The Wrestler

All of the new DVD releases hit stores (and Netflix) on Tuesdays. So each week in What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday, I sort through the best of the batch and tell you what to add to your queue.

The Wrestler
I said it in my list of must haves for April and I'll say it again: In addition to being a touching film with an astounding performance by Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler is one of those rare movies that a diverse group of adults can agree to see together. There's something for everyone, really: Action, romance, some tearjerking, etc.

The movie follows an aging professional wrestler with a ton of regrets. He tries to take control of his life, however, when he befriends an exotic dancer (Marisa Tomei) and attempts to make peace with his estranged daughter (Evan Rachel Wood).

In addition to earning all kinds of nominations during awards season, the movie contains one of my favorite scenes of the year. Special features include a featurette titled "Within the Ring: A No-Holds-Barred One-on-One With Wrestlers and Filmmakers" and music videos (presumably featuring Bruce Springsteen).

Two more up next, so read more

I keep thinking about this great scene in The Wrestler between Mickey Rourke and Marisa Tomei's characters in a bar. I won't give it away for those who haven't seen the movie yet but it involves some funny dialogue between the two about the decade they agree was the best. It's a small, intimate moment rendered so perfectly that you completely forget you're watching two actors — it feels more like overhearing a conversation at your local dive bar.

Sometimes a movie contains a scene so well-done it has the power to stick around in our minds for years and years. Like one of the most romantic scenes in Wall-E: Eve and Wall-E's dance among the stars. So. Freaking. Cute. Not to mention beautiful. And Happy Go-Lucky contains an intense scene between the main character and her driving instructor that's so unsettling it will take me a long time to shake it off.

Sometimes I think there should be an Academy Award category for Best Scene! What do you think? Which scenes from this year's Oscar-nominated films stick out to you the most?

The Wrestler photo courtesy of Fox Searchlight, Wall-E image courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures, and Happy Go-Lucky photo courtesy of Miramax

Nominated for an Oscar for his brilliant performance as Randy "The Ram" Robinson in The Wrestler, Mickey Rourke is certainly deserving of his new "comeback king" title. His costar in the film, Marisa Tomei, is also nominated for an Oscar for her role as Cassidy, an exotic dancer who Randy ends up developing feelings for. This poignant film is definitely a "must see" as we watch Randy endure all of the trials and tribulations associated with being a professional wrestler.

Some memorable tech moments include the afternoon bar scene when Cassidy "Pam" tells Randy about her son and then shows a picture of him on her cell phone. The second time was when Randy dusted off his old Nintendo console and asked the neighborhood boy Adam to come in and play a Wrestling video game that actually featured him. Adam was excited to tell Randy about his new favorite game, Call of Duty 4, and explained to Randy how you can switch off between a marine and an S and S British special operative — making it that much better than any other Call of Duty games.

Photo courtesy of Fox Searchlight

Tuesdays are big in entertainmentville: Not only do all the new DVD releases hit Netflix, but new music also pours into stores. So I take a spin through each week's music releases and pick out some albums and tracks worthy of a download. Here are today's selections:

Let's dance: I like dancing to Franz Ferdinand. When "Take Me Out" plays at a party or in a bar, it usually has the power to make me do something goofy like flip my hair all over the place. Anyway, I'm glad the band is back with all new sexy tunes for toe-tapping goodness, like the seriously fun song "No You Girls." I also like the first single on the album, "Ulysses."

Chillax music: I'm glad the psychedelic pop duo The Bird and The Bee (aka. Inara George and Greg Kurstin) have staying power because their music is so pretty. It's the perfect cocktail hour music that's part whimsy, part haunting, and totally easy on the ears. Their new album is full of gems like "Baby," "My Love," and "Ray Gun."

One more selection up next, so read more

I've been swatting away the buzzings of "Oscar watch" and "best film of the year" in regard to indie drama The Wrestler for a while now, just waiting until I could see a trailer and hopefully understand what all the fuss is about. The film stars Mickey Rourke (whose "astonishing performance" here has some calling him a "comeback kid") as an aging professional wrestler with a ton of regrets. He starts to try and take control of his life, however, when he befriends an exotic dancer (Marisa Tomei) and attempts to make peace with his estranged daughter (Evan Rachel Wood).

I'm honestly amazed by the praise this film is getting, and while I think the trailer makes it look poignant, I'll have to see the movie in its entirety to fully see what has gotten people gushing so much (100 percent at RottenTomatoes at time of posting this). The Wrestler opens Dec. 17. To check out the trailer for yourself, read more

• J.K. Rowling Reveals all in a new book, Harry, A History. — MTV Movies Blog
• How ER plans to woo George Clooney back, no matter how many times he says it's not happening. — TV Squad
• Ten things you need to know about The Wrestler before its December premiere. — Vulture
• John Sayles is apparently working on an HBO miniseries about Louis Armstrong with Quincy Jones. — Cinematical
• Office fans, get ready to meet the Halperts. — Give Me My Remote
• Do you want a Meg Ryan comeback? — PopSugar
• A chat with the man behind Girl Talk. — Pop Candy
• The Whitney Port spinoff of The Hills is officially a go. — FabSugar
• Pop culture obsessions come to life! A chance subway ride with some of the Gossip Girl kids leaves one writer breathless. — Popwatch

Source

• J.K. Rowling has won her copyright infringement lawsuit against a fan who wanted to publish a Harry Potter encyclopedia. — AP
• Spike Lee is working on a sequel to Inside Man. — Hollywood Reporter
• 24 is shutting down production for two weeks to rewrite scripts and figure out the end to the next season. — Zap2it
• The Stand Up to Cancer telethon and associated fundraising efforts made $100 million for cancer research. — TV Guide
• The Darren Aronofsky film The Wrestler sparked an all-night bidding war at the Toronto International Film Festival. — Variety
• Musicians including Heart and Jackson Browne don't want Republican candidates using their songs to campaign. — CitizenSugar
• NBC is putting together a new Muppets special, Letters to Santa: A Muppet Christmas. — Reuters
• Jayma Mays has been cast as the lead in the Fox pilot Glee, which might be an American Idol companion this Spring. — Hollywood Reporter
• Jessica Alba has been cast in a "modern-day fable" called An Invisible Sign of My Own, which was initially supposed to star America Ferrera. — Variety

Source