I finally saw another Oscar Worthy film this weekend, Mickey Rourke in the Wrestler. However it was snubbed for Best Picture.

As a big wrestling fan, I've been intrigued by this film, I've been wanting to see it. It shows the side of wrestlers, that the fans don't see. It is a side that I hear about. You can find on YouTube clips about former WWF stars like Jake the Snake Roberts going on some sad drunken tirades in high school gym shows.

Darren Aronofsky's direction was brilliant in this movie. The cinematography of the film was excellent. Non wrestling fans may not know, but some wrestling shots such as the stage entrance is commonly used to convey Randy The Ram Robinson's everyday life.

The acting was great, Mickey Rourke is a stellar actor, but under appreciated. Vivian was raving a bout how he use to be hot especially because of 9 1/2 weeks. I never saw 9 1/2 weeks. The only other Rourke movie I can rave over him is Sin City. He played Marv perfectly. Supposedly, he's a victim of botched plastic surgery. I like Mickey Rourke as a rugged tough man's man. Rourke is a serious Oscar contender.

Marrisa Tomei gives a good performance as a stripper, who's life also parallels Rourke's character. I wouldn't call it Oscar worthy though. Random TNA and independent wrestlers also make cameos. It makes the film more realistic and adds credibility to the genre. People also raved over Rachel Evan Woods' performance. i saw nothing special. I though she was just the basic angry estranged daughter character.

Excellent plot.The movie shows what multiple chair shots to the head can do. It's sad to see an old wash-up hobbling around in a grocery store. It's even sadder to see someone continuing to hold on to something that's no longer there. The story may have been a little too extreme, knowing that guys like Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels, and Rick Flair are still alive with their wealth. A scene at an autograph signing reminded me of a random day, me and my buddy Mark took a picture with the Sheik at an Elephant Bar. Sheik told us he had just survived a liver disease. But he was a wrestler with a familiar name, so we thought it was cool, and I happen to have my own belt in the car. As it turns out there were a billion different Sheiks throughout wrestling history so I don't know which one he was. But it was worth the random $5 me and Mark paid for the picture.

The movie brought back old memories. When I was younger, I use to want to be like Hulk Hogan. Therefore I packed on some pounds when I was in 3rd grade. I've gone to many shows during my late teens and early 20s. The Wrestler did make me pause and wonder whatever happened to all the other wrestlers that kept me entertained as a child. Of course the big names are living decently, but what about wrestlers who may have not been a Hogan or a Flair. What are the little guys like Demolition, Jim the Anvil Neidhart, Tito Santana and Totanka up to nowadays?

I'm not so much into wrestling anymore. The art has been in its dying stages trumped by cagefightingl. However, I'll catch a Raw or a Smackdown every now and then. I like to watch my fellow Filipino Batista light up the ring. He looks like a really big mean wrestler, but he is a very cool chill guy. I had the pleasure of interviewing him some years back, and still have an autographed poster dangling on my cubicle wall. Can't wait to meet him again.

Like I said, Frost Nixon and The Reader, I'll probably never watch it, I would like to see Milk, since it portrays San Francisco, and a cause that I do support. But biographies don't really rank high when it comes to taking home the statuette. This film should have been up for Best Picture in my mind. I can't wait to see what happens on Oscar Night when Mickey Rourke rumbles with Brad Pitt and Frank Langella. I am still upset that this film didn't pin down a Best Picture Oscar Nomination.