Most recently, she starred as the Vampire Queen in HBO’s “True Blood” and in the feature films “Whatever Works” and 2008’s “The Wrestler.”

Now she’s joined the cast of the Robert Redford-directed film "The Conspirator," which begins shooting this month in Georgia. It’s a historical drama about a Confederate sympathizer who was tried as a conspirator in the Lincoln assassination and the man who defended her before a military tribunal.

James McAvoy, Robin Wright Penn and Justin Long also star in the film. It’s been a while since Redford directed a film – most recently, 2007’s “Lions for Lambs.” But he has several films lined up as either director, producer, actor or all three, including “Against All Enemies,” “A Walk in the Woods,” and “The Company You Keep.”

Image: INF; Source; Hollywood Reporter

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It’s based on the true story of the Tonbridge Securitas robbery, which took place outside of London in February 2006, resulting in a haul worth $85 million. Former UFC fighter "Lightning" Lee Murray was reportedly behind the job.

Kerry Williamson is working on the script for XYZ Films, which Aronofsky is producing and may also direct. Sources include Jon Wertheim’s Sports Illustrated article, “Breaking the Bank,” as well as Howard Sounes’ nonfiction book, “Heist: The Inside Story of the World’s Biggest Robbery.”

My favorite Aronofsky films: “The Wrestler,” “Requiem for a Dream,” and “The Fountain.”

Image: INF (Darren Aronofsky and Rachel Weisz at the 2009 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Graydon Carter

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The indie drama written and directed by Mitch Glazer stars Rourke as a down-on-his-heels trumpet player in 1950s Los Angeles. His character finds redemption after attempting to save Fox’s angel from a gangster.

This could be interesting, not only because of Rourke and Fox, but because they’re paired with Glazer, who wrote the screenplay for Al Pacino’s “The Recruit” and Bill Murray’s “Scrooged.” It’s really kind of a mixed bag of personalities and brands here.

I just wonder if Rourke will be able to play roles other than a down-and-out character like his Randy the Ram in “The Wrestler.” Talk about typecasting.

Then again, his upcoming roles include a villain in “Iron Man 2” and a hit man in Walter Hill’s “St. Vincent.” I think everyone is cheering him on from the sidelines.

Photo Credit: Newscom

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I hope Mickey Rourke has one giant mantle someplace to put all the awards he’s winning. And someone should definitely create a coffee table book out of the speeches he’s giving.

The crowd at the Spirit Awards yesterday gave him a standing-o after his uncensored acceptance speech for winning the best actor award. The 56-year-old comeback kid and star of "The Wrestler" dedicated the award to his beloved Chihuahua, Loki, who passed away last week.

"I’ve just gotten thousands of letters from strangers and people that know me about my dog that died six days ago, Loki. This is for you, baby."

Rourke also gave a shout-out to his friend, actor Eric Roberts, calling Roberts "probably the best actor I have ever worked with. I don’t know why in the last 15 years, no one has given him the chance to show his s— again."

And although Rourke momentarily forgot his co-star’s name, he thanked Marisa Tomei, who played a stripper in "The Wrestler." "Not many girls can climb the pole," said Rourke. "She climbed the pole, and she did it well."

Is there any doubt that Rourke will win an Oscar tonight? If he does, he’ll be flying blind, as usual.

"I don’t have anything prepared," he said. "It’s out of my hands. My work speaks for itself, and the rest is a lot of gray and a lot of politics. If it’s about the work, that’s one thing. If it’s a popularity contest, that’s something else. If Sean [Penn] wins, he’s a friend of mine – I’ll stand up and clap for him."

Image: Picapp.com; Source: People.com

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I’ve been scouring the Web to see who’s got the best coverage, and The Hollywood Reporter has some excellent videos of filmmakers and actors up for awards on Sunday. Read on to see what Clint Eastwood, Ron Howard, Hugh Jackman, Amy Adams and others have to say about their projects.

In this clip, Ron Howard talks about making "Frost/Nixon," while Clint Eastwood gives his take on leading lady, Angelina Jolie:

Hugh Jackman tells us why making "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" made him feel "pretty badass," and which X-Men mutant might be even more popular than Wolverine. Say what?!

Think stars have it easy? Then listen to Amy Adams and Michelle Williams talk about the challenges they faced while making "Doubt" and "Wendy and Lucy."

Mickey Rourke wasn’t all that keen on making "The Wrestler" at first. Listen as he talks about his initial reservations and gaining a few pounds for the role.

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The film earned awards for best film, director (Danny Boyle), cinematography and adapted screenplay for writer Simon Beaufoy.

But my favorite new speech-giver is Mickey Rourke, who once again earned a best actor prize for his role in “The Wrestler.” As with his Golden Globes speech, he pulled no punches and dropped a few f-bombs among other colorful language. I can appreciate that.

After the jump, see the full list of BAFTA winners…

2009 BAFTA Winners

BEST FILM

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – Christian Colson
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Ceán Chaffin
FROST/NIXON – Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard
MILK – Dan Jinks, Bruce Cohen
THE READER – Anthony Minghella, Sydney Pollack, Donna Gigliotti, Redmond Morris

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM

MAN ON WIRE – Simon Chinn, James Marsh
HUNGER – Laura Hastings-Smith, Robin Gutch, Steve McQueen, Enda Walsh
IN BRUGES – Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin, Martin McDonagh
MAMMA MIA! – Judy Craymer, Gary Goetzman, Phyllida Lloyd, Catherine Johnson
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – Christian Colson, Danny Boyle, Simon Beaufoy

THE CARL FOREMAN AWARD

for Special Achievement by a British Director, Writer or Producer for their First Feature Film

STEVE McQUEEN (Director/Writer) – Hunger
SIMON CHINN (Producer) – Man On Wire
JUDY CRAYMER (Producer) – Mamma Mia!
GARTH JENNINGS (Writer) – Son of Rambow
SOLON PAPADOPOULOS, ROY BOULTER (Producers) – Of Time And The City

More about the Carl Foreman Award

DIRECTOR

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – Danny Boyle

CHANGELING – Clint Eastwood
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – David Fincher
FROST/NIXON – Ron Howard
THE READER – Stephen Daldry

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

IN BRUGES – Martin McDonagh
BURN AFTER READING – Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
CHANGELING – Joe Michael Straczynski
I’VE LOVED YOU SO LONG – Philippe Claudel
MILK – Dustin Lance Black

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – Simon Beaufoy
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Eric Roth
FROST/NIXON – Peter Morgan
THE READER – David Hare
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD – Justin Haythe

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

I’VE LOVED YOU SO LONG – Yves Marmion, Philippe Claudel
THE BAADER MEINHOF COMPLEX – Bernd Eichinger, Uli Edel
GOMORRAH – Domenico Procacci, Matteo Garrone
PERSEPOLIS – Marc-Antoine Robert, Xavier Rigault, Marjane Satrapi, Vincent Paronnaud
WALTZ WITH BASHIR – Serge Lalou, Gerhard Meixner, Yael Nahlieli, Ari Folman

More about this category

ANIMATED FILM

WALL•E – Andrew Stanton
PERSEPOLIS – Marjane Satrapi, Vincent Paronnaud
WALTZ WITH BASHIR – Ari Folman

LEADING ACTOR

MICKEY ROURKE – The Wrestler
FRANK LANGELLA – Frost/Nixon
DEV PATEL – Slumdog Millionaire
SEAN PENN – Milk
BRAD PITT – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

LEADING ACTRESS

KATE WINSLET – The Reader
ANGELINA JOLIE – Changeling
KRISTIN SCOTT THOMAS – I’ve Loved You So Long
MERYL STREEP – Doubt
KATE WINSLET – Revolutionary Road

SUPPORTING ACTOR

HEATH LEDGER – The Dark Knight
ROBERT DOWNEY JR. – Tropic Thunder
BRENDAN GLEESON – In Bruges
PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN – Doubt
BRAD PITT – Burn After Reading

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

PENÉLOPE CRUZ – Vicky Cristina Barcelona
AMY ADAMS – Doubt
FREIDA PINTO – Slumdog Millionaire
TILDA SWINTON – Burn After Reading
MARISA TOMEI – The Wrestler

MUSIC

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – A. R. Rahman
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Alexandre Desplat
THE DARK KNIGHT – Hans Zimmer, James Newton Howard
MAMMA MIA! – Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus
WALL•E – Thomas Newman

CINEMATOGRAPHY

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – Anthony Dod Mantle
CHANGELING – Tom Stern
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Claudio Miranda
THE DARK KNIGHT – Wally Pfister
THE READER – Chris Menges, Roger Deakins

EDITING

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – Chris Dickens
CHANGELING – Joel Cox, Gary D. Roach
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Kirk Baxter, Angus Wall
THE DARK KNIGHT – Lee Smith
FROST/NIXON – Mike Hill, Dan Hanley
IN BRUGES – Jon Gregory

As there was a tie in this category there are six nominations

PRODUCTION DESIGN

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Donald Graham Burt, Victor J. Zolfo CHANGELING – James J. Murakami, Gary Fettis
THE DARK KNIGHT – Nathan Crowley, Peter Lando
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD – Kristi Zea, Debra Schutt
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – Mark Digby, Michelle Day

COSTUME DESIGN

THE DUCHESS – Michael O’Connor
CHANGELING – Deborah Hopper
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Jacqueline West
THE DARK KNIGHT – Lindy Hemming
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD – Albert Wolsky

SOUND

SLUMDOG MILLIONARE – Glenn Freemantle, Resul Pookutty, Richard Pryke, Tom Sayers, Ian Tapp
CHANGELING – Walt Martin, Alan Robert Murray, John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff
THE DARK KNIGHT – Lora Hirschberg, Richard King, Ed Novick, Gary Rizzo
QUANTUM OF SOLACE – Jimmy Boyle, Eddy Joseph, Chris Munro, Mike Prestwood Smith, Mark Taylor
WALL•E – Ben Burtt, Tom Myers, Michael Semanick, Matthew Wood

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Eric Barba, Craig Barron, – Nathan McGuinness, Edson Williams
THE DARK KNIGHT – Chris Corbould, Nick Davis, Paul Franklin, Tim Webber
INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL – Pablo Helman, Marshall Krasser, Steve Rawlins
IRON MAN – Hal Hickel, Shane Patrick Mahan, John Nelson, Ben Snow
QUANTUM OF SOLACE – Chris Corbould, Kevin Tod Haug

MAKE UP & HAIR

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Jean Black, Colleen Callaghan
THE DARK KNIGHT – Peter Robb-King
THE DUCHESS – Daniel Phillips, Jan Archibald
FROST/NIXON – Edouard Henriques, Kim Santantonio
MILK – Steven E. Anderson, Michael White

SHORT ANIMATION

WALLACE AND GROMIT: A MATTER OF LOAF AND DEATH – Steve Pegram, Nick Park, Bob Baker
CODSWALLOP – Greg McLeod, Myles McLeod
VARMINTS – Sue Goffe, Marc Craste

SHORT FILM

SEPTEMBER – Stewart le Maréchal, Esther May Campbell
KINGSLAND #1 THE DREAMER – Kate Ogborn, Tony Grisoni
LOVE YOU MORE – Caroline Harvey, Anthony Minghella, Sam Taylor-Wood, Patrick Marber
RALPH – Olivier Kaempfer, Alex Winckler
VOYAGE D’AFFAIRES (THE BUSINESS TRIP) – Celine Quideau, Sean Ellis

More about the Shorts categories

ORANGE RISING STAR AWARD

NOEL CLARKE
MICHAEL CERA
MICHAEL FASSBENDER
REBECCA HALL
TOBY KEBBELL

More about this year’s nominees

OUTSTANDING BRITISH CONTRIBUTION TO CINEMA

PINEWOOD STUDIOS AND SHEPPERTON STUDIOS

Find out more

ACADEMY FELLOWSHIP

TERRY GILLIAM

Image: Copyright and TM, 20th Century Fox Film Corp., All Rights Reserved; Source: BAFTA

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Here’s the catch: His character masquerades as a priest who ends up hearing the confession of the man he’s supposed to take out.

Am I misremembering, or didn’t Rourke have a priest in NYC who helped him through some rough times? Maybe that was another guy who dropped out of Hollywood for a while…

Directing “St. Vincent” is Walter Hill, who also directed Rourke in the 1989 gangster film “Johnny Handsome.” Shooting is scheduled to start later this year.

Catch Rourke in “The Wrestler,” in theaters right now. Read my review here.

Image: TM and copyright 20th Century Fox Film Corp.; Source: Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

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And thanks for my next Film Gecko Five – Bloodiest Movies. But I need your help, Geckos, because I don’t watch a lot of the blood and gore. What are your favorite bloody movies?

I’ll start with a poll, but feel free to add your own or tell me your favorites in the comments section. After a few days, I’ll pick the top five and run a Film Gecko Five. Let’s go! n

Image: Amazon.com

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5. “Diner” (1982). Rourke played Robert “Boogie” Sheftell in this classic that also starred Kevin Bacon, Timothy Daly, Daniel Stern, and Steve Guttenberg. The movie is set in 1959 Baltimore and follows a bunch of college-aged guys on their journey into adulthood. [IMDB Page]

4. “The Rainmaker” (1997). Big fan of John Grisham books and movies here, and this is a fab film directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Matt Damon, Danny DeVito and Claire Danes. Rourke played a character named Bruiser Stone. [IMDB Page]

3. “Nine 1/2 Weeks” (1986). Rourke seemed to specialize in erotic movies for a while, and between this and “1989’s “Wild Orchid,” he had the market covered for a few years. Kim Basinger played the woman with whom he shared a steamy affair. [IMDB Page]

2. “Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man” (1991). I may be the only person on the planet who liked this movie, but I’m a fan of both Mickey Rourke and Don Johnson, who decide to help a friend by robbing a bank in this buddy movie. [IMDB Page]

1. “The Wrestler” (2009). Yes, this is the best Mickey Rourke movie to date, and it made the number one slot. Have you seen it yet? It’s got some kick-ass wrestling moves, plenty of blood, and a few sex scenes. But if you can get past all that, it’s a great character study of a broken down man, and Rourke knows something about that. [Film Gecko Review]

Image: The Wrestler, TM and copyright, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp. All Rights Reserved; Amazon.com

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I saw "The Wrestler" with my 14-year-old son (I don’t recommend it, though – too much sex), and without knowing anything about the storyline, he thought it was a documentary. That’s how good Mickey Rourke is in this role. He’s not just playing a broken down shell of a man who’s all alone. He actually IS that man. So I’m guessing when he thanked his dogs in his Golden Globe speech — "sometimes all a man’s got is his dogs" — he knew what he was talking about.

And watching the movie, it’s hard to imagine anyone else in this role. They couldn’t have cast some pretty boy who’s at the top of his game. It just wouldn’t have been authentic. So … kudos to whomever cast Mickey Rourke in "The Wrestler." Well done.

The story follows Rourke’s character, Randy "The Ram" Robinson. He’s an old wrestler who should have retired years ago. But it’s all he knows, so he spends his days doing matches in gym auditoriums for fans who’ve followed him for years.

Randy is beaten and broken down, both emotionally and physically, surviving on a diet of pills and injections, but still spending money to get his long hair bleached and his body tanned. When he’s not getting pummeled in the ring – and I mean pummeled – he hangs out at a seedy strip club and tries to make time with an exotic dancer named Pam a.k.a. Cassidy (Marisa Tomei). She’s trying to move on with her life, and just not sure she wants to get involved with this mess of a guy. But you get the feeling she sees something gentle underneath his grizzled exterior.

Randy also has an estranged daughter, Stephanie, he hasn’t seen in years, played by Evan Rachel Wood. He truly wants to have some sort of relationship with this girl, but his fumbled attempts aren’t helping much.

"The Wrestler" is one of those movies that sucks you in and makes you feel for all these characters. They’re all in rough shape, one way or another. It’s really a character study, more than a movie with a defined plot. The main plot revolves around Randy’s pathetic existence and his relationships, with side-plots involving a heart attack he suffers after a particularly rough match, and a possible re-match with a famed wrestler he took on 20 years ago.

But even though his life is pathetic, he keeps on trying, takes a minimum wage job in a store and ends up working, of all places, in the deli department. I kept telling my son, yeah, I’d love to buy sliced ham and potato salad from this guy.

The R rating is spot on. My son was fine with it, because he’s a budding filmmaker who sees a lot of movies that might be too intense for other kids. But there’s lots of wrestling violence – including several REALLY bloody scenes – and several scenes of nudity in the strip club, as well as one outright sex scene.

In summary, "The Wrestler" is a great character study with all the right actors in their roles and authentic settings. As my son says, it seems like a documentary about a broken down guy, and it sort of is in a way.

The only reason I didn’t give it five geckos is because I thought the ending was kind of a throw-away. It seemed like a commercial ending, and didn’t seem true to the movie.

What about you? Did you like "The Wrestler"? Did the ending seem true to you, and not too commercial?

Images: TM and copyright, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp. All Rights Reserved.

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