Anyone else see "The Fighter?"

[ringer]

Bale and Leo were great - but I fail to see how it's the best sports movie of the decade (as anointed by SI)... or even better than "Million Dollar Baby."

Anyone else?

 

[JackReacher]

Saw it last night. Enjoyed it. It didn't blow me away, but it was still pretty damn good.

Everyone has been raving about Bale's performance -- and it was really good -- but Amy Adams stole the show, I think.

 

[ringer]

Saw it last night. Enjoyed it. It didn't blow me away, but it was still pretty damn good.

Everyone has been raving about Bale's performance -- and it was really good -- but Amy Adams stole the show, I think.

Fair enough.
Have you seen "127 Hours?" THAT is a crazy-good movie.

 

[JR]

There's a movie thread, guys. :)

Great blog in Esquire by The Jones on golfing with Ward and Arturo Gotti

http://www.esquire.com/blogs/chris-jones/micky-ward-arturo-gatti-121710

This paragraph made my day:

I was the last to hit. I'm not a good golfer, but for some reason, even with that gangster audience, I stroked a four-iron as well as I have ever hit one, long and straight down the middle. Overcome with relief, I made one of the great mistakes of my life. I looked at the army of legbreakers and world champions around me and, for reasons that I've never been able to explain, lifted my arms into the air and said: "Take that, *******."

 

[Smallpotatoes]

I covered many of Micky's fights in the latter half of his career (including two of the three fights with Arturo Gatti) and there were so many little mistakes in the movie I had a hard time enjoying it.
A lot of them had to do with the timeline of the story and when things happened. I don't want to give out any spoilers, so that's all I'll say for now.

 

[Della9250]

I was disappointed that the movie stopped before the Gatti fights, since that's what really made him legendary to a lot of people who aren't huge boxing people.

But it was a really good movie.

 

[Rumpleforeskin]

Round 9

 

[JackReacher]

I covered many of Micky's fights in the latter half of his career (including two of the three fights with Arturo Gatti) and there were so many little mistakes in the movie I had a hard time enjoying it.
A lot of them had to do with the timeline of the story and when things happened. I don't want to give out any spoilers, so that's all I'll say for now.

Ward said the movie was damn-near spot on. You're always going to have a few things that don't match up.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

Has Amy Adams ever been bad in a movie?

I would hesitate to call her underrated, but I'm surprised she's not considered A-list the way Reese Witherspoon and Julie Roberts are.

 

[Buck]

Has Amy Adams ever been bad in a movie?

I would hesitate to call her underrated, but I'm surprised she's not considered A-list the way Reese Witherspoon and Julie Roberts are.

I like Amy Adams, but she was in an awful rom-com called 'Leap Year' and she was in 'Cruel Intentions 2.'
Those are two bad movies that I know of.

 

[Dyno]

I covered many of Micky's fights in the latter half of his career (including two of the three fights with Arturo Gatti) and there were so many little mistakes in the movie I had a hard time enjoying it.
A lot of them had to do with the timeline of the story and when things happened. I don't want to give out any spoilers, so that's all I'll say for now.

Was the mother as awful in real life as she was portrayed in the movie?

 

[Mizzougrad96]

Has Amy Adams ever been bad in a movie?

I would hesitate to call her underrated, but I'm surprised she's not considered A-list the way Reese Witherspoon and Julie Roberts are.

I like Amy Adams, but she was in an awful rom-com called 'Leap Year' and she was in 'Cruel Intentions 2.'
Those are two bad movies that I know of.

Didn't see Leap Year and I'm guessing Cruel Intentions 2 was before she broke out in Junebug.

 

[JackReacher]

Wasn't Adams in Talladega Nights? As the shy-turned-not-so-shy chick who ended up with Ricky Bobby?

 

[CentralIllinoisan]

One of the most well-acted movies I've seen in a while. The film falls into a lot of the trappings of a "sports movie," but finds many other ways to transcend the genre with small, character-driven moments.

Amy Adams was tremendous, as was Christian Bale. Melissa Leo's performance was a little showy and nowhere near as refined as Bale or Adams.

Mark Wahlberg does some of his best work here, too; as a character with very few lines comparatively, he does a lot with facial expressions and body language. Not award worthy, but impressive. Wahlberg also fights the urge to overplay Micky, who in a house with an overbearing mother, a crack-using brother and seven other loud-mouthed sisters likely grew up a wallflower. We see that in the performance.

As for Bale, he is working his way toward the top of the list for greatest actor of this generation. He has had multiple roles worthy of Oscar consideration, but they were in too small a film or in films that never caught the right momentum to carry him to a nomination.

Bale work as Patrick Bateman in American Psycho is mesmerizing. And if anyone avoided the movie because of the graphic and sometimes gratuitous book, don't avoid it any longer. Director Mary Herron crafted a satire on 1980s excess that is at times very funny, very scary and always interesting. Most of the violence is shown off-camera and she paints a Bateman that is far more dorky and socially awkward than he is sociopath.

Bale deserved Oscar consideration for American Psycho, as well as The Machinist. His work in Rescue Dawn, Harsh Times, Velvet Goldmine, The Prestige and 3:10 to Yuma all were stellar. He was even darn good in the underrated Laurel Canyon.

Bale is guaranteed his first nomination with The Fighter; about that, I would bet large amounts of money. And at this point it seems like the buzz is positioning he and Geoffrey Rush (The King's Speech) as the favorites. Others in the running -- like Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo and John Hawkes -- all had great performances, but none of those actors feel like they've been slighted quite like Bale. And the Academy at times votes for actors based on bodies of work; and in Bale's case, his is pretty solid.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

I think the people who work on films Grips, directors' assistants can have Academy votes.

I wonder if he'll be blackballed for his "Good for you" rant from the Terminator: Salvation set.

 

[Smallpotatoes]

I covered many of Micky's fights in the latter half of his career (including two of the three fights with Arturo Gatti) and there were so many little mistakes in the movie I had a hard time enjoying it.
A lot of them had to do with the timeline of the story and when things happened. I don't want to give out any spoilers, so that's all I'll say for now.

Ward said the movie was damn-near spot on. You're always going to have a few things that don't match up.

It was more than a few things.

 

[CentralIllinoisan]

I think the people who work on films Grips, directors' assistants can have Academy votes.

I wonder if he'll be blackballed for his "Good for you" rant from the Terminator: Salvation set.

He's definitely getting nominated, which is a step in the right direction. Only the acting branch votes to set the five nominees. Once those are set, the entire Academy votes.

At that point, those biases may come into play. But at times the Academy likes to thumb its nose at expectation and show it is above holding grudges; that may help him.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

I remember reading in story in Premiere (one of many magazines that no longer exist that I miss) that the primary reason Tom Cruise didn't win for Born on the Fourth of July is because many people in the movie business thought he was a punk who had never really paid his dues, and just kind of walked into superstardom.

I think that's total garbage, but I think Bale will be effected by his reputation. Whether it costs him a nomination or the award remains to be seen.

I'm trying to think who his biggest competition might be this year. Jeremy Renner should be nominated for "The Town"

 

[JackReacher]

I covered many of Micky's fights in the latter half of his career (including two of the three fights with Arturo Gatti) and there were so many little mistakes in the movie I had a hard time enjoying it.
A lot of them had to do with the timeline of the story and when things happened. I don't want to give out any spoilers, so that's all I'll say for now.

Ward said the movie was damn-near spot on. You're always going to have a few things that don't match up.

It was more than a few things.

Which is fine. Just seems like you enjoyed it less than the actual real-life Ward based on the accuracy or inaccuracy of the movie. That seems weird to me.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

If you can find a sports movie (one released in theaters) that was based on a true story and is 100 percent accurate, let me know...