Uneventful day...
For the exception of the fact I was graced with the Wrestler on television. man oh man, what a movie. Personally I feel it was robbed at the 2009 Oscars, honestly if your movie isn't about fags (see: Milk) or Jews (see: The Reader) you get screwed. It's all about politics, like when the blacks complained that year...what happens next year? a black wins an Oscar and they give an honorary one out to another black. Politics. Anyways, I will save that rant for another day.
Ah the Wrestler, I guess it's the film manifestation of what I hope never happens to me, a faded has-been once great. I think in alot of ways the story isn't too far off, I think there are a million "wrestlers" out there so to speak. In some manner I get this vibe of my father from my film, old and broken but refusing to give up. Kinda weird.
A recurring theme in the film is being alone, aside from drowning being alone in life is probably my biggest fear. So I really connect with the Ram (Mickey's character's name) on that level. Very brutal, very real. Furthermore living in the past is another theme of the film which hits close to home. The Ram spends the film listening to his old 80's metal (awesome btw), keeps his 80's esque hair cut, and just generally refuses to accept the times have changed. He has changed. Hard reality, never hit so hard, not even the hardest hit in the ring could compare. I mean, consider that song he picks as his ring entrance music:
Sweet Child of mine - GnR, a pretty sick song but just listen to the lyrics (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-AYAv0IoWI)
"...reminds me of childhood memories Where everything was as fresh as the bright blue sky"
Maybe I am looking too far into it, but I noticed it right away as I watched.
It's not to uncommon for me to sit there with my friends and everything I say or mention is some upwelling of the past, some "glory days" long gone. I guess I see where he is coming from. I say he because honestly, I felt like I was just watching a camera follow a real man around. A flesh and blood being. That's how good Mickey's performance is.
Now I am not gonna lie, you watch this film for the end, I cannot stress this enough. It's all good, but the end is top drawer. I guess there are just some things we can't run from, destiny, Donovan Bailey, etc. So we all knew this was coming...
"The Ram: The only place I get hurt is out there. [points away from the ring] The world don't give a shit about me."
The Ram belongs in one place and one place only. The ring. In a bout of martydom, the Ram takes on his old 80's rival in a final match for the only people who haven't left the broken old man, the fans.
Stubborn, pride, a last shot at glory. Call it what you will. I call it greatness. Pain heals, chicks dig scars. Glory... lasts forever.
Inspires me never to burn out. Or fade away.
"A lot of people told me that I'd never wrestle again and that's all I do. You know, if you live hard and play hard and you burn the candle at both ends, you pay the price for it. You know in this life you can lose everything you love, everything that loves you. Now 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. "
For the exception of the fact I was graced with the Wrestler on television. man oh man, what a movie. Personally I feel it was robbed at the 2009 Oscars, honestly if your movie isn't about fags (see: Milk) or Jews (see: The Reader) you get screwed. It's all about politics, like when the blacks complained that year...what happens next year? a black wins an Oscar and they give an honorary one out to another black. Politics. Anyways, I will save that rant for another day.
Ah the Wrestler, I guess it's the film manifestation of what I hope never happens to me, a faded has-been once great. I think in alot of ways the story isn't too far off, I think there are a million "wrestlers" out there so to speak. In some manner I get this vibe of my father from my film, old and broken but refusing to give up. Kinda weird.
A recurring theme in the film is being alone, aside from drowning being alone in life is probably my biggest fear. So I really connect with the Ram (Mickey's character's name) on that level. Very brutal, very real. Furthermore living in the past is another theme of the film which hits close to home. The Ram spends the film listening to his old 80's metal (awesome btw), keeps his 80's esque hair cut, and just generally refuses to accept the times have changed. He has changed. Hard reality, never hit so hard, not even the hardest hit in the ring could compare. I mean, consider that song he picks as his ring entrance music:
Sweet Child of mine - GnR, a pretty sick song but just listen to the lyrics (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-AYAv0IoWI)
"...reminds me of childhood memories Where everything was as fresh as the bright blue sky"
Maybe I am looking too far into it, but I noticed it right away as I watched.
It's not to uncommon for me to sit there with my friends and everything I say or mention is some upwelling of the past, some "glory days" long gone. I guess I see where he is coming from. I say he because honestly, I felt like I was just watching a camera follow a real man around. A flesh and blood being. That's how good Mickey's performance is.
Now I am not gonna lie, you watch this film for the end, I cannot stress this enough. It's all good, but the end is top drawer. I guess there are just some things we can't run from, destiny, Donovan Bailey, etc. So we all knew this was coming...
"The Ram: The only place I get hurt is out there. [points away from the ring] The world don't give a shit about me."
The Ram belongs in one place and one place only. The ring. In a bout of martydom, the Ram takes on his old 80's rival in a final match for the only people who haven't left the broken old man, the fans.
Stubborn, pride, a last shot at glory. Call it what you will. I call it greatness. Pain heals, chicks dig scars. Glory... lasts forever.
Inspires me never to burn out. Or fade away.
"A lot of people told me that I'd never wrestle again and that's all I do. You know, if you live hard and play hard and you burn the candle at both ends, you pay the price for it. You know in this life you can lose everything you love, everything that loves you. Now 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. "
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