Support for LAist comes from
Local and national news, NPR, things to do, food recommendations and guides to Los Angeles, Orange County and the Inland Empire
Stay Connected
Listen

Share This

This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.

This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.

Arts and Entertainment

Weekend Movie Guide: Wrestle with this!

Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.

()

Years of steroid and HGH abuse finally paying off with meaty role. | Photo courtesy of Fox Searchlight

The Wrestler marks the return of Mickey Rourke to prominence and, to a lesser extent, Darren Aronofsky. I think both are welcome occurrences. Be warned, though--the squeamish should avert their eyes during the meat slicer scene. The Tale of Despereaux is just the sort of broad, silly tale of redemption that a sucker like me always enjoys a little too much. Seven Pounds would probably be high on my must-see list if it starred anyone other than Will Smith. Seriously people--let's put a stop to this man and stop going to his movies!

Similarly, Yes Man would be worth seeing if you removed Jim Carrey and inserted Paul Rudd. Or Will Ferrell. Vince Vaughn. Ben Stiller. Kumar Pallana. Virtually anyone else. I think that Rod Lurie missed his calling. He should have been a political operative instead of a director. Nothing But the Truth is his latest effort and is loosely modeled on the Judith Miller affair. The Class won the Palme d'Or this year at Cannes. That marks it as worth seeing. So let's put aside all the other boring, spirit-crushing crap and go see it!

Support for LAist comes from
()

The titular titmouse. | Photo courtesy of Universal

Tickets & Showtimes

The Wrestler
The Tale of Despereaux
Seven Pounds
Yes Man
Nothing But the Truth
The Class

Reviews

The Wrestler
The Tale of Despereaux
Seven Pounds
Yes Man
Nothing But the Truth
The Class

Previews

Support for LAist comes from

The Wrestler

The Tale of Despereaux

Seven Pounds

Yes Man

Nothing But the Truth

The Class

As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.

Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.

We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.

No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.

Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.

Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.

Chip in now to fund your local journalism
A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right
(
LAist
)

Trending on LAist