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Now Playing Review – Black Swan

12/10/2010 by Lauren Leave a Comment

…… O_O ……

In order to sum up my thoughts on Black Swan you would have to determine what you could based on a blank expression that looked a little like that, mouth slightly more agape. That’s right, I really did just resort to an emoticon to review a film. Unsophisticated response? Maybe a little, but even hours after watching this film and the loss of the visible appearance of that look, the dumbfounded expression is still present on my brain (if my brain could wear an expression of course), with a splash of a “WTF” overtone.

Rising on pointed toe far above the flashy dance films being pushed out in the past few years, Black Swan follows Nina Sayers at the start of her escalating dance career as a ballerina. Following the struggles to outshine the other girls in her dance company Nina is finally giving the starring role of the swan queen in Swan Lake, but it is in the happiest moment of her life that it begins to unravel around her. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Movie Review Tagged With: Barbara Hershey, Black Swan, Darren Aronofsky, Mila Kunis, Natalie Portman, Vincent Cassel, Winona Ryder

Review: Black Swan

12/03/2010 by Zac Leave a Comment

Black Swan is another fantastic entry into Darren Aronofsky’s filmography that is driven by a wonderful lead performance by Natalie Portman and could very well be my favorite film of the year when it is all said and done.

The film follows Nina Sayers who has been a background ballet performer in an elite New York company that finally gets her shot at stardom when the company’s lead decides to “retire.” Nina gets her shot in the company’s next performance of Swan Lake and her life begins to parallel her character of The Swan Queen. Nina applies a lot of pressure on herself and beyond that she lives with her mother who is overbearing and is clearly living vicariously through her daughter. Added to the self and parental pressure is the extremely competitive nature of the world of ballet and these elements all thrown together provides for a volatile environment for Nina to try and rise to stardom. So when her director keeps getting disappointed in her work and a new talent from San Francisco shows up in the company, Nina finds herself in a stressful situation.

Review: The Wrestler

12/18/2008 by Zac Leave a Comment

Darren Aronofsky has returned with his fourth feature and the results are an engaging, sad, and fantastic character study anchored by a fantastic performance by Mickey Rourke.
Randy “The Ram” Robinson (Mickey Rourke) was “The” wrestler back in 1986. Working his way through the ranks, The Ram made his way to the top of the professional circuit, peaking at his Madison Square Garden sell out with The Ayatollah. Flash forward ten years later, still wrestling, now at legion halls and gymnasiums, The Ram is the class of his local circuit, though quite a fall from the ranks he once held. Still getting his own dressing room and being the top bill, it’s good enough to get him through the day. The finances aren’t quite cutting it though, and he has to pick up extra shifts at the grocery store in between wrestling on the weekends and visits to the local strip club to chat up Cassidy (Marisa Tomei) over beers. Though, events lead Randy to question his lot in life, and seek out his estranged daughter (Evan Rachel Wood) in an attempt to make peace with his past. [Read more...]