The Wrestler

Director: Darren Aronofsky
Rated: R
Cast: Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood,

What I loved: The Wrestler is well acted, and the story is well done. It is eerie to watch Mickey Rourke act so well in a movie so similar to his own story. I am from Tulsa, and remember his character in Rumble Fish (you might only know of the Outsiders, but we Tulsa-folk know all of S.E. Hinton - although, have you looked at the cast from that one??? definitely worth checking out!) - the Motorcycle Boy. The movie is hard to watch because it is somewhat true to life about what it takes to change. I absolutely loved - in retrospect - how high the mountain of life-redemption looks with the entire movie piled on top of it.

What I did not love: Like people - the movie's strengths are also what make it difficult to watch. it is hard to watch Marisa Tomei as an aging mother in a strip club - for lots of reasons. The acting is incredible, and I think the movie might suffer without as many scenes as there are in the strip club - but that makes it difficult to watch sometimes.

Movement: The Wrestler moves at a nice 40 MPH clip. You walk down hallways, you enter the ring with Rourke, the music changes in volume. It sways in and out of redemption-potential in all aspects - romantically, professionally, and in regards to his daughter.

4/5 stars

All the President's Men

Rated: PG

Director: Alan Pakula

Cast: Robert Redford, Dustin Hoffmann, Jason Robards, Hal Holbrook

What I loved: This movie is very fun to watch if you are okay without the Hollywood romance, without the montages (although there are a few), and without a spelling out of the problems being addressed.  I also enjoyed rolling with the 80 MPH of the film (more on this later),although I do no know my history well enough to follow perfectly.  The acting is tremendous; Redford, Hoffmann, and Robards deserve the oscar acclaim they received for this film.  The movie is about the beginning of the Watergate conspiracy that ultimately led to the first and only resignation by a President of the United States.  The film follows a few weeks in the life of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein as they move from Green reporters for the Post to national names as they bring down an administration.

What I did not love: The movie was made in 1976 so the camera work is hard on the eyes sometimes.  Not a big deal really.  It would have been helpful to add some dialogue that helped us follow the many movements of the this story, but that would have hindered other aspects of the movie.  

Movement: Fast.  This is a fast movie, keep up!  The characters do not transform as in many movies, because this is a movie based upon a relatively short period in the history of the United States.  It is more than worth seeing for the acting, for the writing, for the historic moment captured in the film - any of those buy themselves makes it worth seeing.  Together, it is indispensable.

4.5/5 stars