If you didn’t catch Mickey Rourke’s marvellous BAFTA acceptance speech, here it is in all its (bleeped) glory. For me, it’s moments like this that awards season is all about. (And I love the Richard Harris dedication — from one rebel talent to another.)
Comments
36 responses to ““It’s such a pleasure to be here, back out of the darkness.””
OSCAR. NOW.
LOL, go Mickey! Fuckin’ hilarious.
Brian: My thoughts exactly.
Wow, that was fucking lovely. I love that guy. I don’t think I want anything more right now than to see him win the Oscar.
I’ll be so pissed if Penn wins.
Brian, I agree. I want Mickey to win just as much as I want Heath to win.
Best speech (hell, best moment) of the awards season so far. Hands down.
Fuckin’ great speech. That’s what it is…
The thing is I want both Mickey and Sean to win so badly… Great performances. A tie would be a nice surprise.
YES! Rourke’s chances are much better now!
Okay, AMPAS, you royally screwed up on the nominations this year. If you want to retain ANY shred of dignity this season, Mickey Rourke will get that Oscar!
Mickey Rourke needs to win. Not for some speech, but because of his performance. Penn already has an undeserved Oscar.
I’d be happy with Sean Penn or Mickey Rourke winning, but Rourke sure gives a great speech.
I’m going to predict now that Mickey Rourke will not win the oscar. I have the same feeling for that category this year, that I had for Best Picture when Crash won a couple years ago. Brokeback Mountain had so much momentum that I had a feeling we were in for a surprise…and we got one. They are going to give it to Sean Penn. For political purposes I suppose. There was definitely a anti-Prop 8 sentiment within the movie industry, that I cannot help but think they will reward Penn because 1) it makes up for the Brokeback fiasco, and 2) if Milk gets snubbed in every category, the Pink Hand will come out in full force accusing members of homophobia. So Penn will pick up his second oscar, underservedly so.
I truely beleive that Penn deserves the oscar. I am not a Milk fanatic I want Slumdog Millionaire to win best picture and director. But Penn gave a breathtaking real performanc and truely disappeared into his role.
Rourke just wasn’t that involving or interesting a character in The Wrestler.
Constant Reader, I think most people still think Penn is the frontrunner. Rourke would be the surprise.
Head Wizard, the problem with that kind of claim is that in my opinion, it’s easier to impersonate someone than to create a character from scratch. It never ceases to amaze me how the Academy always awards impersonations rather than real character creations.
I’m a Mickey guy but I love, love, LOVED Penn in “Milk,” so it’s tough. I think in any other year, I’d say Penn deserves it head and shoulders above the rest, but Mickey was another beast altogether this year.
Rourke’s dedication to Richard Harris may turn out to be prophetic. Harris never won an Oscar either.
My problem with Mickey’s performance was how much of this was really Mickey’s life replayed and how much was really acting? I think AMPAS voters will ask the same question, especially the actors.
Just saw the Wrestler — you call that the best performance of the year? It’s a comeback performance for what exactly — he wasn’t well liked before nor did he star in films in that were oscar caliber films. It should be Sean Penn or Frank Langella — but really the best performance of the year is Leonardo Dicaprio in Revolutionary Road.
What is SO great about Mikey Rourke’s performance?
I find the reason for giving Penn the Oscar is in support of the prop 8 passage so ridiculous. How does that do anything for California Law and if i’m not mistaken, Los Angeles, the hub of hollywood voted Yes for Prop 8. Penn deserves the Oscar for being the best actor nominated. I agree that Dicaprio should have been nominated. Sorry but Richard Jenkins and Yes, Mikey Rourke have no business being in the race — both have one scene performances that are supposed to move us and that somehow gives you best actor? I’m surprised that Frank Langella has not gained more traction. Bafta’s seem to be anti-gay — they didn’t even give Milk best screenplay. Although In Bruges, is a great script.
Mikey Rourke’s nomination is truly reward enough, he should not win.
How about we have the first tie since Streisand/Hepburn, and everyone is happy? That would be wonderful…..
Oh…and Constant Reader,
or whatever you call yourself, I can’t think of anything more insulting than refering supporters of Sean Penn the “pink hand”. Why don’t you just call us faggots and get it over with. Idiot.
I don’t see how Penn winning will be inspired completely by the Academy’s supposed guilt over Prop 8 passing, or how it can make up for “Brokeback Mountain” losing to “Crash”; if the Academy really was concerned as such, then they should be looking to award “Milk” Best Picture. No, this is simply, and rightfully, a contest between two brilliant actors giving two amazing performances.
Jake, if you think that Jenkins and Rourke both give “one scene performances”, you obviously don’t know anything about acting.
Yeah, Penn must be the best because he was the loudest and biggest. Please.
And just because BAFTA didn’t award Milk anything does not mean they are anti-gay. Christ, is this what Oscar races are coming to? Nevermind the plethora of nominations, any gay themed film that doesn’t sweep the awards obviously lost due to homophobia. This has only happened with Brokeback.
I don’t really see how Penn winning would constitute some kind of statement about Prop 8 — it would just mean they’re impressed by the performance. It’s not as if they haven’t rewarded performances of homosexual characters before. William Hurt, Tom Hanks, Hilary Swank, Charlize Theron, Philip Seymour Hoffman … why would this be any different?
And to the person who labelled BAFTA “anti-gay” because they preferred another (better) screenplay, I’m assuming you were joking.
[…] too compelling to walk by. Judging by this video that InContention found on YouTube, Mr. Rourke is more than ready for his closeup. Rare, profane, sort of classy, that Mickey. Warms the cockles of the heart for those of us who […]
I do not think Penn should be awarded due to the Prop 8 stuff that is ridiculus. And D I am not certain that becoming a character and making one up are harder than another you still have to be realistic as that character and feel as that character does Penn does that has Harvey. As for Rourke the argument that he is playing himself I think might have merit but putting that aside I just didn’t find his character to have alot of depth or interest.
Denny == so tell me what is so great about Jenkins and Rourke’s performance since you seem to be the authority on acting. Have you seen Leonardo Dicarprio in RR???? Colin Farrell in In Bruges?
I truly would like to know what makes Jenkins great, I can understand to a certain extent Rourke.
Great male performers in 2008. From Sean Penn to Michael Fassbender passing by
Benicio, Downey Jr. (IronMan), Leo, Richard and Colin but the leading man of all of them is Mickey Rourke. He is at the top with Ledger for Performance of the Year.
One of the few redeeming aspects of the whole show.
“What is SO great about Mikey Rourke’s performance?”
If you have to ask…
I too would like to know what is so great about his perfomance, it’s good but everyone is making it out to be a performance of a lifetime. Why even nominate jenkins when no one thinks he will win and his reward is his nomination when so many actors were left out of the running.
“Why even nominate jenkins when no one thinks he will win and his reward is his nomination when so many actors were left out of the running.”
Uh, because he’s a terrific character actor finally getting the chance to flex his considerable acting muscles in a lead role? And if you buy the “why nominate someone who can’t win” argument, you may as well not bother having more than two nominees this year.
A nomination alone makes a world of difference to the career of an actor like Richard Jenkin or Melissa Leo. It’s not always about the winning.
Suspended for three months? Now he can’t compete at the ’09 AMPAS.
Yes, but shouldn’t every race be one that you can’t predict, they should truly believe that any one of them can win because they are truly the best of the bunch. I wasn’t saying that a nomination is not worth something, no one is arguing that, but to nominate someone for the sake of filling up a slot is crazy. there were better performances out there and I’m sure many of you will agree.
I like Leo, but John Hamm plays that character better than Leo did in Revolutionary Road.
The only reason people compare DiCaprio and Hamm’s respective performances is because they’re of a similar period and they wear similar clothes. The characters, in my opinion, couldn’t be any more opposed. Frank Wheeler WANTS to be Don Draper, but if anything, he’s more of a Pete Campbell.