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Posted: **Sat Feb 09, 2008 12:48 am**

First pic.

Posted: **Sat Feb 09, 2008 12:56 am**

*wonders who can name the guy he's standing with there*

Posted: **Sat Feb 09, 2008 12:59 am**

flyonthewall2983 wrote:*wonders who can name the guy he's standing with there*

Afa! Now that's a nostalgia kick.

Posted: **Sat Feb 09, 2008 2:35 am**

Pro wrestling is filled with enough backstage drama that is made for film adaptation. This story doesn't sound like it has any of it, but appealing anyway.

Posted: **Wed Feb 13, 2008 11:39 pm**

Marisa Tomei has joined the cast.

Posted: **Thu Feb 14, 2008 4:02 am**

Here's hoping it's the Fat City of wrestling films, which is really the only way to make a proper wrestling film.

Posted: **Sun Jun 22, 2008 12:04 am**

RagingNoodles wrote:I'm somewhat puzzled as to why Darren would do such a film, is he or was he a fan of the product? Nevertheless, I am very curious as to see what is the finished product.

Saw this over at SlashFilm:

The Wrestler treats professional wresting with a respect and realism unseen previously in fictional films… Wrestlers talk through their match in the makeshift backstage (aka The cafeteria) and common in the ring practices like Blading (using a razor blade to open a gash on forehead) are seamlessly worked into the script.

If you search the internet, you will find compilations of slang words which are used behind the scenes in the wrestling lifestyle (from “mark” to “ringrat” to “pop” to “heel”). I once heard that the lingo was something that wrestling adopted from its carney days. Siegel has done his research. These terms are integrated into the dialogue without sounded inserted (something I find all the time on tv - Chuck for example has a lot of geek references, but they are inserted into the dialogue, and the show sometimes feels like actors reading a script, because no real geek would ask his friend “Do you want to go play Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare?” Siegel gets all the details right. At one point Randy collects a $5 bill from a fan at an autograph show and puts it into his FANNYPACK! Any real wrestling fan knows that wrestlers and old people vacationing at Disneyland are the only people who wear fannypacks.
At the very least, it sounds like it'll be different to all the pro wrestling films we've seen and the small details like fannypacks and blading is a positive note.

This sounds very promising now. I thought at first it would be treated with some sentimentality mixed with a Rocky scenario. Now that doesn't seem to be the case.

Surely, a crew's worst nightmare.

Also, isn't Darren aware there's another movie with the same title?

Posted: **Sun Jun 22, 2008 9:03 am**

Production Clips

Second Clip

Third Clip

Posted: **Mon Aug 25, 2008 1:37 am**

Fourth and fifth clips from the shoot.

Posted: **Mon Sep 01, 2008 2:29 am**

The film will be closing the Venice Film Festival, mostly because final mixing isn't finished as they await a new song from Bruce Springsteen that will be played over the end credits.

Posted: **Thu Sep 04, 2008 5:24 pm**

More on Bruuuuuuce's contribution.

Posted: **Thu Sep 04, 2008 5:28 pm**

The Playlist reports that The Wrestler also features music from AC/DC, Def Leppard, Mötley Crüe, Cinderella, Great White...

Wow.

Posted: **Thu Sep 04, 2008 5:30 pm**

For those who were worried this would be his prestige picture

Posted: **Thu Sep 04, 2008 5:37 pm**

Antoine Doinel wrote:
The Playlist reports that The Wrestler also features music from AC/DC, Def Leppard, Mötley Crüe, Cinderella, Great White...
Wow.

Probably just source music. Any song from <place critic's darling here> wouldn't go over too well as a wrestler's entrance theme.

Posted: **Thu Sep 04, 2008 5:45 pm**

Tom Hagen wrote:More on Bruuuuuuce's contribution.

linked article wrote:"wonderful acoustic piece"

Christ -- I hope it's better than that godawful (but Oscar-winning!) "Streets of Philadelphia."

Posted: **Thu Sep 04, 2008 5:48 pm**

tavernier wrote:Christ -- I hope it's better than that godawful (but Oscar-winning!) "Streets of Philadelphia."

I kinda like that song

Posted: **Thu Sep 04, 2008 7:28 pm**

So you're the one! (Maybe Patti likes it too.)

Posted: **Thu Sep 04, 2008 7:33 pm**

I've got Antoine's back on this one. Makes two of us.

Posted: **Thu Sep 04, 2008 10:17 pm**

So you guys like tuneless, mumbled songs. That's fine.

Posted: **Thu Sep 04, 2008 10:27 pm**

Neil Young's song was 10 times better and more emotionally effective. Enough so that Bruce and Tom Hanks both thanked him for his contribution when they won their respective Oscars.

Posted: **Thu Sep 04, 2008 11:02 pm**

I like Bruce's song AND Neil's song. So there. Can't we all get along?

Posted: **Thu Sep 04, 2008 11:06 pm**

Doesn't matter, "The Day I Fall in Love" was robbed

Posted: **Fri Sep 05, 2008 2:48 am**

Antoine Doinel wrote:I kinda like that song

I think I like Bettye Lavette's version every bit as much, if not moreso.

Posted: **Fri Sep 05, 2008 1:33 pm**

Todd McCarthy gives the film a rave.

Posted: **Fri Sep 05, 2008 11:01 pm**

more rave reviews

Ain't It Cool

The Hollywood Reporter

Times Online

Yahoo News

Also,

"Wrestler" Brings Venice Fest to Feet

criterionforum.org

The Wrestler (Darren Aronofsky, 2008)

The Wrestler (Darren Aronofsky, 2008)