the wrestler ( 2008 film )
all you need to know is that the wrestler is the best film of 2008 .
the wrestler is a film about an aging professional wrestler making a living playing small venues in the usa .
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( the wrestler) 2008 (music video) / w. a. s. p. - crazy
the film appeared on many critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2008. [ 36 ] [ 37 ]
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( the wrestler) 2008 (music video) / w. a. s. p. - crazy - youtube
the latest on what’s happening at the film society of lincoln center, dispatches from the new york film festival and exclusive content from film comment magazine .
the first film in the watchamania series will be the wrestler (2008), darren aronofsky’s award - winning tale of a pro wrestler who abandons his daughter, plays a bunch of nintendo, dates a stripper and wrestles ernest ‘the cat’ miller. basically .
to find out more search ‘adrian film’ on facebook or follow the film on twitter @ filmadrian .
now in his late 70s, mr street' s achievements range from a record deal and multiple autobiographic book releases, to helping design costumes for feature film the wrestler (2008) .
( reviewing “the wrestler” in the february issue of cahiers du cinéma, emmanuel burdeau also refers to gibson’s film. )
“the wrestler” closes the new york film festival on october 12th; it will open in limited release on december 19th .
having just learned that the director of the wrestler is darren aranofsky, my interest in this film has shot up .
the film won the golden lion at the 65th venice international film festival and was nominated for two academy awards .
with all of the critiques from acclaimed film festivals peppered throughout the wrestler trailer, one gets the impression that the film is deep and its story focuses on characters rather than plot .
the wrestler takes place, as the title suggests, within the world of professional wrestling. with the original development of the film, director darren
become our fan on facebook, post your favorite nyff film on the wall, and you could win a pair of tickets to closing night film the wrestler, directed by darren aronofsky .
darren aronofsky on' the wrestler' director darren aronofsky talks about making a realistic film about a notoriously fake sport. his oscar - nominated film, starring mickey rourke as a professional wrestler well past his prime, will be released on dvd next week .
mickey rourke' s sympathetic turn as randy' the ram' makes the wrestler much more than a standard sports film. by peter bradshaw
garbage wrestler: czw and roh regular necro butcher makes an appearance in the film, and he puts randy through hell in a hardcore match .
the wrestler was a good film. but for me and a few other people i know have seen it, its not top oscar material .
how do you make a realistic film about a notoriously
fake
sport? that was the question darren aronofsky faced when he agreed to direct the wrestler, a movie starring mickey rourke as a gnarled professional wrestler whose glory days are gone .
with my previous investigation of film authenticity i examined the techniques used in the film saving private ryan. like most of the films that i will study, the issue of authenticity falls nicely within the boundaries of historical settings. this is simply because a historical film requires a reconstruction of its original settings. however, the term ‘authenticity’ does not just have to be confined to a period piece. issues of authenticity can also be valued within a contemporary setting. it is with the film the wrestler (2008 ,
for a down on his luck wrestler, randy the ram sure does win a lot .
the chance to play that poignant confusion is the real prize that rourke and tomei earn in the wrestler .
the documentary captures the wrestler’s real - life battles with drug and alcohol addiction and road to sobriety .
the latest on what' s happening at the film society of lincoln center, dispatches from the new york film festival and exclusive content from film comment magazine. header: karen weeks (design), susan sermoneta (photography )
he was blackballed by the major wrestling promotions and hit bottom publicly in 2008 while wrestling for a small company in ohio .
feature film adrian — currently in pre - production — will dramatise the life and legacy of professional wrestler adrian street, who previously worked in beynon’s colliery in blaina .
darren aronofsky' s filmmaking in the wrestler is the most subtle and nuanced he' s ever done .
the wrestler is a 2008 american sports drama film directed by darren aronofsky, written by robert d. siegel, and starring mickey rourke, marisa tomei, and evan rachel wood. production began in january 2008 and fox searchlight pictures acquired rights to distribute the film in the u. s. ; [ 3 ] [ 4 ] it was released in a limited capacity on december 17, 2008 and was released nationwide on january 23, 2009. it was released on dvd and blu - ray disc on april 21, 2009 in the united states. it was released in the united kingdom on june 1, 2009. [ 5 ] aronofsky considers [ citation needed ] the wrestler a companion piece to his 2010 film, black swan, as both films feature a character with a demanding art .
stephanie mcmahon biography - facts, childhood, family life & achievements of businesswoman & wrestler .
if you' ve seen darren aronofsky' s oscar - nominated, golden globe - winning film the wrestler, you' re likely aware that it features one of the smartest and most poignant, albeit brief, video game cameos in recent film .
?, part of the new york film festival, this saturday at 1pm .
great review of a brilliant film. rourke was robbed for the oscar here !
savage appeared in his first theatrical film in 2000 making an appearance as his macho man character in the movie ready to rumble where david arquette daydreams a sequence fighting savage at a gas station. savage' s most famous film role was in the 2002 film spider - man as the wrestler bonesaw mcgraw (based on the comics character crusher hogan) .
the wrestler is a movie starring mickey rourke, marisa tomei, and evan rachel wood. a faded professional wrestler must retire, but finds his quest for a new life outside the ring a dispiriting struggle .
, this wrestler had his career completely destroyed and by a piece of wood of all things .
we are pleased that mickey rourke will be in attendance at wrestlemania to support the wwe superstars who support him and the film in which he stars, the wrestler ,
wwe officials explained .
in 2008, wall - e became the most acclaimed animated film since 1995’s toy story, but it still missed out on a best picture nomination at the oscars. the number two film, the dark knight, also did not get nominated, which allowed slumdog millionaire (# 3) to take the top prize .
looking for movie tickets? enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing the wrestler near you .
you almost couldn’t get rourke for the film. how different do you think the film might’ve been with nicolas cage or another actor who doesn’t have the real - life parallels to the ram ?
what effect is the internet having on film criticism? use the comments to have your say .
new film portal: 1. hulu 2. youtube screening room 3. snagfilms
similarly grateful was infinity ward to have their ultra - popular shooter used in the film .
director darren aronofsky is known for his intense, psychological films — including 1998' s pi and 2000' s requiem for a dream. his 2008 film the wrestler stars mickey rourke as randy the ram, a wwe - style professional wrestler who is well past his prime. isolated from his family and living in poverty, the ram is forced to wrestle in small matches held at rec centers and veteran' s halls. the film was nominated for two oscars — best actor, mickey rourke, and best supporting actress, marisa tomei .
there are a lot of movies from 2008 that i haven’t seen yet so i’m only going to make a list of five new releases .
the wrestling promoter character that artie auditioned for doesn’t appear much in the completed film. i remember the role being a little bit more prominent in the screenplay draft i had read before the film went into production .
peter sciretta: there was a very long period of time between requiem [ for a dream ] and trying to get the fountain off the ground. and now the wrestler is being billed almost as a come back film…
neither bird nor plane, mickey rourkes character is a choreographed pro wrestler who offers more entertainment than sport .
if his physical appearance is one sort of shock, the film is another. the wrestler is his first leading man role in almost two decades and it' s a genuinely affecting story of a once - successful professional wrestler who is now at the end of the road. randy robinson has lost practically everything there is to lose .
a faded professional wrestler must retire, but finds his quest for a new life outside the ring a dispiriting struggle .
the film received universal critical acclaim and won the golden lion award in the 2008 venice film festival in august, where it premiered. film critic roger ebert called it one of the year' s best films, while rotten tomatoes reported that 98% of critics gave the film positive reviews. for his role, mickey rourke went on to receive a bafta award, a golden globe award, an independent spirit award and an academy award nomination for best actor. tomei also received an academy award nomination for best supporting actress .
the wrestler follows randy as a heart attack forces him to reassess his reckless life – inside, outside and after the ring .
the film has had its first major outing at the venice film festival only a couple of weeks before i meet him. it won the golden lion for best film and wim wenders, the president of the jury, said:' this is for a film with a truly heartbreaking performance in every sense of the word. and if i say heartbreaking, you know i mean mickey rourke.'
as the film points out, wrestling may be fixed, but it certainly ain' t fake. this may be a film, but it certainly ain' t fake either .
mickey received a golden globe and a best actor oscar nomination for his work in the film .
spielberg - loving, spike lee–attacking critic armond white is the film world’s brother from another planet .
the wrestler is an undoubted triumph for aronofsky. this is no better demonstrated than the rehabilitating effect the film had on rourke. randy ‘the ram’ robinson is a role made for a jaded star who brings his own turbulent history to the character .
savage' s memorable voice gave him voice acting roles for various television and film projects. he voiced the rogue alien wrestler
rasslor
in the dexter' s laboratory shorts dial m for monkey. he also provided his voice in many other shows including the voice for
gorilla
in an episode of king of the hill and the voice of space ghost' s grandfather in an episode of space ghost coast to coast. savage served as the voice of
the thug
, in disney' s academy award nominated 2008 animated film bolt, which was his last theatrical film appearance. savage reprised the role in super rhino in 2009 for the short film featuring the cast of bolt .
new york magazine’s culture blog, vulture, posted a great piece yesterday by deadspin founder will leitch about darren aronofsky’s the wrestler, which closes the new york film festival on october 12. among the highlights are meditations on hair metal, the surprising acting ability of some of the professional wrestlers who appear in the film, and the movie’s surprising dedication .
disney / pixar' s robot love story
wall - e
found a home on many of the year end movie top ten lists for 2008 .
, the co - producer lasted a total of “35 days”. on a tight budget the crew would film the scenes away from the wrestling during the week. that left the weekend for the production team to use the live events to film the wrestling actions scenes .
a powerful, warts n all expose of the life of an aging wrestler in a career best performance from mickey rourke .
had previously toyed with the idea of setting the film as a period piece. the backdrop would be during the rise of the highly successful
director darren aronofsky says he almost made a documentary instead of the wrestler, and that affected his approach to the film .
i just sort of wanted to get back to grounding myself in reality ,
he says .
“this film is not only one of the year’s best; it may well end up as the finest of 2008. at the very least, it deserves consideration for best picture and best director, along with the expected oscar kudos for ledger. ” — peter howell, toronto star
™ and © twentieth century fox film corporation. all rights reserved. property of fox .
1. the act of killing (joshua oppenheimer, 2012) 2. caché (michael haneke, 2005) 3. synecdoche, new york (charlie kaufman, 2008) 4. spirited away (hayao miyazaki, 2001) 5. wall - e (andrew stanton, 2008) 6. uncle boonmee who can recall his past lives (apichatpong weerasethakul, 2010) 7. lost in translation (sofia coppola, 2003) 8. talk to her (pedro almodóvar, 2002) 9. the wrestler (darren aronofsky, 2008) 10. boyhood (richard linklater, 2014 )
i assume after the film ends, cena runs out and aa’s randy and the ayatollah on top of kane .
the most interesting aspect of the film is its depiction of the irreconcilable difference between someone' s public and private personae .
the new target in iran' s long - running grievance about its negative portrayal in popular western cinema is, the wrestler, a film directed by darren aronofsky and starring mickey rourke, due for release in the us on december 17 .
“the wrestler” is rated r (under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian). it has fake bloodshed and real nudity .
comedian and new york times bestselling author artie lange admitted on the howard stern show yesterday that he auditioned for darren aronofsky ‘s the wrestler .
2. the wrestler — who knew the sight of mickey rourke in a hairnet while tossing out deli meats could be such a joy .
top 5 vhs experiences of 2008 1. “the hand that rocks the cradle” 2. “the pelican brief” 3. “breakdown” 4. “home alone 2: lost in new york” 5. “double team”
i think it' s something you' ll see more of ,
denerstein added. in the case of the wrestler, the film critic says the references to the nes and call of duty 4 add a sort of poignancy, helping to make narrative leaps .
mickey rourke in
the wrestler
is one of the all - time exalted examples of an actor meeting a character and of each redeeming the other .
to be frank, no one wanted to finance the film with mickey involved. only one company in the entire film financing world agreed to do it, and at a number that was nearly impossible to get the film made. and i think most people didn’t think mickey rourke was sympathetic. there you have it .
remained strong earning an average of $ 10, 427 in 171 theaters. the overall number one film ,
nominations were announced today. at first glance, no one film jumps out as the big player, but
prominent wrestling figures have commented on the movie. aronofsky remarked during an npr interview on wwe chairman vince mcmahon' s feelings on the wrestler :
hume, also responsible for the wrestler' s laboriously accurate title sequence, said that the film' s producers and directors wanted that
classic video game
look and feel for wrestle jam, an effort that took weeks to create .
for most of the film, aronofsky’s camera trails behind randy, as though the wrestler is constantly performing his ring walk - out. it is part of a losing battle to move away from his wrestling persona and transition him back into the ordinary world .
the occasion is a screening of the film “the resurrection of jake the snake roberts, ” at 7 p. m. at villagio cinemas .
in regards to the wrestler, stern asks hogan if he was offered the lead in and hogan says yes but that he turned it down. the reason ?
andrzej wajda antonio campos ashes of time bamcinemafest benicio del toro brooklyn museum c. j. contino changeling che chopard chris chang clint eastwood contest darren aronofsky david fincher documentary evan davis facebook filmcatcher film comment film comment selects film criticism in crisis? film society of lincoln center flickr godlis green screens happy go lucky in girum imus nocte et consumimur igni jim jarmusch kelly reichardt kent jones kevin lee ladies and gentlemen the fabulous stains laurent cantet manny farber martin scorsese mavericks and outsiders michael almereyda michel ciment mickey rourke mike leigh moma museum of modern art new directors / new films new york film festival new york jewish film festival olivier assayas oscar micheaux paradise podcast positif rendez - vous with french cinema required reading richard peña ronit waisbrod satyajit ray snapshots spanish cinema now steve mcqueen steven soderbergh susan sermoneta the class the film talk the wrestler tom treanor twitter views from the avant - garde walter reade walter reade theater waltz with bashir we live in public wendy and lucy wong kar wai young friends of film youtube
* all images and quotes taking directly from
the wrestler dvd, 2009, all rights reserved to optimum releasing
, unless cited .
was the final film in the $ 10, 000 club with an average of $ 10, 713 in five theaters .
top 5 new releases of 2008 1. “paranoid park” 2. “zidane: a 21st century portrait” 3. “let the right one in” 4. “the pleasure of being robbed” 5. “silent light”
clint mansell, the composer for aronofsky' s previous films, π, requiem for a dream, and the fountain, reprised his role as composer for the wrestler. slash played the guitars on the score. a new bruce springsteen song, also titled
the wrestler
, plays over the film' s closing credits. [ 15 ] springsteen wrote the song while on tour in europe after receiving a letter and a copy of the script from rourke .
shekhar kapur is an indian film director, producer and storyteller. he gained global recognition with the film bandit queen (1994), which won the national film award for best feature film in hindi and the filmfare critics award for best movie and best direction. he also introduced cate blanchett to the world in his two historical biopics of queen elizabeth, which were nominated for seven academy awards, and won five bafta awards, including best film. he has recently directed and produced a captivating series exploring the life of the young genius, william shakespeare, for an american broadcaster .
a mining museum in torfaen could become immortalised on the big screen as part of the life story of a brynmawr - born' glam rock' wrestler .
character as himself: all of the wrestlers in the film are playing themselves and their real gimmicks, aside from rourke and the ayatollah .
he’s more of a ’70s wrestler, but i was a very big fan of ivan putsky, “the polish power, ” being an aronofsky .
he was also mesmerised by the
larger - than - life characters
he saw in american magazines and was determined to become a wrestler .
you can catch the full documentary below, and also on tavernise’s vimeo page, where—in addition to an extra 30 - minute chapter on “the fountain” entitled “ access to excess ”—he’s hosted a 42 - minute bts documentary on “ the wrestler, ” the director’s intimate 2008 film starring mickey rourke. as befitting the stripped - down aesthetic of that film, the doc “ within the ring ” is raw, filmed under noticeably frigid conditions, and, in a fantastic sight, contains aronofsky attempting to jump over the top rope of a wrestling ring to shaky results. sit back and watch it all below .
the application of professional wrestlers would throw up similar results to the live crowd aspect of this film. apart from rourke’s character ,
crazy heart is yet another “performer on the skids” story, but one with a killer soundtrack and masterful acting by jeff bridges. but the film lacks the gut - level truthfulness the less accomplished mickey rourke brought to every frame of the wrestler. crazy heart. a film directed by scott cooper, based on a novel by thomas cobb. at ritz at the bourse, fourth and ludlow sts. (215) 925 - 7900 or urltoken, also bryn mawr film institute, ambler theater, and local chains .
“slumdog millionaire” “wall - e” “the dark knight” “waltz with bashir” “the wrestler” “synecdoche, new york” “changeling” – yes, i realize i am the only person who liked this movie. “man on wire” “rachel getting married” “the wire” (season 5) – when a large number of film stalwarts disappear from a major film festival to watch a tv show, it deserves to be on this list .
“for your art - house pleasure and discomfort, here’s one of the most talked - about film - festival triumphs of 2008, a disturbingly avid re - creation of the last six weeks in the life and slow, self - imposed wasting of irish hunger striker bobby sands. ” — lisa schwarzbaum, entertainment weekly
director darren aronofsky says he almost made a documentary instead of the wrestler, and that affected his approach to the film .
i just sort of wanted to get back to grounding myself in reality ,
he says. scott gries / getty images hide caption
as the short film columnist for indiewire, i’m always favorably inclined toward feature films made by directors who have a short film credit or two on their imdb page. if you liked these movies, check out the filmmakers’ shorter work .
best film (as per usual, i broke the rules. i simply couldn’t get it down to 10. )
the story of the wrestler concerns randy' the ram' robinson; a washed - up professional wrestler who continues to cling on to his career despite his failing health with the hope of reliving the glory of his prime days. but when his condition worsens, he tries to find an alternate career outside the ring only to struggle with it…
maet: why wall - e doesn' t get my vote for best film of 2008 is because pixar still handles timely themes with the young and not the mature in mind. of course they do it better than anyone else, but the potential of the film is undermined when it' s still expected to perform within the confines of the genre and cater to the under 12 audience. i would' ve loved to see an alternate ending on the blu - ray though .
reviewed at venice film festival (competition), september 5, 2017. running time: 120 min .
danny boyles first feature, shallow grave, earned him the alexander korda award for outstanding british film at the bafta awards, as well as a host of other accolades including best director at the san sebastian film festival, the empire award for best director and best british film and the london critics circle film award for best british newcomer. boyles second feature, trainspotting, is one of the highest grossing british films of all time. the critically acclaimed film won four empire awards including best director and best film and was nominated for a bafta alexander korda award. in 2002 boyle made the smash hit horror film 28 days later, which earned more than $ 80 million worldwide. the film earned boyle a saturn award for best horror film from the academy of science fiction, fantasy and horror films. boyles other feature films include millions starring james nesbit, alex etel and lewis mcgibbon, the beach, starring leonardo di caprio, a life less ordinary, starring ewan mcgregor and cameron diaz, alien love triangle and sunshine starring cillian murphy. slumdog millionaire is his eighth international theatrically released film and recently won the people' s choice award at the 2008 toronto international film festival. his work in television includes producing alan clarks controversial elephant, and directing strumpet, vacuuming completely nude in paradise and the series mr. wroes virgins for which he received a bafta nomination. boyles career started in the theatre with howard barkers victory, howard brentons the genius and edward bonds saved, which won the time out award. boyle has also directed five productions for the royal shakespeare company .
the tomatometer score — based on the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics — is a trusted measurement of critical recommendation for millions of fans. it represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show .
darren aronofsky: the wrestler was my idea. when i graduated film school in ’92 / ’93, one day i wrote a list of ten ideas for films in my diary. and one of them was called the wrestler. when the fountain shut down the first time i started to think about it. i knew i wanted to do a wrestling picture. i teamed up my producer on this film, scott franklin, who was a wrestling fan, a bigger wrestling fan than me, and he loved the idea. he’s also a writer .
1. synecdoche, new york (charlie kaufman, 2008) 2. eternal sunshine of the spotless mind (michel gondry, 2004) 3. django unchained (quentin tarantino, 2012) 4. the grand budapest hotel (wes anderson, 2014) 5. alpha dog (nick cassavetes, 2006) 6. her (spike jonze, 2013) 7. young adult (jason reitman, 2011) 8. the dark knight (christopher nolan, 2008) 9. tropic thunder (ben stiller, 2008) 10. children of men (alfonso cuarón, 2006 )
there' s nothing fake about the action scenes in the wrestler, though. aronofsky says all the wrestling scenes were shot with real wrestlers in front of live wrestling audiences .
although he called time on his career last year after around 15, 000 wrestling matches, the former wrestler and his family will be closely involved with the production .
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well, there’s just a lot of sadness. these wrestlers aren’t organized. they have no union, no pension and no insurance. you meet wrestler after wrestler who sold out madison square garden ten years ago, basically running on fumes today. there’s a lot of drama there .
the video game randy and his child neighbor play in both the trailer and the movie was created especially for the film and was fully playable. the game features similar graphics to the original
mickey rourke has received critical acclaim for his comeback role in “the wrestler, ” where he plays a former pro wrestling legend who falls on hard times .
that track, titled
8 - bit wrestler ,
is barely audible in the final cut, but feinberg has made a version available on youtube .
( combat zone wrestling) respectively. the final match of the film does take place within a major wrestling organisation, which is that of
after mickey rourke’s stunning work as randy “the ram” robinson in “the wrestler, ” it is hard to imagine anyone else playing the tortured sportsman – but the role was first offered to nicolas cage .
missed out on: “my winnipeg, ” “synecdoche new york, “mr. lonely, ” “the wrestler, ” “waltz with bashir” and some others… my bad .
brush up on the issues in this extensive critical symposium on film criticism in the age of the internet from cineaste magazine, featuring our own kent jones .
the wrestler has the intimacy of a fly - on - the - wall documentary. no stunt men were harmed - - or used - - in the fight sequences. but the drama makes for vibrant art .
note :
the wrestler
is one of the year' s best films. it wasn' t on my
best films
list for complicated and boring reasons .
well, we played “sweet child o’ mine, ” i don’t know, maybe three or four hundred times during the course of the film. mickey’s very good friends with axl, and axl was instrumental in helping us to secure “sweet child o’ mine” for the climax of the film .
these films may have opened new york and / or los angeles in 2007 but not until 2008 in most of the country. they belong on the above list: “4 months, 3 weeks, 2 days” “the band’s visit” “the counterfeiters” “the diving bell and the butterfly” “jar city”
aronofsky also achieves an authentic atmosphere in the variety of wrestling venues he showcases. his decision to cast working independent wrestlers and to film at real independent wrestling shows was wise and gives the film a gritty documentary feel. the wrestler also does a wonderful job depicting the backstage camaraderie among randy' s fellow wrestlers, the eclectic blend of muscle heads, dreamers, athletes, and artists who serve as an unlikely support system for rourke' s character .
the wrestler is a 2008 drama film written by robert d. siegel and directed by darren aronofsky. the story follows randy
the ram
robinson (mickey rourke), a professional wrestler 20 years past his prime, working match to match and part - time at a supermarket to pay his bills. after a violent hardcore match, randy has a heart attack and is forced to retire and tries to find something meaningful in his life beyond wrestling; his friendship with a stripper named cassidy (marisa tomei) and a new reason to attempt reconciliation with his daughter stephanie (evan rachel wood). when his old wrestling nemesis
the ayatollah
( played by former wcw wrestler ernest
the cat
miller) proposes a rematch on the anniversary of their biggest match, randy has to decide if his life in the ring is worth the risk of death .
that’s certainly true and it’s not the first time he’s made the claim. (hogan also says it’s not the first major film he turned down, claiming he was offered the lead in highlander as well as little john in robin hood: men in tights .) however, the director of the wrestler, darren aronofsky, officially denied hogan’s claim .
in the wrestler, actor scott spiegel plays a steroids dealer. real life would mimic art, as he was arrested a few short months later for steroids possession .
i told them (the other miners) i wanted to be a wrestler, but they laughed and said,' you' re too small' .
in the new york film festival press conference, rourke called you a “tough” director, but you seemed pretty opposed to that word .
to chart this week; however, those three new releases all reach the top six. this includes a new number one film ,
as the script enters its final stages, university of wales graduate joann randles is hoping to use the big pit national coal museum as a location to recreate the wrestler' s early years ‘down the pit’ .
afa anoa' i, a former professional wrestler, was hired to train rourke for his role. anoa' i brought his two main trainers, jon trosky and tom farra, to work with rourke for eight weeks. both trainers also have parts in the film. [ 13 ]
todd mccarthy, of variety, said ,
rourke creates a galvanizing, humorous, deeply moving portrait that instantly takes its place among the great, iconic screen performances .
[ 25 ] ben mankiewicz, from at the movies, said ,
to put it simply, this is the best film i' ve seen this year .
[ 26 ] le monde praised the film for melding european film style with an american plot, and stated that “mickey rourke’s performance in ‘the wrestler’ is a continuous celebration of the burdens and splendors of the profession of performance. ” [ 27 ] (one other french film critic, philippe azoury, praised its portrayal of
the american heartland
as what he viewed as a bleak wasteland). [ 28 ]) although the wrestler was not technically in roger ebert' s
best films
list, he includes a note at the bottom of his review :
' the wrestler' is one of the year' s best films. it wasn' t on my' best films' list for complicated and boring reasons .
[ 29 ]
lange is currently developing a wonder years - like television show concept with frank sebastiano (beer league) for comedy central based on his # 1 new york times bestselling memoir too fat to fish. the wrestler hits limited theaters on wednesday, december 17th. click here to see when the wrestler is coming to your town / city .
i was a champion in every weight division and won four world titles. i don' t know any other wrestler who has done that .
i have no idea. for me, if it’s a painting, the actor’s the poet. it would’ve been a completely different movie, so who knows what it would’ve been with another actor. mickey rourke’s in every frame of the film, so the film is mickey rourke, you know ?
a powerful portrait of a battered dreamer, ex - professional wrestler randy
the ram
robinson (mickey rourke), who despite himself and the odds stacked against him, lives to be a hero once again in the only place he considers home — inside the ring. the wrestler is the winner of 2 golden globes® including best actor mickey rourke and best original song by bruce springsteen .
sacrifice 2008 provided a particularly bad example: aj styles attempted a top rope splash on bg james, but missed by a mile and landed on his face even though james didn' t move out of the way .
the official trailer for darren aronofsky' s new film the wrestler, starring mickey rourke and marisa tomei. director darren aronofsky presents a powerful portrait of a battered dreamer, who despite himself and the odds stacked against him, lives to be a hero once again in the only place he considers home inside the ring. now playing in theaters everywhere !
mickey rourke is very watchable but i found the whole film a bit depressing. i felt like i' d seen it all before .
after finding her efforts to be involved in the industry blocked, she decided to find a character on which to base her own film .
curiously, you resurrect mickey rourke’s career. one of the most wildly anticipated films of 2008, aronofsky’s humanist drama “the wrestler” will close this year’s new york film festival. but even before it officially opens in december, the oscar buzz for rourke as past - his - prime wrestler randy “the ram” robinson is already starting to be deafening (and rightly so). shot with handheld veritã© techniques that put you right up in rourke’s fascinating mug, the film chronicles the dreary decline of a once - famous ’80s ring legend as a heart attack forces him into retirement and existential crisis. with his ridiculous blonde extensions and overuse of both tanning beds and steroids, “the ram” is a tragic anti - hero to root for, especially as he attempts to connect with a fading stripper (marisa tomei) and his estranged daughter (evan rachel wood). i spoke with aronofsky about his tremendously entertaining new film, how axl rose helped out, and why he couldn’t hit rourke in the head on - set .
darren aronofsky is the director of pi, requiem for a dream and the fountain. his latest film won the golden lion at the venice film festival, and was bought by fox searchlight the morning after it premiered at the toronto film festival (you can read my review here). earlier this week, i was granted the chance to sit down with aronofsky for a half hour interview. below is the first part of the interview. we will be running the next part tomorrow, and the third part on friday. enjoy .
match some of this year’s university - trained new york film festival know - it - alls — that is, directors — with the school he / she attended. no prize for this one, just the satisfaction of knowing there was potential in all those years of film school .
the wrestler has received universal critical acclaim. rotten tomatoes reported that 98% of critics gave the film positive write - ups based upon a sample of 215, and gave it a golden tomato for best drama of 2008. [ 22 ] at metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film has received an average score of 81, based on 36 reviews, signifying
universal acclaim
. [ 23 ] alonso duralde, of msnbc, said ,
rourke' s work transcends mere stunt - casting; his performance is a howl of pain that seems to come from a very real place .
[ 24 ]
5. wrestlers can act. anyone who knows anything about professional wrestling knows that it’s about as “fake” as a razor blade to the head. (which we see .) but who knew these guys were so natural on film? ernest “the cat” miller is a former wwf wrestler who, in this movie, plays “the ayatollah, ” a faux - arab wrestler from the eighties. the character now sells used cars and is fat and happy in retirement. miller has three scenes, two of which involve no wrestling at all, and he’s funny, quiet, and dead - on perfect. we had no idea he was a wrestler in real life until we checked imdb .
this film made me appreciate and kind of get back into pro wrestling, brings it down to a human level. absolutely adore
in addition to
wall - e ,
another well - reviewed summer blockbuster, christopher nolan' s
the dark knight ,
proved popular with the nation' s critics. and the acclaimed stage to screen transfers of doubt and frost / nixon made many of the critics top choice lists as well. below you' ll find a collected round - up of the various film critics choices for 2008 .
didn' t the academy change the rules a few years back? i think a song must be part of the actual film to be nominated - songs over the end credits no longer qualify. or am i mis - remembering? i thought it just had to be written specifically for the film. anyone got the inside track on that ?
aronofsky' s black swan explored the world of the' high arts' and as such it is a perfect companion piece to the wrestler, a masterful depiction of dedication and self destruction in the realm of the' low arts' .
was the only film to reach $ 10, 000 on the per theater chart with $ 13, 978 in one theater during its second weekend of release .
is a modern movie miracle. aglow in the wonderment of time, the film captures the poetry and pain of life with such originality that audiences may not want to awake from the dream the film casts upon them. working from a screenplay by eric roth, david fincher clocks in again as one of the most exciting voices in american film, and his extraordinary use of technology, often the enemy of performance, serves only to enhance brad pitt' s brilliant turn in the title role. pitt' s chemistry with cate blanchett creates one of film history' s most powerful screen romances, reminding us all of the preciousness of each passing moment .
the wrestler director: darren aronofsky stars: mickey rourke, marisa tomei, evan rachel wood (full cast) studio: fox searchlight pictures the plot: with his battle scars and failing heart, retired professional wrestler randy
the ram
robinson (rourke) jumps back into the squared cirle, climbing his way up the independent - circuit ladder, with his eyes on a showdown with his longtime rival .
in the course of his review, le monde ’s thomas sotinel offers a clear take on darren aronofsky’s movie: “mickey rourke’s performance in ‘the wrestler’ is a continuous celebration of the burdens and splendors of the profession of performance. ”
the women film critics circle is an association of 46 women film critics and scholars from around the country, who are involved in print, radio, online and tv broadcast media. they came together five years ago to form the first women critics organization ever in the country, in the belief that women’s perspectives and voices in film criticism need to be recognized fully. wfcc also prides itself on being the most culturally and racially diverse critics group in the country by far, and best reflecting the diversity of movie audiences .
6. bruuuuuuce. expect to see the boss on oscar night. bruce springsteen’s song “the wrestler, ” written exclusively for the film, plays over the closing credits, and it’s straight from the ghost of tom joad — aching, sad, gorgeous. the song’s so good, you almost expect sean penn to write another movie based off it, like with the indian runner and bruce’s “highway patrolman. ”
stephanie mcmahon is an american businesswoman and a professional wrestler. check out this biography to know about her childhood, family life, achievements and fun facts about her life .
the wrestler, robert d. siegel' s heart - wrenching tale of randy
the ram
robinson - played by mickey rourke - a former professional wrestler far past his prime, is layered with metaphor. that includes metaphors like the ram' s foil cassidy, an aging, single mother stripper—played by marisa tomei—as much a physical fantasy as randy. later, through randy robinson' s doomed stint as part - time butcher - cum - performer, siegel and aronofsky drag the viewer through the titular wrestler' s struggle with lost fame, estranged family, and the physical suffering that the ram must endure .
there wasn’t really a film that i could definitively go to the mat for this year. but there were more than ten that i really enjoyed .
the credit for his turnaround goes in part to his film co - star, friend and fellow former grappler “diamond” dallas page, who also will attend the screening .
the film won the golden lion (top prize) at this year' s berlin film festival, and by most accounts, it was only a festival bylaw that prevented rourke from taking the acting prize as well. i definitely look forward to it. though if you were to ask who the first castmember of diner to earn an oscar nomination would be, how many would' ve guessed mickey? isn' t the top prize in berlin the golden bear? i think the gold lion is the venice film festival .
predictable as it is, this sad, strong beast of a film keeps us pinned to the mat with the strength of its compassion and the overpowering force of its central performance .
mad bull (1977) starring the dad from webster. and the film that inspired the hart / austin mania 13 double turn. this is made - for - tv gold .
former wwe and tna world heavyweight champion mick foley enjoyed the film, saying :
within five [ minutes ], i had completely forgotten i was looking at mickey rourke. that guy on the screen simply was randy' the ram' robinson .
[ 33 ] wwe hall of famer
rowdy
roddy piper was said to have been highly emotional after watching a screening of the film. aronofsky said of piper :
he loved it. he broke down and cried in mickey' s arms, so he was psyched that this story was finally told .
[ 34 ] insights on the film from roddy piper and other former pro wrestlers can be seen in fox searchlight pictures' s
wrestler round table
, which was included in the blu - ray version of the film. [ 35 ]
animated features never get a nod for best picture because they are still treated as second rate film (god knows why though since pixar usually spends about four years making each film). i liked wall - e, and if any animated feature does deserve a nod and / or win for best picture, wall - e is certainly it (considering all animated films ever, not just from this year). why wall - e doesn' t get my vote for best film of 2008 is because pixar still handles timely themes with the young and not the mature in mind. of course they do it better than anyone else, but the potential of the film is undermined when it' s still expected to perform within the confines of the genre and cater to the under 12 audience. i would' ve loved to see an alternate ending on the blu - ray though .
had the best per theater average of any film so far this year, pulling in an outstanding $ 220, 000 in 4 theaters for an average of $ 54, 798. any doubts about the film' s ability to expand wide should be greatly reduced after that. opening in second place was
“this haunting phantasmagoria of a film — comic, singular, surreal — is not only something no one but the canadian director could have made, it’s also a film no one else would have even wanted to make. which is the heart of its appeal. ” — kenneth turan, los angeles times
“ballast strikes me as one of the few american pictures of 2008 to say what it wants to say, visually and narratively, about a specific situation and part of the country, in a way that transcends regional specifics. ” — michael phillips, chicago tribune
the wrestler is a 2008 american sports drama film co-produced and directed by darren aronofsky , written by robert d. siegel , and starring mickey rourke , marisa tomei , and evan rachel wood . production began in january 2008 and fox searchlight pictures acquired rights to distribute the film in the u.s. ; it was released in a limited capacity on december 17 , 2008 , and was released nationwide on january 23 , 2009 . it was released on dvd and blu-ray disc on april 21 , 2009 , in the united states . it was released in the united kingdom on june 1 , 2009 . rourke plays an aging professional wrestler who , despite his failing health and waning fame , continues to wrestle in an attempt to cling to the success of his 1980s heyday . he also tries to mend his relationship with his estranged daughter and to find romance with a woman who works as a stripper . the film received universal critical acclaim and won the golden lion award at the 65th venice international film festival , where it premiered . film critic roger ebert called it one of the year 's best films , while rotten tomatoes reported that 98 % of critics gave the film positive reviews . the success of the film revitalized the career of mickey rourke , who went on to receive a bafta award , a golden globe award , an independent spirit award and an academy award nomination for best actor . tomei also received an academy award nomination for best supporting actress . 
the wrestler is a 2008 american sports drama film co-produced and directed by darren aronofsky, written by robert d. siegel, and starring mickey rourke, marisa tomei, and evan rachel wood. production began in january 2008 and fox searchlight pictures acquired rights to distribute the film in the u.s.; it was released in a limited capacity on december 17, 2008, and was released nationwide on january 23, 2009. it was released on dvd and blu-ray disc on april 21, 2009, in the united states. it was released in the united kingdom on june 1, 2009. rourke plays an aging professional wrestler who, despite his failing health and waning fame, continues to wrestle in an attempt to cling to the success of his 1980s heyday. he also tries to mend his relationship with his estranged daughter and to find romance with a woman who works as a stripper. the film received universal critical acclaim and won the golden lion award at the 65th venice international film festival, where it premiered. film critic roger ebert called it one of the year's best films, while rotten tomatoes reported that 98% of critics gave the film positive reviews. the success of the film revitalized the career of mickey rourke, who went on to receive a bafta award, a golden globe award, an independent spirit award and an academy award nomination for best actor. tomei also received an academy award nomination for best supporting actress.
the wrestler is a 2008 american sports drama film co-produced and directed by darren aronofsky, written by robert d. siegel, and starring mickey rourke, marisa tomei, and evan rachel wood. production began in january 2008 and fox searchlight pictures acquired rights to distribute the film in the u.s.; it was released in a limited capacity on december 17, 2008, and was released nationwide on january 23, 2009. it was released on dvd and blu-ray disc on april 21, 2009, in the united states. it was released in the united kingdom on june 1, 2009. rourke plays an aging professional wrestler who, despite his failing health and waning fame, continues to wrestle in an attempt to cling to the success of his 1980s heyday. he also tries to mend his relationship with his estranged daughter and to find romance with a woman who works as a stripper. the film received universal critical acclaim and won the golden lion award at the 65th venice international film festival, where it premiered. film critic roger ebert called it one of the year's best films, while rotten tomatoes reported that 98% of critics gave the film positive reviews. the success of the film revitalized the career of mickey rourke, who went on to receive a bafta award, a golden globe award, an independent spirit award and an academy award nomination for best actor. tomei also received an academy award nomination for best supporting actress.