The Fighter

[polkablues]

Act like a grown-up.  You're not a baby.

?

Reference.

[Gamblour.]

I was this close to googling that too.

[Fernando]

Trailer

[modage]

If that weren't a David O. Russell movie, I would say it looks really boring.

[Pubrick]

no way i like how this looks.

only because it's another case of wahlberg choosing a role he was born to play. even tho he hit big with boogie nights it has never stopped feeling like every film he makes is him trying to prove himself somehow (whether as an actor or a box office draw). the thing about this particular role that strikes me as true to him is the bit where he says how he's embarrassed that he lost the fight cos he told everyone he'd win..

does anyone else remember when Wahlberg said he was going to quit acting in 2010?? years and years ago he said he was going to keep acting for some number of years and then quit to spend time with his family.. and that presumably every role he was choosing was some kind of investment in his future. well that obviously didn't really pan out for the most part.. (max payne.. the happening.. what the fuck was that one where he was set up and he was a sniper or something?  )

anyway, this will be one of those rare films where he doesn't have to walk away embarrassed.

[modage]

I get that.  We all know there's only 3 directors that can get a good performance out of him.  But outside of investing in Wahlbergs career, this looks like a generic Oscar season true life Rocky story.  And if they're not going to scuzz it up good Wrestler style, whats the point?

[JG]

How did the Wrestler scuzz it up good? I think less and less of that movie as time goes on...

[modage]

I didn't think that much of it to begin with because underneath it's just another one of these movies.

[Fernando]

does anyone else remember when Wahlberg said he was going to quit acting in 2010?? years and years ago he said he was going to keep acting for some number of years and then quit to spend time with his family.. and that presumably every role he was choosing was some kind of investment in his future. well that obviously didn't really pan out for the most part.. (max payne.. the happening.. what the fuck was that one where he was set up and he was a sniper or something?  )

I do remember that but dont know how long ago he said that. scroll down to the 7th news bit or keep reading...

Wahlberg Will Quit Acting at 40

3 August 2005 | WENN |

Mark Wahlberg will quit acting when he hits 40 so he can concentrate on raising his daughter.The 34-year-old is devoted to two-year-old Ella Rae - his daughter with girlfriend Rhea Durham - and wants to dedicate the next six years to making enough money so he never has to work again. He says, "She's a much bigger responsibility than anything I have going. That's why now it's so important that my movies make money. "I want to work hard for the next six years, then put all the emphasis on family. I'd be disappointed if (later on) I'd have to work to provide for my family. That would be a failure. I don't want much. I just want to wake up when I feel like it, go to my little girl's soccer games, and make sure she has whatever she wants." And he isn't concerned about abandoning a successful movie career: "I've always looked at my career as an athlete would look at his. I won't play forever. Some don't know when to walk away, but the smart ones do."

and that sniper movie is The Shooter.

[md]

boom

[modage]

from my blog:

After a 6 year hiatus, (during which he directed and abandoned the political satire Nailed), David O. Russell is back.  During the 90's, Russell was part of a crew of "Hollywood outsiders" who seemed to have snuck into the studio system to make big budget movies.  (See also: David Fincher's Fight Club, etc.)  My hope was that if these guys did get swallowed up by the studio system, they'd end up making those movies better.  The Fighter seems to be a perfect example of this.  It's an underdog sports movie, which is something I couldn't be less interested in seeing again, but it feels so alive.

The movie is a true story, but you'd hardly know it from the first hour.  It's full of energy and life and propelled by an incredible performance by Christian Bale.  Bale is a force of nature in this movie.  By contrast, Mark Wahlberg's performance (and character) are much more subdued.  I've never been a big fan of Wahlberg, but David O. Russell is 1 of 3 directors that knows how to elicit a great performance out of him.  (The others are PT Anderson and Martin Scorsese.)  Not until the film's second half do you really start to feel the film's "inspirational sports movie" structure in place.  By that point you are genuinely invested in the outcome, which is a pretty amazing accomplishment for a story as familiar as this one. 

[Stefen]

You get to see everything. I'm jealous. 

[modage]

It doesn't come easy.  I devote an inordinate amount of time trying to find screenings for movies.  I spent about 2 months looking for a Black Swan screening.  EVERY.  SINGLE.  DAY.  The Fighter opened on Friday though, so that was easy.

[Pas]

Christian Bale looks awesome in the ads for this. Is this guy the actor of his generation or what

[Pas]

Say something stefen.