Ok, so some people like ‘sports’ films and some don’t. Luckily, with David O Russell’s ‘The Fighter’, this isn’t really an issue. Like the recent, and very brilliant, ballet orientated ‘Black Swan’, this film smashed any preconceptions that I might have had before going to view it. All I knew was that Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale starred and that some boxing would be involved somewhere along the line. This turned out to be ok too, as I like all three, including the boxing!
So, to start at the very beginning… First up, Mark Wahlberg. Hasn’t he come a long way? I haven’t really been able to shake my very first images of him as Marky Mark, with his bloody ‘Funky Bunch’… what a wally, but over the last decade, he’s really grown on me. I was reminded that his first, or at least one of his earliest, features was as Dirk Diggler in ‘Boogie Nights’. What a stand up role that was and now here he is in ‘The Fighter’ putting on a rather sterling performance as a work-a-day scrapper in the ring, come back kid. Wahlberg probably does one of the best ‘everyman’ turns in cinema at the moment and it’s difficult not to afford him quite a lot of sympathy in his role as the hen-pecked and somewhat overlooked brother/son/boxer ‘Irish’ Micky Ward.
Set in the 1980’s, and with really great (and I mean appropriate and evocative rather than ‘good’) contemporary music, costume design and period props, the story follows the formally quiet and unobtrusive life of Micky who, with the help of his pretty dysfunctional half-brother, mother/manager, father and clutch of half-sisters, trains up to take a shot at the world light welterweight boxing title.
The key here is that his half-brother, Dicky, played quite amazingly by Bale, now a drug addict, general layabout and wannabe trainer was once a celebrated pro-fighter with a certain legacy keeping him going. Although, after a Rocky start (some pun intended!) some questions remain as to whether Micky’s really good enough and has a future in the ring, the real focus is on the brothers’ relationship. Micky just wants to get on and knows in his heart that his brother isn’t always the best or most reliable person to train him – there are a few incidents when Dicky is out for the count in his drug den or trying to avoid being found out for being late etc, that are both touching and funny. As the film progresses, we follow the brothers’ and their respective ups and downs both as individuals and as a fighting, team.
Seconds out, round two!
Although Wahlberg is great in his part as the unassuming but focused Micky, it’s really an ensemble cast. Amy Adams plays the girlfriend who acts as the catalyst for Micky’s ambition and drive to go for the title, and in this role which could have been a little bit ‘tart with a heart’ of sorts, she manages the part extremely well. An educated girl with a little drink issue, Adams’ character has to stand up to the ‘family’ in order to be both with the man she loves and accepted into the close-knit world of Micky and his boxing-ties. And stand up she does, to the benefit of both their relationship and his boxing future.
I also have to point out that the actors playing Micky’s family are rather special. I have no idea whether his numerous sisters are played by professional actresses or local people but Christ, they were great, as were the actors who played his parents as well as all the other ‘local’ people in the film. Really great casting. These people are either unknowns or underused. Wake up casting directors – this approach is so fresh! Top marks. Everyone was great.
It can’t be denied that Christian Bale continues to be brilliant. Just when I think he might be going off the boil, he hits back with something even more gut-wrenching, funny, wicked or marvellous. Not only does Bale truly seem to inhabit his characters, which here is pretty much on the money as he’s playing a real life person, but his physical appearance changes wildly with each character transformation. Not only has he, once again, lost a tonne of weight, but with Dicky, he’s lost a shit load of hair, too. I could barely watch him when he first came on the screen. I wanted to feed him up and look after him but then I was gently reminded that by the time the next Batman film crops up, he’ll be looking buff and fit with a full head of hair.
Seconds out, round three!
Director Russell has a very neat touch. The whole film could easily have slipped into cheesy, smultzy Rocky territory but instead lies in that very happy, and quite rare, place of ‘just right’. Although based a true story, with an ending that even a five year old could guess correctly, I didn’t care a jot. The pace of the film is spot on, allowing the story to unfold at a natural rate. The characters are so well observed (I have to guess as they are based on real people) that I really bought into the whole world in which they lived. So much so, I would like to have visited!
Having directed a variety of films in the past, ‘I Heart Huckabees’ and ‘Three Kings’, in particular of note, David O Russell has done rather a great job. The direction is dynamic but also, where appropriate, intimate. The cinematography was also great. Evocative and realistic. Great lighting, too.
Seconds out, last round!
The film is exciting, heart-warming, very funny and surprisingly touching without the usually offensive ‘Hollywood’ feel good factor glitz. If you do go and see this little gem, promise you’ll stay through the credits. You’ll be introduced to the real Micky and Dicky and then you’ll understand why, primarily, Christian Bale as well as Wahlberg, should be so highly praised for their performances.
I highly recommend this film and can’t wait to see it again as soon as it’s out on DVD.
I can’t believe how great the last month of cinema viewing has been. Not since 2008 have things been so great at the local picture-houses’. And we haven’t even seen ‘True Grit’ or ‘Paul’…
Bring it on! Ding-ding.
Viewed: 2nd February 2011
Tuesday, 15 February 2011
Tuesday, 8 February 2011
Black Swan ~~~~1/2
I had a sneaky suspicion that ‘Black Swan’ would be a little heavy on the ‘ballet’ element of things but far from it. Since hanging up my ballet slippers nearly thirty years ago and having no interest in a behind the scenes film based in the world of bitchy dancers and sensitive artsy types, this didn’t seem, on the face of it, my ideal type of film. However, I knew that both director Darren Aronofsky and lead actress Natalie Portman wouldn’t, in a million years, dare deliver this to me. And I wasn’t wrong…
The world of ballet is a great backdrop to the story, no more really. It could have been the world of fashion, football or even banking but it is the sensuality, passion and skin on skin action that really makes this tale come alive.
While Portman is a successful, but junior, ballerina, pushing herself to train hard, living a disciplined life, consumed in the world of dance, she aspires to be the new lead in the ballet company’s ‘Swan Lake’ production. Her chance comes soon enough when the lead ballerina ‘retires’, played wonderfully, and quite hammily, by Winona Ryder, allowing the rest of the company to audition, not only for the lead White Swan role but also the dark, brooding Black Swan. Will all her hard work and sacrifices pay off? Of course. But as Nina progresses in her training for the big ‘curtains up’, she discovers that being prima ballerina requires more than just hard, physical work. It requires nerves of steel, a little give and take in the bedroom and an element of ruthlessness. Can she keep it together? Can she keep herself together? I cannot say any more…
Portman is most excellent in the role of Nina, the ballet-obsessed, neurotic, lonely girl destined for greatness, as is the rest of the cast including Mila Kunis as Lily, the mysterious dancer who pushes Nina’s buttons and makes her strive even harder to prove herself. The relationship between these characters is fascinating; do they represent the yin and yang of woman, the two extremes of work ethic and attitude, the complexity of sexuality or something far darker? The latter, I think. As the characters interact with each other more and more throughout the story, it is easy to be left with the distinct impression that Aronofsky wants you to think about who these women are and what they represent. I can say no more for fear of influencing your viewing suffice to say, as with most Aronofsky’s past films, you can go as dark and as deep as you like!
Nina’s home life is equally strange. Her ex-ballerina mother is both pushy and overbearing. Their apartment feels incredibly claustrophobic with more than a hint of secrets and lies hidden within each room. Creepy.
Already touted as the perfect White Swan by the artistic director, played very sensually by Vincent Cassel, Nina continues to work hard, pushing herself to accept that she must get in touch with her darker side if she wants to succeed with the Black Swan role, but there seems to be a price; her sanity. As with all good drama-thrillers, ‘Black Swan’ keeps you guessing; not only about Nina’s sanity and motives but also as to the influence Lily has on her and how the other characters interact with, and seemingly suffocate, her. As the plot unfolds, and as Nina readies herself to take centre stage, everything else seems to begin to fall apart. Is it possible that the violence happening around her is coincidence or is she more responsible for events than even she can contemplate? Nina literally itches and scratches her way to the finale; is she destroying herself?
This film is terrorising, uncomfortable, sexy and moving. It’s truly Aronofsky’s best yet and possibly Portman’s, too. The cinematography is quite amazing as are the visual tricks (which have featured so heavily in the trailers) and music, brought to us by Stourbridge’s finest export, and ex-PWEI front man, Clint Mansell. The costumes are also quite brilliant; from work-a-day ballet gear (which I am sure will be making a huge impact on the fashionistas this spring) to the ‘Swan Lake’ stage costumes.
Throughout both Nina’s journey to stardom and her transformation into the Black Swan character on stage, the costumes gradually move from white to black. The changes are reasonably subtle but are great visual pointers and clues for the audience as to character evolution and change. The climax of the film is truly remarkable with Nina inevitably metamorphosising into the Black Swan on stage. Magic.
This is a film with layer upon layer of emotion. It’s a stunning, haunting exploration of the world in which a woman who, having been so focused on attaining her goal, loses grip on reality.
For me, this is a film about so many things:
Obsession
Power
Sexuality
Perfection
Rivalry
Ritual
Lust
Adulation
Awakening
Paranoia
Loss of innocence
Sexual abuse
Loneliness
Passion
Compulsion
If you feel like challenging your brain and subjecting yourself to something really worth the effort, you have to see this film. It’s beautiful, unexpected, raw and scary. It’s already a definite contender for best film of 2011.
Encore!
Viewed: 26th January 2011
The world of ballet is a great backdrop to the story, no more really. It could have been the world of fashion, football or even banking but it is the sensuality, passion and skin on skin action that really makes this tale come alive.
While Portman is a successful, but junior, ballerina, pushing herself to train hard, living a disciplined life, consumed in the world of dance, she aspires to be the new lead in the ballet company’s ‘Swan Lake’ production. Her chance comes soon enough when the lead ballerina ‘retires’, played wonderfully, and quite hammily, by Winona Ryder, allowing the rest of the company to audition, not only for the lead White Swan role but also the dark, brooding Black Swan. Will all her hard work and sacrifices pay off? Of course. But as Nina progresses in her training for the big ‘curtains up’, she discovers that being prima ballerina requires more than just hard, physical work. It requires nerves of steel, a little give and take in the bedroom and an element of ruthlessness. Can she keep it together? Can she keep herself together? I cannot say any more…
Portman is most excellent in the role of Nina, the ballet-obsessed, neurotic, lonely girl destined for greatness, as is the rest of the cast including Mila Kunis as Lily, the mysterious dancer who pushes Nina’s buttons and makes her strive even harder to prove herself. The relationship between these characters is fascinating; do they represent the yin and yang of woman, the two extremes of work ethic and attitude, the complexity of sexuality or something far darker? The latter, I think. As the characters interact with each other more and more throughout the story, it is easy to be left with the distinct impression that Aronofsky wants you to think about who these women are and what they represent. I can say no more for fear of influencing your viewing suffice to say, as with most Aronofsky’s past films, you can go as dark and as deep as you like!
Nina’s home life is equally strange. Her ex-ballerina mother is both pushy and overbearing. Their apartment feels incredibly claustrophobic with more than a hint of secrets and lies hidden within each room. Creepy.
Already touted as the perfect White Swan by the artistic director, played very sensually by Vincent Cassel, Nina continues to work hard, pushing herself to accept that she must get in touch with her darker side if she wants to succeed with the Black Swan role, but there seems to be a price; her sanity. As with all good drama-thrillers, ‘Black Swan’ keeps you guessing; not only about Nina’s sanity and motives but also as to the influence Lily has on her and how the other characters interact with, and seemingly suffocate, her. As the plot unfolds, and as Nina readies herself to take centre stage, everything else seems to begin to fall apart. Is it possible that the violence happening around her is coincidence or is she more responsible for events than even she can contemplate? Nina literally itches and scratches her way to the finale; is she destroying herself?
This film is terrorising, uncomfortable, sexy and moving. It’s truly Aronofsky’s best yet and possibly Portman’s, too. The cinematography is quite amazing as are the visual tricks (which have featured so heavily in the trailers) and music, brought to us by Stourbridge’s finest export, and ex-PWEI front man, Clint Mansell. The costumes are also quite brilliant; from work-a-day ballet gear (which I am sure will be making a huge impact on the fashionistas this spring) to the ‘Swan Lake’ stage costumes.
Throughout both Nina’s journey to stardom and her transformation into the Black Swan character on stage, the costumes gradually move from white to black. The changes are reasonably subtle but are great visual pointers and clues for the audience as to character evolution and change. The climax of the film is truly remarkable with Nina inevitably metamorphosising into the Black Swan on stage. Magic.
This is a film with layer upon layer of emotion. It’s a stunning, haunting exploration of the world in which a woman who, having been so focused on attaining her goal, loses grip on reality.
For me, this is a film about so many things:
Obsession
Power
Sexuality
Perfection
Rivalry
Ritual
Lust
Adulation
Awakening
Paranoia
Loss of innocence
Sexual abuse
Loneliness
Passion
Compulsion
If you feel like challenging your brain and subjecting yourself to something really worth the effort, you have to see this film. It’s beautiful, unexpected, raw and scary. It’s already a definite contender for best film of 2011.
Encore!
Viewed: 26th January 2011
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