There is nothing quite like a good political thriller but unfortunately we don't get many good ones these days. In fact over the last few years I cant think of any genre that has become known for "falling short" more than the Hollywood Political Thriller. Finally we got one that doesn't Fall Short. In fact it rises above any political thriller in recent years.
The year is 1985. The impending threat of nuclear war between America and Russia hangs heavy on the thoughts of everyone. President Nixon assures the country is safe from annihilation as long as the super-hero Dr. Manhattan stands behind the USA. Meanwhile, Eddie Blake (The Comedian) is thrown out of his penthouse window. As disaster looms, the masked vigilante Rorschach tries to bring his old group, The Watchmen, together to solve the mystery of who murdered their fallen comrade. But when the world could end at any minute, how important is the death of one disturbed man anyway?
March 6th: 
Sam Rockwell stars in a twisted comedy as Victor Mancini, a sex-addicted med school dropout who routinely goes to restaurants and chokes on food to con his saviors into giving him cash. Between that and his job as a colonial re-enactor, Victor ekes out just enough money to keep his mother (Anjelica Huston) in a good nursing facility. Victor seems content with his lot in life until events place him in the unlikely role of savior. The only problem is how does he save other people when Victor doesn't feel he's not worth saving. 
Like many husbands and boyfriends and just guys who know women and want to get in their pants I was dragged to this movie on Friday night. I was expecting the same old romantic comedy stuff that follows the old Hollywood formula where the couple meets under bad circumstances and they dont like eachother. Then through some odd occurance they realize that what they were looking for was the person that was right in front of their eyes. Now dont get me wrong that does happen in this movie, several times, but the way it happens is what makes this movie a step above the others.
The Wrestler is a brutal dose of the harsh reality behind the glitz and glamour of an often overlooked and demanding profession. If one of the matches weren't bad enough, the aftermath in the locker room looks like torture. Mickey Rourke disappears into his role of Randy "The Ram" Robinson. Watching the movie, you feel Randy is destined to self-destruct at some point, but you start rooting for him anyway. If you're even a casual fan of wrestling or just a fan of life drama, this movie is a must see. Any more I could have said, Ray has already been dead-on with his assessment. If you can't see it locally, add it to your Netflix as soon as it's available.
Here's a look at the big movies coming out during this first month of 2009.
Grabriel Macht stars as the Spirit. As protector of Central City, The Spirit prowls the rooftops looking to defend the city's citizens from those with evil intentions. One of the worst offenders is the Octopus (Samuel L Jackson). Along with his scientist sidekick Silken Floss (Scarlett Johansson) and a slew of clones (all played by Louis Lombardi) to do his bidding, the Octopus is quite a formidable foe for Central City's lone hero. Fortunately, The Spirit has the ability to heal from nearly any injury. Unfortunately, he's not sure how he got these odd powers that showed up only after he died. Worse yet, only the Octopus seems to know why. On top of all that, an old flame (Eva Mendes) of the Spirit's former life just came back into town and is leaving behind a trail of bodies. At least the Spirit still has friends on the police force and has a charming hold over the ladies in his life...
