western with his latest film, "Appaloosa." Harris directs and stars in "Appaloosa," a film about two vigilantes who travel from town to town, restoring order by any means necessary. They are hired by the sheriff of Appaloosa after Randall Bragg, played by Jeremy Irons, kills their current City Marshal and his two deputies. Bragg and his cohorts take over the town, doing as they please with no respect for the law. After all, why obey the law when the lawmakers are terrified of you
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Every year, Hollywood releases a generic group of films that are aimed at a certain audience. Usually in January in February, you get your generic dance film. The next month or two, you get your "athlete overcomes tremendous adversity" film. The athlete's obstacle can either be one of personal tragedy, racism, or overcoming incredible odds. Then, usually in the late spring or early summer, you got your alien invasion or apocalyptic film. "The Day the Earth Stood Still" is this year's combination of your incredibly generic alien invasion film AND apocalyptic film
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"Gran Torino" is the second film to be released this year, in only a few months, that is directed by Clint Eastwood. Now in his 70's, Eastwood has almost made more of a name for himself as a director than he has as an actor. He will only add to his legacy with his latest film, "Gran Torino
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One might find it hard to believe that a film that about an interview, preparing for the interview, talking about the interview, and conducting the interview, could be entertaining. Ron Howard once again proves with "Frost/Nixon" that he is one of the great directors of our time and can literally take any subject and make it captivating. "Frost/Nixon" is little on action, but it's big on subtlety
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