2015 was a rough year for both boxing movies (the over-the-top Southpaw) and Miles Teller (the disastrous Fantastic Four reboot). Both are looking for their redemption in Bleed for This, which just dropped its first trailer.
Though it treads some familiar ground, Bleed for This tells the true story of boxer Vinny Pazienza, a lightweight champion in the late ’80s and early ’90s. Nicknamed the Pazmanian Devil, his career was cut short by a neck injury he suffered in a car accident.
Despite a rough patch, Miles Teller is one of the most fascinating young actors working today. He’ll be paired with Aaron Eckhart as his corner man, who’s also needs a rebound. Nothing he’s done since The Dark Knight has really made an impression, but he’s also co-starring with Tom Hanks in the upcoming Sully. I’m also intrigued to see Ciaran Hinds, one of the world’s best character actors, go full Italian gangster as Vinny’s dad.
Bleed for This hits theaters just in time for Thanksgiving.
About Kip Mooney
Like many film critics born during and after the 1980s, my hero is Roger Ebert. The man was already the best critic in the nation when he won the Pulitzer in 1975, but his indomitable spirit during and after his recent battle with cancer keeps me coming back to read not only his reviews but his insightful commentary on the everyday. But enough about a guy you know a lot about.
I knew I was going to be a film critic—some would say a snob—in middle school, when I had to voraciously defend my position that The Royal Tenenbaums was only a million times better than Adam Sandler’s remake of Mr. Deeds. From then on, I would seek out Wes Anderson’s films and avoid Sandler’s like the plague.
Still, I like to think of myself as a populist, and I’ll be just as likely to see the next superhero movie as the next Sundance sensation. The thing I most deplore in a movie is laziness. I’d much rather see movies with big ambitions try and fail than movies with no ambitions succeed at simply existing. I’m also a big advocate of fun-bad movies like The Room and most of Nicolas Cage’s work.
In the past, I’ve written for The Dallas Morning News and the North Texas Daily, which I edited for a semester. I also contributed to Dallas-based Pegasus News, which in the circle of life, is now part of The Dallas Morning News, where I got my big break in 2007. Eventually, I’d love to write and talk about film full-time, but until that’s a viable career option, I work as an auditor for Wells Fargo.
I hope to one day meet my hero, go to the Toronto International Film Festival, and compete on Jeopardy. Until then, I’m excited to share my love of film with you.
