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BOOK IT! (continued from page 69)<br />
The Fighter<br />
Rope a dope<br />
DISTRIBUTOR Paramount Pictures CAST Mark Wahlberg,<br />
Christian Bale, Melissa Leo, Amy Adams, Jack McGee<br />
DIRECTOR David O. Russell SCREENWRITER Scott Silver, Lewis<br />
Colick PRODUCERS Dorothy Aufiero, David Hoberman, Ryan<br />
Kavanaugh, Todd Lieberman, Paul Tamasy, Mark Wahlberg<br />
GENRE Drama/Sports RATING R for language throughout,<br />
drug content, some violence and sexuality RUNNING TIME<br />
115 min. RELEASE DATE <strong>December</strong> 10 ltd., <strong>December</strong> 17,<br />
<strong>2010</strong><br />
YOU COULD BE A CONTENDER<br />
Christian Bale schools Mark Wahlberg in The Fighter<br />
Amy Nicholson says … As bantamweight<br />
boxer ‘Irish’ Micky Ward, Mark Walhberg<br />
enters the ring to the Whitesnake power<br />
ballad “Here I Go Again on My Own,” the<br />
least apt anthem for a bruiser weighed down<br />
by an entourage that includes his manager,<br />
trainer, girlfriend, mother, father, brother<br />
and seven sisters. His problem is that he<br />
can’t go anywhere on his own—certainly<br />
not across the country from Lowell, MA to<br />
Las Vegas for paid training. David O. Russell’s<br />
family-first dramedy is powered by<br />
knockout performances, but doesn’t have<br />
much message or thrust. A slim film that<br />
carries itself like a champion, The Fighter<br />
will win praise and dollars that it doesn’t<br />
quite deserve; in this Oscar season, it’s a<br />
boxer elevating his stats by taking down<br />
weaker competition like The Town.<br />
Casino Jack<br />
Washington slush<br />
DISTRIBUTOR IDP/Samuel Goldwyn CAST Kevin Spacey,<br />
Kelly Preston, Jon Lovitz, Barry Pepper DIRECTOR George<br />
Hickenlooper SCREENWRITER Norman Snider PRODUCERS<br />
Gary Howsam, Bill Marks, George Zakk GENRE R for<br />
pervasive language, some violence and brief nudity<br />
RUNNING TIME 108 min. RELEASE DATE <strong>December</strong> 17 ltd.<br />
Barbara Goslawski says … Casino<br />
Jack is a refreshing take on the political<br />
crime drama. Part thriller, part comedy<br />
and very much a biopic, this complex<br />
film chronicles the rise and fall of Jack<br />
Abramoff, the most powerful lobbyist in<br />
Washington, during the latter part of the<br />
previous century. Director George Hickenlooper,<br />
who passed away suddenly last<br />
month, displays a level of flamboyance<br />
second only to Abramoff’s, as the director<br />
reveals the lobbyist’s delusions and manipulations<br />
to provide insight into how<br />
this seasoned artisan (or charlatan?) spun<br />
his aspirations past some of the most<br />
powerful figures in recent history. Kevin<br />
Spacey’s virtuoso performance is pitch<br />
perfect in this elaborate rondo—with him<br />
at the center of this tour de force, the film<br />
will draw a healthy and diverse crowd.<br />
70 BOXOFFICE DECEMBER <strong>2010</strong>
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