Comeback of the Year: Rourke, the Ram, or Both?

A Review of "The Wrestler"

If a sports fan is asked to name a great movie dedicated to their preferred choice, most would have no difficulty rattling off a lengthy list of respectable films. Baseball fans would most likely name Field of Dreams. Football fans' answer to this question would easily be Rudy, Remember the Titans, or Friday Night Lights. Basketball enthusiasts may name Coach Carter as a good movie to represent their sport. Boxing fans could easily pick a great movie for their sport, from the relatively recent academy award winning "Million Dollar Baby," to the mega-successful Rocky franchise, to the Robert Deniro classic,"Raging Bull." Wrestling fans, however, would be completely stumped when asked to find a 'classic' for their genre. The last wrestling movie to feature the 'sport' of professional wrestling was 2000's "Ready to Rumble," a comedy that made a mockery of washed-up broken-down veterans. Nearly nine years later, director Darren Aronofsky decided to take a more serious approach at a film about a washed up 80's pro-wrestling star, with his critically-acclaimed movie, "The Wrestler."

"The Wrestler" stars Mickey Rourke as Robin Ramsinzky, a pro-wrestler better known by his ring-name, Randy "The Ram" Robinson. In Robinson's glory days, he headlined sold-out events in Madison Square Garden, "the world's most famous arena," as described in the introducton to the movie. The contrast between the past and present stands out harshly as the pictures and sounds from his days of glory change to a shot of the same man sitting in a tiny locker room, coughing, twenty years later. With his days of glory long behind him, down-on-his-luck former pro-wrestling star now resides in a trailer-park and still works wrestling matches for small crowds, despite his broken-down body. Not only does the hearing-aid-equipped Ram live in a trailer park, but he at one point was unable to pay his bills and had his trailer locked up, forcing him to spend the night in his busted-up Dodge Ram van.

The Ram, now headlines indie wrestling events at venues as small as reception halls and high-school gymnasiums, taking any booking he can get in order to earn a living. Despite his current condition, he is respected and revered by the entire lockerroom at these events, as he was most likely the reason many of these men decided to become professional wrestlers. Respect does not pay bills, however, so even twenty years past his prime, resorting to even taking a booking for a hardcore match involving staple guns, barbed wire, and glass. The old-school star is completely out of his element and the pain of the match eventually results in a heart attack, which forces him to give up wrestling. Still having to make a living, he takes on extra hours at a local supermarket, beind the deli counter. After realizing he still has nothing, he considers risking a comeback.

Randy's only family is his estranged daughter, Stephanie (Evan Rachel Wood), who holds a grudge against her father for being on the road throughout her entire childhood. Ram's love interest is an aging stripper, Pam (Marisa Tomei), who develops a friendship with the wrestler but reminds him that there is an 'uncrossable line' between her and her customers. Rourke's character truly has no one in this movie, and it is, for the most part, a complete downer, except for one scene. Ram temporarily reconciles with his daughter, and they waltz in an abandoned, broken-down ballroom. This is a symbolic scene, as such a grungy location could host a beautiful moment like a father dancing with his daughter, which in a way is an analogy for The Ram. No matter how broken down and worthless the world may view him, he still loves his daughter. In one of the most emotional scenes of the movie, The Ram says, "I'm a broken down piece of meat, and I deserve to be alone. I just don't want you to hate me."

The movie is very authentic, with all wrestling scenes filmed in between matches of real wrestling events from promotions like Combat Zone Wrestling and Ring of Honor. The movie features cameos of wrestlers, from current WWE star Ron "R-Truth" Killings to the hardcore indie-favorite "Necro Butcher," to the recently deceased "Paul E. Normous." While Rourke used a stunt double for his hardcore scene with Necro Butcher, he did undergo training from WWE Hall of Famer Afa Anoai in order to legitimately pull off wrestling manuevers in the other scenes.
It seems as if every scene and detail has a meaning or analogy. Marisa Tomei's academy award-nominated role as the aging stripper parallels the Ram's story as she gets older and less successful at her job, feeling less and less needed by society. The majority of the soundtrack is hair metal; stars of the 1980's, many of which may now be considered washed up, just like the Ram.

The movie is lower budget compared to most feature films, and is shot in a very close-up, gritty, documentary-style manner. In one of the deli scenes, real customers interact with Rourke in truly improvisational moments, as the movie's budget could not afford the complete closing of the real supermarket in which the scenes were filmed. In the final wrestling match scene of the movie, the Ram uses Guns N Roses' Sweet Child O Mine as his entrance music, a tune that would ordinarily come with a hefty price tag of $1.5 million, donated free of charge by Axl Rose, in consideration of the movie's low budget.

Reportedly, Rourke was not paid for his role, because no one would financially back a movie with him in the starring role. The common perception of Rourke that he was a volatile, undependable, washed-up bad-boy who would pose a great risk as an investment. In many ways, ths movie eerily paralleled Rourke's own career in the acting world. Rourke's final speech as the Ram sounds almost autobiographical: "I don't hear as good as I used to and I forget stuff and I aint as pretty as I used to be but god damn it I'm still standing here and I'm The Ram. As times goes by, as times goes by, they say "he's washed up", "he's finished" , "he's a loser", "he's all through". You know what? The only one that's going to tell me when I'm through doing my thing is you people here."

Without runing any major plot points, it's important to say that this is not a feel-good movie. This movie is more Raging Bull than it is Rocky, and Rourke's nomination for the oscar for best actor is truly warranted and deserved. It is a travesty, however, that the movie was snubbed in the best picture category, and that Bruce Springsteen (who wrote the title song, "The Wrestler," free of charge) was also snubbed in the best song category. Springsteen's "The Wrestler" plays during the ending credits.

Rourke's comeback is about to come full-circle, as he is planned to make his way to the Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas, to work a match against WWE's Chris Jericho at the 25th annual WrestleMania--wrestling's equivalent to the Super Bowl--in front of well over seventy-thousand screaming fans. Given Rourke's dedication to training for The Wrestler, he is bound to work hard to put on a good performance at WrestleMania. WrestleMania has had celebrity appearances since day one, whether it was the WrestleMania II appearances by Ray Charles, Cab Calloway, and Ozzy Osbourne, or the Wrestlemania 24's appearances by Floyd Mayweather and Snoop Dogg. However, never before has WrestleMania featured a match with an Academy Award winner, or even an nominee. In late February, the world will find out if Rourke will approach WrestleMania as a winner or just a nominee. Win or lose, the event is bound to be a success, and wrestling fans around the world will echo Springsteen's sentiments: "Tell me friend, can you ask for anything more?"

AC/DC Releases First Album in Eight Years: Worth the Wait?

Short answer: No. Longer answer: Some bands should know when it’s time to quit. If you are expecting another Back in Black, you will be disappointed. It is, of course, asinine to expect a band to recreate magic they had 28 years ago when they recorded the twenty-two-times-multi-platinum classic. However, it would be fair to expect that the band could at least release something as good as their previous album, Stiff Upper Lip, which was met with lukewarm reviews. Unfortunately for AC/DC fans, Stiff Upper Lip was far better than Black Ice, their most recent release.

The album sounds like classic AC/DC, but their age really shows. The riffs are reminiscent of all other albums, but the distortion has been toned down, and the tempos are a bit slower. The song “War Machine” lifts the main riff from Back in Black’s “Given the Dog a Bone,” but with far less power and edge.

While some may say that they are getting old and are going to tone it down, this is an asinine stance. The legendary metal band Motorhead released an album earlier this year that is as fast and as powerful as their classic speed-metal “Ace of Spades” album. If three old men can release an album like Motorizer, what’s AC/DC’s excuse for being so boring? While they were never a speed-metal band, there is just nothing special about Black Ice. There is not a single song on the album that stands out and yells “this should be the next single!” to listeners.

Black Ice has been called the biggest debut ever by a mainstream hard rock album. It sold about 1.7 million units in the opening week, which is most likely due to their exclusive deal with retail juggernaut Wal-Mart, and the band’s ridiculous marketing scheme of releasing ‘alternate covers’ where the only major differences are the color of the band’s logo. This marketing ploy guaranteed quadruple sales from their most loyal fans and is the likely cause of the successful debut week, as the content of the actual album leaves much to be desired.

The Man, the Myth, the Legend: Axl Rose Finally Unveils Chinese Democracy

On Sunday, November 23^rd, Guns N Roses fans around the world will be in much awe as Boston sports fans were when the Red Sox won the World Series. After thirteen years of hard work, perfectionism, business disagreements, and other delays, Guns N’ Roses fans have longed to hear it: Chinese Democracy is finally being released. While it hasn't been 86 years, it sure felt like it.

An album release of this magnitude is bound to be under the microscope by critics and will be met with tons of skepticism, but the album really lives up to the hype, if you are able to understand the fact that it is NOT Appetite for Destruction II, nor is it Use Your Illusion III. Many fans and skeptics are expecting a rehash of the old classics, but this is anything but. It’s a whole new step in the evolution of the musical and artistic vision of Axl Rose.

The album begins with Chinese Democracy, the first single, with a slow building intro with raw “Smells Like Teen Spirit” drums, guitar riffs, and a trademark Axl scream, as if he were waking up after a long nap and telling the world that he’s back and better than ever. The song has no real hook, but it doesn’t need one. It’s a good intro to the album but isn’t one of the better tracks.

One song that is better, however, is coincidentally titled “Better” and has a sing-song falsetto intro by Axl: “no one ever told me when I was alone, they just thought I knew better,” and turns into a modern alternative rock song. Eventually, Axl gets angry, and the song has an edgy industrial grunge breakdown with a ton of classic Axl screams.

The album crosses many genres and blends bits and pieces of familiar styles into something that is completely unfamiliar. The song “Sorry” sounds like a collaboration between Ozzy Osborne and David Gilmour covering a John Lennon song.

Those familiar with the leaked demos that have been in circulation on the internet for the past year or so will be amazed at how much a difference minor changes and additions can make to a song. “The Blues” has had its title changed to “Street of Dreams” and sounds better than ever, thanks to the addition of strings and other layers. The same can be said about “Catcher in the Rye,” another mellow ballad, which has been updated with depth and layering of guitar tracks and a more complex drum beat.

“If the World” has been updated as well, with a Spanish guitar solo, and a chugging, funky drum beat, with a wah-guitar track. “This I Love” is a beautiful, slow piano ballad that sounds like it could be part of a Broadway show. The song “Scraped” features an acapella intro of a ‘chorus of Axls,’ strangely channeling old do-wop styles and almost sounding like it wouldn’t sound out of place on a Christina Aguilera album--but it works. However, the song proves to be a bit more aggressive than that, turning into an explosive song of rebellion, and as Axl says, “Don’t you try to stop us now,” it’s apparent that Axl is back and here to stay.

“There Was a Time” and “Madagascar” are the real artistic highlights of the album. “There Was a Time” is a near autobiographical trip back in time with the grandeur and power of November Rain but in a completely new way. In “Madagascar,” Axl sings, “I won’t be told anymore, that I’ve been brought down in this storm, and left so far out from the shore, that I can’t find my way back, my way anymore,” and it sounds like a response of defiance towards all who have doubted him. Even though this song was debuted on TV on the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards—six years before its official release—Axl proves that it’s ‘never too late.’ The song may remind classic Guns fans of Use Your Illusion II’s “Civil War,” as it includes samples from the movie “Cool Hand Luke” and also Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech.

A good analogy for the revolution and evolution of Axl’s vision is the difference between the Beatles’ eras of music. Fans of the ‘British invasion’ Beatles records may or may not like the sound of Abbey Road or Revolver, just as fans of the ‘Sunset Strip invasion’ era of Appetite for Destruction may or may not like the current release, as it is the most “out there” album yet. As with the Beatles’ phases, each stage is excellent in unique in its own ways, and true fans will be able to appreciate it all in the proper perspective. While there will always be a never-ending debate about which album is better, there is no debate that this is easily the best rock record released in recent years, in an era where mediocrity tops the charts.

Come and find out for yourself on November 23^rd, and be sure to take Dr. Pepper up on their infamous free soda offer: “The soft drink company says it will give a free can of Dr Pepper to "everyone in America" if "Chinese Democracy" arrives anytime during the calendar year 2008.” According to MTV.com, at 12:01 AM on November 23^rd, anyone in America can apply for a coupon for a free 20-oz Dr Pepper in the mail. The offer will be open for exactly 24 hours.

Introduction

I have been toying with the idea of starting a blog for a while. I once had one running for a while, but due to perfectionism and trying to make it look overly professional, I lost interest. It required too much work. Hopefully this one will last a bit longer. There is less pressure on maintaining it since it is free and not hosted.

I decided, too, that if I were to start a blog again, that there is no better time to do so than now, to coincide with the release of the massively-anticipated and long-awaited new Guns N' Roses album, Chinese Democracy. My first post (second post, if you really want to count this one) will be a review of the album, as I managed to get ahold of it five days before its release date. I wrote a review for my college's newspaper and will post an 'extended' version on here, in a web-friendly format.