The Fighter Will Knock You Out

The Fighter

Reviewed by Adam Minor

2010's The Fighter is a hard hitting masterpiece from David O. Russel about what it takes to be a prize-winning fighter and the people who help you get there.

Mark Wahlberg plays Micky Ward, a boxer who's making his way up the ladder for a shot at the title. With his trainer brother Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale), manager mother Alice Ward (Melissa Leo) and supportive girlfriend Charlene Fleming (Amy Adams), Micky will get his chance. That is, if his crack-addicted brother doesn't get in his way.

Wahlberg is the lead in this film, but the pride is in the supporting cast. Christian Bale, Melissa Leo and Amy Adams were all nominated amongst the best supporting actors and actresses at the Academy Awards for The Fighter, with Bale and Leo taking home the trophy. Christian Bale's Dicky sneaks in as the real meat of the film- one that (at least) I cared about more. Bale has shown his physical commitment to any role as evidenced by The Machinist (2004). Here he loses a tremendous amount of weight to play the drug addicted brother.

The Fighter was also up for a slew of other awards including Best Original Screenplay, Best Achievement in Editing, Best Direction and Best Picture.

Based on real-life brothers, the story here is more than heart-wrenching. Torn between achieving his goals and alienating his family, Micky must decide what is more important to him. Dicky's drug-addiction keeps him from following through on his promises to help Micky train which leads to strife between the brothers.

Throughout the film, an HBO documentary crew is filming Dicky's "comeback". Dicky never lets anyone forget that he used to be the champion before his brother became "the pride of Lowell". The film toys back-and-forth between Dicky's desperate attempt to make a return to his former glory, and his obligations to his brother.

Amy Adams adds exciting tension as Micky's girlfriend who sees through his family's "support" as nothing less than self-gratifying gestures.

With marvellous acting, directing and story, The Fighter is the total package of a film.

Rating: 4/5

Best Picture 2010 - The King's Speech

The King's Speech

Reviewed by Adam Minor

Tom Hooper's latest film, The King's Speech scored big at this year's Oscar ceremony. Racking up awards for Best Lead Actor for Colin Firth, Best Original Screenplay for David Seidler, Best Directing for Tom Hooper and Best Picture for producers Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Gareth Unwin, The King's Speech won four out of its twelve nominations.

The film centers on King George VI (Firth) and his vigilant struggle with stammering. Aware that he'll be addressing the nation in an important speech about England's entry into the second World War, Queen Elizabeth (played by the marvellous Helena Bonham Carter, who was up for best actress in a supporting role, but lost) seeks vocal coaching from various physicians before finally finding the idiosyncratic Lionel Logue (the equally wonderful Geoffrey Rush, who also lost his bid as Best Supporting Actor).

Lionel finds himself in a difficult position, having to coach his king while protecting the royal family's privacy. Nevertheless, Lionel makes no changes to his style of delving into his patient's personal lives to find the base cause for their stammering. King George VI, with pressure from his overbearing father, and passionate brother, who abdicates the throne in favour of an international love, continues in his lessons in order to survive unscathed from his public speaking appearances. What follows is a simple and joyful relationship that simultaneously serves the king's needs while the men begin a close friendship.

This was simply a wonderful film. Serious when it needed to be, hilarious when it called for it, the tone of the film never took itself too seriously, but when the gravity of the climactic speech hit, the audience was fully aware what was at stake. Tom Hooper won the Oscar for Best Direction for this film. This wasn't my choice for that category in that it really didn't seem to stand out as a uniquely directed film. It was directed to its purpose. It definitely told the story efficiently, but it lacked directorial flourishes that some of the other films nominated showed.

David Seidler, the writer of the screenplay, struggled with stammering himself as a youth. He spent years researching King George's impediment. He contacted not only Lionel Logue's last living relative, but the Queen Mother herself who asked David not to publish the screenplay during her lifetime. What resulted was nothing less than a beautiful and interesting story, that, when brought to the screen by premiere actors and actresses rightfully took its place among the top of the list for this year’s award season.

Rating: 5/5