"I, Tonya" Review

I've been hearing a ton about this movie.... mostly praise. Even Oscar talk for Margot Robbie. She is great in the role... proving to be more then a pretty face and blonde bombshell, she has range.

My problem with this film is the script. It's a dark comedy and most of the jokes fall flat or rely simply on profanity. Even the forbidden word, "cunt", gets thrown around so much it loses any impact. Tonya's Mother seems like a character whose dialogue solely consists of various curses to try and shock the audience.

The biggest flaw with this movie is every single character is despicable. They have no redeeming qualities.... they start off as pieces of shit and end as pieces of shit. They try to make Tonya sympathetic mostly by showing her get physically assaulted. It is impactful the first time but after seeing her get hit for the ninth time you become desensitized.  

I remember this incident playing out in real time. The thing I found the most interesting was the contrast between Tonya Harding (white trash, tough upbringing) and Nancy Kerrigan (americas princess, Snow White). This dichotomy to me was the most interesting part of this whole debacle. It was disappointing that Kerrigan appears for about 5 minutes total in the whole film.

They also break the fourth wall a ton in this movie and speak directly to the audience. It kind of feel very Scorsese-ish.... "Wolf of Wall Street" even. I don't feel it worked.

I will give this film a 1.5 out of 4 stars.... very disappointing. 

Splice

Theres a new movie coming out called "Vampires Suck" and I literally rather eat my own dick then watch it. It's one of these genre parody movies, like "Epic Movie" and '"Date Movie"... who the FUCK is going out to see these movies and will you please stop.

I was going to post a picture of the movie poster but I refuse to give it any press. Instead you get the image given to kids who didn't show up for the highschool photo.

I saw the movie "Splice" and it probably has scarred me for life. SPOILER ALERT: The female monster thing gets fucked by Adrien Brody and his girlfriend walks in on him... he's all like, "Wait I can explain why I'm fucking this monster that we genetically made." He is cheating on you with a goddamn monster, there is no other way to put it. It is a monster with tits. Then... And I am not making this up... the female monster changes sex to a male and then rapes the female lead. Wait What? And before he does it he mutters something like, "I want to be insiiiide you!" I wish I was making that up. So overall its highly recommended.

Cyrus

When you read about screenplays or take classes, you will often hear about a story suffering from "Second Act Problems". Well in the case of "Cyrus", you have a story that suffers slightly from "Third Act Problems". Not saying the end is poorly written, it is just very predictable. With that out of the way, the rest of the film is pretty much spot on. You have great acting, unique camerawork, and an amazing score that all blends for a great motion picture. Go see this movie now... I want a lot more comedies like this. Jonah Hill gives a performance so creepy that it hovers around "Norman Bates" territory. 3 out of 4 stars.

One of the worst people on earth...

M. Night Shallyham is a hack. He is one of the worst directors walking the earth. "The Happening" was probably the worst film I have ever seen... I say "was" because I have not seen "The Last Airbender" yet. Based on the reviews it is receiving, it might take that title.

Now I know a lot of you are thinking, "Sixth Sense was pretty good." Really? Go back and re-watch it. Ray Charles could see that twist ending coming a mile away and he's blind and dead. To make it worse, that whole plot was stolen from an episode of Nickelodeon's "Are You Afraid of the Dark?". HACK!

M. Night's movies are basically really bad 2 hour long "Twilight Zone" episodes. When Night writes a film, he probably comes up with the surprise twist first and writes the film around that. The problem is he is no Hitchcock, and his plants for the twist are so blatantly obvious. Look at "Signs".... the young daughter leaves half empty glasses of water all around the house. Gee... you think that is going to lead to something? Why does she do this? Because the aliens are allergic to water.... Even though they decide to attack a planet that mainly consists of water. And who is the first character in the film wise enough to point out that water might be the weakness? Well it's M. Night himself. And what race of people are the first to defeat the aliens via water? The Indians... and not the cool Native American kind.

That's another problem with M. Night. He is so fucking arrogant. Every film has his name prominently displayed before it like he is Spike Lee or something. The main advertising for "The Happening" was that it was M. Night's first R-rated film. And he always appears in his films as this all knowing character. In "The Lady in the Water", they were looking for the most prolific writer of our generation who will positively change the earth with his teachings. Guess who plays this character? M. Night. What an arrogant prick. But then again I somewhat enjoy watching his films. It is like watching the ultimate train wreck. His awful work is the fuel to my fire of hatred. If he did not come off as so pretentious and arrogant, I would even feel bad for the guy.

Kreuger Time

I thought the new "Nightmare on Elm Street" pretty much kicked ass. It's the first movie of the series where your not rooting for Freddy Kreuger to slaughter those annoying teens. Freddy is a pedophile to the max. Even the biggest Kreuger fan would have to admit this new version is a mother-fucker... He's like Rothlessberger with knives for fingers.

Heres how I feel I greatly improved my experience of this film.... by watching a bootleg cam version of it. It really made it feel like I was watching a film from the 90's. The film was not overly sleek and had this cool grainy look to it.... No HD, no mega special effects. This is what Tarantino tried to achieve with "Grindhouse". I'm pretty certain I would have not nearly enjoyed this movie as much if I had saw it in the theatre. So basically... go see this movie.. no wait.... go watch this movie illegally on a website like ninjavideo.net .

The pic above are the Kreuger Nike kicks I would have been wearing right now if they did not get canned. You can still cop a pair for like 2,000 bucks.

Oscar Results

Well the Oscars are over and here is your list of winners....

BEST PICTURE

"Rock of Love 2"

I don't really agree with this one... My biggest problem is that it isn't actually a movie but a television show. It was shocking when it got announced since it wasn't even nominated.

BEST ACTOR

"Macho Man" Randy Savage in "WrestleMania 3"

Pretty spot on with this one.

BEST ACTRESS

Mo'Nique

The shock was not that she won but when they announced what role she won for... it was not for "Precious" like everyone expected, but for "Soul Plane". (True Story.... When I wrote this I put "Soul Plane" as a joke thinking she wasn't in it... just looked it up and she actually was in it.)

But seriously thank god Avatar didn't win... If I had my way "Where the Wild Things Are" would of took top honors. And how hot is Helen Mirren still? She's what now... like 74? That is a Gilf.

Mind Fucking

Dear Diary,

Today I watched Synecdoche, New York by Charlie Kaufman in directorial debut and destroyed my mind. After watching the also awesomely amazing "Doubt", I truly consider Phillip Seymour Hoffman one of the best actors of our time. Anyway back to Synecdoche... it might be the most bizarre movie I have ever seen. It makes David Lynch movies seem to predictable. In the movie the lead is losing his mind and along the way the viewer has no idea how much time has passed or what is real and what's not. This movie honestly made me pause it midway thru and just check my mind and digest everything. The film literally almost pushed me into a delirium. Watching it is similar to taking a hallucinogenic drug. BTW Roger Ebert named this the best film of the decade.

Sincerely Yours,

Jesse Botz

Shocking Deaths

Something I've become fascinated with lately... Killing off the main character of the film about a third of the way thru, switching a secondary to lead and having him finish the film off. Think "Departed" and what they did with Leo. When Leo took a bullet to the head I have not seen a theatre react in such shock before. Those of us knew that the Wahlberg payoff was coming but many thought the film was really going to end on a somber note. Its hit the audience pretty hard, it took a second to get your mind back into the movie... you were really thrown for a loop.

Spoiler ahead.... there's one movie I think might do the surprise better... that would be 'To Live and Die in L.A." It might contain the most memorable death scene ever in a film. The main character (played by the underrated William Petersen) eats a shotgun to the face about a quarter into the film. This is the same person who we have spent the whole film with. The death is not even dramatic or anything. He chases some bad guys and one of them pulls a shotgun out of a locker and blows him to death in real time. Theres no slo-mo and his partner is not even given a chance to mourn as he is thrust into the lead and continues chasing the bad guys. It is so shocking and jarring that it is nearly impossible to watch the rest of the movie. Your in such shock and awe that your brain melts and slides out your ear.

From where I sit, this ranks just slightly above the founder of this.... "Psycho". It starts with this one girl and the film seems like its going to be about crime and thievery and what not and them boom knife in the shower and we are in a "horror" movie and your new main character is Norman Bates...Nothing else to add really, just think that its really cool when done correctly.

Pineapple Express

"Pineapple Express" is the best stoner movie I have ever seen. It is the most realistic depiction of people getting blazed ever put on film. They don't smoke and then see cats flying out the window and hallucinate. They smoke and become lazy, hungry, and paranoid. For some reason I had low expectations for this film but found it be genius. It had these guys performing action movie stunts the way they would look if they really happened in real life. Extraordinary things happening in very ordinary ways which made it genius. Danny McBride is awesome in it and has basically become the new cooler version of Will Ferrell. And James Franco should have been nominated for best supporting actor for his performance. Very impressed with this film.

Bruno

Wow... Bruno pretty much sucked.. it sucked dick. It had a lot less heart and none of the likability of Borat. It also seemed very staged and went over the top with the gay jokes... to the point were most straight men probably wanted to leave the theatre and hunt down fags. I understand what Sasha Cohen is trying to do, but to most people his movies are just a few laughs at the expense of the jews and the fags. Most people dont get the irony when they sing "throw the jew down the well" and just see it as a way of showing their anti-semitic views without the criticism.  The big difference is that the Borat character is naive and has an innocence to him. He comes off as a genuinely nice guy confused by the racist beliefs of his culture... you root for him. Bruno is not like that. He is a prick. You don't care if the terrorist kills him... his racism is not a product of his culture but rather his own beliefs. What bothered me about Borat was that too many jokes went for shock value. The thing people remember most is the naked fighting. I always found the genius of Cohen to be his interviews and the quick wit he showed in them twisting peoples words and having them buy into his ignorance... this is probably why my favorite character remains Ali G. Bruno basically only goes for the visual shock. It will also make most people homophobic... in closing this movie is fucking gay.

The Orphanage

I just saw an amazing film from Spain called "The Orphanage". It is what you wall call a "thriller" but it is not to be confused with the garbage like "The Ring" and "The Mirrors" and all those other American bastardizations. Watching foreign films lately it has really dawned on me that American cinema is very weak compared to the rest of the world right now. Our films are not innovative and are a lot more toned down then are foreign counterparts. These American films are "dumbed" down and made more family friendly. I really think having a Republican as president for 8 years can really attribute to this.

This film plants so many things in the first half that pay off HUGELY in the end. Unlike most American films these plants are not painfully obvious and this film does not feel its audience has the brain the size of a piss ant. I strongly recommend this film to anyone that truly appreciates great art. It is produced by Guillermo and feels a lot like "Pans Labryinth". This is a fairy tale for grown ups. However, I feel this is a much better film than Pan's. I think an American remake is scheduled to be made and it will probably be horrible.

The Hangover

"The Hangover" is probably one of the sloppiest written films I've seen in a long time. It is enjoyable yes, but I credit the success of this film solely on the actors... I bet if you read the script it is utter garbage. Everything Zach Galifankis says was probably written by him or ad-libbed.. anyone who saw his stand-up would probably agree. Things happen in this film that don't affect anything else. Yeah they have Mike Tysons tiger and they go return it to him. He shows them the video surveillance, but what do we learn from it? That they were drunk? The plot is progressed in no way. Also too many characters just change their whole personalities on a whim. The one guy ia uptight and marries a stripper. He hardly talks to her at all in their scene together and then later on during the "Rain Man" mockery they are buddy buddy and "fall in love". Where did this character transition come from? Why in one scene is Tyson punching them and then in the next they are buddy buddy? Same with the Asian guy. Why does Mike Epps even appear to in this film? Its a shame because the whole first act is amazing. As soon as they take that shot on the rooftop the film really goes to shit. Well not too much shit... it is a decent film but it could have really been a classic. This film is a lot like "Dude Wheres My Car?" It is a slightly toned down version of that film... more realistic and vulgar. And how many scenes end with a character mentioning the name of a song and then the song blares as we go to the transition.  And the Tyson cameo would have been amazing if they did not spoil it in the trailers.

Let the Right One In

I just saw a movie from Sweden called "Let the Right One In". It is a beautiful, disturbing film that really leaves a haunting image in your head... especially when you research more about the novel and find out more about the story. This might be one of the oddest films of all time.

I'm gonna put some spoilers here, so if you plan on seeing the film go see it first and then come back and read this to get a better understanding. The story is mainly about a lonely 12 year old boy who is constantly picked on. He winds up befriending a strange 12 year old girl who lives next door to him with an older man. As their friendship progresses he winds up falling in love with her. Now here where it gets strange as all hell. She is actually a vampire and the man living with her, her "father" goes out and does the killing for her gathering the blood. The man is actually not her father but a pedophile. He is hired to go get blood in exchange he gets to mess around with the young girl. (You don't see this in the film but it is in the novel) Now it gets even more bizarre.... Through out the film the young girl says she is not a girl despite getting closer to and even kissing the other boy. In one disturbing scene he is spying on her change when he see's that "she" does not have a vagina but instead a big scar. In fact this girl was actually a boy but casturated by a vampire lord in a bizarre ritual and turned into a vampire... he is also in fact 200 years old. As crazy, sick, and perverse as this may sound this is an amazing film. The cinematography is amazing and this film provides some of the most haunting images I have ever seen in cinema.  Fuck.... what a mind fuck... This movie totally just blew my mind... I can't even sleep right now, my mind is just racing with thoughts... trying to comprehend what I just saw.

Enemies to the Public....Viewing

Ok I saw "Public Enemies" last night at 12. Right now its 10 in the morning and I still have not slept.... maybe because the film was so awful. I was really amped to see this film, as I feel Depp can really do no wrong. I love gangster films and the story of Dillinger was already cool to begin with. So what wrong? The film honestly feels like an incomplete rough cut. It is shot digitally on HD over film and looks like someone's bad home movie. The cinematography is awkward and the transition between scenes leaves you scratching your head. On top of that, the characters are unlikable and one dimensional, the cops (the antagonists I guess) are as dumb as could possibly be, and Christian Bale delivers one of the worst acting performances of all time channeling a charisma-less William Shatner. For a while I felt like I was watching Looney Tunes with Depp playing Bugs Bunny and the cops Elmer Fudd. This rings especially true when Depp, (who is at this point the most wanted man in America) casually walks himself on a tour of the police station and then asks the unsuspecting cops the score of the baseball game. I was expecting him to say, "Ahhh.... Whats Up Doc?"

I read mixed reviews of this film, and just read a NY Times review calling the film genius. I don't get it. Everyone I went with hated hated hated the film, people were routinely walking out of the theatre, a guy behind me was snoring, and midway thru a guy in the back started to loudly freestyle rap (no joke). So many scenes and lines of dialogue are so unintentionally funny that I literally burst out loud laughing. So in closing if I had to describe this film in one word it would have to be the F word... F-U-C-K.  That is the first word I uttered when the credits rolled on the screen. 

The Happening

I want you to go RUN to your nearest Blockbuster or check your tv schedule or mail in your Netflix or do whatever the hell you have to do to get your hands on a copy of M. Night Shytman's "The Happening". This is without a shadow of doubt the worst movie of all time. It makes "Wicker Man" and Uwe Bowl films look like "Raging Bull". I can't remember the last time I laughed this hard while watching a movie. The funniest comedy is unintentional, and this movie will have you rolling with tears in your eyes. The acting and line delivery is so awful that no one involved in this film should ever work in Hollywood again. Mark Wahlberg gives the worst acting performance in the history of cinema. That is no joke. 

I was seriously writing more coherent pieces of shit then this in the 5th grade. I really wish I would have been able to see this is a theatre just to see the reaction of the audience. There are so many "serious" "suspenseful" lines that I just know would be met with laughter. Theres even a scene where an elderly women shows Mark Walhberg a movie sent to her iPhone (nice product placement) from a sister. It shows a man feeding himself to a bunch of lions and walking around armless. The women watches in awe and then says, "What kind of terrorists are these?" This line literally made me do a spit take. The best thing I can say about this film is that its "funny" bad and not "boring" bad.... as a matter of fact it is down right hilarious, one of the funniest films of all time. If someone tells you this is a good film (and not in the sense that its so bad its good) then they are a complete and utter moron. This is not debatable. If you have any bit of intelligence what so ever you can tell this is a horrible horrible horrible film. Even Ray Charles could see that and he's blind and dead.

Tyson

First off this review might be somewhat biased as I am a huge Tyson fan and find him to be one of the more interesting characters walking the earth. I feel he is a deeply conflicted man who has a basically pure spirit but is corrupted by the people and society around him. He is far from a saint, and is the first to admit it. He has MANY faults but is man enough to admit them and attempt to change.

This film is not your typical documentary. It is more of a bibliography as it is told entirely in the words of Mike Tyson. There is no other narrator or anyone asking the questions. Its Tyson's story of his life in his own words. Now you might think a problem might arise from this but it doesn't. Tyson is not biased and tells it like it is... he is brutally honest. He tells both sides of the story and there is really not even the need for additional interviews from his opponents or what not.

You also might think that a story told entirely by Tyson might not be all that interesting... you might assume he's not exactly the best narrator. This is wrong too. Tyson is actually pretty intelligent and speaks using very colorful language. He's great in one liners and there are many sayings he delivers that you will find yourself repeating. He also uses quite a large arsenal of vocabulary. (Although he does sometimes mispronounce some of the larger words but that adds to the charm)

This is one of the better documentaries I have seen and is so gripping that anyone, fan of boxing, Tyson, or not will enjoy immensely. My one complaint is the length of the film.... it clocks in too short for my liking at an hour and 30 minutes. There is some additional amazing footage that I have seen of Tyson that I felt should have been included. Some of the stories I also which would have been expanded on. I honestly could have continued watching this film for another 2 hours, and I hope a DVD version is released packed with additional footage.

Don't Watch the Watchmen

I saw the Watchmen last week and I disliked it so much I did not even feel the need to write a review of it. It wasn't that I hated it, as I would have to vent on here about it, it was more that I felt indifferent. I found it boring and dull. I felt it was made by someone who was afraid of offending the fanboys in the slightest and basically did an adaptation panel for panel. What this "visionary" directory failed to realize is the comic wouldn't translate well word for word as a film. It is too speechy for the big screen and there is simply too much happening... the story would really have to be condensed for the characters actions to have any resonance. I'm generally not a big fan of ensemble pieces, as I don't like to jump around too much. This film is jumping about all through time giving you the backstory on just about everyone, and some of it is simply not important with what has been edited out. I'm a fan of the novel, (as much as one could be who basically despises superheroes) but this film fell really flat. In order to make a good film the director really needed to take liberties of the story and broaden something that was way too large in scope for even a 3 hour film. The director made a film to appeal to the fanboys and basically turned off the casual viewers. This is a big no no. the fanboys will see the movie no matter what, even if you completely change the story.. don't worry about catering to them, worry about everyone else.  Another thing that made the novel was so cool was the originality. There had never been another comic like it.... but now we have already seen "Sin City" and "Dark Knight" which stole a lot of thunder. Dark Knight also even touches on the subject of a hero playing a villain for the greater cause of mankind, which is touched on in Watchmen.

I had a strong feeling this movie would be a flop, and after a decent opening weekend I knew word of mouth would sink this ship by the second weekend. Heres the stats: "Watchmen dropped a hugely disappointing 78 percent from a week ago to bring in a mere $5.4 mil." This was truly the novel that could not be filmed... and now its showing that the statement was indeed true.

I heard people saying Watchmen should have been a mini series on HBO and I agree 100 percent. That would have been perfect and ideal and probably would have been one of the better shows in a long time.

BTW Malin Akerman (the chick who gets banged in the spaceship) is one of the worst actors I have seen this side of Nicholas Cage and the Anakin Skywalker kid. I thought she sucked in "Heartbreak Kid" and dont know why Hollywood has this hard on for her.

MJ At the Oscars

Amy fuckin' Adams. I am not going to give the usual Oscar predictions here but rather tell a story... this story could be an awesome plot for a stoner comedy.. you could call it, "Chasing Amy" or rather, "Amy Fuckin' Adams". Heres the deal... one day I wake up and check my internets. On a bunch of sites I see a list of the Oscar winners which has apparently been leaked. I look it over not thinking much about it and forget about it. Flash forward a couple of days. I'm sitting in my house when the thought to gamble pops into my skull. Gamble on what tho? Football's over, baseball hasn't started, and basketball is very unpredictable... what else could I - Oh shit the Oscars! Oh Shit, I have a list of the winners! So we look over the gambling looking over odds and who do we see as the biggest longshot for Supporting Actress? Amy Adams. And she is also listed to win on the "leaked sheet". I have never been more excited for the Oscars in my life. When they announce best supporting actress my heart will be pounding more then Penelope Cruz. That ho better not win. If Amy Adams wins we are going to become Slumdog Millionaires.... hopefully by this time tomorrow I will be writing this blog from a tropical island.... screw that... I'm going to make Jurassic Park a reality. Thats what I will do with my money. I will make the Jurassic Park movie be "based on a true story".  You ever think about that.. what if I actually opened Jurassic Park and shit got out of hand and the dinosaurs started killing people like in the movie. Would that make the movie non fiction then? i just blew your mind.

Gran Torino

I deemed "The Wrestler" the best movie of 2008.... I stand by that claim, HOWEVER, the most entertaining film of 2008 is "Gran Torino". Or is that 2009? Whatever, it is one of my favorite films of all time... period. While watching it, there was not one second where I wasn't completely engrossed. The story is simple, and somewhat cliche, and might not be as deep as some want, but this film has so much damn heart. This film runs on heart and by the end you will be teary eyed, no matter how tough you think you are. This is a film that needed to come out. It should be required viewing for anyone under the age of 25. This film will teach you the true meaning of being a bad ass. Being a gang member wearing bandannas and flashing guns is not bad ass. This film also brings racism right to the forefront.... a topic no one wants to touch on. There are numerous funny racist jokes through out, which you will feel bad for laughing at, but in the end it shows the combining of two cultures. And the best part is Eastwood befriends a different race at the end, but his character is not pussified. He still says all his outrageous things, he just shows a little crack in his hard exterior shell. Eastwoods character is not a true "racist". He's all bark and no bite. This is like a lot of people I know. They might claim to dislike blacks and Asians and what not, and tell racist jokes, but they are not truly racist at all. They will be friendly and talk with any different race around.... they talk this way because I guess it was around them from their elders.

Let me speak on racism quick. I find stereotypes to be basically true for the most part. At the least the stereotypes that aren't just hateful and spiteful. Blacks are good athletes and Asians are smart. I've seen this numerous times, its true. I don't know why black people are offended by stereotypes.... your a great athlete and have a big dick.. thats an awesome rep to have. I know the others around too like blacks are lazy and all that, but I'm white and probably the most lazy person on earth....  so that stereotype is false. Another is that Asians can't drive, well that... wait.... that is true. The point is this... you should be proud of what makes you different. As a white person there is really no such thing as white pride. Instead, we take pride in our nationalities... like being Italian or Irish or whatever. I'm a mutt so I don't have this either. I wish I had a strong culture to be proud of... I guess I just have to rep America. Being racist is dumb and makes no sense. Our differences are what makes this country great. You might think you want everyone to be like you... but if you truly had that, you would realize how much it sucks. Except other cultures... embrace other cultures... experience other cultures... just don't try to BE another culture.... one of my favorite parts of "Torino" is when Clint chews out a wigger.

And let me add one other opinion... albeit a tad controversial. I think the evolution of the word "nigger" is one of the most genius things I have ever seen. You have a hateful word invented by the white man to put down and de-humanize black people. What do the black people do? They take the word as their own and de-venomnize it. Then... as the times change and some whites actually want to be black, they make the word their own 100 percent and it becomes offensive for whites to say it, but ok for them to say it. Genius. And the fact that many white people just can't let them have one word, pisses me off. If you are white do not say the word "nigga". I know you might listen to rap and what not, and you might have black friends who let you say it, but just don't. Don't. It sounds so ignorant and embarrasses me as a white person. That word is theirs, they earned it for the bullshit the race had to go through. However, as bad as blacks had it... Native Americans had it much worse and got fucked a lot harder. I really want to see Native Americans become embraced and respected more, but as a people they seem to passive and quiet.  The Native American culture is pretty awesome, and spiritually on an entirely different level. These were very intelligent people who had a respect and love for life, that is badly lacking in todays world. A big part of me wants to live in the woods as a Native American and smoke from a huge pipe and talk to spirits and shit. And you know what pisses me off... when people call them "Indians". Its so fucking dumb... the only reason they are called Indians is because of that dumb fuck Christopher Columbus thinking he was in India. I love finding out the truth about Columbus and how he was such a dumb dickhead. Columbus actually only landed in the Carribean Islands and took many Native Americans as slaves. Thats all he viewed them as, even though they were very generous and accommodating to him. Fuck Christopher Columbus. I can not believe we still celebrate that racist holiday. I would honestly vote for the removal of that day as a holiday.

The Wrestler

"The Wrestler" is the top movie of 2008. Hell, it might even be in my top 10 of all time... it's that good.  This films tops all the rest by leaps and bounds, topping right above "Burn After Reading For Me". And for those "Dark Knight" groupies, I think that film is average and that "Iron Man" is the better superhero movie. Lets get to the "Wrestler" movie.

The movie has some similarities to "Rocky" and a story similar to "Rocky Balboa", just take out many of the feel good moments. This film is gritty and real. Even the picture is drained and far from vibrate... it kind of feels like watching a movie on VHS. The pacing is a throwback to classic films of the 70's, and isn't coked up like today's standards. The film is sad, but there are some really funny comedic moments. The comedy is similar to that that Rocky provides. Most of the comedy is the fact that Mickey Rourke is out of touch with today's society and the whole ridiculousness of the professional wrestling industry. But the comedic relief is necessary, because you don't want a film that takes itself too serious. I was laughing out loud really hard at some points. The cinematography is amazing, utilizing handheld work to give it a more authentic feel. The camera tends to follow behind Mickey Rourke a lot, putting us more in his shoes and adding more impact to the close-ups of beaten face.

Now I read some negative reviews to see what people could possibly not like about this film. The main problem they have is that the film is too realistic, and doesn't pull no punches or cut the camera away. When Rourke is getting staples pulled out of his back, you will see it in all its gory detail. Just like real life, you have to deal with it....the camera doesn't cut away last second for your benefit, just like life often times does not do things for your benefit. This film also might have one of the goriest scenes I have ever seen.... Not to give it away, but it takes place while Rourke is working in a deli. They also say the nudity from Marisa Tomei is excessive. She's a stripper. They tend to be naked a lot.

To find faults in this film one really has to nitpick. I honestly can't think of anything wrong with it. Mick Foley, a professional wrestler, wrote a review of it, and he said it was a perfect rendition of the wrestling world after the glory. I recommend to this movie to anyone, and then I recommend you go out and rent the documentary, "Beyond The Mat". A lot of Mickey Rourke's character comes from the Jake "The Snake" segments in that film. Go out and see this one now.