The Wrestler

Randy "The Ram" Robinson, played brilliantly by Mickey Rourke, was a star professional wrestler in the 1980s. He had a legendary pay-per-view match against the Ayatollah in his prime, his own Nintendo game, posters, "Best of The Ram" VHS series and legions of fans who worshipped him. The film begins in the present day with The Ram collecting a paltry sum of money for his latest fight only to discover he's been locked out of his trailer home because he's behind on his rent. He has a good physique for his age - with the aid of steroids and tanning salons - he still has good friends in the local wrestling brotherhood and he enjoys hanging out with Cassidy (played by Marisa Tomei) at the strip club where she works. He's a likable guy and the neighbourhood kids look up to him as a hero, so it's easy to root for this washed-up old wrestler as he participates in choreographed, yet amazingly bloody, wrestling matches. He struggles to pay the rent while also searching for deeper meaning in his life as he knows that he can't wrestle forever. However, wrestling is the only thing he's good at, and he lives for those precious moments when he stands on the top turnbuckle and his adoring fans cheer his name – but once he steps out of the ring his life is a mess. He'd like to reconcile with estranged daughter Stefanie (played by Evan Rachel Wood) but she hates him after he abandoned her in her youth. He's never given her a birthday gift, probably because he doesn't know which day it is.There's a parallel story with Cassidy, an aging stripper. She also knows that her career is coming to an end, but unlike The Ram she seems to have plans after she retires, and her finances are in good order. They've obviously known each other for quite some time, and though there seems to be some mutual attraction Cassidy has always followed the rule "don't get involved with a customer". They have a complex relationship that changes throughout the film, but you can always feel that Cassidy cares about his well-being.This movie works because it feels so real. All the characters are so natural in their roles that you'll feel drawn into this world of wrestling. Mickey Rourke doesn't just play a wrestler, he is a wrestling star, he is Randy The Ram in every way. The wrestling scenes were also amazingly crafted and you can see Randy build off the crowd's excitement. The film does a great job of showing why so many fans love "fake" wrestling.I thoroughly enjoyed this little film but it's not for all tastes. It's gritty, raw, sometimes depressing, sometimes funny, and yeah I'll admit that I cried. A 9.5/10 for me and it's a must-see for wrestling fans (especially from 1980s era) and, obviously, anyone who enjoyed the previous works of Aranofsky and/or Rourke. Mickey Rourke and Marisa Tomei were both outstanding and Evan Rachel Wood also shone in her supporting role.

Doubt (2008

Director:John Patrick Shanley

Writers :John Patrick Shanley (screenplay)
John Patrick Shanley (play)

Meryl Streep ... Sister Aloysius Beauvier

Philip Seymour Hoffman ... Father Brendan Flynn

Amy Adams ... Sister James

Milk

Milk
Director:Gus Van Sant
Writer :Dustin Lance Black
Sean Penn ... Harvey Milk
Emile Hirsch ... Cleve Jones
Josh Brolin ... Dan White
Diego Luna ... Jack Lira

What happened? What went wrong?
I'm a huge fan of Gus Van Sant, Sean Pean and Josh Brolin but there's something oddly off about this film.

I almost get the impression that Penn and Van Sant watched Brokeback Mountain and hurriedly picked up a project to cash in.

A lot of the acting is flamboyant limp wristed over the top stereotype. It's distracting and unnecessary.

The direction is good with a very nice period field but I can't help feel disappointed that more could not have been done with such a great compelling true storyline.

Knowing a bit about the real Harvey Milk does not help the viewer either because this movie is a love letter from start to Finnish and leaves out the bare knuckle political side of Milk.
It's also takes a huge liberty with the Dan White character making some rather outrageous impressions that most if not everyone familiar with politics of the time in San Fransisco would find laughable.But I'm not here to ruin the story for you.

It's a nice film. Great subject matter. It will tug at your heart strings but overall you may leave feeling empty as I did.
6 out of 10 stars.

Zack and Miri Make a Porno

Director:Kevin Smith

Writer :Kevin Smith (written by)

Elizabeth Banks ... Miri

Seth Rogen ... Zack

Zack and Miri Make a Porno

Let me start out by saying that I'm a big fan of both Kevin Smith and Seth Rogen. Unfortunatly I'm not a fan of Zack and Miri Make a Porno. This movie was a big dissappointment.

1.Dialog
The dialog is just bad. It's forced, designed to shock with filthy references. There's too much uneccery cursing. It's just bad, forced dialog.

2. Direction
I think the movie is misdirected. I could give an opinion of how I believe it should have been done but that's not my place. The director Kevin Smith took the fim in a certain direction and I feel it was the wrong direction. The tone and mood of the film is inconsitanta and unatural.

3. Continuity Problems
The continuity problems are just way too distracting. Seth Rogen's character's beard and hair go from neeatly trimmed to long and shaggy from long shot to close up in the same scene several times.

4.Racist Stereotypes
Just unecessary, unfunny and out of place in the story. Some of it seems edited in as filler during post production.

But most of all the story is not funny or enjoyable in any way. The movie tries to do too many things. It tries to appeal to a wide audience while giving a nod to Kevin Smith fans. In the end it fails miserably. Which is too bad because the premise does have potential.

No Stars. The movie is a waste of time.

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist

Michael Cera ... Nick
Kat Dennings ... Norah
Aaron Yoo ... Thom
Rafi Gavron ... Dev

This is a charming teen movie with a heart and a lot of laughs. There's also some really great music.

Micheal Cera is an amazing young talent and he carries this movie as far as the acting goes. This young man is one to watch.
There are a few shortcomings to the film. Generally the supporting actors are mediocre. The story kind of drags in places and there's a sorry little stereotypical scene of drag queens in a gay club that was only thrown in for shock value.
The theater was packed with teenagers and they all laughed out loud throughout the movie.
The ending is predictable but still enjoyable.

Beverly Hills Chihuahua

Beverly Hills Chihuahua
Drew Barrymore ... Chloe (voice)
Andy Garcia ... Delgado (voice)
George Lopez ... Papi (voice)
Cheech Marin ... Manuel (voice)
Paul Rodriguez ... Chico (voice)
Plácido Domingo ... Monte (voice)
Edward James Olmos ... Diablo (voice)
Loretta Devine ... Delta (voice)
Jamie Lee Curtis ... Aunt Viv
Luis Guzmán ... Chucho (voice)

This is a supposed to be a kids movie but beacuse of some of the themes it will probably be enjoyed mor by tween girls.
There's a very talented cast but unfortunately not much of a script to work with. Lot's of stereotypes. Not many laughs and not much of an interesting story.

The kid's in the theater with me became restless about halfway through.

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My Best Friend's Girl

Dane Cook ... Tank
Kate Hudson ... Alexis
Alec Baldwin ... Professor Turner
Jason Biggs ... Dustin


This is a really bad movie and a sad commentary on dating and relationships.
The story is unbelievable. The dialog is forced and pathetic.
Dane Cook puts in one of the worst performances I've ever seen but sadly one of his best performances.

I cannot recommend this movie in any way. It's a waste of time even writing a review.

Ed Opperman is a private investigator and one of his jobs is watching movies on opening night and reporting audience reaction back to the movie studios.
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