I Admire Your Pictures Very Much: A Review of "The Wrestler"

The Wrestler is a heartbreaking film about loneliness and pain. The film’s hero, Randy “The Ram” Robinson, is a tragic hero, overcome by his own desire for escape. From the very beginning, the film tells a predictable story, but it is also an inevitable story, a story that constantly picks up speed as it moves along toward its final frames. The last twenty minutes of the film are staggering in their intensity and sadness.

The character of the Ram is, as he says in his own words, “an old, broken down piece of meat.” In the 1980s, he was an all-star professional wrestler. In the twenty years since, his career has left him damaged. He resorts to working in a supermarket and wrestling in independent wrestling circuits on the weekends to make his money. He has a strained relationship with his daughter, portrayed by Evan Rachel Wood, and, in his spare time, he hangs out at a strip club trying to woo a middle-aged dancer, portrayed by Marisa Tomei.

The film is, first and foremost, a character study. It is about a man who has pushed everything in his life away, a man who has lived his life “burn[ing] the candle at both ends.” The Ram cannot distinguish between fantasy and reality, insisting people refer to him with his stage name even when he is not onstage. He gives up in the face of his problems, succumbs to his demons of violence and drugs. Real life is hard, painful, and sad. It takes work to raise a family, to satisfy a lover, to keep one’s health. The Ram retreats into the fantasy of the ring when faced with the obstacles of life, preferring the cheers of an audience over the love of those that truly care about him.

Mickey Rourke plays the Ram. A washed-up wrestler, the Ram’s life mirrors Rourke’s real life, and Rourke certainly must pull from some very dark demons of his own to achieve his perfect portrayal of the character. It is a performance that, in its understatement and honesty, recalls the best of Brando, the best of DeNiro.

Wood and Tomei also turn in stellar performances, albeit their characters are both a bit underdeveloped, especially in Wood’s case. She only appears in a few scenes for few minutes of the film; however, in her scenes Wood perfectly conveys to the audience the anger and hate and disappointment her character feels toward her father.

Darren Aronofsky is the film’s director. His films are usually dark and full of spectacle, and while The Wrestler is dark thematically, it is anything but spectacular in terms of visuals. Aronofsky employs a minimalistic, handheld approach to the film, giving it all a very stripped down, gritty atmosphere. The camera is often placed behind the Ram. It follows along with him through the ring, the strip club, the supermarket, paving the way for some wonderful tracking shots. The honesty of the camerawork matches the honesty of the actors’ emotions. There are no gimmicks here, no tricks or special effects. It’s all very real, very quick and on-the-spot, the camera responding to the situation as opposed to the situation being controlled by the camera. A feeling of spontaneity exists in the film, as does a feeling of truth.

The film’s writer, Robert Siegel, said in one interview that he is very heavily influenced by films of the 1960s and 1970s, films that feature such isolated characters as Travis Bickle from Taxi Driver and Joe Buck from Midnight Cowboy. The Ram can take his place among such characters, a man who, unable to deal with the complications of life, isolates himself from life. By the end of the film, he invests himself wholly in the fake world of wrestling. He stands in front of his fans, putting on a showman’s façade and asking for their applause. In truth, deep down, he is a man that is hurting and dying, a man that has given up on life.

--Jeff Webb

Interactive TWIH

If you picked up the print edition of The Pharos that came out yesterday, and you read page two, you know that today (Jan. 30) is the anniversary of the Bloody Sunday incident in Londonderry (now just Derry), Northern Ireland.

The column mentioned the U2 song "Sunday Bloody Sunday." Below is a video of that song along with photos and news footage of the event.

Volume 100, Issue 7

Volume 100, Issue 7 of the print edition of The Pharos is now available. You can grab a copy on the ledge in front of the mailboxes in the campus center. Check out the inauguration pictures on page five, and our new cryptogram on page four!

As always, feel free to get in touch with us at pharos@wvwc.edu or Box 148. We always accept letters to the editor, but be aware that we reserve the right to edit for content or brevity, and reserve the right to print or not print.

Film Screening

Tomorrow, January 28, Dr. Eric Waggoner of English Department and The Frets fame will be screening Eraserhead, a 1977 film by David Lynch. The screening will be in Hyma Auditorium and will begin at 8 PM.

All are welcome to the screening of this semi-horror, surreal flick, but be forewarned: it is aggressively strange, in Dr. Waggoner's own words. Therefore, those with "delicate constitutions" might consider opting out this time.

This screening begins a semester-long series of David Lynch films, so if you can't make this one, there'll be another.

Since part of college is becoming a more cultured individual and really just being plain cooler than you were before, the staff and editorship of The Pharos highly encourages you to check this out!

Masquerade Ball!

Everyone on the staff of The Pharos hopes to see you, yes, YOU at the Mardi Gras Masquerade Ball TONIGHT at 9 p.m. at the Bi-Ci! The ball is sponsored by CAB and a plethora of other organizations.

Dress is semi-formal, and masks are encouraged but not required. Those who are over 21 will have access to the bar at the 88 restaurant.

See the upcoming issue of the print publication for photos and a write-up.

Hope to see you there!

Inauguration!

So, are you and your friends doing the American thing and cutting class to attend the Inauguration in DC Monday and Tuesday?

Then you should send The Pharos pictures of your experience at pharos@wvwc.edu ! We'll publish a selection of photos we receive in an upcoming print publication.

Just be sure to tell us who is in the photo and who took it. Have fun celebrating a new era for the USA!

2009 Is Upon Us

Hey!

We realize this thing hasn't been updated since Heath Ledger died. Sorry about that. Things were pretty crazy here at The Pharos last semester, but we're back now. You'll see lots of stuff here, everything from opinion pieces to recipes to things that we just think are especially relevant for the college community and beyond. But first, let me give you a quick rundown of what's been going on personnel wise for us.

This year, The Pharos is headed up by senior Sarah Wilkinson and sophomore Alic' Shreves, serving as co-Editors in Chief.

News Editor Daniel Trader and Social and Community Editor Jeff Webb both returned to their respective positions, without too much pleading from Editor Wilkinson.

Entertainment Editor Jennifer Elkins also returned to her position, albeit after a semester-hiatus of study abroad in London, England. We are all very jealous. During her "sabbatical" as we'll call it, Krysta Rexrode filled her position as Interim Entertainment Editor, and everyone on staff is very grateful to Krysta for her service.

New in the fall was Sports Editor Carlee Gault. We are thrilled to have her; she's fantastic!

New this spring to our lovely Editorial Board is Alice Foley, who will fill the slot of Greek Editor. This position sat vacant last semester due to lack of available parties, but we're thrilled to have Alice on board. She'll be fantastic, and she's also quite entertaining.

Our print publication dates for this semester have not yet been set in stone, but look out here for updates on that. As far as this blog goes, you should have updates at least every other day, if not every day.

We look forward to a great semester of serving the Wesleyan community!

(Got something to say? Leave a note in the comments or email pharos@wvwc.edu!)



The Pharos acts both as a source of news and as a forum of free expression for the West Virginia Wesleyan community. The Pharos and its staff operate with editorial freedom and responsibility. The views and editorials printed within the Pharos and its affiliated forms reflect the opinions of the individual writers and not the college or the Pharos staff as a whole.

The Pharos mourns...

Everyone on the staff of The Pharos is shocked, saddened, and disheartened to learn of the death of actor Heath Ledger.

Ledger was a prominent actor in several films that defined our generation, including 10 Things I Hate About You, The Patriot, and Brokeback Mountain. His enormous talent will be greatly missed.


According to CNN and wire reports, Ledger, 28, was found dead in a Lower Manhattan apartment. Ledger was discovered by his housekeeper, who was attempting to wake him for an appointment with a masseuse. He was pronounced dead at 3:30 PM today, Tuesday, January 22, 2008.

The Pharos mourns this tragic loss to the film making industry.

Recipe for your Dorm

Note: This recipe does require an oven, which all of the Camden apartments have, as well as most of the upper-class dorms. Editor Wilkinson also thinks (though she has not tried this herself) that maybe if one used a bagel (or maybe two or three bagels) instead of pizza dough, one could do this in the microwave until the cheese gets melty.

Recipe submitted by Lauren Hametz, reporter for The Pharos

Spinach Dip Pizza

Here is an easy to make twist on a pizza that any college student can make and you don’t even need to know how to cook.

prep time: 5 minutes

cooking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

1 pizza pre-made pizza dough

1 TGIFriday’s spinach and artichoke dip

1 tomato or 1 can of diced tomatoes

Shredded mozzarella cheese (optional)

Directions

1. First, you will need to preheat your oven to about 400 degrees. Then you will need to heat up the spinach dip in your microwave for a couple of minutes just to make it soft so that it will be easy to spread on top of the pizza.

2. Next, you will need to spread the dip on top of the pizza dough. Put on as much as you like or as little as you want.

3. After you have put the spinach dip on you will need to either cut a tomato up and put it on top of the pizza or open a can of diced tomatoes and put those on top of your pizza.

4. Then you can sprinkle some cheese on top of your pizza to your liking.

5. Finally, all you need to do is place your pizza in the oven and wait about ten minutes, checking your pizza a little before ten minutes to watch its progress, and when your pizza is cooked to the way you like it, take it out, let it cool down, and eat it!

The Pharos Gears up for Second Semester

Whew! We here at The Pharos can hardly believe how quickly the fall semester went by!

Spring 2008 brings a couple of changes for The Pharos. First, we now have a vacancy in the position of Sports Editor. We will continue to bring you the best sports news possible as we work to fill the position. Second, we have a new crop of writers thanks to the Newspaper Practicum class! We are very excited about these new people, as well as the experienced writers who are staying on staff from previous semesters.

Editors Zak Ritchie and Sarah Wilkinson look forward to another exciting semester of bringing you The Pharos. Be sure to email pharos@wvwc.edu with news tips and suggestions!