The Wrestler

Setting the Scene

Watched at home alone, in two sittings.

See a full plot synopsis at the Wikipedia entry:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wrestler_(2008_film)

The Movie

I'll start by saying that this is a movie I expected to be great. Darren Aronofsky is a genius; Pi, Requiem for a Dream, and The Fountain were all very good to excellent. And he does NOT disappoint with his fourth film. The Wrestler is gritty, violent, disturbing, deeply emotional, and heartfelt all at once. The breakdown of the human body and mind seems to be Aronofsky's "thing" if you will. In Pi the main character is going insane, in Requiem it's drug abuse, in Fountain it's terminal illness, and in The Wrestler it's a bit of all of the above.

Mickey Rourke's portrayal of the fictional aging wrestler is amazing. He slogs his way through life, wrestling and working and visiting a strip club, getting locked out of his trailer by his landlord and passed over by the rest of the world. Oh, and his daughter wants nothing to do with him either. His body is used up from years of abuse; when outside the ring he wears glasses and a hearing aid. Aronofsky really tries to put the audience in The Ram's shoes, a portion of the movie is filmed in a third-person view from directly behind the Ram's head, and it is very effective. Rourke gets the violence of The Ram's career and the mundane details of his life down perfectly. Marisa Tomei is excellent as usual, and the rest of the cast is unremarkable but effective.

The Verdict

8.5 out of 10

See it...NOW! Amazing film.

Myk's Top 21 Movies

Here are the best 21 movies in existence in my opinion, in no particular order:

Magnolia

Fight Club

Saving Private Ryan

The Royal Tennenbaums

No Country for Old Men

Star Wars (Original Trilogy)

I Heart Huckabees

The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Vanilla Sky

Goodfellas

The Last of the Mohicans

Heat

Garden State

There Will Be Blood

Snatch

American Beauty

The Game

Requiem For a Dream

The English Patient

Schindler's List

Cold Mountain

Myk's Top 11 Directors

Here are the Top 11 film directors of all time from my point of view, in no particular order:

Wes Anderson

David Fincher

Paul Thomas Anderson

Martic Scorscese

Steven Spielberg

Quentin Tarantino

Michael Mann

Guy Ritchie

Darron Arnofsky

Danny Boyle

Anthony Minghella

Pulp Fiction

Setting the Scene

Watched at home on DVD, in one sitting with a close friend.

See the Wikipedia entry for a great plot synopsis: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulp_Fiction_(film)

The Movie

Quentin Tarantino's second directing effort is an instant classic. Most people consider this his finest film (personally I think Jackie Brown is slightly better), and it was a particularly shocking film when it was released in 1994. This movie earns it's R rating, it is certainly not for the faint of heart. Tarantino's script, while short on action, is filled with razor sharp dialogue and mostly terrific acting. In fact, other than the casting of what has to have been the producer's girlfriend or neice in the role of the junkyard heiress, and of course Tarantino himself as Jimmy, the acting is perfect throughout the film. Uma Thurman, Samuel L Jackson, and John Travolta made themselves instant stars through this movie (Travolta for the second time). Travolta is especially terrific, the bravado-laced mannerisms he gives Vince are fun to watch, and a little real life self-spoofing in his dance scene is a nice touch.

The real treat though is Tarantino's script. He has a gift for creating bizarre yet utterly believeable conversations about anything and everything in his movies, and they all seem to perfectly add to each character's depth and background. The story is great, but really not all that important, it's how Tarantino gets you there that is really special. I think the dialogue is really what has made this movie a true classic, there have been gangster movies before, and movies about washed up fighters, and movies about lovers on a crime spree; but rarely do you care about the characters in the same way you want Vince to avoid a four-story freefall, and Mia to live, and the Wolf save the day, and Jules to figure out the meaning of life. This, combined with Tarantino's perfect music choices, also makes it one of the most rewatchable movies I have ever seen.

This is the first film I remember watching and being concious that the story was not laid out in chronological order in the movie, it was cut into pieces and rearranged. I'm sure this had been done before, but it is done with such effect in this movie that I think this is the biggest reason it has been such an influential film. Anyone who has seen Doug Liman's excellent GO knows what I mean.

Verdict

9.5 out of 10

See it now. Go rent, buy, or borrow it. If you love movies, this is two and a half hours well spent.

Pulp Fiction is on Myk's Top Twenty Movies list.
Quentin Tarantino is on Myk's Top Ten Directors list.

Slumdog Millionaire

Setting the Scene

Watched at home on DVD, with the with the wife and the Max, over two consecutive nights.

See the Wikipedia entry for a great plot synopsis: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slumdog

The Movie

I am generally a Danny Boyle fan; Trainspotting was amazing and A Life Less Ordinary a fantastic (though more obscure) film. Slumdog Millionaire does not disappoint. It is a good story and is laid out well using the game show as an effective storytelling device. Danny Boyle always seems to have the camera in the right place and he creates a sense of movement in every scene which makes the film a lot of fun to watch.

The acting was good throughout. The three child actors that played the youngest versions of the main characters were outstanding. Anil Kapoor and Irrfan Khan are wonderful as the game show host and police inspector who are suspicious of hero. Dev Patel is also very good in the lead role.

Verdict

7.5 out of 10

See it!