Above: Mickey Rourke visited a Russian prison to prepare for his role in Iron Man 2

In an new and fascinating interview with Mickey Rourke over at The Guardian, the actor touches upon everything from his days living in a $600-a-month apartment to his comeback role in The Wrestler to losing his entire family to the preparations he had to make for his part in Iron Man 2 to how he really feels about all these superhero movies. One part you Iron Man fans might find interesting was when Rourke talks about having to learn Russian for his role as Tony Stark's nemesis Ivan (aka Whiplash). According to Rourke, he'll be speaking Russian for most of the film.

He says, "I decided to do half my role in Russian, and that's hard because the Russian language doesn't roll off the English-speaking tongue very easily. I spent three hours a day with a teacher, and after two weeks I know four sentences! Let me see, it's sort of like... 'Yezzamee menya... Yezzamee manya obott... Er, nemaboootty menya...'" He later adds the translation: "If someone kills me, don't wake me up, because I'd rather be dead than live in your world." But even though he's co-starring in what is perhaps next year's biggest superhero film, Rourke still isn't too keen on those types of movies. He notes, "I'm not gonna rush out and see the next Batman, I'm not big on formula movies. I don't like all that Spider-Man shit."

On his future projects, Rourke briefly talks about his upcoming role in The Expendables ("Stallone, when I was flat broke and I could hardly pay for a bowl of spaghetti in a restaurant, gave me a couple of weeks on Get Carter, and that paid my f**kin' rent for eight months"), and says he'd like to get Mick Jagger to star opposite him in Larry Clark's Mona Lisa. Check out the entire interview over at The Guardian - it's a fun read.

The Wrestler
For all its indie cred, adult language, and exposed body parts, Darren Aronofsky's film follows a well-trod path through sports movie cliches. Still, it's anchored by Mickey Rourke's empathetic, "I've been there and I know that" performance as a world-weary wrestler, and Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood provide needed counterbalance as a wary stripper and unforgiving daughter, respectively. Also on Blu-ray. Rent it.

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Frost/Nixon
Peter Morgan's adaptation of his own stage play supplies all the "based on truth" dramatic hay that's needed, while Michael Sheen and Frank Langella sparkle in the title roles. Ron Howard's movie feels very much like a television production; as an actors' showcase, it's fine for what it is, without illuminating deeper truths. Also on Blu-ray. Rent it.

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Caprica
I've watched and watched without being converted into the worshipful fold, but for Battlestar Galactica fans already suffering from withdrawal, you can get your fix with this prequel starring Eric Stolz and Esai Morales. I'm sure it's the best thing ever made, and that you will play it over and over again. Buy it.

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Wolverine and the X-Men: Heroes Return Trilogy
First three episodes of the animated TV series. "With great tragedy in their past and their future, Wolverine must lead Xavier's disillusioned heroes against the forces of fate and destiny. Only together can the X-Men steer the course of history away from catastrophe and save us all." Doesn't that sound cool, kids? Rent it.

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Also out: Into the Blue 2: The Reef (featuring bikinis and beefcake).

After the jump: Indies on DVD, more Blu-ray picks, and Collector's Corner.

400 Screens, 400 Blows is a weekly column that takes an in-depth look at the films playing below the radar, beneath the top ten, and on 400 screens or less.

The Oscars are history now and soon people won't even be able to remember the winners. But I keep thinking about that Best Actor race that came down to a near-draw between Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler (291 screens) and Sean Penn for Milk (111 screens). My group, the San Francisco Film Critics Circle, simply called it a tie. We agreed that both men gave the performance of their lifetimes. Other critics groups and other year-end awards also split between them; there was no clear consensus. For my annual predictions, I went with my gut on this one: I got the vague impression that, just from the cultural temperature, people were really into Rourke. But Penn won. And now that it's over -- with some hindsight -- it makes perfect sense. The Oscars didn't want to ruin The Wrestler for us.

In this week's edition of Indie Roundup, we begin with prison and end with a liberating acceptance speech.

Deals. Tough prison drama Bronson has been acquired by Magnet Releasing, the genre arm of Magnolia Pictures. Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn (the Pusher trilogy) and starring Tom Hardy as the real-life inmate who adopted the name and persona of the titular tough guy movie star, Bronson moved Scott Weinberg to describe it as "raw, blistering, harsh and compelling in the way that only a really good 'prison film' can be." [via indieWIRE]

News. In unhappy distribution news, "after 43 years in business, New Yorker Films has ceased operations." That's the simple statement posted on their official site. Eugene Hernandez at indieWIRE notes that the company has "a legendary legacy, boasting a long-standing track record in international film distribution, bringing a staggering number of international auteurs to this country's movie theaters over more than four decades. The company's crucial role in establishing a lasting film culture in this country cannot be underestimated."

Indeed, New Yorker Films played a crucial role in my own personal education, giving me the opportunity to see challenging work like Werner Herzog's Aguirre, the Wrath of God, Wim Wenders' The American Friend, and Wayne Wang's Chan is Missing, among many others.David Hudson at IFC's The Daily rounds up reactions ranging from dismay to shock. Reportedly, the company's film library will be sold off at auction to satisfy a loan taken out by its former owner.

After the jump: Indie Weekend Box Office, San Jose's Cinequest opens, and Mickey Rourke's Spirit Awards speech.

Just in time for the Oscars -- our friend Weston over at Funny or Die sent along this new video from the comedy site that spoofs The Wrestler trailer with a preview for a film called The Uncler -- about how Uncle Sam (Seth Morris) is desperately trying to climb his way back into our good graces, all while charming the top off a local stripper/lady liberty (played by my childhood crush Alyssa Milano). Jake Szymanski directs this high-quality video that's pretty damn funny; I especially like the little recession facts that take the place of awards won and fancy critic quotes.

Check out the video below and let us know what you think. Also, head after the jump to watch the real trailer for The Wrestler to compare the two. Yeah ... who's your boss?!

The Uncler w/ Uncle Sam and Alyssa Milano from Alyssa Milano

Most of us complain about the Academy Awards, which will be presented next Sunday, but most of us can't do anything about them. In the first place, most of us can't even vote for them!

Ah, but the Independent Spirit Awards are different: almost anyone can vote for them. All you have to do is become a member of Los Angeles-based Film Independent (annual membership: $95) and then register to vote.

The Film Nest has an interesting article on someone who went through the process. Film Independent members in general have no input into the nomination process, but after the nominations were announced, members could choose to receive DVD screeners of the nominees or attend special, one-time-only screenings at a local theater. Ultimately only eight of the 30-plus nominated films were made available on screeners, so conscientious voters had to trek down to the theater if they hadn't already seen the nominees.

With all the attention given to the Oscars, and more recently to the Berlin film fest and the concurrent European Film Market, "it may be easy to forget that the Independent Spirit Awards happen next weekend," as Matt Dentler blogs, He discusses the nominees for Best Feature (Ballast, Frozen River, Rachel Getting Married, Wendy and Lucy, The Wrestler) and other categories, and gives his thoughts on who might win. There's a lot of "Who knows?" inherent in the Spirit Awards, and part of that is because voting is so much more open than the Academy.

That openness is just one of the reasons why the Spirit Awards are so much fun to watch. The awards will be presented in Santa Monica, California, next Saturday afternoon, February 21, and you can watch the show live on cable channel IFC and rebroadcast later that evening on AMC.

"Oh, good grief, it's Oscar."
--Lucille Bluth, "Arrested Development"

(The following post is written to the tune of Bruce Springsteen's "The Wrestler," which was not among those nominated for Best Original Song when the 81st Academy Award nominations were announced earlier today.)

Have you ever seen a one trick pony in the field so happy and free?
We'd call 'em by another name, the Academy
Have you ever seen a piece of pap that they all wouldn't eat?
If you've ever seen that Crash, then you'd agree.

Then you'd agree, The Dark Knight should've had more of a shot
Then you'd agree, Gran Torino deserved to go home with naught
Then you'd agree, I'm struggling to come up with just one more bon mot
Tell me, friend, can you ask for anything more?
We sure as hell would've asked for a whole lot more

Couldn't Let the Right One In have been recognized outside of Foreign?
If they'd even seen that movie, then they'd agree
Didn't The Reader leave most of these guys snorin'?
If they'd stayed up for this movie, then they'd agree

Then you'd agree, Dear Zachary... shouldn't have been snubbed from the start
Then you'd agree, The Fall was a tremendous work of art (direction)
Then you'd agree, they left off Gommorah too, old fart after old fart
Tell me, friend, can you ask for anything more?
We really would've asked for a whole lot more

Those nods that have comforted me, I drive away
For all of Milk's attention, I just cannot feel gay
The snubs here and there have caused far too much dismay

Have you ever seen a year where AMPAS actually got it right?
I'll plan to watch something else that February night...

Last-ish but not least-ish so far as awarding year-end, um, awards goes, the Online Film Critics Society has decided to honor Wall-E with its top prize, not to mention Best Original Screenplay and Best Animated Feature.

Numbers-wise, The Dark Knight and Let the Right One In co-dominated with four awards each. Christopher Nolan took home Best Director for the former, which also won Best Supporting Actor for Heath Ledger's performance, Best Cinematography and Best Original Score. The latter won Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Foreign Language Film, and both Breakthrough awards -- for director Tomas Alfredson and young actress Lina Leandersson.

It was then The Wrestler with two wins (Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress), and one awards each for Wendy and Lucy (Best Actress), Man on Wire (Best Documentary), and Slumdog Millionaire (Best Editing). Truth be told, I'm kind of glad to see the love spread around, although I say that with an already established fondness for most of these films, and even if I wasn't the biggest fan of Wendy and Lucy, I can admit that it got just the award it deserves.

Nominations for the 61st annual Writers Guild of America awards are in, with a lot of names that will probably come up again in two weeks, when the Oscar nominations are announced.

In the original screenplay category, the films and their authors are Burn After Reading (Joel Coen and Ethan Coen), Milk (Dustin Lance Black), Vicky Cristina Barcelona (Woody Allen), The Visitor (Tom McCarthy), and The Wrestler (Robert Siegel). The Coens won WGA awards for Fargo and No Country for Old Men, and Allen has won four times, most recently for 1990's Crimes & Misdemeanors.

For adapted screenplay, the nominees are: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Eric Roth), The Dark Knight (Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan), Doubt (John Patrick Shanley), Frost/Nixon (Peter Morgan), and Slumdog Millionaire (Simon Beaufoy). Roth previously won this award for Forrest Gump, and Shanley won for Moonstruck. If you're wondering, The Dark Knight counts as "adapted" because it uses pre-existing characters. (The Oscars have the same rule.)

What does this mean for Oscar-watchers? In the adapted category, of the 120 nominees since 1984 (prior to that the WGA had separate categories for drama and comedy), 90 of them -- 75% -- have also been nominated for Oscars. But 11 of those WGA-but-not-Oscar nominees have happened in the last eight years alone, and some folks think the WGA-omitted Revolutionary Road and/or The Reader might get some Oscar love.

The original screenplay category is almost exactly the same story, with 31 WGA nominees not getting Oscar nods, 14 of those in the last eight years. Among the much-praised original screenplays that might get Oscar attention despite being overlooked by the WGA are Rachel Getting Married and Synecdoche, New York.

The WGA awards will be announced Feb. 7. You can see the entire list of nominees, including documentaries and TV shows (yay 30 Rock!), here.

Talk about a comeback -- Mickey Rourke has gone from wrestling his way back into our hearts to getting cast in what is perhaps the biggest blockbuster of 2010: Iron Man 2. Variety tells us that Rourke is in talks to play a villain that's described as "Tony Stark's Russian alter ego, a heavily tattooed bruiser who is in the arms trade and battles Iron Man in his own nuclear-powered armored suit." Though the script isn't finished yet, most likely the character will be that of Crimson Dynamo. From Wiki: "The first Crimson Dynamo was also the creator of the armor: Professor Anton Vanko. A Soviet scientist of Armenian birth with a PhD, Vanko was the world's foremost expert on electricity. He built a suit that was wired up to perform electric miracles, making him a human dynamo. The Crimson Dynamo battle-suit allowed him to control electricity in all of its forms, allowing him to fire devastating bolts of electricity. It also allowed him to fly." THR, however, mentions that Rourke is playing the villain Whiplash, who's also known as Blacklash, "a man with deadly, technologically enhanced coils." Rourke also signed on to star in Sylvestor Stallone's The Expendables, as reported earlier, which means the man is taking all he can get.

According to casting calls, they still need to cast an "Eastern European, brilliant, gritty" male lead in his thirties and a "beautiful [female lead who] speaks several languages fluently and is equally proficient in martial arts" in her twenties, who is Tony Stark's assistant Natasha (as per THR). Mickey Rourke playing villain in Iron Man 2? What do you think about all this? We'll have more as it develops -- Iron Man 2 hits theaters on May 7, 2010.

UPDATE: Sam Rockwell is also circling the role of Stark rival Justin Hammer (which takes care of our "Eastern European, brilliant, gritty" male lead").