Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Wrestlemaniac

(2006) **

JSP already reviewed this this year, and so did Catfreeek. I won't spend too much time on plot since it's been retold already, but I will say that the setting of Mexico, the culture, and the temptation of mom's homemade fajitas made my mouth water. The mariachi opening music got me up and dancing around but before long I was sitting, bored, and hating all the characters. If I knew more about the sportsmanship of the wrestling ring I might have more to say about this movie. At the time I thought it was fun and alright, but the more time passes by I am looking forward to just moving on to greater things.

A band of misfits set out on the road to Cabo San Lucas to shoot a porn movie. I barely even caught their names, nor did I care much to know them. Pothead, Male Chauvinist Pig, Fat Guy, and the 3 Scantily-Clad Women. I found myself applauding the "threat" to these very hated characters, and I was grinding my teeth at every mispronounced Spanish word (I just hate my White colonialist ancestors). One of my favorite moments is when one of them tries to powerwalk their way out of the ghost town La Sangre de Dios. Really, bud?

What matters most is the character portrayed by Rey Misterio: one badass luchador that takes his matches seriously. Why does he kill? Why not? It's the same sort of unjustified reckless killing that I viewed in the film 100 Tears two years ago. Slasher kills people because that's who he is as a person. I'm cool with that.

8 comments:

JPX said...

It sounds like this one was somewhat of an endurance test for you. I know very little about wrestling (everything I know I learned from JSP) so this is the kind of movie that wouldn't grab me. When JSP pulls out his old VHS tapes of 1980s wrestling, run!

Like zombies and vampires I'm tired of the slasher genre.

AC said...

another example of the review itself out-entertaining the movie it's based on.

Catfreeek said...

Oh there is some entertainment value here, but only for those who appreciate wrestling and gratuitous t&a.

Trevor said...

I've seen a couple documentaries on luch libre, and I even used to attend the matches when i lived in Mexico during college. With the variety of masks, there's some definite horror film potential, but it sounds like this was a false start.

Catfreeek said...

Crystal I keep laughing to myself picturing you cursing at the tv trying to correct their pronunciation. Makes me think of Cheech Marin in Born in East LA trying to coach the OTM's (other than Mexicans) how to fit in in LA.

Octopunk said...

I work with some guys who took a trip to Mexico for a shoot and they went to a wrestling match and there were even midget wrestlers at some point. They loved it and I still don't get it.

Johnny Sweatpants said...

What's there to get? Wrestling is incredible.

I should have pointed out that this is not former WWE champion Rey Mysterio Jr. (who was amazing in his prime) but his old fat uncle (who was a luchador legend himself apparently).

Catfreeek said...

There were midget wrestlers at the East Providence Heritage Festival this summer.

Malevolent

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