24 May 2012

Dark Depressing

This movie makes NO sense. An incomplete story, very frustrating to sit through all the agony and despair for nothing! I am amazed that ANYONE liked this movie. I am just thankful that I didn't see it in the theater...what a waste of time and money that would have been.

alexbrough888

23 May 2012

Mesmerising

'It was perfect'... the final words spoken in the film and you will behard pressed to disagree. You will walk out of the cinema knowing youhave just seen something special. Everything from the sound effects ofthe toe-cracking and the nail-clipping to the mesmerising performancefrom Natalie Portman just illustrate perfection from start to finish.A lot of 'Requiem' can be noticed throughout; the roller-coaster ofemotion that descends into insanity at such a variable rate - sometimeseasing and slowing down, and then suddenly plummeting into a deep oceanof complete despair, you live it and feel it in the same way Nina does.The gradual blurring of reality and Nina's dark fantasies is a realtriumph for the director.Overall I think what grips you the most is the erratic pace throughoutthe film, much like the movements of the Swan in the ballet sometimesassured, sometimes deeply confused, often desperate. Strong themes ofduality with so many layers - so much could be analysed on so manydifferent levels, in this respect it is almost Shakespearean.Truly one of the greatest films I have ever seen.

22 May 2012

Carrie?

Simply? It just went too too far with the drama. It makes a LOT of sense that the director was working on something like, "Wolverine." Unfortunately, I think that the gruesomeness and sex scene went way over the top in a teenage sort of way. Natalie Portman's actin was carrying it along just fine without all that. It is unfortunate because I think with a different director that Natalie Portman would have won the Oscar. I was really liking the movie and then it sort of spiraled into a "Carrie" sort of movie that teenagers like. I honestly think that the director lacked depth and maturity. I'll be sure to skip his work in the future. If someone like Jane Campion the director of, "The Piano" would have directed this it could have been a brilliant movie. Instead, it sort of fizzled out. A potentially terrific movie and acting wrecked by a immature director. Too bad!

Tom Clift

21 May 2012

Ferocious psychological filmmaking at its finest

While from a distance ballet may look like it is filled with eleganceand grace, in reality ballerinas must possess incredible strength,flexibility and unwavering dedication if they wish to succeed in such aphysically demanding profession. It is therefore not so surprising thatthe latest film from director Darren Aronofsky focuses on a New Yorkballet company and their performance of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake. Fromwashed up wrestlers to reclusive mathematicians, Spanish conquistadorsand Coney Island drug addicts, all of Aronofsky's films – π, Requiemfor a Dream, The Fountain and The Wrestler – have been centered aroundcharacters who become dangerously, singularly obsessed. In Black Swan,the character is Nina, a shy, timorous young dancer playedmagnificently by Natalie Portman. Her fixation? The leading role of TheSwan Queen. Filled with nightmarish intensity, gripping melodrama,steamy eroticism and occasional camp, Black Swan is a captivating taleof a woman consumed by her quest for perfection, and a visceralcinematic experience from one of the true visionary directors of today.Swan Lake, the story of a princess transformed by an evil sorcerer intoa beautiful white swan, is one of the most famed ballets in history.It's most interesting aspect is that its lead ballerina is required todance two parts; the graceful white swan, as well as the sultry blackswan, the seductress who steals the white swans love. For Nina, therole represents her shot at stardom, as well as the chance to finallyprove herself to her domineering mother (Barbara Hershey), a womanwhose overbearing personality has trapped Nina is a state of perpetualchildhood. Nina's innocence however, is soon to be shattered. Forced tocontend with the jealousy of her fellow dancers, the sexual advances ofthe company's lecherous director (Vincent Cassel) and the enormouspressures of perfecting her technique, Nina grasp on reality begins toslip. Haunted by terrifying hallucinations, her paranoia is given formin the appearance of Lily, a beautiful and uninhibited new dancer whorepresents everything the obsessive, sexually repressed Nina is not.Natalie Portman has always been a solid performer, but her work inBlack Swan is indisputably a career best. The feelings of fear and painthat Nina experiences – both mental and physical – are palpable in thisall-encompassing performance, one that demands of Portman both theutmost emotional expression and a physicality every bit as straining asMickey Rourke's in Aronofksy's previous film, The Wrestler. Once again,this masterful pulls back the curtain to reveal the hidden agonies ofperformance as entertainment; in Black Swan, ballet is portrayed not asart but as near torture, the excruciating physical feats Nina attemptsdepicted with a sickening, gut-wrenching realism. The emotional abuseNina suffers at the hands of her coworkers, director and psychopathicmother is similarly horrifying, so much so that even at the beginningof the film, her psychosis is already beginning to peek through.Portman's transformation, through fear and madness, from the quiet anddainty dancer Nina was – her mother's "sweet girl" – to the furious,powerful, sexually eruptive creature she becomes by the films end, isutterly enthralling to behold.The technical prowess Aronofsky displays in this film is quite simplyincredible. The use of stark digital cinematography irritated me atfirst, but as the film progressed I soon reevaluated my initialimpressions. This is a gritty, claustrophobic film, and the inelegantvisual aesthetic is an essential part of the movies tone, be it in itsportrayal of dance, sex or paranoid dreams. As Nina's mind begins todescent further into madness, her disturbing hallucinations, full ofimages of self-harm, bodily transformation and erotic decadence, allfeel graphically, often frighteningly real. The film's productiondesign is also terrific; a single look at Nina's bedroom tells youeverything you need to know about her character and home environment.Likewise, in almost every scene a mirror is present, reflecting thedual nature of Nina's role and personality, both of which threaten todestroy her. These and other motifs did strike me as a tad obvious, butultimately Black Swan is less concerned with avoiding clichés as it iswith the establishment of a dark and thrilling atmosphere; in thisregard, it is almost perfect.Speaking of atmosphere, the use of sound in Black Swan is absolutelyastounding. Clint Mansell has scored every one of Aronofsky's films,and between Requiem for the Dream and The Fountain has crafted some ofthe best and most iconic film music of all time. Compared to his workon those films, the Black Swan score is far less bombastic; instead,Mansell reinforces moments of fear, triumph, eroticism and despair withprecise classical pieces, often incorporating themes from Tchaikovsky'smagnificent ballet into his own original tracks. Indeed, by the filmsfrantic and operatic end, it is impossible to tell where Mansell's workends and Tchaikovsky's begins – the main theme from Swan Lake is usedto spectacular effect in the movies climax. Even better than the scorehowever is the film's incredibly evocative sound design. Aronofskyincorporates the noises of cracking bones, heavy breathing, rustlingfeathers and shattering glass to create an air of constant unease andoccasional terror; the subsequent blend of music, sound and strikingvisuals is heady and intoxicating.In the hands of lesser talent, Black Swan could easily have been atotal mess. There are elements within this script, and even within someof the performances (most notably Barbara Hershey's), that would havefitted easily into a day time soap opera or cheesy eighties horrorfilm. Instead, under the technical precession of Darren Aronofsky, andlead by a flooring performance from Natalie Portman, this film is anear masterpiece, one that draws you in with its dark sensuality andtwisted, uncontainable energy. This is ferocious psychologicalfilmmaking at its finest.

Crossfire3636

17 May 2012

The most haunting...but brilliant movie of the year!!!!!

Many people may think this is simply a ballet movie. Ballet is thecentral theme, but it is also the most dark and twisted main streammovie i have seen. "Things aren't as they seem" is also a centralelement, which makes the movie very haunting. Most things don't botherme, but some scenes in this movie made me say "Oh my G-d!" NataliePortman's performance of a professional perfectionist ballerina whodescends into madness while also becoming the part of the black swan inher ballet performance and personal life is nothing less than amazing.Absolutely recommended, but NOT for kids in the least. Prepare to bedisturbed, yet amazed.

dionyzus

16 May 2012

An assault on the senses

I saw Black Swan over the Christmas weekend and I would not recommendit. There are some good qualities and the acting is terrific, but themovie itself is just too much. Too chaotic and ultimately too bizarreto take seriously.First to state what may not be obvious, to classify it in my opinionthis is a horror movie more than any other genre. I generally likehorror and suspense movies, and I've seen this film's style comparedfavorably to David Lynch who I'm also a fan of, but Black Swan takesthings to an extreme. The object of the plot (*SPOILER*) seems to befollowing a ballet dancer's (Natalie Portman) descent into madness, andto show this from her perspective. At first the small things whichhappen to her are creepy and effective, but they start to increase andget much more violent and graphic. Eventually it becomes a futileexercise in sickening images and startling scares.I remember thinking during the movie that I couldn't wait for it to endso I wouldn't have to submit to any more bizarre shocking imagery. Ialmost walked out in fact. But one of the positive things about thefilm was that the story was engrossing and riveting, and you couldn'thelp but want to know what happened to the dancer in the end. Notreally in a compelling way, but more like seeing the result of a carcrash and not being able to look away. The other major positive was theacting. All the major players were very effective, in particularNatalie Portman who has a very difficult role to portray this woman asshe becomes gradually more unhinged, all the while dancing beautifulballet.But getting back to my main point, the style of the movie is quitebrutal, assaulting the viewer with unpleasant images and shocks. Aftera while Shakespeare's phrase "full of sound and fury and signifyingnothing" came to mind. The movie was in a word disturbing, and not in agood way. I wouldn't see it again. If acting honors are handed out forBlack Swan they would be deserved, but that doesn't redeem it as amovie.

12 May 2012

OverRated!!!!

This review is from: Black Swan (Amazon Instant Video) I like to see phycological thrillers, like Vanilla Sky, Butterfly effect, etc. I had the wrong idea about this movie, I thought there'd me more to the story line than it really was. Turns out this is NOT a smart movie, it's more like a porn star getting all the buzz for acting that I didn't really see. During the whole movie, I either saw a scared, self absorbed snobb or a possesed idiot. Natalie P hardly had any lines in the movie,it could have taken a couple of hours to learn her lines, seriously, this is what they call acting? Nothing about this was brilliant, it really bothers me how all these critics end up giving so much buzz and making me waste 2 hours of my life. I should not have paid for this either. Honestly, I believe all the praises this movie got was for all the sex scenes and the girl on girl action(which I could care less about that). Too bad there's not negative stars on the rating system, this is the worst movie I've seen in years! If you want something smart, don't waste your time on this.

xkalybr

12 May 2012

Black Swan- Oscars for Best Film and Natalie Portman?

I will not give away any spoilers so as not to possibly ruin theexperience for anyone, but I can say that this movie left me shakingwhen it was over. What did I just see? I know I was caught up and wentfor the entire ride from the opening scene till the very end. Thereaction of the audience was evident as the end credits came. NO ONEleft their seats. They sat and applauded loudly the names as theyscrolled up, then upon the very last credit on the screen, theyapplauded loudly again.It's a brilliant piece of film making and story telling and acting."Black Swan", as well as "The King's Speech", will DOMINATE at the 2011Oscars and Golden Globes and whatever other films awards show thereis... AND deservedly so.I am anxious to see the film again right away with friends, but willactually wait to continue to savor the feeling the initial viewing ofthe film still illicit in me. It was a thrilling time and I am lookingforward to seeing just how successful this film will become and what myfriends and family will say.

07 May 2012

Didnt live up to the hype for me

I really didn't enjoy this movie. There were several reasons, the main one being that the movie unfolded like a tawdry soap opera rather than an intelligent suspense-drama. It was all just too ridiculous. There were also a lot of gorey scenes involving the lead character and her obsession with picking at herself. That made me really queasy throughout the movie. Natalie was not all that convincing as a ballerina and I find her mostly boring as a screen presence. She did have some good moments though, and the movie also had some interesting twists -- though for me not enough to recommend the movie. If Portman's performance is the best female performance of the year, it doesn't say a lot for the competition.

knight110tim

07 May 2012

An Adult Fairy Tale...

A dark, modern fairy tale, Black Swan, itself, is a stunning piece ofart.A powerful and intense study of obsession and madness that focuses onNatalie Portman's Nina Sayers, a driven and uptight New York ballerinawho wins the lead role - of the Swan Queen - in a production of SwanLake.For those of us who didn't actually know - and it's explained a coupleof times - Swan Lake is the story of a young girl magically transformedinto a White Swan who can only be saved by love. Unfortunately theprince she falls for is seduced by her evil twin, the Black Swan, andshe ends up killing herself.Darren Aronofsky's magnificent movie has Nina Sayers so determined togive the "perfect" performance that she finds herself "becoming" thecharacter in shocking and disturbing ways.Nina clearly has issues anyway, with a history of self-harm and anoverbearing single mother (Barbara Hershey) who abandoned her ownballet career to give birth - and therefore carries the joint burden ofresentment and a desire to live out her unfulfilled dreams through herdaughter.While the show's director freely admits Nina is ideal as the "whiteswan", he has reservations about her ability to also portray the evil"black swan" and encourages her to loosen up through a variety ofunorthodox techniques.There's enough "body horror" to satisfy David Cronenberg fans, whilethe "in-your-face" camera work and grainy film stock gives Black Swanthe cinéma vérité feel of a "behind-the-scenes" documentary on the hardlife of professional ballet dancers.Sexually graphic in places as well, although you never actually seeanything very little is left to the imagination, the film makes itsaudience uncomfortable and complicit in the unfolding psychodrama untilyou don't know what's real and what's imagined as pictures becomeanimated, faces morph into self-reflections and Nina's body starts toundergo bizarre transformations of its own.Aronofsky has brought out career-defining performances from his cast.Portman - who is on screen for almost every scene - is sublime, but sheis also supported by a flawless cast. Mila Kunis, as Nina's only friendbut also imagined rival, is a revelation while Vincent Cassel as theshow director is enigmatically unreadable. Winona Ryder, as theoutgoing lead dancer, although only in the film for a short while, isequally superb and memorable.A truly unique film, Black Swan rightfully earned Portman her Oscar andwill stay with you long after the credits have rolled.

Gjergj Kalaja

07 May 2012

The Black Swan meets The Wrestler

I don't know of any living director that knows better than Aronofskyhow to make us feel so strongly after characters. I was amazed with theWrestler, especially the ending which was open to interpretation.SPOILER!!! The Black Swan shares a similar ending in form and substancebut does not leave to much to interpretation. It is all clear, she paysthe price of achieving perfection. It remembered me of the old saying:Be careful what you wish for, you may receive it.Also, Aronofsky has a great talent on choosing very unique point ofviews for his shots. This makes his movies a pleasure to see. The BlackSwan is no exception to this.Thanks Aronofsky for this amazing movie. It was totally what cinema ismeant to be, a dream.

cultfilmfan

06 May 2012

Black Swan

Black Swan is about a young woman named Nina, who is auditioning for anew version of the classic ballet Swan Lake. Nina really wants the leadrole in this part and she gets a lot of pressure from her mother Erica,at home as well as her strict and no nonsense teacher named Thomas. AsNina continues to practice and work herself to the brink of exhaustionto get this part, we soon start to see changes in her. When we firstmeet her she seems quite kind and gentle and in a lot of ways let'speople push her over, but soon her friendly and forgiving attitudestarts to go and we see Nina's personality change before our eyes asshe grows increasingly more paranoid and eventually experiences, ordrives herself to some kind of madness because of all this. I reallywanted to like Black Swan. When it came out I could not wait to see it,but unfortunately I could have waited and it may have been best if Ihad never seen the film at all because I did not like it one bit.Basically, I felt the storyline of the film and just the overall look,feel and style of the film were all copied off of older Roman Polanskidirected thrillers such as Repulsion and The Tenant. Having seen bothRepulsion and The Tenant quite a few times, it was very easy to seewhere this film borrows (or should I say copies) from both of those twofilms with the story, certain aspects of what happen in the story andthe style and direction as well. The film just did not feel fresh, ororiginal. Instead it just felt like it was recycling these other twomovies with only a handful of new footage that the writers came up withthemselves thrown in. Basically this is a very ugly looking film and itwas kind of awkward to sit through. As time passes during the film,events and situations get so bizarre that they are no longerfascinating, but instead over the top and ridiculous. Although, I neverlaughed out loud during this film, several people in the audience I waswith did and I have to say that I could not blame there. There is not amoment of intentional comedy in the film, but because everything seemsso forced, overly melodramatic and at times foolishly ridiculous, attimes you can not help, but laugh by the mess of the whole film. Eventhe acting that is really getting praised I am still not sure what Ithought about. Natalie Portman, who plays Nina and won a Golden Globeaward for it last weekend does deliver a lot to the role because itseems like a really exhausting and physically demanding role and tolearn ballet to play the part is also quite impressive. I wouldn't sayit was a terrible performance, it's just that it never won me over inthe sense that I really cared for Nina, or for the outcome of the film.I think if the film had been handled better and gone in a differentdirection, I probably would have felt differently. Barbara Hershey asNina's mother was just campy, over the top and melodramatic acting thatI did not care for at all, but out of all the performances I would haveto say the two strongest, or at least the ones that I found worked wereVincent Cassel as Thomas and Mila Kunis as a rival dancer named Lily.They were able to do their parts without over acting them and by stillbringing some intrigue and fascination to these characters. I think ifBlack Swan had been written and directed using original ideas and anoriginal way of filming it, instead of copying Polanski films and usingall the old horror clichés and tricks around, then with the talentinvolved, it could have been a really good film, but as it is it isuneven and I go as far as to say it is a mess in just about every wayand one of the worst films of 2010. Oddly enough the film is beingpraised by a lot of critics and up for some major awards, which I justdo not get at all. Maybe, I missed the point of this film, or perhapsthe other critics did. After watching this film I do not care who isright, I just do not want to sit through this film again.

04 May 2012

Thought I Would See Art, Got A Masturbation, Slasher Movie

I hadn't seen a movie in 15 months, roared out of long wait in doctor's office to make the noon showing, thought I'd see a gorgeously made movie full of dance, beautiful people and an adult psycholgical drama of girls competing for the starring role in a classic dance.What I got was:Grainy picture, handheld camera work so bouncy I had to look away from the screen or upchuck my $6.00 popcorn. Why was the camera man so fixated on the nape of Portman's neck???? and why was ever other scene a severe closeup?Lots of blood (Lots!) from self-mutilation to hallucinated murders of rejecting lesbian lovers and (I think?) a suicide at the end?More masturbation scenes than I cared to see. The audience was uncomfortable to say the least.Unfortunately I got duped by Oscar hype. This wasn't an adult drama, but somewhere between soft porn and teen-aged splatter movies and some sci-fi thrown in (Nina morphing into a black swan at the end.)And the back-stabbing, gossiping, jealous little ballet cats. Who in their right minds would go into ballet dancing if this is how it is?????? I came away thinking this isn't high art, it's HIGH SCHOOL revisited!!!A good one to see on TV, not the big screen, but keep the kiddies away!

Car

04 May 2012

Prepare for your skin to crawl

This movie takes you to surreal and psychological places you don'texpect. If you are uncomfortable with very personal scenes, I don'trecommend this film, because it's very personal. Natalie Portman playsan astonishing role as an innocent, nervous and caged girl. Her mothercoddles her and wants her to stay innocent and young. Things getinteresting, things spin out of control as she struggles to keep abalance of the themes we know of as black and white. The directingstays true to Aronofsky's traditionally indie looking films. This moviewas inspirational and causes one to deeply self reflect. Ballet has taken a new dimension, a new view. Winona Rider and MilaKunis are excellent supporting actresses.

sashank_kini-1

03 May 2012

A Flawed Premise Executed With Finesse

'The Black Swan' is a flawed piece of work, albeit executed withhonesty, commitment and vision. It is like a great football matchplayed on a basketball court; a ballet dancer's life becoming ballisticis believable but not when she has the top spot already. Nina Sayers is a committed, technical ballet dancer who believes inperfecting all her moves to be perfect. She faces the harshestadversity in herself when she has to play something she is not, orrather something she believes she isn't. It is not the unthinkable toconceive of such a plot; usually actors do face this challenge in reallife when they are given parts contradictory to their personalities.They opt for different routes to bring out the personality in them –some empathize with their characters by putting themselves in theirsituation, some do the lazy and easiest but less satisfying job of'acting' it out externally while some begin to rediscover themselves.Nina Sayers, who has to tackle both the white swan and the black, forher role of Swan Queen, chooses the third route, which itself comes asa surprise since she believes so much in technique and prettiness, Ithought she could've faked it with external expressions. But she ispushed to the limits by her tough artistic director, Thomas, whoemploys sexual methods to invoke some stimulus from the actors. Alsoshe fears she may not live up to her role, and disappoint the audienceand the previous swan queen Beth. Fear of being replaced by Lily, thealternate, haunts her while pressure from her embittered mother strainsher. Nina's gradual discovery of the blackness within her threatens toobliterate the goodness and purity that she believes she has retainedthroughout her life. Her contrived existence becomes a narcissistic onewhich ultimately culminates in the 'grand performance of her career'.The plot of Black Swan is a contrived one pretending to be convoluted,as it takes the overused approach of 'going' surreal and eerie in orderto overlook the loopholes in the film. If I compare this with'Mulholland Drive', a vastly better film, the first noticeabledifference in both the films is the position of the characters – Naomiwas a failed actress who had plotted to kill her bisexual lover who gotthe part, while Nina Sayers has already got the main part. Who seemsmore susceptible to madness – Naomi's Diane or Natalie's Nina? I pickthe first, and would most, because failure drives you nuts. Success maysend one to the rehab, but that usually involves overuse of drugs orheightened anxiety over a long period. Nina here does something that'sgenerally not done by sane people by the end of the film, and it's justher first performance as the Swan Queen. Also, judging by herpersonality, who in the right state of mind would have picked her forsuch a sterling performance? It's almost exploitation of a disturbedwoman, and we viewers are witnesses to the act. How did no one noticethe abrasive change in her mental condition? Or are we to think thateveryone in ballet is cruel and willing to sacrifice someone in theprocess of creating an act? Nina's mental decadence seemed implausiblejust because of a night out, high pressure and Dermatillomania; theonly effects that I could see was some vomiting, headaches, tantrumsand a reparable breakdown. Unfortunately, Darren goes for a 'showyOscar-moment' ending instead and fools the audience – even I got fooledon my first viewing of The Black Swan. Not in the second, though. Themovie progresses well till be have the untimely sex, bloodshed andlooniness that just come out of nowhere like the alligator in'Adaptation'. It then becomes maudlin, overwrought and reckless, likean orchestra being suddenly accompanied by DJs and strippers. Natalie Portman won an Oscar for portraying a timid wreck in the film,and she worked hard for this role. My father must've surely seen her insome previous film, but couldn't recognize her here and indeed, it'shard to because she lost so much weight. I could make out from thisperformance that she worked well as long as the director used her well.In the hands of a mediocre director or a mediocre film, she may crumble– just watch her cringe-worthy performance in Your Highness. Shehowever, and it's partly because the script itself is riddled withimprobabilities and excesses, doesn't realize her Black Swan as well asthe White one on screen. Surely she danced well and snogged well, butshe made herself look more like a spoiled girl than a disturbed girl. Iremember Jessica Lange's applaud-worthy portrayal in 'Frances' –Natalie is not so good an actress to transcend her character'scomplexities on the screen fully but she does try her at least. MilaKunis, in a relatively simpler performance maintains her characterwell, and so does Vincent Cassell. Again I felt the film would've beenmore effective had Thomas himself been the Prince along with thedirector. Hershey and Ryder do their duties as mother and ex-Swan Queenrespectively, especially Hershey as her scenes with Natalie arestandouts.Darren gives a claustrophobic film, not only by limiting the charactersto a few, but also by having tight close-ups of Nina throughout. It ishard to believe that Nina only was involved with Thomas and the guyplaying prince, since the rehearsals would've had to integrate all theother performers as well at the later stage. Again, this is commonaspect among psychological-thrillers to sidetrack the event itself andfocus on prime characters. The close shots though are praiseworthy; weare constantly updated on Nina's state of mind. The cinematography andproduction are bleak and brilliant and robbed of Oscars. I wish the film had ended differently, or started differently orprogressed differently instead of serving this.My Rating: 6 out of 10

Eltaure

02 May 2012

huh - what was it

I have found this movie pointless. I have to give it 3 of 10 justbecause of acting of Portman and Cassel and some visual aspects. But asa whole it's really just another - in fact really boring - sport movie.This is all the same regardless of kind of sport (boxing, skiing,dancing etc.) - the main figure is struggling her/his own fight ofbeing better. That's it. No more - no less. But in this case it'sextremely quasi-intellectual and at the same time sensual and theresult is pointless mixture of feelings and no sense of telling thisstory at all. P.S. I intently do not compare this film with others ofAronofski's creations.

machngunjoe

02 May 2012

All involved excelled, one of the greatest thrillers ever.

Darren Aronofsky is so good at filming anxiety, most of his moviesleave me feeling that way and personally, since I usually feel like Igot robbed at the Movie theater, I feel like I got more then my money'sworth if a 'movie' can make me feel anything other then a violation.This movie is one of the best around in its genre, it may be a littleuncomfortable for those who may have found Basic Instinct to be toomuch, there is little or no nudity but this movie has sexualityintertwined, I don't want to give anything away so I'll leave it atthat.This movie was wonderfully stylized and made the difficult topic ofballerinas amazingly interesting with what they go through, thephysical torture they receive on their bodies, etc.If you like Darren Aronofsky's films then you should without a doubtsee this, among all of his films I would have to say this may be hisbest although personally "The Fountain" is my favorite movie of alltime. See this movie.

RichardKleiner

01 May 2012

The hype is worth

And, so Aronofsky makes yet another film.Fans of the director went orgasmic with this one, and it's notsurprising that it really is a good picture.The story centers on ballet dancer Nina and her obsession (which mightbe an understatement) with obtaining and mastering the role of bothWhite and Black Swans in a new and innovative production of Swan Lake.The parallels between the Swans of the ballet and Nina's ownpersonality are quite obvious, making it really tough for someone notto get it. To its credit, the script features two opposing views on theballet, with Vincent Cassel's experienced and learned perception thatit's "been done to death" and the two everyday guys that have nevereven heard of it. This helps the movie stay away from appealingexclusively to the elitists connoisseurs.The movie does have some flaws. The almost horror tone of thehallucination scenes seems tired and unoriginal, the music beingaccessory to this. The big shock stingers with the music seem out ofplace, making Black Swan sound more as a terrifying story rather thanthe depressing one it really is. The Tchaikovsky original pieces are,not surprisingly, better and, surprisingly, produce a much moreinteresting effect with the scary scenes.Given the psychological nature of the story, Aronofsky focusesexclusively on the perspective of Nina, which lends to innovative andvery interesting shots, however, they make it rather difficult forviewers interested in the choreography to actually appreciate it.This makes the movie center 90% on the psychological and 10% on themusic and choreography. Yet, an obvious and clear Aronofsky piece.The performances were solid. Natalie Portman nails the part, reallyreflecting her innocence and confusion with sincerity in an awarddeserving work. Vincent Cassel, as usual, delivers, and Mila Kunis nottoo far behind. Still, a surprise performance by Winona Ryder in asmall role and Barbara Hershey's role are more interesting examples.The lesbian scene seems a little bit out of place, but it becomes quiteinteresting once you understand the small twist at the end, which isnot too original, actually.The visual effects with Nina's hallucinations are well done, especiallyconsidering that most of the shots were done with hand-held shakycameras. The scene that steals the show is Nina's definitivetransformation during her presentation as the Black Swan, where she hasred eyes and starts growing black feathers. An actual triumph for theartists. On the other hand, a particular scene where Nina is much moreaware that she is turning into a swan with her legs crooking to theback may seem over the top and, let's face it, a bit laughable.The movie as a whole is depressing, though not as much as Requiem for aDream, of course. It's a delight to appreciate, and to some extent toenjoy, but not worth watching countless times. It is a noble contenderas best movie of the year, but not really a winner. Either way, it'sintellectual food and a standout example of good art film.

01 May 2012

Aronofsky tries this fascinating tale, but seems to much an outsider, and gives this the usual performance based drama! Shame!

Note: Few spoilers, but the sixth paragraph has a pretty major spoiler, but is vital to the comprehension of this review. AND believe me, I loved Aronofsky, and just couldn't enjoy it as I should have. Peace!Darren Aronofsky usually has a set of routine characters who have lost their way in life. From the drug dealers in Requiem for a Dream to Randy "The Ram" Robinson, this has been a common theme in his work. However, here, he is trying to establish a different central dynamic, and the weakened character is the secondary character, Beth, the Prima Ballerina, who will be soon retiring. Many may claim that Ryder's character is vastly unimportant, but it just may show that Aronofsky cannot separate himself from his long held familiar themes. Aronofsky 's film centers on ballerina Nina who, along with countless other ballerinas in her company is auditioning for Swan Lake. The Director, Leroy, wants to cast the same person as the Black and White Swan. White so many options, he eventually chooses Nina despite having better black Swan candidates, such as Lilly played by Mila Kunis. Apparently, Lilly is filling for another ballerina, and as so, Nina, is not very familiar around her, nor comfortable. Nina is very shy, reserved, committed to her art, and extremely focused who has no concept or understanding of Lilly's offbeat sense of humor, her directness, her strange and sudden attempt at friendship. Their conflicting attitudes, if nothing else, are evidence of arising problems. One of the main complaints of the film is how unfit a protagonist Nina is. As a shy, reserved character living at home with a mother, played by Barbra Hershey, who creates abstract and nearly identical, in form, abstract portraits, and is intrusive, Lilly seems to have the perfect arsenal to bring out the Black Swan. If the Black Swan is supposed to be emotionally crippled and vulnerable, it seems strange that Nina fails in this regard, and actually succeeds at portraying the White Swan. Stranger, however, is that Lilly succeeds at portraying the Black Swan better, even though she would naturally seem as better suited for the Black Swan. Another oddity is how oddly different Nina is compared to all of Aronofsky 's other characters. They all seemed extroverts, and displayed more overt emotions than Nina. Maybe this adds to the mystique of this character as we don't know what she will be capable of as the film develops. She expresses a lot of emotion, but all of it is internal, and that makes her not only mysterious, but capricious. Aronofsky is without doubt one of the most talented directors of the last decade, but here he is of his element. With the Wrestler, most of us westerners have watched wrestling and sometimes laughed at and admired their countless shenanigans that is labeled at times sport and other times entertainment. However, not most film viewers are going to have gone to the ballet or have a deep understanding of it. As such, we do not accept the details of this art, as we might with a film centered on Wrestling, boxing, football, but his film delivers none of the intricacies of ballet. Many may claim that no film is responsible, or must dwell in the details of the craft they are set in, but Black Swan is different. Leroy consistently haunts Nina about the imperfections of her Black Swan, her inability to be "flawed," her lack of necessary aggression, talking about how Lilly is better prepared for this Swan, but none of this is actually show clearly. Aronofsky would have done better showing Nina attend a performance of Swan Lake, so that the audience can gain, at least, a little insight into this world. In its current state, it is quite certain that this was written by authors who had no deep knowledge of the ballet world, and just wanted to create a film. That is fine, if this film was mainly an acting film, like Winter's Bone, but Leroy and Lilly's interaction make this much more than a character study, and with some study it could have successfully turned in to a "limited" study of Swan Lake. Leroy's complaints of Lilly is confined to her lack of ferocity, aggression, and inability to "let go," give credence to the claim that these writers knew very little about the details of a ballet performance, or were simply uninterested in giving multiple angles to the performance and its preparation. We see lots of kissing, groping of breasts and crotch between Leroy and Lilly, and it would be sexy, if it were not part of Lilly's preparation; and with this knowledge these scenes become quite depressing, considering that these are the only advice she gains from her instructor. There needs to be more insight to Leroy's character than his unashamed seductions in preparing his ballerina. Sure, ballet is very sexualized, but the advice and period of preparation must not ALL be sexual. There is a line between what is real and what is a fantasy, a dream, or works of the imagination. There are many directors who cross this line, and then there are those that mock it, like Aronofsky does in this film, for the benefits of paranoia and obsession. Nina's obsession is very well understood from all the physical injuries she suffers, but it is the paranoia that Aronofsky is quite inept at capturing. He begins to play a horror game which involves a monster, with the body of a man, having sex with Lilly. Actually, when the paranoia seems to become quite intriguing, it has more to do with drugs than Lilly's altered personality. One especially offensive scene occurs near the very end when Nina and Lilly fight, and Nina pushes Lilly in the path of a large mirror, and stabs her with shards of glass, and drags her to another room; leaving her alternate for dead, while she begins her performance. When she later returns to the room, she hears a knock on the door, and of all people it's LILLY. As it turns out she was fighting herself, and so it can be presumed she pushed herself in the mirror! This is where Black Swan becomes even more ludicrous, because at this point Lilly finds the shards of glass in her body, and finds that she is bloodied. So, get this: The NINNA VS. NINNA match occurs, then Ninna does part of her performance (as the Black Swan), she returns to the room, and suddenly the shards of glass that punctured her body take effect. This is like a Western where two cowboys shoot at each other, and none of them are injured, but after ninety minutes the bullet exists from their body, causing incurable harm, and we are supposed to be believe and accept that the bullet, and in our case, the shards of glass manifested till the right time came, and then it started to cause observable bleeding. This is not paranoia, but desperation of the filmmaker. Natalie Portman will be undoubtedly nominated for Best Actress for her performance, and considering that there are no veteran actors competing this year who are without an Oscar-Kidman, Berry, etc have won at least once-she might win her first Statue. But God knows this is the wrong performance. This is a good performance, but it is not an exceptional performance, as Ninna is not subdued, but simply nervous and hesitant to trust anyone. Unlike Winter's Bone where a subtle performance was cleverly done by Jennifer Lawrence, Portman's performance is miniscule in comparison. Her character is so jumpy that it could be played as well, if not better, by most actors. The performance is quite one note, because the character is designed as such. The rave reviews that Kunis is getting are simply baffling. She plays the sweet tempered, yet clever opportunist who seems to be plotting for the main role of Swan Lake. Again, this performance is not a stretch for Kunis and she bring a familiar and monotonous charm to the character that is deeply reminiscent of every other performance she has done-be it on TV or film. Vincent Cassel's performance: WOW! Now here is a performance that deserved a nomination, but received none. Despite my problems with the sole sexualized advice of Leroy, Cassel plays this character with so much confidence and grandeur, creating a captivating instructor admired by all. Cassel's performance is exceptional because Leroy is open to much analysis, and is not as one note as the female roles that occupy this film. Barbra Hershey gives a respectable performance, despite her limited screen time. Bound to get an Oscar nomination. Overall, this is an below average film from a great filmmaker who is just of his element, and is dealing with an issue that he does not have extensive and exhausting information. However, considering the crap in theaters, this would be recommended for Portman, Kunis, and Aronofsky fans.

mikelepost

30 April 2012

Mediocre and immature

Based on the commercials for Black Swan, I walked into the theaterexpecting to see a film about a career ballerina who is forced toaccess her repressed dark side in preparation for her role as the swanqueen and cracks under the pressure. Instead, the film I saw was abouta meek young woman who's possibly schizophrenic and certainly on theverge of a nervous breakdown from the opening reel. There's no realdrama because Nina is already broken. All that's left is for the vieweris to watch her become increasingly unhinged.Black Swan has a lot of flaws: The conception of Nina (Natalie Portman)is a major problem. No woman this childish and meek would ever last inan elite dance company, so it's highly improbable that the companydirector (Vincent Cassel) would single her out for the prima ballerinarole. We keep hearing about how Nina is technically perfect butclinical and restrained, but we never see any evidence of this factbecause Portman is filmed mostly in tight facial close-ups during thesescenes, probably to disguise the fact that her dancing isn't sospectacular.The film is utterly predictable in that Nina becomes increasinglyunhinged to the point that we, the viewer, no longer know whether whatwe're watching is "real" of one of her hallucinations, which greatlyresemble horror movie clichés: she's stalked by her doppelganger, herreflection moves with a mind of its own, she imagines mutilatingherself, etc. None of these images are particularly inspired and theyspell out the theme of the story in the most obvious way.Black Swan was utterly derivative of other, better movies. I haven'tseen The Red Shoes but so much of Nina's relationship with her motherwas cribbed directly from The Piano Teacher that Michael Haneke couldprobably sue Aronofsky for plagiarism. Likewise, the whole angle ofNina's repressed sexuality leading to her breakdown was done better byPolanski in Repulsion, and that was almost 50 years ago. Black Swan ismostly a hodge-podge of better films.Finally, the film is every bit as Manichean as its title, with only twopoles for its characters: perfectly pure and virginal white or thesensual black whore. Nina has a few drinks, masturbates and tells heroppressive mother off, and we're supposed to take this as some sort ofexploration of her "dark side." Her rival ballerina Lily (Mila Kunis)literally has black wings tattooed on her back. Could you get any moreobvious? I'd suggest that Black Swan works best as high camp and therewere some unintended laughs in my theater, but the film is soself-serious and artistically restrained that it's not even gonzoenough to be funny. Mostly it's misery porn that wallows in Nina'ssuffering without giving the viewer a credible rationale for watching.Look, the film is well-directed, it looks great, the actors generallydeliver good performances despite under-written roles. I've seen manyworse films than Black Swan. But in this case the hype is so wildlyoverblown that I'm tempted to rate the movie even lower than itdeserves. Truthfully, this is a 6 out of 10 picture and only slightlybetter than average.