1217. The Wrestler

The Wrestler
2008
Directed by Darren Aronofsky

Well, here we go with the movies I put off until the very end. I really have no interest in anything to do with sports. Then again, is wrestling really a sport? Since it's all fake, seems like some sort of performance art. Although in my experience, men get really defensive if you question whether their passion is a sport or not. So I'll just call wrestling a sport and leave it at that.

Randy "The Ram" Robinson was a wrestling champion in the 80s, but is now past his prime. Now he just wrestles on weekends and works part time at a supermarket. He meets Cassidy, a stripper who works at the strip club he frequents. He becomes enamored with her (who wouldn't? It's Marisa Tomei), and she convinces him to try to make amends with his estranged daughter. But Randy's heart can no longer take his lifestyle or steroid abuse,  and Randy must make a choice about his future.

Like I said, I don't like sports movies, but the sports scenes in this movie weren't that frequent, and the climax didn't involve The Big Game, where everybody had to come together as a team. It was more a drama about a man out of place in the world, which is a feeling we can all relate to. I mostly am familiar with Mickey Rourke through him being the butt of jokes, but he did a really nice job of portraying Randy and his feelings of being lost. 

Now let's see if I click with the next sports movie half as much.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

Nicolas Cage was the studio's choice to play Randy, but Aronfsky fought for Mickey Rourke.

All of the wrestling scenes were filmed at real wrestling events in front of live audiences.

Shooting schedule of only 35 days.

1056. Mother!

Mother!
2017
Directed by Darren Aronofsky

I should probably have saved this one for an October watch, since I usually like to stick to a Halloween theme. But this film is barely a horror movie, unless your definition of horror is to be absolutely disgusted. Which I guess is the definition for the weirdos who like movies like Saw....or Mother!

We are going for maximum pretentiousness here, therefore none of the characters have names, so I will refer to them by the actors' names. Jennifer Lawrence is really trying to make her house nice, but Javier Bardem, her temperamental writer husband, keeps allowing strange house guests to invade. Basically, it's a pretty heavy handed allegory for the story of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, and then suddenly Jesus Christ.

 As an English nerd, I am a huge fan of allegories. I really enjoyed parts of the interpretation, like the emphasis on God's vanity being a catalyst of destruction. But in order for an allegory to be truly enjoyable, the surface story needs to be grabbing in its own right. And frankly, I was very bored following Lawrence around and watching her ask rude people not to touch things. And what was Kristen Wiig doing in this movie?

Like I said, the movie is really disgusting at the end but hey, so is religious fanaticism. Everyone who says this film is a narcissistic, self indulgent mess would be correct. Still, a few nuggets of brilliance can be mined from this. And Javier Bardem is dreamy.

RATING: **---

Interesting Facts:

Received both boos and a standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival.

Jennifer Lawrence and Darren Aronofsky started dating during production of this film. For someone who is seemingly determined to avoid cliches, he's guilty of a pretty big one here.

Jennifer Lawrence had her own tent during filming, complete with scented candles and a tv that played Keeping Up With the Kardashians on a loop. We have very different definitions of happy places.

1011. Black Swan

Black Swan
2010
Directed by Darren Aronofsky

This film was a big deal when it was released, but I rarely hear it mentioned now as anyone's favorite movie.  I do hear references to the lesbian scene, which we have all collectively decided was awesome.

Nina is a timid ballerina in a New York City ballet company.  I don't think filmmakers are capable of portraying a happy ballerina, so you know this isn't going to end well.  Nina lives with her controlling mother (in my opinion, there is nothing scarier than a mother in a horror movie).  Nina's company is putting on Swan Lake and the director chooses Nina for the lead role.  Nina is able to perform the White Swan's part perfectly, but is unable to full embody the Black Swan role.  Slowly, she begins to get in her touch with her dark side.

I've only been to the ballet once in London.  I imagined that the experience would be dark and erotic, perhaps a little confusing, but utterly engaging.  I was a bit off the mark, but this movie felt like everything I imagined a ballet should be.

This is not the kind of movie that is packed with jump scares, but the characters have enough darkness in them that they manage to be genuinely chilling.  A beautifully twisted film.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

Winona Ryder only has four minutes of screen time.

Natalie Portman's dancing double, Sarah Lane, has stated that she doesn't feel like she has gotten the credit she deserves, as she performed most of the dancing.  Aronofsky later said that Portman did 80% of her own dancing.

951. Requiem for a Dream

Requiem for a Dream
2000
Directed by Darren Aronofsky

I have awkwardly alluded to the fact that I don't like drug movies, as I have some experience with the destructive nature of people's addictions and I don't like revisiting those memories in film.  So this is a brilliant movie that I did not enjoy in the slightest.

Sara Goldfarb, a television obsessed widow, becomes addicted to the weight loss amphetamine pills her doctor prescribes after she wins a spot on a television game show.  Sara's son, Harry, is a heroin addict. Harry, along with his best friend Tyrone and girlfriend Marion, start a drug dealing business that goes awry.  As everyone's addictions spiral out of control...um, things get worse.  Maybe I could have started with that clause and eliminated the rest of the paragraph.

There is really nothing to complain about here.  The editing and the direction are truly inspired; it makes you feel as though you too are on a drug induced nose dive into oblivion.  While it is impressive to create a film that is so atmospheric, it's obviously not going to be something I...vibe with.

Anyway, I am glad this film was made and I encourage people who are ignorant about drug addiction to see it.

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

Contains over 2,000 cuts.

The word heroin is never used by the characters.

931. Pi

Pi
1998
Directed by Darren Aronofsky

This film always reminds me of a friend of mine, who is quite good with computers and suffers from migraines.  He believes he is better off than me, as I have extreme bone pain from a condition called Multiple Hereditary Exostoses.  I always think he has it worse and really, I should be the authority on the subject as I have had both (don't eat the sandwiches at Sainsburys).  Anyway, cluster headaches trump everything.

Max Cohen is an unemployed number theorist who suffers from cluster headaches.  He believes that everything can be understood by numbers and is intent on figuring out the stock market through calculations on his computer.  His computer comes up with a 216 digit number that Max initially believes has no meaning, but later discovers could be the answer he was looking for.  Doesn't he know that the answer to the universe is 42?

The movie was effective in creating a mood; everything seemed to contribute to the overall feeling of intensity and near hysteria.  In lesser hands (or perhaps with a bigger budget) this could easily be a mindless thriller: mathematician discovers a secret that some agency wants so they come after him, causing many explosions and cringeworthy quips.  However, this was a thoughtful movie and I felt a deep connection with the main character.

I also felt for the ending, as my friend told me he fantasizing about doing the same thing.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

Most of the props on set were hot glued together.  The smell caused nausea in many crew members.