The Fighter (2010)

Directed by David O. Russell

Written by Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson, and Keith Dorrington

Starring Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams and Melissa Leo

     From the elusive David O. Russell, comes yet another movie about boxing that majorly succeeds in the theaters and during awards season. These films either revolve around an underdog boxer, who is given one more chance in the ring, and succeeds greatly. These ones always have tremendous success among viewers as they sympathize with the underdog, and root for their success. Then there are the fighting movies that have deeper and darker back stories of the fighter- and have lots of hidden connotations. The Fighter is a rare gem that represents both these types of films. Based on the true story of Irish fighter Mickey Ward (played by Mark Wahlberg), this film is much different from other boxing films. 

     Set in Lowell, Massachusetts in the 1990's- The Fighter opens with an HBO documentary crew filming Mickey's older brother, Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale). The HBO documentary is a chronicle of how crack destroys lives- with Dicky being the prime example. Dicky believes the film crew is documenting his triumphant, eventual return to the boxing ring. When he's not spending his days in Lowell's notorious crack house, he is training with Mickey. With the incompetent management of his mother, Alice (Melissa Leo) and Dicky's unreliability in training- Mickey gets thrown into a fight against a guy who is 20 pounds heavier than he is, and gets pulverized. Mickey soon gains the confidence he needs to break away from his parasitical family when he meets bartender, Charlene (Amy Adams). Dicky's reckless actions land him up the river- which is when Mickey takes matters into his own hands to further his boxing career. With the help of his girlfriend Charlene; his father, George (Jack McGee); and his new trainer, O'Keefe (Mickey O'Keefe)- Mickey steps towards respectability in the sport of boxing. While he tries to make a name for himself with his new support crew- Mickey's family drama continues to threaten his career. 

     The family drama mixed with the sports, is what makes this film so enjoyable. Mickey's extremely dysfunctional family puts him in a lot of difficult situations. Mickey faces a lot of dismay over choosing a more professional manager and trainer, over his mother and brother. 

     In the end credits, there are some clips with the real life Mickey Ward and Dickey Eklund. I was astonished with the similarities between Christian Bale's portrayal and the actual Dickey. Bale perfectly nails the mannerisms and habits of Dickey. Him and Melissa Leo crawl into the skins of their characters and play unforgettable characters in this film. Leo and Bale both took home Oscars for their supporting roles in this film- however I think their performances were anything but supporting. Amy Adams plays a foul-mouthed bartender who is the girlfriend of Mickey, and was contender for the supporting role oscar that went to Leo. We're used to seeing Adams in more innocent roles, so seeing her play this confrontational bitch who beats up one of Mickey's seven sisters- was surprising. Her ability to take on any role given to her is amazing. Mark Wahlberg does well in the lead role- but is often overlooked because of the complexity of the supporting characters. 

     This film does not fit the status quo of boxing movies at all, which is why I enjoyed it so much. It mostly focused on how Mickey's deranged family effects his career. The boxing scenes were still thrilling though. The cast drives this film to success. One of my favorite roles of Bale's. 

I give The Fighter a...

7/10 

Arrival (2016)

Directed by Dennis Villeneuve

Written by Eric Heisserer 

Starring Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner and Forest Whitaker

     Ever since the beginning of the film age basically, Hollywood dramatized these movies about human interaction with extraterrestrial activity. These films always involved destruction, chaos, danger and battle. Dennis Villeneuve brings us a compelling, intelligent film about humans first contact with these strange "visitors" on our planet. 

     Shortly after the film begins we see the arrival of mysterious ships which hover just above the ground, in 12 random locations across the globe. No one is aware of the alien's nature, considering communication is pretty impossible when they first arrive. Are they hostile? Do they come in peace?We don't know. Soon after, Dr. Louise Banks (Amy Adams), a world-renowned professor of linguistics, is recruited to assist in the communication with the seven-legged foreign species. Louise is wandering around her beautiful lake house, remembering her teenage daughter she lost to cancer- when the government sends in Colonel Weber (Forest Whitaker). Alongside physicist Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner), Banks begins the arduous task of deciphering the complexity of this alien language. The film expands to much greater depths in understanding the alien's (or as they call them, "heptapods") language- but to review where it goes would spoil the viewers full experience of this movie. 

     To play a character with this level of sophistication and intelligence is quite the task- but Amy Adams steps up to the plate and hits the role out of the park. Adams character is quite reserved and often sad about the memories of her deceased daughter that we always see her reminiscing over. She is an extremely intelligent linguistics professor who is given an unthinkably difficult task in understanding this never before encountered language. What makes her character so real however, is that she's no icon of calmness and stability. We often see her hands trembling and her shaky breath over entering the ship. This is by far one of Adam's most complex roles, and to say she was snubbed of an Oscar nomination for this role is the understatement of the year. Renner and Whitaker give solid performances which strongly compliment Adams. 

     This science fiction film provides for a deep first encounter story with these aliens. We get to see the way in which the world reacts to their arrival. What made this movie so compelling was the lengths Dr. Banks goes to to understand the heptapods language. Banks is forced to look deep into her own soul to discover the mystery behind why the aliens are here- and what do they want? This is an amazing journey worth taking- especially for the ending. A very powerful film. One of Adams best roles, and one of my favorite films of 2016. 

I give Arrival a...

8/10