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

SIn City was born of Miller’s love of vintage film noir and hard-boiled Raymond Chandler and Mickey Spillane novels (to name just a few). His compositions are masterpieces, manipulating positive and negative space. And whether it’s a bar full of lowlifes and cigarette smoke, an inspirational dancer or someone spilling blood to bare knuckles, the scent and sight of sex and danger are always nearby. Nearly ever angle and stark description is faithfully translated by co-director, Robert Rodriguez in the film. He looked to three of Miller’s intertwinerd graphic novels for the screenplay and storyboards. Finally someone had understood comics. Someone stopped the pattern of trying to improve perfection.

“The Hard Goodbye” features Marv (Mickey Rourke) the loveable, nearly indestructible vigilane with a hamburger face, framed for the murder of a woman he loved. In “The Big Fat Kill,” Dwight (Clive Owen) is a sucker for protecting the dames, but when the wrong person is killed in Old Town (which is run by the local pros) a truce is broken that could bring the pimps back in power. In “That Yellow Bastard,” Hartigan (Bruce Willis), a cop betrayed while saving a kidnapped 11-year old Nancy Callahan, lands in eight years of imprisonment. He must sacrifice his good name to save Nancy (Jessica Alba), no 19, from the same lech who has become a more hideous monster.

The entire cast excels, delivering pulp dialogue like it was back in style. Benicio Del Toro turns a riveting physical performance as the slimy Jackie Boy, especially in a car ride scene Quentin Tarantino guest directs. Rourke as Marv and Rosario Dawson as Gail also entertain, being tough as galvanized nails and having absolute confidence in their heavy-metal appearances. Featured in his first role in some time, Rourke is downright bad ass.

Naysayers wondered why have a film follow so closely to the base material in fear of redundancy but how often have comic readers complained of the great comic stories out there are waiting to be made, how many of our favorite stories lay by the wayside as someone from film with no connection to only ruin what seemed like basic math. I applaud Rodriguez and company to have known to follow Miller’s Sin City panel by panel because it’s proof of just how cinematic comics are and that they can be on the same level as film. It’s a crowning achievement for comic book fans, especially those who followed Miller’s career in the 90’s and the same can be said of Rodriguez who had the imagination to know how to use digital filmmaking to full realize an imaginary world. To those unaware of Miller and Sin City, this film is not for the tender-hearted. The film exposed newcomers to his expertise in storytelling, and ideally this is how people will keep Miller in their minds instead of his recent take on Will Eisner’s Spirit. It’s easy to surrender to a world of crime, especially when it’s as vivd and exceptional as Sin City.

Video: A+
1080p AVC-encoded transfer at 1.85:1 ratio. Let me tell you, this is one clean-looking film because it was shot in high definition. Free of artifacts and any noticeable grain. The color, which was selectively used is exceptional. The Yellow Bastard, the red blood on both Hartigan’s and Marv’s faces, just explode on the screen. Hair and skin complexion are crystal clear. Even little details like the shiny foil pack of matches from Kadie’s Club Pecos, beard stubble, the glimmer in people’s eyes, comes through in high def glory. The hyper de-saturated picture to reflect the black and white comic will take you back to the old days of memorable film noir. The hundred shades of grey gave depth to each scene, blacks darker as India ink, and they exaggerated lighting make for striking images frame after frame. This alone is worth ditching your DVD copy.

Audio: A+
Sin City sports an English 5.1 DTS-HD soundtrack which is full activity. Gunshots, car crashes and bullets make for a lively mix. The rear speakers are rarely in rest, with music and police sirens panning front to back, helicopters patrolling the city and the zapping and cracking of the electric chair crawl down your neck from behind. Miller’s poetic dialogue and exposition is distinctly heard through the center channel without any trouble. Dynamic range is excellent and there’s no need to monitor the volume level as everything sounds just right. Also included are 5.1 Dolby Digital tracks in Spanish and Portuguese as well as subtitles for the Hearing Impaired, Spanish, Japanese, Portuguese

Extras: A
Disc One:
Commentary with Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller – Two creative renegades talking about the film they made together. One a comic legend who reflects on being a first-time director, the other a cult-favorite filmmaker; together a non-stop gab session with lots of additional insight into the Sin City film. With half an hour left in the commentary, Rodriguez begins to ask Miller about his creative process during the time period he created the Sin City graphic novels.

Commentary with Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino – Two amigos laughing and having a good time watching the film, and talking about directing. If you’re not a Tarantino fan, or at least of him as a film geek, then avoid the track. Personally, I got a kick out it and always do and someone shows up unexpectedly, Mr. Bruce “Hartigan” Willis.

5.1 Dolby Digital Audio Track of the Austin Premiere Audience Reaction – They love their films in Austin, Texas and is a good place for Rodriguez to have set up his headquarters. There’s a film-hungry worship there and if you want to recreate watching the film with a crowd, without the jerks, now you can.

Cine-Explore HD – A blu-ray exclusive, this special is one of the pure joys of the HD format by packing a variety of extras in one multimedia experience. Along with the first commentary, this is a great combination of being able to see Millers panel art and covers through multiple picture-in-picture windows alongside the the film. Other side-by-side comparisons include the behind-the screen green screen shots. I’ve listened to this commentary on its own before, and it’s well-worth revisiting again and again, but watching art with this particular commentary is a great study. I was hoping for this extensive of a comic exploration in the recent big comic book movie releases but this is the first time I’ve been completely satisfied with the results.

D-Box Motion Code Enabled – If you’re equipped with a D-box integrated motion system enjoy! Otherwise, move along. Learn more about that here: http://www.d-box.com/en/about-d-box/

Disc Two:
Extended, Unrated, Recut Version (142 minutes) – The main reason for this release is the extended cut with all of the deleted scenes added in, and separated into the separate graphic novels, in chronological order: That Yellow Bastard, The Customer is Always Right, The Hard Goodbye, and the Big Fat Kill with closing credits to each story. Yellow Bastard in particular is significantly longer with the return of Lucille (Carla Cugino) and another funny scene with Klump and Schlub.

Rodriguez Special Features SD (58:17) – Combining four old features that Rodriguez produced can still be viewed separately or in one sitting. 15-minute Flic School – Rodriguez shows the tools and methods he used in making the original short film which he used to court the actors he wanted. Artificial lighting, recreating Miller’s edge, and much more. All Green Screen Version - See the film in fast-forward and the magic of green screen. The Long Take - is a behind the scenes look at Tarantino’s contribution and his directing style. Sin City, Live in Concert – takes a Austin city limits break into one of the jazzy bars in town to see Bruce Willis perform with his band for the cast and crew. 10-Minute Cooking School – Enjoy another episode of RR cooking school as he teaches you how to make Sin City Tacos from scratch.

Kill ‘em Good: Interactive Comic Book HD (8:27) – Miller’s “The Hard Goodbye” animated comic book and interactive experience. This is a blu-ray exclusive where you speed through the first Sin City story and actually be an active participant in three parts. Manipulating your blu-ray remote proves to be fun while enjoying the animated art of Miller.

How it Went Down: Convincing Frank Miller SD (5:41) – Robert talks about getting the blessing from Frank to do the film and the courtship to get Sin City in motion and having Miller be so involved in the filmmaking process.

Special Guest Director: Quentin Tarantino SD (7:13) – Quentin talks and talks and talk about repaying his “debt” to Rodriguez by directing the conversation between Jackie Boy and Dwight from the “Big Fat Kill,” using digital cameras and his point of view of the project evolving from a 10-minute short to a complete film.

A Hard Top with a Decent Engine: The Cards of Sin City SD (7:34) – A short featurette on identifying and tracking useable cars for the shoot which was a challenge because there was so many models that were rare and vintage. Remarkably, only one car had to be brought in from outside of Austin, Texas.

Booze, Broads, and Guns SD (10:57) – Steve Joyner, Rodriguez’s production designer gets to flex his pecs in recreating Sin City by creating props from scratch since so much of the props used are pieces of the exaggerated world of Frank Miller.

Making The Monsters: Special Effects Make-Up SD (9:04) – Having Frank Miller on set, helped transform with practical effects, Mickey Rourke, Benicio Del Toro, Nick Stahl into Marv, Jackie Boy, and that Yellow Bastard.

Trenchcoats and Fishnets SD (7:38) – Nina Proctor, Rodriguez’s costume designer, talks about tracking down material from self-made storyboards and finishing off that last detail of recreating Sin City.

Trailers SD (4:01) – Sin City Teaser and Theatrical Trailers sadly in standard definition and in stereo.

Sneak Peeks – Trailers for Miramax Films, Lost, On Blu-Ray Disc, The Proposal, and Confessions of a Shopaholic

I also want to note my love for all of the menus and loading screens which are nifty clips and animated clips of Miller’s Sin City art. Very nice touches. If I have a big gripe it’s that most of the featurettes and specials were left in standard definition. It’s a safe assumption the people who are going to flock to the blu-ray probably have the Extended and Recut DVD as well. So give us every reason to upgrade from the deluxe DVD release. Outside of that, everything you could ask for in supplements is here to enjoy.

Overall Shock Value: A+
Forgive me, Father for I have sinned, I enjoyed double-dipping. Please forgive me when play this disc and sin over and over again. A handful of years later and Sin City holds up extremely well and in high definition, it hasn’t looked better since, well, its opening weekend. This blu-ray release has everything the 2-disc DVD of the same name that came out some years ago, unfortunately without the copy of the Hard Goodbye pocket-sized graphic novel. But with a show-stopping HD transfer and the Cine-Explore experience, there’s no blaming anyone who would want to upgrade to this blu-ray. Extremely recommended!

Ernie Estrella