It was a spirited discussion as the PopCultureShock Crew goes in on James Cameron’s most ambitious project to date. Is AVATAR a cinematic achievement, or is this 12 year, 237 million dollar effort, the death of 3D film making before it ever truly begins?

Threading issues of race, ecology, and spiritualism with good old fashioned sci-fi fun, James Cameron has created, if nothing else, the most TALKED about movie of the yuletide. Have YOU seen AVATAR yet?

Click any title to jump into our full debate on that topic!

Ernie: “I’m not even going to get into the debate about race, because to me the issues at hand aren’t about race at all, they’re much bigger than that, and if you’re trying to focus on one specific group rather than what everyone has done as a whole, then you miss the point of the film.”
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Quick Links:

1. Was the movie worth the 12 year wait? How does this rank on the Cameron scale?
2. Was the movie was an unqualified success?
3. Did the movie really usher in the start of the 3D era?
4. The movie’s nothing if not controversial. Half of the people complain about James Cameron’s ‘tree-hugging’ liberal slant while the other half of movie goers are sick of the ‘white guy saves the natives’ tone. Do you guys feel that it’s all overblown?
5. Haven’t we seen this movie already this year? Wasn’t it called District 9?
6. There’s Oscar buzz, but is the oscar talk from the performances, the CG, or an acknowledgment of the astronomical 237 million dollar budget?

As always, welcome your feedback — post your thoughts on the ongoing debate by leaving a comment below!

But fans would ultimately be disappointed when it was announced that Singer wouldn’t be returning for a third film, opting to take the reigns on the long-delayed Superman reboot. And while X-Men: The Last Stand would prove even more successful at the box office than its predecessors, many considered it a step back creatively. For all the build-up towards the introduction of The Phoenix, the character ended up taking a back seat to Magneto and a handful of nameless mutant henchmen. The death of characters like Cyclops and Professor Xavier didn’t sit well with fans either. The X-Men Franchise would take another blow with the lackluster Wolverine spin-off. And Singer’s Superman Returns only aggravated the fanboy blues, turning out to be both critically and financially disappointing, and leaving Singer’s involvement in that franchise–in fact, the whole Superman franchise–in doubt.

Which brings us to the recent announcement of Bryan Singer directing the upcoming X-Men: First Class. Is this a reason for X fans to rejoice, or, with so many post-Singer comic movie franchises taking off and garnering massive critical and box office success, is it call for a resounding meh? Can Singer get the X franchise–and his own comic con credibility–back on track, or have we already witnessed the fall of the mutants?

» 1. Can Singer recapture the magic of the first two films?

ON EXTRACT’S STORY AND CHARACTERS

While so many other comedies tend to shoot for these big company stories, you tend to reside in settings with small town folks as the main characters (King of the Hill, Office Space and now Extract) what draws you to these small town stories?

Mike Judge: I would say my stuff resides in suburbs of big towns also, or small towns that are near big towns. I guess that’s because I’ve mostly lived in places like that — Albuquerque NM, Richardson TX, etc. I think that a lot of writers in film and TV in the past have tended to come from NY or big east-coast cities, and there have also been great stuff written about really small hick towns, and so I feel like I can maybe bring a different perspective on things with a suburban setting.

Did you always have Jason Bateman in mind for the lead role?

MJ: I started writing this a long time ago – I think it was shortly after Office Space came out. I originally wasn’t thinking of any actor in particular, just writing it. Jason had done King of the Hill and I always liked him, but when I saw him in Arrested Development, I thought he would be perfect for this, and when I rewrote it and finished it, I was imagining him as the lead. It’s a similar character to what he did in AD, but I think Joel is a little less slick or something. Jason was the first actor I gave the script to and he said he liked it and wanted to do it, so it was him from the get go.

Even with all of the pressures Joel faces at home and at work what is it that makes him a successful boss?

MJ: I think what ultimately makes Joel a successful boss is that he genuinely likes making extract. For me, I enjoy directing movies, making animated TV shows, and in order to do that, you sometimes have to tell people to do things they don’t want to do, or make choices that people don’t agree with. And I really don’t enjoy telling people to do things they don’t want to do, but it goes with the territory. I think there are some bosses out there – and these would be bad bosses in my opinion – that are in it because they actually get off on telling people to do things they don’t want to do; they get some kind of weird pleasure out of making people do things for the sake of making them do things. They get off on the power of it all or something. I think Joel really likes making extract and seeing it get out there in stores and restaurants, and that informs all the decisions he makes, so it’s always coming from the right place. I think that’s how to be a good boss.

From the special features Jason and Ben talk about their long dialogue. How much did you let them improv or is it all from the page?

MJ: I like to let the actors feel like they can be loose with the script up to a point because I want them to feel comfortable and when they really get the character and what’s happening in the scene, then the improv wouldn’t drift too far anyway. I’m not really precious about my writing, but I usually find that in the editing room we end up pretty close to what was on the page. I think if you write good dialogue, it sounds like people spontaneously talking, so audiences think it’s improvised, which is a good thing I think. I would say in this movie, the most improv that would up in the movie came from Ben Affleck. He threw some stuff in there that I just loved and it wasn’t in the script.

Did Ben Afleck find it liberating to play a quirky supporting player for a change? He was great in the film–

MJ: You would have to ask him if he found it liberating, but it sure seemed like he did. I think he had a lot of fun doing it, and it was a blast for me to work with him on it. I really liked what he did. I had never met him before this and when I heard he wanted to do it, I was surprised at first – pleasantly so – and then when I met with him, he started telling me about a guy he knew growing up in Boston and he started imitating him and I just thought it was great. We did a read through of the script early on and I just loved watching him and Jason do these scenes and play off each other.

Was there instant chemistry when the actors began working together or did it take some time for them to gel?

MJ: For the most part it was instant. And most of them had already worked together or knew each other, so it all gelled nicely.

Was it your idea to cast rocker Gene Simmons as bench lawyer Joe Adler?

MJ: Yeah, I had originally described the character as looking like Gene Simmons with a pony tail and a suit and tie. I was kind of naive though, in that I thought no one would recognize him without the Kiss makeup on. I didn’t realize how huge the reality show was. The only time I had ever seen him without the makeup was on Politically Incorrect about 9 years ago and thought he would be great playing an agent or high-powered attorney.

One of the enjoyable performances was from Clifton Collins Jr. as Step. He’s been incredibly diverse this year, can you talk a little about him as an actor and what he brought to the film?

MJ: I love Clifton and have wanted to work with him for a while. I just never had a part that was right for him. I actually hadn’t thought of him for this part either. He usually plays a chicano gangster or a serial killer, so I hadn’t thought of him, but then he walked into the room with a trucker hat on, and suddenly he went from looking like a chicano gangster to Festus from Gunsmoke. I love him as a redneck. He also makes a great Romulan. He’s a true chameleon. And now he’s a big award-winning country music video director also, with Zack Brown Band.

Watching the special features on “Extract”, Mila Kunis mentioned that she may have been based on an actual person you know but curious, were the characters based off people you actually knew. And if so, how would you personally deal with a person so intrusive like Nathan?

MJ: No one is based specifically on one person, but I think most writers base characters on people they have known. The character of Nathan wasn’t any one specific person, but I did have a neighbor – a woman – who was a nightmare. It was in a gated community, so there was only one way out, and she would flag you down and just park herself in your window and just start talking. She would basically make it so you had a choice of either listening to her forever, or being rude and interrupting her, or even worse, pulling away while her arms were rested on your window.

There’s a dignity to the characters – and the work itself – in your film. Talk about establishing that element while at the same time finding the humor in the colorful characters.

MJ: That’s pretty important to me because I’ve worked these kinds of jobs, and I remember feeling like Hollywood was sometimes out of touch with us, and always appreciating it when it felt like a movie or TV show got something right – like there was someone out there in Hollywood who understood what most of us go through. I also used to feel like a lot of characters in movies and TV seemed to have endless cash and free time and you either didn’t know much about their job or they didn’t seem to have to have one. Finding the humor while still having some dignity to the characters is something that is also important to me. I don’t think about it that much; I’d like to think it comes naturally. To me it’s just like when I would sit around with my friends telling stories about people I work with and doing imitations of them and that sort of thing.

ON WRITING AND DIRECTING

In your previous films you’ve had a hand in directing, writing and producing. Which is your so-called labor of love out of the three?

MJ: I mostly like the writing and the editing, and I like when it’s over.

Animation or live action – which do you prefer, and why?

MJ: I think they’re more similar than you might think from the the point of a writer/director. I liked animation when I was just doing short films myself – doing everything myself. That was really satisfying work – making a film one frame at a time, getting it back from the lab and watching it for the first time. That was about as good as it gets I think.
Would you ever do a live action TV series or a another feature-length animated film?
Mike Judge: I would definitely like to do a live action TV series. I don’t know that I would do another feature-length animated film any time soon. Unless maybe it was a CG project.

How different in approach is your storytelling when it comes to animation and live action? Do you bank ideas that were too cinematic when you were working on HILL and GOODE FAMILY and save them for your feature work?

MJ: Actually they are pretty similar approaches. And you can actually get pretty cinematic in TV animation I think, as the Simpsons has done. I think I never got too cinematic with King of the Hill just because of the nature of the show and the characters, not really because it was animated.

Has the gradual embracing of your first two live-action movies made it easier to be patient for a film like “Extract” to find its audience and a fan following?

MJ: Yes. Also keeping the budget low on this has helped.

Did you shoot the film digitally? If so, how did you like/dislike the process of working in digital?

MJ: I shot it on all on film. In fact, we didn’t even do what’s called a “D.I.” which is how most films are finished nowadays. So if you saw it in the theater, you saw a print that was struck right off a negative. I actually like what happens to the look of film when you put it through that process.

What were the challenges of filming in a fully functional working factory?

MJ: Because we were on a tight budget, we had to shoot a lot of stuff while they were still working – they were really bottling. A lot of the background that you see in the movie is actually real people working – not extras. It was loud enough in there that they couldn’t hear us yelling “action” and “cut” and they just kind of got used to us being there, so I got some pretty natural acting in the background because they weren’t acting like they were working; they were really working.

I noticed in Extract that you were mostly able to stay away from pop culture references (outside of Dancing with the Stars), how difficult is it to write a story that doesn’t entail some of that dated material?

MJ: Well, when I first wrote the script, that reference was Will and Grace. That shows you how long ago I wrote it. I’m not big on pop culture references in general – probably because I’m pretty out of it lately, and I’m not great at doing that kind of comedy anyway. I also wrote it back when only a small percentage of the population had cell phones. That’s why there’s all this stuff in there with landlines, pay phones, busy signals, call waiting, etc. I was a little worried about that, but no one seems to have been bothered by it.

Have you enjoyed the resurgence of rated R comedies and has that opened up any other doors for you given that your material has a bit of an edge to it, or has it inspired you to go even edgier than what you’ve done previously?

MJ: I think there have been some great R comedies in the past couple years – The Hangover, Superbad, etc., but for me it’s not ever about edgy or not edgy. Something is either funny or interesting or it’s not, and sometimes something funny falls into the R rated territory, but not always. Some people are surprised to hear that Office Space is R rated, because it doesn’t seem that edgy I guess. I think anytime anyone has ever tried to be deliberately edgy, or to “push the envelope,” it’s usually sucked and lost money. I think there are a lot of movies that are hard-R rated that are really good and made money, but it’s because they are good, inspired movies.

Where does your fascination with groin jokes come from?

MJ: I do find it fascinating that a guy getting hit in the nuts always gets a laugh in movies – even from me – and I’m also not above using that for a cheap laugh myself. At some point, an evolutionary biologist should try to figure out why we laugh at that. I think if they figure out why a sense of humor and laughing even evolved in the first place – how that could possibly have contributed to survival of the species – then one of the first things they should figure out is why getting hit in the nuts always gets a laugh in movies and cartoons. I could go on about this for hours, but I won’t. I actually talked about this with Pulitzer Prize winning author Jared Diamond.

Would you ever consider doing a sequel to “Office Space”?

MJ: I kind of feel like this movie is sort of a follow up to Office Space. I based Office Space on my own experiences working in the cubicle world, and I based a lot of this on my experience being a boss and running what was basically an animation factory on Beavis and Butt-Head. I think when you go from complaining about the man keeping you down, to becoming the man, you realize that being the man is no picnic either. At one point a while back I considered doing a sequel to Office Space, but I wouldn’t do one now. Since that movie came out there have been two great TV shows – the British Office and the American one – and dozens of commercials set in cubicles, so I kind of feel like I wouldn’t want to go back to it at this point.

Thanks goes to Mike Judge, Miramax and Click Communications. Here is a full PCS review of the Extract Blu-Ray.

Buying a last minute gift for a movie or TV fan, or maybe you’re trying to come up with a list for someone trying to get you a next-to-impossible-to-find gift? Or perhaps you’ve got some holiday gift cards to use, maybe a Christmas bonus? Wanna cash in on some After-Christmas sales? Keep this 2009 PCS Gift Guide: Movies and TV list handy for all your last minute pre-holiday needs and post-holiday wish fulfillment!

#10 Watchmen The Ultimate Cut and Director’s Cut Blu-Rays
SRP: $60 (Ultimate Cut) $36 (Director’s Cut) Find it online from $40-$50 (Ultimate Cut) and $17-$20 (Director’s Cut)

As a website that’s deeply rooted in comic book coverage, I couldn’t help but place Watchmen and both of its blu-ray editions. What? Both? Yes, and this is why. The entire 186-minute Ultimate Cut is everything you could possibly ask for. See the spliced animated feature length Black Freighter film mixed in with the director’s cut for a marathon movie experience. Packaged with the Ultimate Cut is the Watchmen Motion Comic, in case you want to see and hear the original comic. There enough featurettes and discussions as to where Watchmen belongs in our current culture. It’s everything you could dream up of short of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons epic reading the damn thing to you. Yeah, just try to make that happen. All of the extras from the Director’s Cut has been ported over to the Ultimate Cut EXCEPT for ONE THING: Maximum Movie Mode.

Maximum Movie Mode is on the Director’s Cut blu-ray, and is, (excuse this pun) the Watchmen of all picture-in-picture commentaries, featuring Zack Snyder beside two large screens; one for watching the film and the to pull up behind the scenes extras to which he pushes through all of it to bring up specific points in creating the film. He’ll explain something while it’s going on and then pause the movie to discuss something else. Snyder talks about Watchmen ad nauseam–until you don’t want to hear the name Rorschach ever again. While Snyder is doing his thing, trivia, side-by-side comparisons to the comics, and others run simultaneously. Now, in comparison, the Ultimate Cut’s has two newer commentaries, a new one by Snyder and one by artist Dave Gibbons, co-creator of Watchmen, over the entire, Ultimate Cut experience. So my final recommendation is to get the Ultimate cut, and find a used or discounted copy of the Director’s cut just to see Maximum Movie Mode.

#9 Marvel Animation Lion’s Gate 6 Film Set
SRP: $49.98 Find it on Amazon or other online outlets for approx. $35-$40

None of these are perfect animated Marvel films for the comic book fan who analyzes each comic-related item with a magnifying glass, but they’re entertaining enough for the average fanboy and especially for any geek-in-the-making. Start them off with next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow and then they can graduate to more of the classic Marvel stories with a modern take Doctor Strange and The Invincible Iron Man movie, which features the Mandarin. Ultimate Avengers and Ultimate Avengers 2 are two cracks at trying to capture that magic Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch imagined with their Ultimates comic, which was a modern take on the Avengers and is a partial road map for what the Marvel films are building towards. But everything culminates to the animation and action in the Hulk Vs. DVD which features two animated films, recreating the classic Hulk Vs. Wolverine battle, and another fight between hulk and Thor.

The extras are on the underwhelming side, but all of the movies are technically sound. The voice acting on these six films are as good as anything I’ve seen from an animated Marvel feature and know that the stories progressively get better and better if they are viewed in the order of release starting with Ulimate Avengers (2005) and ending with Hulk Vs (2008). Again, these are great introductions for that young Marvel Zombie who wants something with a little more teeth than Super Hero Squad, and is looking for a good connection from the animated product to the comic material they’re based on.

#8 Disney Blu-Ray + DVD + Digital Copy Disc Combos
Bolt, Pinocchio, A Bug’s Life, G-Force, Monsters Inc., Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, and Up
SRP: $36-45 each. Find it on Amazon or other online outlets for approx. $15-$25

Whether you loved them as a kid or plan to watch them with your own kids, these films strive to appeal the masses without really aiming to do so and often to achieve it. There is unfortunately no box set containing all of these Disney releases, but the reason that I list them down as the perfect gifts is that they include every way possible to watch these films. Whether you’re into downloading, have to go on a long road trip, or are going up on a plane, sometimes a little bit of entertainment goes a long way. Each combo package has enough extras to last for however long you need it to. Many of them have Academy Award-winning short films, interactive games, sing-alongs, music videos, archival footage, and Disney’s great multi-media experience Cine-Explore Experience Commentaries. They all have some of the very best transfers and sounding audio of the year, and whether you’re outfitted for blu-ray now or plan to in the future, you have what you need to prevent you from buying that film in another format ever again, at no extra cost. If you hunt around you can even find coupons specifically for these films, which will help you save even more money. Disney has shown a full support of the format and was one of the first studios to offer all the formats on one package, at one low price.

#7 Battle Star Galactica: The Complete Series (2004-2009) on Blu-Ray
SRP: $350 Find it on Amazon or other online retailers for approx. $200-$225

How do you sum up five years of probably one of the best, if not THE best television series that’s been made in the last ten years? Simple. Buy this box set. Blindly. That’s my best possible recommendation for this box set. There are 20 blu-rays that make up this box set that treat this series with the class it deserves: high definition transfers, movie theater-like sound, and extras out the wazoo. There are 22 commentaries, and 57 podcast commentaries, six extended episodes, video blogs, Univeral’s blu-ray exclusive U-Control, behind-the-scenes until you’re Cylon in the face. The giant box opens “up” to reveal smaller boxes and encased at the top is a cool Cylon Centurion action figure to dance about on your cubicle or home office. Where you’re going to put this thing, I don’t know but if you’re hardcore enough to spend two large bills on this box set, then I’m sure you already know where you’re going to display it. If you’re persistent, this box set could give you a year’s worth of daily entertainment if you can stay sitting for that long. Throw a treadmill walk in there or some Yoga ball workout, because by the time you get through everything your brain may go Galactica.

#6 The Bourne Trilogy Blu-Ray
SRP: $120 Fint it on Amazon or other online retailers for approx. $75-$85

Not to be forgotten in the great gift sets of 2009 is Universal’s blu-ray treatment of the Bourne Trilogy released at the beginning of the year. For those who have either gotten a new blu-ray player or home theater this is an incredible box set to begin any collection. The three superbly satisfying films showcase room-rattling acoustics, high-grade video transfers where the fast-paced action will test the abilities of your display, and hours of extras to keep you immersed in the world of Jason Bourne. Now in a few weeks, you may want to wait for Universal’s flipper technology to hit the streets so that you can have the DVDs as well, then by all means do so, but this box set may see a dip in price by retailers who want to stock the flipper discs. I actually prefer this set with the magnetic “Bourne” clasp and sleek faux “steel” stylings of the slipcase, though I’m sure I’ll gripe when the fourth Bourne film comes out in 2011 and it will sit by itself next to the box set.

# 5 Hogan’s Heroes: The Komplete Series DVD Kommandant Kollection
SRP: $180 Find it on Amazon or other online retailers for approx. $125-$150

Before Lt. Aldo Raine and the Inglourious Basterds were making buffoons out of Nazis, Col. Robert E. Hogan and his Heroes were doing it on a weekly basis on network television. Six seasons of Hogan’s Heroes are spread through 27, well-produced DVDs, mostly in color with some episodes of Season 1 in black and white. In a time when reality television rules the world, it’s good to remember what classic television was capable of doing in providing laughs-at zee German’s expense. There was a lot of cool stuff for fans of spy work and military, and most importantly well-written stories. It was a pretty bold move for television at that time to try and make satire out of World War II and the “camp” life. It featured a cool cast of actors in the sixties that included Richard Dawson who’s still sharp as ever, the late and great Ivan Dixon, and former actual concentration camp survivor, Robert Clary to name a few. Thankfully I had older siblings to make sure I knew about Heroes as a kid and now I’m reminding you of how truly great this series was.

As far as extras go, a majority of them are spread in Season 2 and Season 6. Unfortunately there are only two commentary tracks in the entire box set, but there’s tons of promo material, gag reels, a Patricia and Bob Crane Wedding Film, three new Richard Dawson interviews (The Early Days, The Cast, and Fond Memories), The Extended Pilot with Gilligan’s Island Introduction and perhaps my favorite extra out of the entire set was seeing episode 1.27 “The Safecracker Suite” as an alternate version that the German TV board got a hold of and recorded a new German audio track so that they didn’t look like fools on the show. Don’t worry it’s got English subtitles. Each season has its own folder of discs and everything is housed in a well-designed slipcase with acetate sleeve. Hogaaaaaaan!

# 4 Lost Season 5 Dharma Initiative Edition Blu-Ray
SRP: $120 Bargain Shoppers: Find it on Amazon or Target for appox. $75-80

There is a handful of television shows that really exemplify the beauty of high definition, and Lost belongs in that elite club. If you haven’t been catching the show on blu-ray, then do so because it’s the best these shows have ever looked and they’ve never sounded any better. Like in seasons prior, Season 5 has a ton of supplemental material and easter eggs, but after the lightweights make it through the episode discs and extras and go to bed, the “Lost-ies” can enroll in the blu-ray exclusive, Lost University which is like a full blown school of Lost-related classes and workshops, complete with lectures, homeworks assignments, exams, and higher learning like survival tactics, learning foreign languages, and the philosophical and scientific explanations of what is going on in the show. In other words, there are days worth of extras (because it actually makes you wait for days in between classes) on BD-Live/Online to keep you immersed in what the Dharma Initiative has in store for you.

And if you want to take it a step further, track down the Dharma Intiative version of Season 5 on blu-ray. The discs themselves are the same, but housed in “floppy” discs holders, and included are four Dharma Initiative patches for you to sew onto your jump suit (not included); a fifth chase patch is randomly packaged. In addition to trifold brochures is a retro orientation folder with a VHS instructional videocassette. Housing all of this is a distressed and aged, cardboard box with a “moldy facade.” It’s hard to deny the fervor that Lost fans have shown in recent years and these blu-rays are the best possible way to own and watch the series.

# 3 The Mel Brooks Blu-Ray Collection
SRP: $140 Find it on Amazon or other online outlets for approx. $95

It’s hard to find a funnier box set than the Mel Brooks collection. Yes it’s politically incorrect, yes, they’re off-the-wall, but Brooks is one of our finest comedic iconoclasts. In addition to the movies is a 120-pg hardcover booklet that’s as wide as the box and full of anecdotes for each film with production notes, Brooks’ diary logs and funny stories. This makes the PCS Gift list because Brooks’ films have stood the test of time and people still talk about them today, and they continue to be as funny today as they were when they were first made.

The set Includes high definition blu-rays of The Twelve Chairs (1970) Blazing Saddles (1974) Young Frankenstein (1974) Silent Movie (1976), High Anxiety (1977), History of the World Part I (1981) To Be or Not to Be (1983) Spaceballs (1987) and Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993). The transfers on all of the films are of high quality, especially Young Frankenstein with Twelve Chairs looking the worst of them all specifically because of the grainy appearance but it is also the oldest of the set. Extras vary from disc to disc but Brooks is often found providing solo commentary tracks and on several discs are isolated score tracks. Definitely one of the best gift sets, just released this week.

# 2 Futurama DVD Series Set in Bender Head
SRP: $200 Find it on Amazon or Costco for appox. $145-160

If you found it tough to keep track of Futurama as it moved from different time slots to another network and then the four straight-to-DVD animated features, then DVR no more. Originally conceived as a limited edition 2009 Comic-Con Exclusive, (but is now available at your local Costco) are all 72 episodes and the four widescreen animated features: Bender’s Big Score, The Beast with a Billion Backs, Bender’s Game, and Into the Wild Green Yonder spread throughout 19 discs, and housed in a giant plastic Bender Head. The box that holds the set has printing on all six sides of the cube so it looks like a well-preserved Futurama head floating in liquid. The first thing I thought when I opened this thing is, “This thing is bitchin!” Afterwards, it was, “Where am I going to put this?” Keep the box and put it safely on a bookshelf in your office so you can sneak an episode here and there proudly display your love of Slurm!

Now, while Fox is planning to recast the voices for new season in 2010 (blasphemous!), you can re-watch, or finish wherever you left off with the classic Futurama cast. It’s probably the most underrated animated comedy in the last ten years, and dare I say smarter and better constructed as a whole, than the Simpsons. There is an audio commentary for EVERY SINGLE episode, storyboards, animatics, cool how-to-draw galleries and featurettes to keep you busy until our world actually resembles the cynical and bizarre world of Futurama.

#1 AK 100: Criterion Collection 25 Films by Akira Kurosawa
SRP: $400 Find it on Amazon or other online outlets. $285-$325

And the grand daddy of them all, the gift that would make movie-lovers swoon. AK 100 celebrates 100 years of Kurosawa’s life. This linen-bound collector’s set comes with an illustrated book with an introduction and notes on each film by Stephen Prince (The Warrior’s Camera: The Cinema of Akira Kurosawa) and a remembrance by Donald Richie (The Films of Akira Kurosawa). For those that don’t know, these two men have contributed to several audio commentaries and supplemental material that have come with all of Criterion’s wonderful DVD presentations. For those who know film or are filmmakers, there is possibly no more influential a filmmaker as Kurosawa and if you haven’t made the effort to start a library of his work, then there’s no better place to start than here.

Includes: Sanshiro Sugata (1943), The Most Beautiful (1944), Sanshiro Sugata Part Two (1945), The Men Who Tread on the Tiger’s Tail (1945), No Regrets for Our Youth (1946), One Wonderful Sunday (1947), Drunken Angel (1948), Stray Dog (1949) Scandal (1950), Rashomon (1950) The Idiot (1951) Ikiru (1952), Seven Samurai (1954), I Live in Fear (1955), Throne of Blood (1957), The Lower Depths (1957), The Hidden Fortress (1958), The Bad Sleep Well (1960), Yojimbo (1961) Sanjuro (1962), High and Low (1963), Red Beard (1965), Dodes’Ka-Den (1970), Kagemusha (1980), and Madadayo (1993).

Thanks to Destro over at Hisstank.com

In preparation for the opening of the G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra movie later this summer, Hasbro is making the patriotic move of releasing its new wave of movie-themed G.I. Joe merchandise this 4th of July weekend. Officially it’s supposed to be the 6th of July, but reports have the toys trickling onto shelves in the next couple of days. It’s an all-out Joe blitz with figures and toys in the 12″ and 3 3/4″ varieties, vehicles, Halloween costumes, etc. So if you’re an adult or kid G.I. Joe fan, prepare to assault the aisles for your initial haul this weekend!

I haven’t seen the film, and I really don’t wanna have to pay good money just to see these minor characters, so can anyone who has seen the movie comment on this?

hours ago

BANGKOK (AP) ? U.S. actor David Carradine, best known for his roles in the 1970s TV series ‘Kung Fu’ and the Kill Bill movies, has been found dead in the Thai capital Bangkok.

Carradine was reportedly in Thailand working on a film when he didn’t show up for a crew meal. He was found sometime later in his hotel room hanged, his death apparently a suicide.

Carradine was best known as the star of the 70’s TV series “Kung Fu” where he played Caine, (a role supposedly created for Bruce Lee) a Chinese martial-arts master wandering The Wild West. He did many films after that, (including “Death Race 2000″ but he is most recently remembered for his role in Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill” (2003) and “Kill Bill II” (2004) in which he the title role. He was also a devotee of the Chinese martial arts and Eastern philosophy.

Despite what your feelings are on his career, Carradine was an icon in the American martial arts/ action genre and will be missed by many.

Sources: Associated Press, ABC News

For all of you salivating for Live action Ninja stuff, Japan’s Yoichi Sai’s cooked up a heaping helping! Kamui Gaiden is a live action film adaptation of Sanpei Shirato’s Legend of Kamui manga series from the 60’s. Ken’ichi Matsuyama (Death Note) plays the lead role of the rogue ninja being hunted by his own clan.
It also stars Koyuki from Tom Cruise’s The Last Samurai. That aside, this looks to be the honest to goodness real thing, for those whose tastes extend past Isaac Florentine’s upcoming Ninja and G.I. Joe. Anime heads will remember this story from the classic film Dagger of Kamui. You can also check out pics and such (if you read Japanese) here.

It opens September 19th in Japan.

Check out the trailer and pics!

Astro City: The Dark Age Book Three

Justice League of America: Injustice League TP. Written by McDuffie.

Ocean TP. This sci-fi story gets re-relased in anticipation of the movie in the works.

Spawn #192

Black Panther #5. Written and pencilled by Hudlin & Lashley.

Timestorm 2009-2099 #2 (of 4). Pencilled by Battle.

Pirates vs. Ninjas: It Takes a Pillage Pocket Manga TP. Written by Perry.

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Also notable:

Batman & Robin #1. The new series by Grant Morrison & Frank Quitely.

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On the set of the Hughes Brothers’ Book of Eli.

Marvel editor CB Cebulski has pictures of a mural that was part of a big Obama tribute at the Barcelona Comic Con in Spain this past weekend. Artist Todd Nauck, who drew the Spider-Man/Obama story in ASM #583, has a report from the show that includes pictures of the Obama display.

The forthcoming Denzel Washington film directed by the Hughes Brothers.

Common plays Barnes a resistance soldier and John’s right-hand man. He’s a spiritual man who sees Judgement Day as outlined in the Bible, John is a messiah and Skynet is the anti-christ. Moon Bloodgood plays Blair Williams, Connor’s pilot and is the rough and tough female character so prevalent in the Terminator films.

Working with director, McG

Bloodgood: I’m a type A personality so I love his energy, he’s really bright. He’s a hard-working, passionate and he challenges me.

Common: I see how directors treat their crew to see whether he’s a good leader. Like Moon said, “You respect and love passion,” and that man has passion. McG is a good leader and a great communicator.

The pacing of Salvation as a war film instead of the prior installments being science fiction films

Bloodgood: I feel like they cut the fat. I’m a big fan of European movies and what they do, and you’re right, if it’s a war movie you have to be careful that you don’t do that too much.

Common: They cut a scene of mine that was too fat [Laughs] But that’s good. I was just going on and on. In this film you feel an urgency even when the characters are stopping and talking, like “We’ve got to get this shit done.” When the machines are coming to attack people, there’s that urgency and I think that’s the rhythm that’s there. You still feel a certain humanity in the layers. You don’t just see action, you get a gist of the human struggle.

On the Resistance and The Military of the Future

Bloodgood: There is a command structure and there’s different points to the resistance. For instance when I came in they told me there was a radio that helps us all communicate with each other because we don’t want Skynet to know what we’re doing but we need to know what they’re up to. Their technology is obviously more advanced than ours so there are different points where communication is cut.

And we had a military advisor on-set but it’s a different time so you don’t adhere to the same codes. I had to have this whole post-apocalyptic look, we’re all expressing ourselves the way we’re dressing, but not in a superficial or corny way but as a way to prepare for war.

On her Moon’s nude scene

Bloodgood: I am a woman, I have boobs, it’s a beautiful shot, it wasn’t at all gratuitous, I’m not afraid to say no if I didn’t feel it was right and I’ve done that. But this was beautiful and about the world ending and getting naked and wanting to connect with someone.

Bryce Howard plays Kate Connor, John’s wife and is carrying their child. Her role is vital in that John’s wall of trust is nearly impossible to pass. She is the one he trusts and depends on the most and is sure to be of great importance to the resistance. Fresh off of Star Trek’s set is Anton Yelchin, who plays the resistance soldier, Kyle Reese. Yelchin looked to Michael Biehn’s character in The Terminator despite his portrayal of the younger John Connor admirer.

Bryce Howard on playing a general’s daughter

Howard: I spoke with a lot of family members who are in the military so they’re familiar with fear, and the possibility of losing everything they know at any moment. So I feel that those individuals have a very strong constitution that I wanted to bring to the character.

On the empowered women in the Terminator franchise

Howard: I feel Moon carries the torch for Linda Hamilton even though my character is strong in her own respect, she’s also seven months pregnant and it would have been irresponsible to have her *makes shotgun sound effect* [Laughing]. Know what I mean? There’s a little bit of that, but nothing too memorable. That’s Moon’s main element that she was this passionate, strong, intelligent woman leading. It identifies the franchise.

Yelchin: I also think we have a very young empowered woman, Jadagrace.

Howard: Oh my god, yes.

Yelchin: She’s plays Kyle Reese’s paternal character. The first time you meet her character she’s holding a shotgun and she’s seven years old. It carries that tradition on.

Howard: I also feel this film in particular is about how John Connor become the man and myth we had heard about. Although I think McG was mindful of the expectations were in terms of empowered femininity it was imperative to see Christian’s portrayal come to the forefront.

The mystery of Marcus Wright and his relationship with Kyle Reese

Yelchin: There’s no scene between Marcus and Kyle where he talks about what he is. But we felt there had to be a moment where they acknowledge that and it was Kyle Reese’s duty as a human being to either understand it or maybe misunderstand it. But the complexity to that emotion is huge. They’re friends but Marcus is Kyle’s own paternal figure. it’s an interesting dynamic to play.

This is McG’s most ambitious project. The young director’s filmography highlights include the recent Charlie’s Angels and We Are Marshall but if he’s successful this weekend and the following weeks, Terminator could see another trilogy. Resurrecting a popular science fiction franchise without its biggest star presents a challenge but what Terminator: Salvation has is the future, the dark aftermath of Judgement Day and a full blown-out war of survival between humans and machines. McG also has Christian Bale.

What with the recent controversy with X-Men Origins: Wolverine leaking out to the internet unfinished, here’s what McG thinks about sharing footage with press and fans at conventions while in the middle of post-production.

McG: I love this movie, and I take it seriously that the world is waiting to see it done properly. It’s a big responsibility. There is some trepidation there but I’m taking a leap of faith that you (the fans) are the passionate ones. You are the ones that care, lets all share in the filmmaking process. I think the audience is vary savvy and understands where the CG pencil kicked in and what was done practically in a tactile capacity that I feel very confident in sharing works-in-progress. Every time I’ve been transparent and honest about what this film is, people go from, “Fuck, McG!” to a place of, “Hey, this guy is taking it very seriously. He’s out to deliver what we want him to deliver.” I’m not saying I’m making the right choice or not, but being transparent and honest seems to be the right course of action thus far.

The first Terminator having a rating below R

McG: We never once gave a thought to rating while making this film. You think Christian (Bale) would say, “I need to taylor my performance to a rating.” He doesn’t know how to do that. I don’t want to do that. Having said that, if the film is PG-13, the Dark Knight was PG-13 which I would regard it as without compromise.

What is Skynet’s role in Salvation?

McG: Skynet is indeed very tricky. They tried to kill Sarah Connor with their biggest gun, the T-800, they tried to kill John with their biggest gun T-1000. Now they’re trying to kill Kyle and lure all of them together in Skynet in the spirit of getting it done not by thinking bigger-bigger gun, but by thinking radically, differently approaching a new way to achieve the objective of Skynet which is to kill John Connor.

Inspiration for War

McG: The number one inspiration was Kubrick’s Paths of Glory which was shown with great regularity back at base camp. But of course Apocalypse Now, Platoon had a tremendous effect on me because I saw it right when I was 15 or 16 thinking, “Shit, in two years, I’m that guy.” Children of Men in a certain futuristic war movie. In a world of duress, and a world of grit. We’re at war with the machines. It’s hard to get water and we’re all living in subterranean facilities. In that respect there’s a lot to be said about the Matrix films, in particularly the first one that Andy and Larry (Wachowski) cooked up. These are all influences.

How the current climate of technology altered the script

McG: That’s funny because that’s the reason to make the movie the future war. What was once science fiction in the 1970’s and 80’s is here. I have a blackberry in my pocket that has artificial intelligence. If I spell the wrong word, if I use the wrong syntax it will correct me. By definition that’s artificial intelligence. If I have a bad heart, they’ll give me a new one made out of plastic. That is very, very interesting. And most compelling is, if I’m depressed, the days of “Tell me about your father, was he mean to you?” are over. Here’s some serotonin re-up inhibitors and you’re just going to feel better in two weeks. We don’t need to talk about a goddamn thing. That’s just very terrifying that we’ve come to live in a world where that is all real. We can deconstruct the human genetic code, clone a sheep (arguably a human) make a 70 year-old woman pregnant, where’s the limit?

Wherein does humanity lie? Christopher Reeve became paralyzed from the neck down would any of us regard him less of a man? No, probably more from the courage he exerted. My point is that it’s not in his arm, or left ankle. It exists in somewhere in this magical place of brain, which is a collection of neural firings that will one day be mapped by a computer and we’ll be able to interface with. It’s a scary commentary about the reality of having a soul and what is it that makes us human. Machines got to the place of intelligence where they were able to say for the interest of self-preservation this (humans) is no longer necessary. That’s not impossible. In a great many ways James Cameron is a survivalist who is rather convinced that moment is going to happen.

Ernie Estrella

Terminator: Salvation will open wide May 20th, at midnight screenings at a theater near you.

Five for five.

Final Crisis Aftermath: Dance #1 (of 6)

Comic Book Database entry on Chriscross

Chriscross pencils this Final Crisis spin-off mini.

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Supergirl #41. Pencils by Igle.

Black Panther: Who is the Black Panther TP. Written by Hudlin.

Thor V2 Premiere HC. Pencils by Coipel.

Timestorm 2009-2099 #2 (of 4). Pencils by Battle.

Gold Digger: Maidens of Twilight #4 (of 4), GD Sketchcard Album. By Perry.

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Also notable:

Batman: Battle for the Cowl #3 (of 3)

Captain America #50

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen #1. The adaptation of the forthcoming movie.

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ECBACC 2009 was good. This was our first year in the new location, the Crowne Plaza Hotel in downtown Philadelphia, and after a slow start the crowd picked up pretty well. A few highlights: You already know about Carol Burrell doing the Kindred adaptation… Reggie Byers screened the animated version of his long-running Christian comic Kidz of the King (Legion of Super-Heroes if TD Jakes wrote it). It’s quite well done – the characters look very much like they do in the comic, the voices are distinctive, and it doesn’t talk down to its target audience. I am most assuredly not part of this target audience, but I appreciate the care that went into making this cartoon… I moderated a panel discussion on comics writing which featured Tony Isabella, Jamar Nicholas, and horror novelist LA Banks (I never got the chance to speak to her last year, so I was glad to finally meet her; very nice lady). Seeing as how I didn’t find out I was moderating until the day of the show, I think I pulled it off well. The audience had a rapport with the panelists, which I liked a lot – I hate it when I moderate a panel and the audience just sits there like sheep.

Gregory “Brother G” Walker previewed Zulu Mech 1 at the show. It’s basically an African Voltron: set in the far future, when the world is about to unite in peace, but that peace is threatened by the rise of an ancient evil. To combat it, a family of scientists create a giant mecha-Zulu warrior. There’s more to it – Walker spoke of artist Mshindo Kuumba I’s design for the character and the “cinema-graphic novel,” as they’re pitching it, and of the African-inspired motifs inherent throughout it. Wesley Snipes is providing the funding and appears in a live-action prologue in the preview, narrating the future history of ZM1. Walker said that the motion comic will be made available for the iPod and on iTunes and, as reported here, will also be screened at the upcoming Book Expo America.

Walker said that there’s a wealth of backstory that will be explored as part of ZM1, to show how this future came about. He said he wants the character and the series to have worldwide appeal, for black kids who can identify with it culturally, and with non-black kids who will (presumably) find it cool. Mshindo, who has been quietly producing a stunning body of work for various self-published titles over the past few years (just bring up his name over at the Black Superhero message boards and see what kind of reaction you get), has gone above and beyond to create the images in this series. Brotherman creator Dawud Anyabwile is also involved in the art; I forget in what capacity, but I remember seeing his name in the credits.

The preview itself began with, as I said, a live-action prologue by Snipes (with a cameo by his kids) recounting the future history of the ZM1 world, followed by the motion comic itself. Visually it is comparable to what we’ve seen with the Watchmen motion comic, with a bit more in the way of computer-generated special effects. In the story, a giant monster claiming to be the Christian devil ravages the land, and ZM1 is brought in to stop him. Piloted by the children of the scientist parents, they challenge his identity as Satan before laying the smack down, so it looks like there’ll be a bit of theology and mythology in the mix. There are word balloons that pop up on screen for the dialogue, and also an original soundtrack.

I’m gonna get flamed for this, but I’m gonna say it anyway: having read the first book in Walker’s historical adventure series Shades of Memnon, I’ve not been a huge fan of his writing style, which borders on purple prose at times. While his attention to African mythological and historical detail is commendable, he’s not exactly subtle when it comes to storytelling, and unfortunately, I see that same tendency here in ZM1. While the visual aspect is certainly exciting, the preview I saw doesn’t have the versatility and range as another recent animated feature, Nina Paley’s Sita Sings the Blues (which I highly recommend). The latter, like ZM1, is all-ages, but it takes more storytelling chances, has livelier dialogue, and a wider variety of visuals – all of which serve the story, which is also built upon a cultural mythology and theology. Walker, for all his skill at world-building, isn’t as strong a writer to me as say, Christopher Priest, who also draws on black culture in his best work but who has a more engaging and entertaining style.

That said, however, Walker and Mshindo are thinking big and thinking outside the box with ZM1 and are creating something truly unique, and I wish them well in bringing their vision to the world.

As for the Glyphs, well, I won’t lie – I really wish Jeremy Love had been in person to collect his five awards. Indeed, the only one who accepted an award Friday night was Tony Isabella, who took the Best Male Character prize on behalf of Grant Morrison (and stated that he’d deliver it to Morrison himself so that DC never gets their hands on it!). Still, the crowd, which slowly became a SRO as the evening progressed, enjoyed the show. Bill Foster did a nice tribute to the late Eartha Kitt and football star-turned-fine artist Ernie Barnes (he painted the Good Times mural, among other things). Alex Simmons presented a pair of Kids Comic Con awards to ECBACC head honchos Maurice Waters and Yumy Odom for their involvement in helping shape the KCC. And for the first time we had slides for the entire program, which projected the nominees and winners and other events that evening (thanks, Stephanie!). And of course Jamar Nicholas was a great emcee as usual. The Free Library of Philadelphia made for a good new venue.

My thanks to everyone on the ECBACC committee, as well as the GCA judges for this year – Valerie D’Orazio, Mathan Erhardt, Ed Mathews, Tim O’Shea and Elayne Riggs – for another great show.

In other news: Jamal Igle talks Supergirl with writer Sterling Gates.

The official press release for Tyrese Gibson’s Mayhem.

The First Fan gives Star Trek a thumbs up.

Somehow the conversation started with X-Men Origins: Wolverine, then managed to stumble its way toward some of the worst comic-based movies ever. Whether that betrays our thoughts on Wolverine or not, I guess you’ll have to listen to find out. It’s a long one. Sorry about the sound issues.

As always, leave your questions or comments on the boards or give us a call at 1-888-817-5766, and we’ll address your feedback on the next show. Did YOU like X-Men Origins: Wolverine?

Well speak your mind!

The life of a professional wrestler can often be a sad and lonely one, a career where countless dues are paid for a chance of stardom, and after the glitz is gone, can be a retirement of pain and loneliness. But for Randy “The Ram” Robinson (Mickey Rourke), it’s all he knows. At the height of his fame, he forged a rivalry with “Ayatollah” (an Iron Sheik nod), and there was a chance of a rematch some 20 years later, but like all athletes, eventually the body fails you and he has a heart attack in the locker room. The one thing he knows best, taken away from him. His free time is endless now, so he asks his part-time job to see if they can get him something with more hours; which brings him to behind the deli counter.

His solitude often brings him to a local strip joint, there he is a frequent customer of “Cassidy” (Marisa Tomei). She understands him, listens to him, pays attention to the details of his life, but is she really this understanding, or is is part of her performance. She has a personal code of not mixing work with pleasure. Now that he’s sidelined for good, Cassidy suggests Randy spend quality time with his estranged daughter, Stephanie (Ever Rachel Wood) who he walked out on when she was young. Even though he’s as big as a bear, his heart is made of glass – shattered, fragmented in so many pieces and with his second chance on life, he aims to make good on it and do his best to start a new life, a new career, and begin to repair what he had so often broken. But this is no Disney movie, this is the story of Randy “The Ram” Robinson and he’s far from being perfect and you know he’s going to fuck it all up-badly. As much as you want it to work out for him you know it won’t. So he risks his life and turns to the one thing that’s always been there: The Square Ring.

Director Darren Aronofsky comes back with a force with The Wrestler, a gritty look into one performer in one big circus and the pain that that life has brought him. Inspired by real professional wrestlers who scrounge small gyms and arenas for a few measly hundred bucks, punishing their bodies with no health insurance, no pension, and no guarantee they’re going to get out of bed the next morning. Sure there’s acting involved, but the physical ballet and gaudy spectacle of professional wrestling often hides the real men and women playing the roles as well as the physical and mental sacrifices they make.

Eerily chosen for the role was Rourke, whose own career had risen and fallen, much to his own management and yet, he delivers the comeback story of 2008-2009. You cannot take your eyes off him, okay, well except for when the equally accomplished Tomei is on the screen, who just seems to get easier on the eyes and more impressive of an actor with age. They both portray people who understand each other’s desire to have all eyes on them, that they are in the business of performing, and they are two people who know the songs by Ratt, Scorpion, and Cinderella aren’t songs exclusive to Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80’s. They’re just two people who can’t escape their profession enough to enjoy their real lives.

I walk away after seeing The Wrestler respecting the men and women who step in the ring, and knowing how fleeting the success of a entertainer can be whether it be an athlete, a singer, or and actor. But what grabbed me was the story of the underdog, to see a man with a big heart try his damnedest to fix his broken life and a man who is trying to win you over; who is fighting not to be forgotten.

Video: B
The picture is gritty and grainy but Aronofsky and company purposely shot it this way though so there’s no reason to be up in arms about it. Still it boasts a 1080p high definition transfer at 2.35:1 ratio and maintains Arnofsky’s vision of the film. The color palette reproduces well from the drab and dull world outside the ring to the garish spectacle inside the ring with neon outfits, and the harsh lighting. Those bright colors hold up throughout the high speed action of the wrestling. Skin tones look a little on the pink side but otherwise are fairly accurate and shadows appear right for correct depth perception. It isn’t reference material, nor was it meant to be.

Audio: A-
It’s a small film, yes, but there’s plenty of opportunity for The Wrestler to shine in a home theater. First of all the driving sounds of 80’s Rock whether it’s Quiet Riot or Guns N’ Roses, hard driving guitars and drums ring out all around you from the get-go in the English 5.1 DTS-HD soundtrack. It will pump you up, get the juices flowing, and during the matches, the crowd noise swirls around you, the chanting the shouting, pan around in a very fun way. Dynamic range is excellent as scenes switch from those scenes where the Ram is by himself in his trailer or shooting up drugs in the locker room where all you hear is the buzzing of the lights, to the raucous scenes in the arena. Clint Mansell’s subdued score (with guitars by Slash) is mixed to get that emotional tug at your heart but not pull attention to itself. A Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital track is also included and English Subtitles for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and Spanish are available.

Extras: B-
Highlighted by a solid Making-Of special, and a hard-hitting round table discussion with WWF legends (which is a great idea), Arnofsky has been known to put a better effort with his home releases. This release is sorely missing a commentary track but other than those two joints, there’s not much to smoke on here.

Within The Ring SD (42:43) – In this behind-the-scenes special, Aronofsky along with some of the crew walk you through some of the important aspects, the locations, the composition of the score in a nice comprehensive making of although in some areas you’d like the piece to go a bit further. I do favor these types of featurettes instead of the five to ten vignettes that last 5-10 minutes each to mask the quality with quantity. In Aronofsky’s second film, Requiem for a Dream, a similar making-of was made and I think that familiarity is good here. Make sure to stay through the credits though to see the crew partake in some stunt diving out of the ring on the last day of principal shooting.

Wrestler Round Table SD (25:23) – Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake, Lex Luger, “Diamond” Dallas Page, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, and Greg “The Hammer” Valentine are interviewed after seeing the film to get their reactions, how true the story was to their lives, dispelling misconceptions and the emotional and anguish life outside the ring. After watching the wrestler you think one of the first reactions is how much of this is inspired by true life. Surprisingly, a lot of it is.

The Wrestler Music Video-Written and performed by Bruce Springsteen SD (3:59)- Given that there were three songs (two in Slumdog Millionaire) I am shocked that this song was not nominated for an Oscar. One of the Boss’ finest original songs for a film in his long and storied career.

Trailers for Wolverine:Origins, Slumdog Millionaire, Notorius, and Bruce Springsteen’s new CD.

Overall Shock Value: B+
The Wrestler is a tug of war between the rush of entertaining and the slow, painful burn of the crash away from the stage. Rourke’s performance in Sin City showed he has a much larger stage presence if given the chance. And now that chance has come. No matter what Rourke does from here (he’s slated for 8 films in 2010, including Iron Man 2), I think people will always go to The Wrestler for not only a defining role, but for a glimpse inside the man himself. It’s his vulnerability as Randy Robinson, not The Ram that will leave the lasting impression and Rourke leaves it all on the mat. Because like “professional” wrestling, The Wrestler is not all acting.

Ernie Estrella