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Early Reviews of The Fighter from AFI Fest

Mali Elfman — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 18:58:30 +0000

Last night David O. Russell’s The Fighter starring Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Melissa Leo, and Amy Adams had it’s first ever screening at AFI Festival. The secret screening was only announced yesterday morning and over 100 people were turned away at the door. The star and producer of the film Mark Wahlberg was there to introduce the film and he told the audience “I’m happy it got to the big screen. It took me such a long time to get the movie made that if you don’t like the movie, I’ll do two hours of hard labor.”

Well if one thing is clear it’s that nothing is clear and we’re not sure if Wahlberg is due for some hard labor or an Oscar!

The reviews of this film are extremely mixed. Some critics are saying that this film has some of the best performances they’ve seen all year and that the film will definitely be a contender for best picture, others are calling it “cartoonish” and saying it’s a major let down. We’ve collected reviews from all around and here is what the people have said…

The Overall Good:

It’s got a good pace and a solid performances for some…

David nailed it with “The Fighter” – great pacing (takes it’s time like films used to but never gets boring), great performances (can see a Best Supporting nod for Christian Bale and Melissa Leo), and a story that not only plays well with genres – PWH – Reader of /Film — Note: Bare in mind this reader also stated that he had to turn off I Heart Huckabees because as he said in the review: “I’m not smart enough to enjoy that shit.”

Great writer and a great sense of the characters roots and the town in which its been shot for others…

The screenplay, credited to Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson, pulls off a delicate balancing act of good, old-fashioned sports drama and gritty character study…”The Fighter” does for Lowell what Ben Affleck’s “The Town” did for Charlestown earlier this year. It’s about a place where family and loyalty actually mean something, and sometimes different things, too. – The Wrap

Performances:

This is where people start to disagree. Some think that the was the film that let down some of the characters…

There is something a little too cartoonish about Micky’s completely impossible family and also something a little too short-sighted in a protagonist who can’t see the obvious… Leo plays her with a pinched, determined face and overly styled hair, a woman missing the gene for maternal instincts… Somewhere along the line, the movie pretty much gives up trying to understand her so she is relegated to ringside seats rooting for Micky. -THR

Some weren’t impressed..

Wahlberg’s dull-eyed, sweet receptivity—while combined with brute strength—may hurt his awards chances…. Adams wins points for authenticity over Leo’s bigger-than-life mother hen… Bale risks going too far with his druggie extrovert, but he slowly wins us over. He seems to excel when he’s dieted and sweated out every ounce of fat on his frame.- Indiewire

Others thought it was the perfect balance and awards are on their way…

Rather than dial it up, Wahlberg really lets Bale and Leo steal the show in juicy supporting roles that just about any actor would kill for… Bale is unquestionably the front-runner for Best Supporting Actor, and I imagine he’ll be accepting plenty of critics’ awards over the next few months. In a perfect world, Leo and Adams would both be nominated for Best Supporting Actress… because while Leo will be the performance that women leave talking about, Adams’ continually strong work can’t be denied. – The Wrap

The Action:

Some hated it…

The boxing sequences get bunched toward the end. Russell deliberately shoots them in brightly lit video that makes it look like you’re watching television. He has broadcasters and ringsiders comment on the fights, but seldom takes you close enough to hear what Dickie might be saying to Micky. You’re outside the ring, not inside. – THR

Conversely others loved it for the same reasons…

While the film is ultimately character driven, that doesn’t mean that Russell hasn’t done a phenomenal job filming the scenes in the ring. Shot like an HBO boxing special, you almost forget that you are watching a movie and not an actual sporting event. What makes these scenes even greater, though, is that because the audience has spent so much time with the protagonist and understand the character so well, they actually begin to have a visceral reaction and cheer on the hero with every great punch and dodge. - Cinemablend

And others took a middle-ground…

Only one of the boxing montages in the film appears weak; the others are played for all they’re worth and have viewers gritting teeth. By the time we’re being sold on movie boxing, we’re also so invested in these characters that we’ll ride the train with them wherever it takes us. – Movingpicturesmagazine

Overall:

The final word(s)!

“…like much of this film, the viewer is turned into an observer. You never feel close enough to the action, either in the ring or in the kitchens, living rooms and tough streets where the story takes place. The characters engage you up to a point but never really pull you in.” – THR
“Excellently balancing tones and evoking superb performances from each one of his actors, director David O. Russell has crafted an awesome boxing film.” – Cinemablend
“It’s just a very likable movie and I think it’ll play well with critics and audiences alike.” – /Film
‘Will the movie make the best picture top ten? If all goes right (reviews/box office/critics and guild prizes) it’s possible. The actors shine in this and should be rewarded.” – Indiewire
“We haven’t had a real “Rocky” film for a long time; with these heartfelt characters and the conflict they impart on their world and each other, Paramount seems to have picked a film that could do some bruising at the box office” – Movingpicturesmagazine
“The film represents Russell’s best work to date, and as such, “The Fighter” has to be considered a serious contender for Hollywood’s top prize when March 7 rolls around.” – The Wrap

It seems like despite peoples problems with the film at the end of the day they all enjoyed it on some level. Based off its trailer we thought it was a winner! We’ll have to wait and see it for ourselves before we make up our minds!

The Fighter hits theaters December 10th.

Has anyone out there seen it? If so, leave a comment or e-mail us at tips@screencrave.com and we’ll add you into our review roundup!

Christian Bales Looks Cracked Out for Fighter

Mali Elfman — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 18:46:47 +0000

JustJared has posted some photos of Christian Bale on the set of his upcoming film The Fighter with the headline “Christian Bale Looks Crack Cocaine Addicted.” Yet once again, we see that Bale has gone all out and has changed his physical appearance and weight to reflect that of his characters Dickie Eklund.

It’s not just by chance that they are saying that it looks like he’s on crack, Eklund has battled drug addiction for decades and even made a documentary in 1995 called High on Crack Street in which he talked about his problem.

Check out some of the photos of Bale as Eklund below…

I interviewed Bale about 6 weeks ago and he was at least a good 30 pounds heavier than he is in these pictures. That mixed with the thinned out hair and him sucking in his jaw like that really gives the painful appearance of a crackhead.

The good news is he hasn’t gone as far as he did for The Machinist or Rescue Dawn. But seriously, the guy needs to play someone with a healthy diet before he kills himself.

The film has recently announced the addition of Amy Adams who has just come off Julie and Julia where she said she gained weight due to eating too much on set; I don’t think that will be a problem now that she has stepped into crackhead alley.

The Fighter is a boxing flick that stars Bale as Dicky Eklund, the brother of Wahlberg’s ”Irish” Mickey Ward. After kicking a bad drug habit, Eklund turns his life around and helps his brother to win the world lightweight championship. Adams will come on board to as Charlene, “a tough, gritty bartender and former college high-jumper from Massachusetts who ends up dating Mickey.”

For more photos of cracked out Bale go to JustJared

Check out a clip from Eklund’s documentary, with him using below…

Christian Bale Talks Fighter, Batman and Terminator

Mali Elfman — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 20:38:27 +0000

While promoting his upcoming film Public Enemies, Christian Bale gave Collider some details on his upcoming role in Fighter including a possible start date. Until now, nothing had been confirmed for the film, but Bale’s biceps seem to think they’re going to begin shooting soon. He seems to be eager to jump into Fighter, not only because it’s being made by recently Academy Award nominated Director Darren Aronofsky but because of the fact that he has been boxing like crazy to get in shape for the role.

Bale also spoke breifly about the chances of Batman 3 and Terminator 5 being made.

Check out what he had to say below…

As for Fighter getting off the ground…

He started off by saying “[They] might start [shooting] within a couple of weeks.” But then when asked about it later if that was a sure thing, he replied with, “I hope it is.”

Bale explains the story behind The Fighter:

It’s a true story of two incredibly gifted boxers who were half brothers. The one, Dicky Ecklund, who fought Sugar Ray Leonard at a very young age, when he was twenty one, was an incredible natural talent. He lived a very hard life. Then he came to train his brother, Irish Mickey Ward, to the world title.

Bale is set to play Dicky and Mark Wahlberg will play “Irish” Mickey Ward. Apparently all Bale has been doing is prepaing for this role by boxing with the man he is about to play in the film. He added that “It’s a wonderful thing when your trainer is actually the person you’re playing.”

It sounds like Fighter may finally be getting of the ground! I just hope that Aronofsky is able to bring out a new side of Bale. I think we’re all getting tired of the overly serious, violent action-guy. Even though there is action in this film, Aronofsky is great at dissecting the human side of any story.

As for what he has to say about Batman 3, it was rather limited…

I really cannot tell you if there will ever be another ‘Batman’ movie right now. Chris has obviously done an incredible job with it. He’s devoted to the movie that he’s on right now. I’m none the wiser about we’ll ever be revisiting Gotham or not.

And as for Terminator 5, he had even less to say…

No conversation has been had about that at all.

Give the man some gloves and get him into a boxing run. We can all wait for another Batman film to be done right and hopefully the realization that there shouldn’t be another Terminator.

Check out more details for the interview at Collider.com

Christian Bale Joins The Fighter

Krystal Clark — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 15:27:19 +0000

It looks as if somebody’s decided to give Christian Bale a “fighting” chance. The actor has landed the role of a boxer turned trainer opposite Mark Wahlberg in The Fighter. According to Variety, Bale will star as Dicky Eklund the half-brother of Wahlberg’s ”Irish” Mickey Ward. After kicking a bad drug habit, Eklund turns his life around and helps his brother to the world lightweight championship. The Fighter was set to be directed by The Wrestler helmer, Darren Aronofsky but he has since been replaced.

Find out who stepped into the director’s ring after the jump…

David O. Russell will direct The Fighter and will replace Aronofsky. When the film was originally developed with Aronofsky attached, Wahlberg and Matt Damon were set to star. Damon then dropped out and Brad Pitt was set to replace him, but the picture stalled and Aronofsky jumped ship. In the midst of all this change, Wahlberg continued to train for the role and it paid off. The project landed in Russell’s lap and it’s full steam ahead once again.

I love how Christian Bale always pick projects that have him speaking in a strong accent that’s not his own. As for Wahlberg, how perfect is this role for him? He’s from Dorchester and we already know he can talk the talk and walk the walk. Even though I love Bale, I am kind of disappointed that Damon couldn’t star in the film. He and Wahlberg could easily pass as siblings and they’re both natives of the Boston area. It would have been a partial reunion of 2006′s The Departed. One day……

What do you think of Wahlberg and Bale’s casting in The Fighter? Do you think Russell can pick up where Aronofsky left off?

Photo of Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li

Krystal Clark — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:00:16 +0000

The lackluster marketing campaign for Street Fighter:The Legend of Chun Li is getting worse by the minute. The powers that be have released a follow up promotional item to that dismal, Japanese trailer they released last month. The Legend of Chun Li has a new poster that features co-stars Kristin Kreuk, Neal McDonough, Michael Clarke Duncan, Moon Bloodgood, and Chris Klein. Yes, as in Chris Klein from American Pie. Where has he been?

Check out the entire poster after the jump.

This movie comes out next month, and they expect it to do well? These promotional pieces are just….lacking.

On a side note, martial artist/actor Robin Shou stars in this film. He played Liu Kang in both Mortal Kombat movies. Isn’t it against the rules of video game etiquette to be in both? I always thought you were either a Street Fighter junkie or a MK master?

Trailer of Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li

Krystal Clark — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 20:00:57 +0000

It’s official, I’m scared. A Japanese teaser trailer has just been released for the video game adaptation, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li, with Smallville alum Kristin Kreuk in the title role. I know what your thinking right now, you didn’t even know there was another Street Fighter movie coming out. Your not alone, a lot of people are in the dark about this. The film is set for release on February 27, 2009, but I haven’t seen any US promotion for it. Do they want this movie to do good?

Check out the teaser after the jump.

Can you believe Michael Clarke Duncan (Balrog), and Neal McDonough (M. Bison) are in this? It’s not as if the first Street Fighter was Citizen Kane for the ’90′s. Guile, the all American hero, with a Belgian accent! I’ll never let that go.

ScreenCrave.com » Fighter

Early Reviews of The Fighter from AFI Fest

The Overall Good:

Performances:

The Action:

Overall:

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