#105 – At The Movies

The scholars give their review of The Iron Claw, and talk about the weird history of Wrestling-Centric films and why the quality is all over the place. The Scholars preview their Iron Claw talk, then chat about the prediction that Amazon will win the TV rights to Monday Night Raw, and what it would mean […]

The scholars give their review of The Iron Claw, and talk about the weird history of Wrestling-Centric films and why the quality is all over the place.

The Scholars preview their Iron Claw talk, then chat about the prediction that Amazon will win the TV rights to Monday Night Raw, and what it would mean in terms of changes in audience, content, and length of the program. (05:54)

Then the scholars talk about their experiences seeing Sean Durkin’s Von Erich family drama film The Iron Claw. They chat about the quality of the actual wrestling in the film, how it deftly tackled the idea of kayfabe, and where it took creative liberties with reality. They also talk about the film’s artistic merits including how Durkin’s former films gave Andrew interesting expectations going in and informed the “dream sequence” towards the end of the film. They also rank the performances (these can always change!) (15:53)

Finally, the scholars look at the history of pro wrestling on film. They talk about addressing kayfabe, what happens when wrestling companies themselves produce films (No Holds Barred and Ready to Rumble), and the more artsy fare that attempts to find truth in wrestling (The Wrestler). They also explore hidden gems about wrestling that neither were aware of like a nihilistic noir film from the master of the heist film, or a Sly Stallone movie that totally isn’t at all like Rocky. (43:00)

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