The Fighter (2010)

Film: The Fighter (2010)

Director: David O. Russell

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams

Last night I had the pleasure to be at the Little Cinema in Bath to watch a free preview of David O Russell's new boxing epic, The Fighter, hosted by Little White Lies magazine and Grolsch. This was the second time I've attended one of these evenings, the first being The King's Speech in Decemeber, and it was a brilliant evening yet again. Free cheese and a bottle of cold Grolsch (in a posh glass as well) is a nice touch and it sets you up nicely before the film starts rolling.

The Fighter was a fantastic and compelling film, and is easily O Russell's crowning glory of his directing career to date, thanks largely to two award-worthy performances from Wahlberg and especially Bale. This is not a Rocky re-hash or your typical rags-to-riches tale, but a shocking yet inspiring piece of cinema. Wahlberg plays Micky Ward, a down on his luck welterweight from Lowell, Massachusetts who isn't on the path to pugilist glory he'd perhaps prefer. Micky's failures in the ring are largely due to his crack addicted brother and trainer Dickie (Bale) and his mother's (Michelle Leo) terrible management of his boxing career. Micky's family, despite professing their love and support for him, are responsible for destroying his pursuit of that elusive championship. I don't want to spoil the plot so I won't reveal anything else, but I can admit that the film's success is not necessarily in the ring (although the boxing scenes are brutally good) but in the home, where we see Micky having to battle against his own family who think everything they do is for his own good, when in fact they are only damaging Micky even more. Wahlberg's performance as Ward is exceptional and he succeeds in making his character more than just a numb-skulled brawler but somebody you actually care about, which makes it even more satisfying when he wins his battles, in the ring and within his family.

Unfortunately for Wahlberg, Christian Bale steals the show as Dickie, the unreliable sibling who can't shake his crack addiction, and never lets you forget he once (supposedly) knocked down the legendary Sugar Ray Leonard. Bale is mesmerising in The Fighter, with his scrawny and uncomfortable body language, thick and humorous Bostonian accent perfected, and his incessant need to chew on something, even when it appears he has nothing to chew. It would be a mighty shame if Bale doesn't walk away with the Best Supporting Actor award from the Oscars this year - he deserves it. You need to see him to believe, but Bale's turn as Dickie might possibly be his finest performance to date. Bale is unrecognisable from the man we see in Nolan's Batman films, in The Fighter he IS Dickie, 100%. A marvellous piece of acting. The supporting cast were terrific as well, adding so much to what makes The Fighter superb, with Amy Adams and Michelle Leo leading the way (both of them nominated for Supporting Actress awards also). Adams plays Charlene, Micky's tough yet supportive girlfriend who only wants the best for her man. Leo is Micky's dominating and emotional mother Alice, who cannot realise that her 'I am right all the time' attitude is causing more harm than good to her son. Both actresses deserve whatever success they get from the Academy, as they are perfect in their roles in The Fighter.

I highly recommend you go and see The Fighter as soon as you can. You don't have to be a boxing enthusiast to enjoy this film, as The Fighter is more about family than fighting (although there is plenty of fighting!). Bale's performance is probably worth the price of admission in itself. You won't be disappointed.

A More Enjoyable Reality Rating: 9/10

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The King's Speech (2010)

Film: The King's Speech (2010)

Director: Tom Hooper

Starring: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter

A friend of mine, who honestly pays more attention to the cinema than I do, stumbled upon two free tickets to see The King's Speech at our local Picturehouse Cinema in Bath, The Little Theatre. When I say stumbled upon, I really mean that he was quick enough and wise enough to apply for tickets before everyone else. Little White Lies magazine and Grolsch have partnered up to host exclusive previews of new films, and luckily for me The King's Speech was one of them. My mate regrettably couldn't attend so he offered up his seats to my girlfriend and I, which was extremely nice of him and I'm still very grateful (thanks again Simon!). I'd seen the trailer for Tom Hooper's new film about King George VI and the awful speech impediment that plagued him, and thought it looked pretty interesting so I jumped at the chance to see it for free.

When we arrived at the theatre, complete with our names on the guest-list (how very A-list), we quickly found our seats. Thanks to Grolsch, Little White Lies, and the fine folks at the Little Theatre in Bath, we were treated to a free bottle of Grolsch each and some very fancy Dutch cheese. After a few bites I soon discovered that cheese and beer doesn't go together as well as I'd have liked, but the thought was there nonetheless and free stuff is always great. Plus, my girlfriend isn't too keen on beer so I got her bottle as well. Score.

So you probably want to know what I thought of the film right? The King's Speech is without doubt one of the best films I've witnessed this year. Heading into the cinema I was anticipating a good film, but I came away with so much more as Tom Hooper's masterpiece was a terrific surprise. I'm not going to reveal too much of the plot, as the film is not officially released in the UK for another week or so, but I would just say that if you have the means to go and see The King's Speech, go and do it. Colin Firth puts in a magnificent performance as 'Bertie' and should be a dead cert to win the Oscar next year. Firth is mesmerising as the King, and is so convincing with a speech impediment that I will find it hard to imagine him in anything else. Geoffrey Rush is equally sublime as Lionel Logue, the Australian speech therapist whose job it was to cure the King of his stutter. Rush and Firth have such a brilliant chemistry together and made the film much more humorous than I was expecting. The two leading men ensured that The King's Speech didn't provide a boring moment throughout. The rest of the cast were also perfect for their roles, notably Helena Bonham Carter as Queen Elizabeth and Guy Pearce as the dastardly King Edward VIII. The King's Speech is an outstanding example of British cinema at its best, and Tom Hooper has surpassed the lofty heights of his previous film, The Damned United. As the film came to a close, it started to have an odd effect on me, as you strangely feel quite patriotic as you exit the cinema. I can't say that about many other movies.

The King's Speech was a fantastic film and I thoroughly recommend you go and see it as soon as possible. Even if it doesn't look like your sort of thing, just give it a try and I believe you'll be pleasantly surprised. It's THAT good.

A More Enjoyable Reality Rating: 9/10

Grolsch and Little White Lies are hosting more exclusive previews in 2011, and I'm hoping to get some tickets to see some of them, as The King's Speech was a thoroughly enjoyable evening. I've already applied for tickets to see David O. Russell's new film The Fighter in late January, so fingers crossed.

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The American (2010)

Film: The American (2010)

Director: Anton Corbijn

Starring: George Clooney, Paolo Bonacelli, Violante Placido

I had high expectations heading into this one, especially after reading some favourable reviews in Empire and Little White Lies (who claimed it was one of 'the best films of the year'). I was excited to see The American and what it had to offer. I wouldn't say I'm a massive Clooney fan, and I've never seen anything by Corbijn, but I still thought the film looked really interesting, a Bourne-like thriller set in the heart of rural Italy. I unfortunately missed the preview the Little Theatre in Bath had on in November, but I did manage to see it a few weeks later.

To be honest, I wish I hadn't bothered. The American certainly didn't live up to the hype, not for me anyway. It starts out brightly enough, with Clooney's character Jack narrowly escaping an assassination in the Swedish tundra. Jack then has to flee to safety and ends up in a small town in Italy (the stunning Castel del Monte in Abruzzo), where he befriends the local priest and falls in love with the town prostitute. Despite the clichés, this is all perfectly acceptable and would make for decent entertainment. However that's about it for the plot, as nothing else really happens. The action scenes, whilst impressive, are brief to say the least, in length and occurrence. For a film about an American hitman trying to escape his demons in Europe, its just not enough. Corbijn certainly didn't set out to create your run-of-the-mill action flick and its obvious he wanted to show us a different kind of action thriller. The Dutch director certainly created a beautiful piece of cinema with The American, but I felt that for 105 minutes, Corbijn got his priorities mixed as beauty seemed to take precedence over story. For example, the director loved to highlight the beautiful Italian landscape and Corbijn repeatedly shot Clooney driving his car around the winding roads, but it just felt too forced to me and a bit overkill on the 'arty' side. Still, a gorgeous film throughout.

However, I can't find much fault with the acting in The American. Clooney was particularly good, perfecting that sense of tension and pain in his character. Clooney may have stolen the show, as he often does as the leading man, but the supporting cast were top-notch as well. Jack's fellow assassin Mathilde, played by Thekla Reuten, was terrific in her scene with Clooney in an Italian cafe. The tension was unbearable - it was probably the best moment of the film - as I found myself on the edge of my seat in anticipation. Violante Placido, who played love interest Clara, achieved her job as the eye candy in The American. Corbijn loves things that look good, so its obvious why he chose Placido to accompany Clooney. Paolo Bonacelli, who played Father Benedetto, was decent enough I suppose, but I don't think he had enough screen time to make much of an impression.

Overall, The American didn't do enough for me to say I would happily go and see it again. I don't mind slow films, in fact I often think some movies could have benefited with a change of pace, but The American was so slow that when you look back on it, not a great deal happened. The film was certainly beautiful, and Corbijn liked to show off his cast and their surroundings, but the plot was sloppy, the pace was exhausting, and there were a few moments when I honestly felt quite bored. To put it simply enough, it just felt empty. I wasn't expecting an action movie by any means, but The American didn't offer me enough thrills and spills to make me a fan.

A More Enjoyable Reality Rating: 5/10

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Setting The Scene

I'd like to think I'm a considerate person, so I only feel it's right to let you know what this blog is all about and where I'll be going with all of this. I decided to start this blog because of my passion for film and the joy I get from sitting down to watch a movie. Now I'm not a massive cinephile by any means, just your average guy who likes to pop to the cinema from time to time, often with my suffering girlfriend who would rather be watching something else. I will try to record my feelings and opinions in reviews of new films I see at the cinema, plus any movies on DVD/Blu-Ray that I had previously not seen. This blog may initially take a back-seat to my sports blog 'Escape To Forest City' but hopefully 'A More Enjoyable Reality' will bloom into something worth reading.

So, where do I begin? Well I watch films all the time on DVD at home, but I expect my first "proper" post will be when I next return from the cinema. I might be popping down to The Little Theatre Cinema in my native Bath on the 16th of November to catch a screening of Anton Corbijn's 'The American' starring George Clooney. If I manage to see that film, you can bet I will be straight on here afterwards to let you readers know exactly what I thought. Aren't I good to ya? I'm also very excited about seeing 'Tron: Legacy' but I will have to wait until next month to see it I expect. In the meantime I'll make do with the awesome trailer, and that's is also where I will leave you. Until next time...

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