January 11th, 2009: The Week in Literal Review

Most Interesting, Music:

TMT's vinyl upheaval story.

Most Interesting, Film:

The Watchmen situation seems resolved.

Weirdest:

Thor prevented a robbery.

Biggest World Event:

Israel's invasion of Gaza leads to tragic civilian casualties.

Reviews

The Wrestler (SPOILERS)
Against the backdrop of several minimal, natural films (Ballast; Wendy and Lucy) Aronofsky is a very unlikely director to have gone in a similar direction. His films are notable for being hyper-stylized: Requiem for a Dream is notable for some very experimental cuts and techniques, and The Fountain's multi-tiered plot is far from a straightforward narrative.
The Wrestler, then, seems a complete departure. Shots are organic and raw. The camera bumps and jostles as characters speak over each other, muttering and hesitating and speaking more like they belong in a documentary. Long single-take sequences enhance the atmosphere of stark realism. Where Aronofsky is infamous for rigging his cameras to actors to stay on their faces as they walk, this time the camera is behind leading-man Rourke, which, in a way, tells us far more.
And where Rourke is concerned, there's not an accolade he doesn't deserve for this incredible performance. "Raw" is the word of the hour here; he is conflicted, pained, and it shows. He's weary and weak, trying to live a life that is brutally unforgiving to the weary and the weak.
Tomei's performance is equally rough and real, serving as an odd feminizing mirror to the protagonist. The only performance that gave me pause was Evan Rachel Wood, who felt too much like an actor; I felt like her approach didn't fit the film's atmosphere. Given, she really doesn't get more than twenty seconds of calm in the entire picture.
On the substantive, rather than technical, level, this is a very interesting film. What can we draw from Randy "The Ram"? His rejection of the real world is the stuff that tragedies are made of; usually, a film scorns this type of man, but The Wrestler seems to vindicate its titular character. He does one thing, and he lives to do it, and he dies doing it. Nothing else matters to him, and he throws it all away for that. No matter how much we want to reject him, something in us feels like he's made the right decision.
On the technical, rather than substantive, level, the film is incredible. There are fewer enormous gestures, fewer radical techniques, but the film is no less affecting for the omission. Subtle builds, minimal techniques, all of it develops an incredibly compelling momentum that stings us and makes us cringe while it demands our attention. It's definitely not to be missed.

Personal:

Transit again today, back to San Antonio. It's nice to be back home. I laughed until I literally cried watching Psych outtakes. Inferences: Gus is actually hilarious, Shawn is actually quite professional, Lassiter is a very weird man, and the entire cast hates doing Red Robin promos. (Shawn: "What do they have at Red Robin? You know what I haven't had in a while..." and the rest is history)

2009 FILMS SEEN: 1
2009 SONGS ON MY ITUNES: 24
Current Computer Situation: MacBook Pro, on my lap in a chair by the front door of my house, because I didn't want to bring this whole mess upstairs again just yet, though I know I will have to.