The Wrestler (Darren Aronofsky, 2008)

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colinr0380
Joined: Mon Nov 08, 2004 4:30 pm
Location: Chapel-en-le-Frith, Derbyshire, UK

Re: The Wrestler (Darren Aronofsky, 2008)

#226 Post by colinr0380 » Tue May 25, 2021 12:31 pm

flyonthewall2983 wrote:
Sun Apr 12, 2015 11:02 am
AnamorphicWidescreen wrote:Prior to watching the film, I was always under the strong impression that all wrestling was 100% fake. However, this film was a real eye-opener since it was showing Randy intentionally cutting his forehead, the staple gun scene , the barbed wire, etc. Quite gruesome, especially since much of this was self-inflicted Obviously, this is based on things that really happen in this industry...
It is, though WWE lately has forbidden "blade jobs" (though some of them still happen) and will go as far as to stop the match if someone's bleeding. "Blading" is as old as wrestling itself, though barbed wire and staple guns are more relatively recent props of choice for hardcore matches. Mostly now in indie organizations that take after what ECW was though it comes off more like backyard wrestling. That kind of stuff is being phased out lately in favor of more athletic wrestling on that level, thanks to MMA and the popularity of Daniel Bryan who is a great technician.
Serendipitously I was thinking about this film again just last week, as I ran across this video on the history of the deathmatch wrestling scene (Warning: very NSFW with real injuries) It goes to show that the film potentially could have taken things much further. Smashing each over the head with fluorescent tubes cannot be good for one's long term health.

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therewillbeblus
Joined: Tue Dec 22, 2015 3:40 pm

Re: The Wrestler (Darren Aronofsky, 2008)

#227 Post by therewillbeblus » Tue May 25, 2021 12:38 pm

Gregory wrote:
Tue May 25, 2021 12:09 pm
Zack Snyder Reveals His Pitch for a Female Version of ‘The Wrestler,’ Starring Amy Adams
It’s a kind of female version of ‘The Wrestler,’ about a midwestern housewife who happens to have a pretty good body, and starts to do some bodybuilding competitions, and then falls down a rabbit hole of steroids and hormones,” Snyder said. “It becomes a contest between fitness and family, and she loses her family because she’s spending all her money on diet supplements and drugs and trainers, and all of that stuff.
Has he seen The Wrestler?
Maybe Adams can remedy her last awards-chasing perf as an addict by getting it right in the future. Probably not with Snyder's sensationalized auteurism at the helm though.

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aox
Joined: Fri Jun 20, 2008 12:02 pm
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Re: The Wrestler (Darren Aronofsky, 2008)

#228 Post by aox » Tue May 25, 2021 6:20 pm


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Big Ben
Joined: Mon Feb 08, 2016 12:54 pm
Location: Great Falls, Montana

Re: The Wrestler (Darren Aronofsky, 2008)

#229 Post by Big Ben » Tue May 25, 2021 6:44 pm

It's been a while since I've seen The Wrestler but I'm having a hard time seeing Aronofsky's toned down handheld aesthetic here matching Snyder's bombastic over the top everything. Admittedly though I'd love to see what Snyder could do if everything wasn't exploding all the time in something more stripped down if only because I'm morbidly curious.

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knives
Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2008 6:49 pm

Re: The Wrestler (Darren Aronofsky, 2008)

#230 Post by knives » Tue May 25, 2021 6:55 pm

I’m imagining something more like Pain and Gain which could work.

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therewillbeblus
Joined: Tue Dec 22, 2015 3:40 pm

Re: The Wrestler (Darren Aronofsky, 2008)

#231 Post by therewillbeblus » Tue May 25, 2021 7:09 pm

Big Ben wrote:
Tue May 25, 2021 6:44 pm
It's been a while since I've seen The Wrestler but I'm having a hard time seeing Aronofsky's toned down handheld aesthetic here matching Snyder's bombastic over the top everything. Admittedly though I'd love to see what Snyder could do if everything wasn't exploding all the time in something more stripped down if only because I'm morbidly curious.
He did this pretty well in his first film, the (in my opinion, vastly superior) Dawn of the Dead re-imagining. Snyder still utilized his stylized aesthetic but it was incredibly appropriate to match the jarring trauma of an unexpected zombie attack, and never overshadowed the terrific intimate moments with our trio of strong, multidimensional protagonists. He never really established himself as a director of actors, but that film was promising enough to make me a believer. Snyder has his cake and eats it too, and I'm hopeful he can do it again if he chases a smaller scale film (the Snyder cut's breathing room showed glimpses of these strengths as well)

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swo17
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Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 10:25 am
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Re: The Wrestler (Darren Aronofsky, 2008)

#232 Post by swo17 » Tue May 25, 2021 7:12 pm

Of course this was Aronofsky's only "toned down" film in the first place

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