February 2011 - Cinema Rat

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Cinema Rat - February 2011

The Fighter

SEARCH: The Fighter

Director: David O. Russell
Writers: Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy

Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams and Melissa Leo

Dicky: "Micky, he takes a punishment, I don't know why he does it. He likes to get on in the inside, I stay on the outside."

Boxing has delivered big screen hits since the 80's. Rocky, Raging Bull, The Hurricane, Million Dollar Baby, each one of these films set an uplifting redemptive tone to their respective characters. But where does "The Fighter" stand? Continuing the formula's premise but never being subjugated to it, the film manages to surround the ring with more interesting elements than the actual fight.

Based on a true story, it starts out with the two half-brothers, Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) and Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale), sitting on a sofa talking to the camera, an immediate emotional bruising occurs after the opening moments when the viewer realizes that Dicky's delusional comeback is in reality his own decline on record, a documentary about crack addiction and fallen heroes.

Micky is managed by his hard-headed mother, Alice (Melissa Leo) and trained by Dicky, a local myth in their depressed hometown of Lowell, Massachusetts, because he once floored the legendary Sugar Ray Leonard. Dicky's broken dreams now find shelter in the comfort of crack while anything he does seem to be overlooked by his mother.

While Micky's family use him as a punch-bag in and out of the ring, he finds a glimpse of hope in a feisty barmaid named Charlene (Amy Adams). Through a string of events, she finally persuades him that he has to stand on his own, away from his domineering, abusive family, in order to have a chance at fulfilling his dream.

Stepping away from mannerism, David O. Russell's documentaristic approach in the first two acts throws non-wearing-glove punches and after a pivotal moment he differentiates the mood. Depicting a dysfunctional family he crafts through antithesis, Micky's avenue to reach his dream juxtaposed to his familys'. He mirrors a documentary to a realistic directional approach reminding us that it is really an actor's film.

All in all, this is Bale's movie, he portrays a colourful and spontaneous Dicky, he uses all his tricks and techniques, Machinist and American Psycho, through a series of moments he masterfully chains a sentimental reaction and comes across as the real person in the documentary his character supposedly stars in. Mesmerizingly, he balances the goofiness and hard boiled attitude, drawing drama one step closer to the viewer without being soapy even if the genre sometimes demands it.

Describing and undermining his performance as another one of his weight-loss/gain heroic stunts would be a misrepresentation at best, he knockouts all the other nominations in the Best Supporting Actor category, heavy weight (Geoffrey Rush) or welterweight (Andrew Garfield).

Wahlberg's quiet realization of Micky Ward is an efficient axis and anchor that the other characters orbit around and it could take many roads leading to any interpretation of his introverted concealment.

Of course, this is the reason for all the Oscar nods, Melissa Leo had her best year in 2010 and could easily be nominated for more than one movie, here she justifies all characters' emotional outbursts using the psychologically upper hand of her maternal role in the movie.

Amy Adams on the other hand is for the first time in her career cast against-type and she delivers by confronting the forceful Leo and Bale's acts, she sparks authenticity and fights for her bittersweet relationship with Micky. She makes most scenes happen by overcoming the subtext of her character's stereotype.

Walhberg's passion project, produced, starred and prepared for it for 4 years, is an intense and passionate story of a man and his family who had just one shot at glory. Familiar and predictable, yes, but who can say that it's not admirable and irresistible. A metaphor, a punch, no defense, head, body, head, you bleed, your legs tremble but don't throw in the towel just yet.

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February 14th 2011 @ 21:56

Posted By: Tasos K. - Category: No Category

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My Soul To Take

SEARCH: My Soul To Take

Director: Wes Craven
Writer: Wes Craven
Stars: Max Thieriot, John Magaro and Denzel Whitaker

Since i am too busy these days to write a review (coming back with more in the next few days though), here's one that my friend Theo S. wanted to share...

"Now i lay me down to sleep
I pray the lord my soul to keep."

These are the opening lines to Wes Craven's new horror film "My Soul To Take" and they could easily be used to summarise the movie.
The plot is vaguely reminiscenant of Craven's earlier work as it deals with a group of teenagers dealing with a serial killer that the town seems to have forgotten. But that is where the similarities with "A Nightmare On Elm Street" stop.

Here Craven only manages to create a 2-dimensional "Jason type killer" whose only motives for killing are his schizophrenia. And where Freddy managed to be scary and later on funny and clever the Ripperton Killer is neither.He is hardly given any depth,or even manages to be scary when he is yelling "Die,Die,Die"
Perhaps I would have been able to chalk that up to the rating by claiming that the movie was toned down for a PG-13 rating but it got an R and hardly ever feels like it.

The characters are the typical stereotypes ranging from the older girl that gets to boss everyone around, the male jock athlete who is acting like a pig , the outcast who may or may not have a dark secret, the girl who is secretly in love with the outcast but has to date the athlete because her bossy friend told her so, the loving nerd who hangs with the outcast and even a bible studying teenage girl that utters lines like "When it gets too hot,turn on the prayer-conditioning". And lest we forget the Asian guy who must have had a total of 3 or four lines before he dies and also the blind black guy.

Now in a typical slasher film you would expect to have some stereotype characters and in some way it is what makes them fun. The problem here is that the characters are hardly ever given any time to develop before they ultimately meet their demise and as a result you don't really care whether they live or not.

The plot seems to border from the supernatural to the realistic approach of a schizophrenic killer but never manages to convince us of either.
The acting from mostly unknown actors is weak and pales in comparison to that of then newcomers Johnny Depp and Heather Langenkamp in the Elm Street.

Overall it feels like it would have been a good debut for a new director.
It definitely lacks the skill, frame work and editing to make you jump from your seat although it has a few redeeming factors.
But it is definitely a let-down coming from the creative mind that brought us "A Nightmare on Elm Street" and dared to mock himself later on in "Scream".