- 01/07/2009 (5:05:55 pm)
- Georgiann Makropoulos
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Mick Foley's myspace blog:
January 7, 2009 - Wednesday
Further Ramblings on "The Wrestler" FURTHER RAMBLINGS ON THE WRESTLER January 7, 2009 Thanks for all the feedback concerning my response to the Sports Illustrated review. It was good to get my feelings out there so as not to cloud my holidays. I especially want to thank Jim Murphy of "The Savage Science" MMA site, Kevin Eck of the Baltimore Sun and my friend, good ol' J.R. (who I hope to see at tomorrow's BCS Championship game), not only for their analysis but for pointing out some of the positive things I have been involved with. I understand my last entry was very lengthy and may have caused a little confusion about my main point of contention. My problem with the Sports Illustrated piece was really not centered around being called "homeless looking" or being compared to the Mickey Rourke character in The Wrestler but rather the overall image the review created of me as a down on his luck loser, barely scraping by. I do understand that even most positive stories I have been associated with have mentioned my appearance in a humorous way. The National Enquirer even managed to refer to me as both "the bear like grappler" and "the pear shaped brawler" in the same positive article. Despite my misgivings about the term "homeless looking" (especially in today's economy with so many people either out of their homes or teetering on the brink of homelessness) that term could still be part of a positive article. For example, if the SI article had read "that homeless looking fellow turned out to be wrestler Mick Foley who was reviewing the movie for the prestigious web site, Slate.com. Not only was his insight into the film invaluable, but as a well-known Christmas fanatic, the pear shaped brawler (who can be seen weekly on TNA Impact) was thrilled about his upcoming appearance as Santa Claus at that evening's Twisted Sister Holiday Show. To reiterate a point from my Slate piece, I definitely felt an emotional connection to Rourke's character. Certainly I could identify with the Ram's physical plight and with some of the emotional struggles Rourke's character endures. At several points during the film (especially when viewing it a second time) I couldn't help but think that had a few big things not worked out, that this character could have been me. So, if Adam Deurson's references to me had been hypothetical instead of factual in nature, I would not have been offended. I did realize after reading my Slate review that I could have been a little clearer about my meeting with a successful and respected Hollywood producer who felt that I might be the guy to write the great wrestling movie. Many readers thought I was writing of a meeting with Aranofsky and that the movie in question was The Wrestler. Actually, the meeting I wrote of was not associated with The Wrestler in any way but was instead a talk with Brian Koppleman, writer of Rounders and Oceans 13 and producer of The Illusionist and The Lucky Ones, which was just named by the Daily News as one of the top movies of 2008. Koppleman felt and apparently still feels that I might one day be able to pen a script worthy of the big screen. I regret any confusion my review may have caused. As I mentioned, I had a chance to see The Wrestler for a second time (this time with my wife). I think I enjoyed the film even more the second time around as I was able to really absorb so many of the subtleties that I may have overlooked the first time. Aranofsky's attention to detail is incredible and Rourke's character is so deep and conflicted that I look forward to picking up on all of the film's nuances when it eventually gets many repeat viewings inside the Foley Christmas room. I also made it a point to pay attention to the reactions of a real paying audience and was intrigued by much of their feedback. Not only was I reminded of how humorous the movie actually was at many points but I really gained a further appreciation for just what a great scene the extreme hardcore match pitting Rourke's Ram character against Necro Butcher was. I hope viewers will pay special attention to the rollercoaster ride that this scene – like every good pro wrestling match – provides them. I enjoyed spotting people in the film I knew personally, from wrestler Nigel McGuinness to long time fan, Evan Ginsberg (playing the role of long time fan, Evan Ginsberg) to actor Juda Friedlander, who I completely overlooked the first time around. I think I even spotted Afa's daughter in one of the scenes. After this second viewing, I kind of feel like I owe Aranofsky an apology for not detecting a small but important detail which resulted in an inaccurate criticism I expressed in my review for Slate. I was critical of a locker room steroid transaction, feeling that it was unlike anything I had seen in my 23 years in the wrestling business. When I watched the movie for the second time, I clearly saw that the transaction went down in the locker room of a small hardcore weight lifting gym, not in the locker room of a wrestling show. I have been in my share of large chain gyms – Gold's, Power House, Bally's, World, etc. – over the years, but haven't stepped foot inside a true hardcore gym in well over a decade. As such, my opinion on whether or not such a scene is realistic is not an educated one and therefore, should not have been expressed in my review. Speaking of Afa, the man who trained Rourke for the movie,…is there a nicer, classier gentleman in our business than this WWE hall of famer? I have been lucky to call Afa a friend for over 20 years since spending time with him on one of my ill-fated tours of Nigeria back in 1987. His transition from ultrabelievable Samoan wild man to beloved elder statesman of the wrestling business, sets an example for any wrestler looking to make the transition from the ring to the larger arena of life. A few years ago I had the opportunity to observe Afa for several days as he trained wrestling prospects in Italy. At the conclusion of the training, the prospects attended a dinner/festival where they said their goodbyes to Afa and his family. Despite the fact that these young men had known Afa for only a week, and despite the obvious language barrier, most of them were visibly moved, many to the point of tears, with a few proclaiming the experience to be the best of their lives. Here's to you Pops, keep up the great work. I think this movie opens up so many opportunities for dialogue about different aspects of the wrestling business – aspects I will try to touch on over the next few months on this my space. For now, however, I am going to concentrate on my big upcoming match at Genesis and doing my best to be part of something that will live up to expectations. I hope many of you will enjoy my promo airing on the January 8th impact. I feel like it is one of the best things I have done in a long time. I realized when watching The Wrestler, for that second time, that I may have been subconsciously inspired by the speech Rourke gave in his climactic scene at the Ring of Honor show. Which would make my promo a case of life imitating art, imitating life…or something at least kind of like it.
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