Movie Review time: Slumdog Millionare & The Wrestler

The Wrestler
Mickey Rourke pulls off the performance of his life (and one the best performances I have ever seen by an actor) as Randy "the Ram" Robinson. This tragically heartbreaking story is about a famous wrestler who's dealing with his age, a failing heart, and is beginning to believe it's time for retirement. He has no job skills, his love interest (Marisa Tomei) is a standoffish stripper who only regards Randy as a customer, while his daughter (Evan Rachael Wood) hates his guts and refuses to see him. The opposing challenger he fears most and wrestles with is his future loneliness. Randy lives alone in a trailer park, works part-time in the deli department at a grocery, but his faithful fans and fellow co-wrestlers love him because he's a marvelous guy and a true legend in the ring. The title of the film is a bit misleading because the story actually focuses on Randy's personal life and relationships, how he lives and gets by when outside the wrestling arena. Being a wrestler is what he does and shooting for the title is just a secondary plot which documents all the behind-the-scenes activity in the art of fake fighting. 4 Stars

Slumdog Millionaire
Where to begin? There is so much to say about this film but I am at a loss for words. How do I describe the way it made me feel? It's a drama, a romance, an adventure with action, a story of survival and social injustice. It will tug at your heartstrings and stimulate your mind. Shocking visuals of poverty and violence will assault your senses, but a story of enduring love and perseverance will counter the scenes of sorrow and deprivation. Top notch directing, amazing character development and acting, excellent cinematography, and most of all great storytelling make this a film that will not soon be forgotten. Told in a series of flashbacks, we see the events that shaped the life of the "slumdog" that enabled him to answer the questions as they were presented to him on the Indian version of "Who wants to be a millionaire". To put it simply, this film is awesome and a must-see. 4 Stars

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