Checked out The Fighter last night with my 14 year old son Max.

It's about these two: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNkKOE1x ... re=related

...and their FUCKED UP mother.

I was a big 'boxing' fan in the 80s/90s and my love for boxing has petered out since then.

Christian Bale IS his character - it's amazing - you see the real Dicky Eklund after the movie. Bale's take on him is amazing. I don't know how the hell the guy drops weight like he does (Rescue Dawn, The Machinist and now this flick) - it can't be good for your long term health.


Christian Bale in The Machinist

The actress who plays the mother (Melissa Leo) is phenomenal and Amy Adams, as usual - stellar work. The trainer (O'Keefe) is actually Ward's real trainer from back in the day too.

Melissa Leo and Christian Bale gave Oscar worthy performances imho.

Mark Wahlberg as Micky Ward? Not so sure.... He claims he trained for three years for this flick (on other movie sets, etc.). He looks the part, but he's always been a pretty athletic guy. It just seems like he's always the same guy in all the movies he's in.

The boxing in the movie is pedestrian - at best.

But it's definitely an engaging movie about a VERY dysfunctional family - that kind of ends abruptly. ...and never touches on the three Gotti/Ward fights.

Sugar Ray Leonard also has a 'cameo' in the movie. I always thought he was a phony douchebag - as was proven when it came out he beat his wife and was a cokehead. He comes off like a smug prick in this movie, so I enjoyed that. I don't think he had to act too much. Then again Tommy Hearns was 'my guy' back in the day. I'll watch Hagler/Hearns over any of Sugar Ray's fights anyday.

Great movie! I haven't seen every movie obviously, but I have a hard time believing anyone had a more Oscar-worthy performance than Melissa Leo.

Also, movie boxing is a tough thing to do. But I watched the Sanchez and Neary fights on Youtube and the key parts of the movie action was remarkably similar.

_________________
Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

My mom used to watch All My Children (that's my story I'm sticking to it) back in the day - as there's not much to do on a farm when you don't know how to drive. Melissa Leo was on there when she was VERY young. I just read on her bio that she beat out Julia Roberts for that role. Interesting.

Did you find a link to Dicky's boxing highlight - knocking down Sugar Ray Leonard? I'd love to see that dill hole hit the canvas.

I definitely wanna check this out. I heard Bale was great too. That guy takes roles to another level

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"You can kill the revolutionary, but you can't kill the revolution."

I saw this last Thursday.
Christian Bale WILL get nominated for Best Actor, or Supporting Actor depending on how the Academy defines the lead role.
Bale actually WAS Dick Eklund. Wahlberg only had to be Wahlberg, not Micky Ward.
Amy Adams was awesome, as was the lady that played Micky's mom. As much as I like Boxing, I wasn't familiar with Ward.
After watching the Gatti fight on YouTube, I was hoping they would at least try to put it in the movie, but totally understand why
it would've been virtually impossible.

Go see this movie!!

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Just chillin' like Garret Quillin.

It's great when he steps over him:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdDQGlls ... re=related

_________________
Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

Eklund was a fucking savage. Look at this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nP1xLnxF ... re=related

_________________
Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

saw this yesterday. Finally...FINALLY nice to see a good, well made film in the theatre. This year has been barren as far as that goes, in my experience.

The film is kind of typical of any sports story; but the characterizations of the family are outstanding. As stated above, Melissa Leo is a scene stealer...and the best part, so is Bale. So when they're on the screen together, it's just plain magic. David O. Russell was blessed with this cast. The sisters are hilarious. There are some scenes that will make you laugh out loud, just in disbelief sometimes.

Wahlberg is fine. It IS hard to imagine him as a character, but he is good. Amy Adams is sexy as hell, and fantastic, too. They all pull this off. It's a nice little story and it's interesting how Micky got caught in the middle of everything, with different parties wanting to pull him in their own direction.

If Bale and Leo don't get awards for this, and fucking "Inception" wins best screenplay, then let's get doomsday over already and nuke this fucking planet. not to be dramatic or anything.

out of

Zack did u know conan obriens sister played one of the sisters?

'she's one of those MTV chicks....'

Max's favorite scene was when Amy Adams busted one of the sisters nose across her face.

i did not! i loved the "mtv chick" comment though. i loved those sisters. 9 cubbiegirlshamuses.

Didn't you think the one all the way on the left was inbred Zack?

yeah that was my favorite one!

Is there any mention of Arturo Gatti in the flick? Any Gatti fight scenes?

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President of Blake Shetlon fan club

It ends with him winning the championship in England. Very little mention of Gotti after that in the credits.

Saw this last night. Thought it was okay. I want to bang Amy Adams and Bale gives a great performance, but I was bored throughout most of the movie.

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Team Cutler.

I loathe Mark Wahlberg as an actor, his performances are seemingly all the same, other than in The Departed

he had a great role in "i heart huckabees" and how could you not like him in "boogie nights"? he was great.

Underrated movie. Wahlberg was funny in that.