New on DVD (Tuesday): “Battlestar Galactica: Caprica”, “Frost/Nixon”, “Into the Blue 2: The Reef”, “The Last Word”, “Notorius”, “The Wrestler”

BEST BETs: 
Oscar nominated performances should put “Frost/Nixon” and “The Wrestler” at the top of your rental lists, although “The Wrestler” may not be appropriate for younger audiences with its violence and adult themes.  Also for consideration, the well reviewed bio pic “Notorious” about the rapper Notorious B.I.G.  

New at Theaters: “earth” (Wednesday), “Fighting”, “Obsessed”, “The Soloist”, “The Informers” (limited release)

 BEST BETs: 
“earth” is the DisneyNature documentary opening Wednesday on Earth Day that looks to be an early favorite for an Oscar nomination, after months and months of delays (from November 21st) and seeing the trailer about two dozen times now, “The Soloist” with Robert Downey, Jr. and Jamie Foxx will finally open, it could also be in the early running for Oscar consideration.

 CLICK HERE TO FIND A MOVIE SHOWTIME

Next Week at Theaters: “Battle for Terra”, “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past”, “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”

Next Week on DVD: “Bride Wars”, “Hotel for Dogs”, “JCVD”, “Legally Blondes”, “Nothing But the Truth”, “The Uninvited”, “What Doesn’t Kill You”

MY REVIEWS OF OTHER MOVIES CURRENTLY PLAYING IN THEATERS OR AVAILABLE TO RENT/BUY: 

Playing at West Michigan movie theaters:
“Slumdog Millionaire” (9.5/ 10)
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (9.5 / 10)
“Defiance” (8.0 / 10)
“I Love You, Man” (8.0/ 10)
“State of Play” (8.0)
“Revolutionary Road” (7.9 / 10)
“New in Town” (7.9 / 10)
“Taken” (7.5 / 10)
“Fanboys” (8.5 for me, adjusted to 7.5 for most)
“He’s Just Not That Into You” (7.5 / 10)
“Four Christmases”  (7.5 / 10)
“Paul Blart: Mall Cop” (7.0 / 10)
“Knowing” (7.0 / 10)
“Watchmen” (7.0 / 10)
“The Day the Earth Stood Still” (6.5 / 10)
“Monsters Vs. Aliens” (6.0 / 10)
“Confessions of A Shopaholic” (5.5 / 10)

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Available to rent or buy:
“Slumdog Millionaire” (9.5/ 10)
“The Dark Knight” (9.5 / 10)
“Changeling”  (9.5 / 10)
“WALL-E” (9.0)
“Pride and Glory” (9.0 / 10)
“The Wrestler” (8.9 / 10)
“Righteous Kill” (8.9 / 10)
“Eagle Eye” (8.5 / 10)
“Burn After Reading” (8.5 / 10)
“Wanted” (8.0 / 10)
“The Visitor” (8.0 / 10)
“Australia”  (7.9 / 10)
“Frozen River” (7.9 / 10)
“Quantum of Solace”  (7.5 / 10)
“Traitor” (7.5 / 10)
“The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian”
“Marley & Me” (7.5 / 10)
“Bride Wars” (7.5 / 10)
“Rachel Getting Married” (7.0)
“Get Smart” (7.0 / 10)
“Bedtime Stories” (7.0 / 10)
“Twilight”  (7.0 / 10)
“Hotel for Dogs” (7.0 / 10)
“Appaloosa” (6.9 / 10)
“Lakeview Terrace” (6.5 / 10)
“Hellboy II: Golden Army” (6.5 / 10)
“Body of Lies” (6.0)
“Noise” (6.0 / 10)

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And it wasn’t even close… with the remake “Friday the 13th” taking in more ($42 million) than the second and third place movies combined, the slasher movie also becomes the biggest opening of the year, passing “Paul Blart: Mall Cop”’s $31 million opening in January. 

Last week’s number one “He’s Just Not That Into You” slipped to second and new movies “Confessions of A Shopaholic” and “The International” opened in fourth and seventh place.

 TOP MOVIES AT WEEKEND BOX OFFICE (estimated results):
1. “Friday the 13th” (2009) – $42.25 million (1st week)

2. “He’s Just Not That Into You” – $19.61 million
(2nd week, was #1 last week, lost 29% from last week)

3. “Taken” – $19.25 million
(3rd week, was #2 last week, lost 6% from last week)

4. “Confessions of A Shopaholic” – $15.41 million (1st week)

5. “Coraline” – $15.32 million
(2nd week, was #3 last week, lost 9% from last week)

6. “Paul Blart: Mall Cop” - $11.70 million
(5th week, was #5 last week, gained 7% more than last week)

7. “The International” – $10.00 million (1st week)

8. “The Pink Panther 2″ - $9.00 million
(2nd week, was #4 last week, lost 22% from last week)

9. “Slumdog Millionaire” - $7.15 million
(14th week, was #8 last week, lost 0.5% from last week)

10. “Push” – $6.93 million
(2nd week, was #6 last week, lost 31% from last week)

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11. “Gran Torino” – $6.75 million
(10th week, was #7 last week, lost 6% from last week)

13. “Hotel for Dogs” – $4.23 million
(5th week, was #10 last week, lost 26% from last week)

17. ”The Wrestler” – $1.80 million
(4th week of wide release, was #15 last week, lost 19% from last week)

18. “New in Town” - $1.72 million
(3rd week, was #12 last week, lost 47% from last week)

19. “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” – $1.60 million
(8th week, was #13 last week, lost 30% from last week)

20. “Revolutionary Road” – $0.98 million
(8th week, was #17 last week, lost 42% from last week)

Box Office numbers courtesy Box Office Mojo

 TOP MOVIES AT WEEKEND BOX OFFICE (estimated results):
1. “He’s Just Not That Into You” – $27.47 million (1st week)

2. “Taken” – $24.63 million
(2nd week, was #1 last week, lost 18% from last week)

3. “Coraline” – $16.34 million (1st week)

4. “The Pink Panther 2″ - $12.00 million (1st week)

5. “Paul Blart: Mall Cop” - $11.00 million
(4th week, was #2 last week, lost 21% from last week)

6. “Push” – $10.20 million (1st week)

7. “Gran Torino” – $7.42 million
(9th week, was #5 last week, lost 10% from last week)

8. “Slumdog Millionaire” - $7.40 million
(13th week, was #6 last week, lost 3% from last week)

9. “The Uninvited” - $6.40 million
(2nd week, was #3 last week, lost 38% from last week)

10. “Hotel for Dogs” – $5.82 million
(4th week, was #4 last week, lost 33% from last week)

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11. “Underworld: Rise of the Lycans” – $3.90 million
(3rd week, was #7 last week, lost 49% from last week)

12. “New in Town” - $3.30 million
(2nd week, was #8 last week, lost 51% from last week)

13. “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” – $2.40 million
(7th week, was #11 last week, lost 32% from last week)

15. ”The Wrestler” – $2.23 million
(3rd week of wide release, was #16 last week, lost 4% from last week)

17. “Revolutionary Road” – $1.67 million
(7th week, was #13 last week, lost 38% from last week)

18. “Bride Wars” - $1.50 million
(5th week, was #12 last week, lost 57% from last week)

19. “Defiance” - $1.42 million
(4th week of wide release, was #14 last week, lost 43% from last week)

Box Office numbers courtesy Box Office Mojo

Randy “The Ram” Robinson is a broken hero with an auditorium full of baggage, and Director Darren Aronofsky takes us along in this very narrow focused movie of a couple weeks in the life of a wrestler and his stripper friend who are both on the verge of retirement from the jobs that have defined their lives.

A warning to parents: this is a rated “R” movie for a reason, you can probably figure out why, but if not, see the rating ino below.
The glitz and glamour are years in his past as Randy “The Ram” Robinson is now battling limited gate receipts at sparsely attended events, old age, and getting locked out of his home at the trailer park.

Aronofsky keeps the camera and mic focused on Rourke for most of the movie… as we get an up close look and listen into what he’s feeling and doing – every cough, sniffle, grunt, almost every breath is captured in the movie.

The entire success of this movie is carried by the broad shoulders of Randy “The Ram”… he’s a physically and emotionally beaten character that has struggles, is heartbroken, and desperate… and he does it, with a almost flawless performance. 

I’m not ready to say this is the best acting or movie of the year, but its certainly very good… and obviously deserving of the nominations being thrown at it.

The attention to detail builds this Randy “The Ram” character…

with the detail of his battle scarred wrestling outfit, his hair that spends most of the movie up in a bun on top of Rourke’s head, his tattered coat with duct tape, the hearing aid in his left ear and the reading glasses he needs in a couple scenes.  Aside from all of the talk of being old and all the old man grunts and noises that Rourke makes, all of these little details help cement the fact that this guy really shouldn’t be wrestling.   Unfortunately, Randy “The Ram” doesn’t have a lot of career possibilities outside of his weekday job at the local supermarket in the shipping/receiving department.

The wrestling matches are not all glossy and fun either, the movie shows us the backstage preparations as the wrestlers prepare for their “match”, there’s a scene involving the steroids and drugs available to the wrestlers, and there’s also the preparation of getting supplies at the dollar store and getting a har dye and suntan.

When Randy “The Ram” finally realizes he’s getting too old to wrestle, the real test begins as he has to decide between the wrestling community – the only family he really knows, and his actual family (Evan Rachael Wood plays his daughter) and possible love interest (played by Marisa Tomei).

THE BOTTOM LINE: This is a fish out of water, odd man out kind of movie with nice touches throughout this film (like Randy “The Ram” working the deli counter), but its really Rourke’s performance that holds this movie up to a higher standard… I give it 8.9 out of 10 … because I felt there were a few scenes that wandered a little bit and weren’t as solid as the rest of the scenes to make it a top caliber movie.  But I’m sure wrestling fans will like it more than I did.

 “The Wrestler”

(2008) (rated: R for violence, sexuality/nudity, language and some drug use) (1 hr, 55 min)

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

Director: Darren Aronofsky

Genre: Drama/Sport

The Plot: A drama centered on retired professional wrestler Randy “The Ram” Robinson as he makes his way through the independent circuit, trying to get back in the game for one final showdown with his former rival.  

So what did you think?  Please post a comment!

.
“The Wrestler” poster courtesy Fox Searchlight

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Follow me on twitter: http://twitter.com/aaronlafferty

New this week at Theaters (Friday): “Revolutionary Road” (wide release), ”The Wrestler” (wide release), “Inkheart”, “Possession”, “Underworld: Rise of the Lycans”, “The Dark Knight” (IMAX re-issue)

New this week on DVD (Tuesday): “City of Ember”, “The Express”, “Henry Poole is Here”, “Igor”, “Max Payne”, “Repo! The Genetic Opera”, “Saw V”, “Amusement”

MY REVIEWS OF OTHER MOVIES CURRENTLY PLAYING IN THEATERS OR AVAILABLE TO RENT: 

Playing at West Michigan movie theaters:
“Slumdog Millionaire” (9.5 / 10)
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (9.5 / 10)
“Changeling”  (9.5 / 10)
“Defiance” (8.0 / 10)
“Australia”  (7.9 / 10)
“Bride Wars” (7.5 / 10)
“Marley & Me” (7.5 / 10)
“Four Christmases”  (7.5 / 10)
“Quantum of Solace”  (7.5 / 10)
“Role Models”  (7.5 / 10)
“The Boy in the Striped Pajamas”  (7.5 / 10)
“Paul Blart: Mall Cop” (7.0 / 10)
“Bedtime Stories” (7.0 / 10)
“Hotel for Dogs” (7.0 / 10)
“Twilight”  (7.0 / 10)
“The Day the Earth Stood Still” (6.5 / 10)

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Available to rent or buy:
“The Dark Knight” (9.5 / 10)
“WALL-E” (9.0)
“Righteous Kill” (8.9 / 10)
“Eagle Eye” (8.5 / 10)
“Burn After Reading” (8.5 / 10)
“Wanted” (8.0 / 10)
“Traitor” (7.5 / 10)
“The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian”
“Appaloosa” (6.9 / 10)
“Hellboy II: Golden Army” (6.5 / 10)
“Noise” (6.0 / 10 )

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Next Week at Theaters: “New in Town”, “Taken”, “The Uninvited”

Next Week on DVD: “College”, “Fireproof”, “Lakeview Terrace”, “The Lucky Ones”, “Pride and Glory”, “The Rocker”, “RockNRolla”, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”