DVD Collectors Online

The Wrestler, a review by Tom

Title: The Wrestler
Year: 2008
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Rating: 15
Length: 109 Min.
Video: Widescreen 2.35
Audio: English: PCM Stereo, English: DTS HD Master Audio
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Mickey Rourke
Marisa Tomei
Evan Rachel Wood
Mark Margolis
Todd Barry

Plot:
Back in the late '80s, Randy "The Ram" Robinson (Mickey Rourke) was a headlining professional wrestler. Now, twenty years later, he ekes out a living performing for handfuls of diehard wrestling fans in high school gyms and community centres around New Jersey.
Estranged from his daughter (Evan Rachel Wood) and unable to sustain any real relationships, Randy lives for the thrill of the show and the adoration of his fans. However, a heart attack forces him into retirement. As his sense of identity starts to slip away, he begins to evaluate the state of his life, trying to reconnect with his daughter, and strikes up a blossoming romance with an aging stripper (Marisa Tomei). Yet all this cannot compare to the allure of the ring and passion for his art, which threatens to pull Randy "The Ram" back into his world of wrestling and he puts everything on the line for one last fight.

Awards:

Academy Award	2008	Nominated	Best Actor	Mickey Rourke
Academy Award	2008	Nominated	Best Supporting Actress	Marisa Tomei
American Film Institute Awards	2008	Won	Movies of the Year
Art Directors Guild Production Design Awards	2009	Nominated	Contemporary Films
BAFTA	2008	Won	Best Leading Actor	Mickey Rourke
BAFTA	2008	Nominated	Best Supporting Actress	Marisa Tomei
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards	2009	Nominated	Best Actor	Mickey Rourke
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards	2009	Nominated	Best Picture
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards	2009	Won	Best Song	"The Wrestler": Bruce Springsteen
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards	2009	Nominated	Best Supporting Actress	Marisa Tomei
Costume Designers Guild Awards	2009	Nominated		Amy Westcott
Golden Globe	2008	Won	Actor in a Leading Role - Drama	Mickey Rourke
Golden Globe	2008	Nominated	Actress in a Supporting Role	Marisa Tomei
Golden Globe	2008	Won	Original Song	"The Wrestler":
MTV Movie Awards	2009	Nominated	Best Song From A Movie	"The Wrestler": Bruce Springsteen
Satellite Awards	2008	Nominated		Mickey Rourke
Satellite Awards	2008	Nominated	Best Original Song	"The Wrestler": Bruce Springsteen
Screen Actors Guild Award	2008	Nominated	Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role	Mickey Rourke
World Soundtrack Awards	2009	Nominated	Best Original Song Written Directly for Film	"The Wrestler": Bruce Springsteen (music/lyrics/performer)
Writers Guild of America Awards	2009	Nominated	Best Original Screenplay	Robert D. Siegel

Extras:
Featurettes
Interviews
Scene Access
Trailers

When I first heard about this movie I didn't seem like something I would be interested in. But because I am a fan of Marisa Tomei and the film got such raving reviews, I have bought the Blu-ray after the price has dropped.
I did enjoy this movie. Both the leads were really great, especially Mickey Rourke, who I only knew from "Angel Heart" before. Hard to believe that it is the same guy. He really must have pushed himself hard to prepare for this role. Marisa Tomei is still damn hot. I would have liked it if Evan Rachel Wood's role would have been bigger.
What I didn't really like was the cinematography. I know it was supposed to be this way to give you a feeling to be right with the actors. But this documentary style (a la "The Office", Christopher Guest movies) has now been done to death. And here it really bothered me, because there is no documentary crew supposed to be present. The main actors are okay here, but some of the supporting cast really behaves like they are aware of the camera. I have read after the fact, that some scenes were shot in real environments with improvisations by the actors (locker room, super market). That explains it.
But even though this bothered me, I was enjoying the movie. It never once got boring. Although I can't believe that the wrestlers would go to such lengths just for the performance.

Rating:

(From December Marathons - DISCUSSION AND REVIEW THREAD on December 10th, 2009)

Police Academy, a review by Dragonfire

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Police Academy The call went out. The recruits came in. No longer would police cadets have to meet standards of height, weight and other requirements. Brains were optional too. Can't spell IQ? Don't know the number 911? No matter. Police Academy grads are ready to uphold law and disorder. Building on a nightsticks-and-slapstick tradition going back to the Keystone Cops, Police Academy spawned 6 sequels plus 2 TV series (one animated, one live-action). Now the popular debut film calls for backup, adding arresting 20th-anniversary DVD extras. Join Mahoney (Steve Guttenberg), Thompson (Kim Cattrall), Harris (G.W. Bailey), Hightower (Bubba Smith), Jones (Michael Winslow), Lassard (George Gaynes) and more. They're not the Five-O. They're the Five Uh-Oh. They make the world a funnier place.

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I decided to watch this one again.  Yes it is silly, but it is entertaining.  This one is a decent choice when in the mood for something silly.  The characters are likable for the most part, and very entertaining.  Harris isn't exactly a nice guy, but he always cracks me up, especially when Mahoney plays some tricks on him.  The acting isn't the greatest, but it isn't horrible either.  The DVD I have has a few interesting extras.  Some things in the movie are a bit dated, but it is still funny and entertaining. 



I did get a review posted on Epinions a few years ago.

Police Academy

(From Marie's Random Movie Viewing on August 10th, 2011)

"Stargate SG-1" Marathon, a review by DJ Doena

Synopsis: An asteroid closes in on Earth from a strange direction and it will hit Earth. SG-1 tries to repair a crashed Tel'tak (cargo ship) and then to land on the asteroid and to blow it up with the help of a Naqahdah-enhanced nuclear bomb.

My Opinion: Great moment, when Jack comments "I've seen that movie!" in the beginning, obviously referring to Armageddon. They nonetheless found a good, typical Stargate solution to the problem.

Synopsis: On a planet that isn't ruled by a Goa'uld is a base of Jaffa. Some of their "gods" have been killed, some Jaffa simply deserted. Their leader is K'tano, former First Prime of Imhotep, who killed his "god". But the ways of the Jaffa and the Tau'ri are different and Jack cannot recommend an alliance as long as K'tano is in charge.

My Opinion: This episode shows, how convincing charismatic leaders can be. It also shows that they haven't necessarily the best for their followers in mind. I also liked the Matrix-like fight sequence.

Synopsis: On a planet whose population has been wiped out, SG-1 finds a disabled android in the forum of a young woman. After she's been reactivated they find out that she doesn't know about her artificiality and her state of mind is that of a child. But then she builds a present and toy for Daniel that is terribly familiar to SG-1.

My Opinion: Another episode where Jack and Daniel crash into each other about the way they should handle a very dangerous situation. But I honestly didn't know whith whom I should've agreed.

Synopsis: A planet that is supposed to have a protection mechanism is attacked by the Goa'uld. Obviously the inofficial NID commando broke it when they visited the planet 2 years ago. Now they have to accompany SG-1 to fix it.

My Opinion: What I didn't like about this episode was that they were killed in the end. That was to forseeable. And the fact that the Colonel sacrificed himself to save Jack didn't match with the facts we learned about him in this very episode.

(From "Stargate SG-1" Marathon on April 6th, 2008)