For years now, I’ve been a vocal proponent for the idea of writer/director Kevin Smith moving beyond the genre that made him and trying to stretch himself as an artist. When he signed on to handle The Green Hornet I was excited (and frankly, he couldn’t have done worse than what we wound up with). When it was rumored that he was penning one of a variety of superhero movies (Superman, Batman, and... 

I’ve said before that I’m not a huge fan of sports, which generally means I’m not a huge fan of sports movies. In fact, it takes a pretty good movie with sports as a central focus to intrigue me, let alone impress me. The Fighter wins those accolades on several counts. First, it’s a movie full of fantastic performances that are sure to be talked about for some time. Secondly, this is a story...