Black Swan

The beginning of the movie, is the movie. It tells the whole story of what is to come the rest of the way. Unlike the movie it takes place while our main character is asleep so we know that this isn't happening, the rest of the way the audience can never be sure what in the movie is real and what is not. From there we dip in and out of the mind of Darren Aronofsky as he places Natalie Portman in prime position to win an Oscar.

SYNOPSIS

Portman plays Nina Sayers, a girl with the singular obsession of becoming the prima ballerina at her New York Company. She works the hardest and her technique is perfect making her the best choice for the White Swan but the artistic director has decided to combine the White and Black Swan into one role and she lacks the passion to play the antagonist. Enter Mila Kunis, the sexy, free spirited transfer from San Fransisco. Her character Lily is everything that Nina wishes she could be and embodies the spirit of the Black Swan. In any other production the casting would be clear, in this production Nina must take Lily in as a rival, friend, and mentor.

FIN

The movie entices you in the opening sequence, the music will keep you entranced. Clint Mansell was brought on to score the film, and has worked with Aronofsky before. For Black Swan he created the entire score using only elements from the original 1876 ballet. The music elevates every sensation during the movie and hits at all the right times. While many will want to forget some of the things they have just witnessed it will be impossible to leave the theater without Tchaikovsky's original composition stuck in your head.

Portman's performance as the singularly minded professional is haunting. The character's transformation to reach perfection seems almost effortless. The most challenging part of the performance was no doubt the ten months of dance lessons along with the 20 pounds she needed to drop to look like a dancer. It pays off as Portman looks solid doing most of her own dancing. Her own transformation helps makes the character's transformation more believable. If she had not gone through ten hour days of training, seven days a week her performance may have suffered. Instead we get nothing but intensity. The rise of evil is a story not usually shared as it tends to do so poorly box-office. Plus there are many of us who have been Disney-fied to believe that all stories have a happy ending, when in actuality the story of Swan Lake itself is a tragedy. Nina seems to suffer from an idealistic state of naivety exemplified by her pink room filled with dolls. She is forced to go through both a psychological and physical transformation to achieve her ultimate goal.

The people Nina surrounds herself with do little to help with finding the correct balance to achieve her goal. Vincent Cassel plays the director pushing her to embrace her sensual side to become The Black Swan. Her desire for his approval allows him to take full advantage of his pupil, Nina speaks highly of her director yet we see her being treated in a poor manner. It's tough to tell if this is a power play and deception or a brilliant artist looking to get the most out of his players. The ambiguity leaves the audience to wonder whose side is he on, is he playing the part of Prince Siegfried or von Rothbart. In all actuality it is probably intended to be a combination of both, much like his leading lady.

Nina still lives with her mother, played perfectly by Barbara Hershey, and is a former ballerina herself, who no doubt pushed her daughter into this career path. Her mother simultaneously tries to coddle Nina and subvert her as she is envious of her daughter becoming more successful than she could ever be. The other older figure we see is the former prima ballerina, forced into retirement. Winona Ryder shows our lead what happens after the limelight is taken away, and what could be awaiting her. Her presence in the film adds to her fear of being overtook by another actress in the company.

Then there is the seductress Mila Kunis, who mirrors Portman in almost every facet. The difference being the free-spirited nature she posses which threaten Nina as the prima ballerina. Lily is the most difficult character to decipher in the film as Nina may be influencing the audience by projecting onto her rival slash fried. Lily leaves the audience enchanted and unsure what to believe as she shares the same ambition as Nina and seems willing to do what is necessary. She, along with some of the other ballerinas, highlight the competitive nature of the theater and adds to the pressure of the protagonist to excel or risk being bypassed. It is a delicate balance of ruthlessness and friendship that Kunis shows well on the screen. Rarely are there many movies that deliver so many strong female characters, it is a credit to writers Mark Haymen and Andres Heinz. Oh and the girl on girl stuff is hot.

Taking away from the character development and evolution in the film is some of the dialouge. There is little to no subtlty in this film. Darren Aronofsky has a certain way he wants his viewers to feel and then beats you over the head with it. The writing also possess this trait by having the characters around Nina scream things at her that the audience should be inferring for themselves. This is in direct conflict with the rest of the film as Aronofsky rarely gives up his hand in showing what is real.

Similar to The Wrestler, Aronofsky chooses to use a hand held camera for most of the movie, using a lot of medium and close-up shots. The shakey camera work adds to the rocky experience that embodies the transformation. It forces the viewer quickly to encompass the style of movie and emerge yourself completely into the film or risk being left by the wayside. And no one wants to walk out of a movie disheartened, especially after spending all that money on popcorn. The movie at points is very ridiculous, in its premise and writing. To fully enjoy it, much like the performers in the play the directors ask you to submerge fully into the art, allowing it to take complete control.

The movie is all about artistic obsession and if the art is supposed to reflect the artist than you have to wonder what is going on in Aronofsky's head. Especially considering so many of his films deal with a protagonist reaching for greatness in their career at the cost of everything else around them (read: The Wrestler, Pi). I just want someone to make sure he is okay, and let him know that people like his stuff. A

True Grit

The Coen Brothers know their way around a film. That much has been established over the years. And after a few films that were not seen by too many, they return to the West, but this time around with the clock set back a few years.

True Grit is based of the 1968 novel of the same name. And while it shares its source material with the 1969 film that won John Wayne his only Oscar, it would be unfair to call this a remake. Lost is the tone of the previous film, it loses some of the laughs and but increases the darker parts of the Western lifestyle that was featured in the novel as Wayne still had an image to maintain and could not be as dirty as the original text intended.

That is not to say that this movie is not heavy on some outstanding deadpan writing and delivery, far from it. The Coen Brothers excel with their character introductions showing in the first frames what we can expect the rest of the way. Our first introduction to Rooster Cogburn sets the tone and his scene in the court room goes on to solidify it. He shows off a great balance of comedy and badassary that only Jeff Bridges could pull off, The Dude was the perfect replacement for The Duke.

This movie also differs with the original in that it does not revolve around The Duke/Dude, but rather a 14-year-old girl. Usually I can't stand child actors but Haliee Steinfeld does a fantastic job as Mattie Ross, who is looking to avenge her father's death. Her introduction to the audience features a confrontation with a store clerk over money. In this scene she proves that not only can she hold her own in the Western frontier, but this young actor belongs in the company of these big time Hollywood names.

Not enough can be said about how the Coen's handle this movie, their strength lies not only in their writing but in their ability to gather the best talent to achieve their goal. Cinematographer Roger Deakins highlights the Western backdrops, both its vast frontiers and deep inside the forest. Carter Burwell uses an elegant score to highlight some of the more serious notes in the movie. Thankfully the music in this movie is all instrumental and the people behind the camera choose to leave out the singing cowboys.

Much like any movie that takes place in the old West and involves searching for someone across great distances this movie does have a tendency to drag on. But all the points prior should make up for this. If you are either a fan of the Coen Brothers, a fan of the actors, or a fan of the genre or any combination there of you should enjoy this movie. B+

Yogi Bear: The Alternate Ending

Yogi Bear comes out this weekend. While I don't want to ruin the movie for any fans out there an alternate ending for the movie has been leaked onto the web. I believe it to be my duty to at least allow you to see it. Enjoy.

The Tourist

For some reason with so much star power and Oscar winners working on the script I somehow expected more from this movie. But now it seems the reason this movie was signed on by so many was for a paid vacation to Venice. Not to say I blame them, but I would hesitate before I indulge their fantasies, unless of course you want to get away a little yourself.

This is a classic tale of a female temptress and a bumbling hero. Angelina Jolie fills the role, and every part of her dresses, perfectly. While there aren't too many wide shots of Venice there are plenty of Jolie posing and strutting from place to place, which seemed to be the only requirement for this role. She is not asked to show off any of her acting in this one, but rather just allow the camera to follow her, both the movie's camera and the ones from the surveillance teams that are following her.

Johnny Depp plays a math teacher from Wisconsin who gets caught up in the whole game by looking similar to the man that everyone is trying to find. Happens to me all the time, they tell me George don’t you have to get ready for your show in LA, I’m quick to clarify. For a role that requires him to jump into a canopy and subsequently into a fruit cart he plays this role pretty straight, and takes it probably more serious than he should.

The supporting cast all fall into cliché parts. From the cops that are after them to the mobsters who want all their money back. Both sides of the law seem to have the aim of stormtroopers, so it is very clear that no one at any point in this movie is in any real danger. The most telling part of their acting is the nonchalance these characters take to capturing the two leads, which reflects the effort put in by the people who wrote the script.

I could go into what happens in the movie, but it doesn’t seem to be all that important to the people who worked on it, so why should you concern yourself with it. The script was written by Oscar winners all around which makes me wonder what happened. The screenplay is done by Christopher McQuarrie and Julian Fellows who won Oscars for their writing of "The Usual Suspects" and "Gosford Park" respectively. And the director, Florian Henckel von Donnersmarch, just won an Oscar in 2007 for best foreign film. My theory is they are using these awards as paper weights to keep all the money they got for this movie from flying away.

I'm not entirely sure what this movie wants to be, I'm not sure if they are trying to make this an amazing action movie, a farce, or one that keeps you guessing throughout the movie. In all honesty the movie fails in all of these categories. Fail may actually be too strong a word, in all actuality the movie just doesn't succeed. But on the plus side for the cast and crew they did get a paid trip to Venice. D

Love and Other Drugs

Sometimes life can feel a little unbalanced as you try and find just that, balance. Through the harder times that you may face people will look for ways to avoid thinking of the turmoil you may face using laughter and maybe if you’re lucky the comfort of another person if only for a little while. There are a lot of people out there who will critique this movie for being unbalanced. Considering the material, I think that is exactly why I liked Love and Other Drugs.

The story features two actors who feed very well off each other, which is probably why this is the second time they are being coupled up. Having previously knocked boots in Brokeback Mountain, the two seem to try and make another Academy run. While this one will fall short of any nomination, that doesn't stop the two actors from lighting up the screen.

Based in the nineties Jake Gyllenhaal plays Jamie Randall, a man who is currently trying to find his calling. While passionate about whatever he does, he often lets his passions get in his way. Until his charm is able to help him in a billion dollar industry with pharmaceuticals. It also allows him to meet Maggie Murdock, played by Anne Hathaway, who suffers from Level 1 Parkinson's. Both are looking for a casual encounter, to help them keep their minds off the heavier stuff.

The movie tries a little too hard to capture the era with some of its music selections but we'll give it a pass since visually the nineties don't look all that different from today. From there the movie fluxuates between a comedy, romantic comedy, drama, and then back to romantic comedy. Not to say that many Rom-Coms don't try and do just that, but it seems like director Edward Zwick is not sure what story he wants to tell. He starts with a romantic comedy featuring a lot of naked Anne Hathaway, I mean a lot of naked, but if I looked as good as her naked I'm sure I wouldn't mind bearing it all either. From there the movie shifts towards a look at how people with a life altering disease and those around them cope. What seems like two different stories may be attributed to the movie coming out of two different source materials. The movie is based loosely on Jamie Reidy's memoir "Hard Sell: The Evolution of a Viagra Salesman," along with Zwick and his buddy Marshall Herskovitz contributing a love storyline.

MINOR SPOILER ALERT (I TALK MORE ABOUT TONE)

While the bulk of the movie was enjoyable, even with two different messages occurring within the flick, the end retreats back to a cliché romantic comedy and ends in a very cliché way. The rest of the movie was different from what has recently come out of Hollywood and had something to say, even if it wasn’t defined. But because the movie was so unclear, I think Zwick, who also helped with the screenplay, had no choice but to retreat back to a formulaic approach to the movie, leaving the viewer with a bad taste in their mouth walking out of the theater.

SPOILER OVER

Gyllenhaal and Hathaway don’t have to do this all by their lonesome. They get some big help from a solid supporting cast. Oliver Platt stars as a mentor to James Randall showing him the ropes of the traveling salesman; Platt’s character follows along with the storyline showing off both a funny and softer side. The main sales target for these two is Hank Azaria playing Dr. Stan Knight who can be bought off for the right price. Then there is James’ brother Josh who is set for life and introduces him to the business, but then doesn’t really have too much reason to be in the movie. While getting more screen time than his other co-stars, after getting his brother the job Josh doesn’t serve much of a purpose besides being the occasional comic relief. He does a good job in the role, but even Jamie eventually asks his brother why he’s crashing the couch.

Yes, the movie loses its way but its hearts in the right place. Not only that, but the two young actors’ charisma help outshine any problems that the story may have. I liked this movie a whole lot, as there were some moments that really hit home, but can understand those who just felt lost in the jumble. B-/C+

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 1

The final chapter is here. When they first movie came out the high school seniors now were in first grade. We have grown alongside Harry Potter and now his final task is upon us in what will no doubt be the biggest hit of the holiday season. This series both has left its mark on our culture both with the written word and cinematically. While I have never enjoyed the books, I appreciate that it got kids to read, and in a day of growing technology there is not enough one can say about J.K. Rowling’s feat. The movies have also had their ups and downs but here I am pretty confident when I say this movie is one of the up moments.

The decision to break up the final book into two movies was a decision made by Rowling so as to not leave any part of her manuscript out. But you can guarantee that the studio had no problem receiving even more money from a franchise that has already garnered over five billion dollars.

This movie is not for those who have never seen the others. There are so many name drops and so much terminology from the others that I was relieved that I had rewatched the previous one before entering the theater, but there were moments that I still felt overwhelmed. And this one jumps right into it, showing our three leads looking ahead to the daunting task ahead of them and the sacrifices they will need to make. We never step foot into the comforting halls of Hogwarts in this one, the dark theme is set from the opening title sequence and the skies never really clear from there.

The cinematography and musical score play a huge part in setting the tension for the movie. Once the previous cinematographer declined to return, worried he would repeat his work, Eduardo Serra took the helm. The dark and ominous lighting never leaves the screen and even when the sun is out there is always something dimming down the light. Meanwhile, while John Williams expressed an interest in scoring this movie as he did the first three they decided to go with Alexanre Desplat. While I will never speak ill of Williams, Desplat does a fine job making sure the audience is never quite comfortable. There is rarely a moment of relief in this movie as there has been in the others, and much of the audiences’ tension can be attributed to the fine work of these two men. On a side note I would love to go back and look at the other films to see the evolution of the lighting and music as Voldemort power grows through the series. With little doubt I can say this is the darkest movie yet.

The supporting cast is an All Star English team that could rival any ensemble that Team America could dream of making up including: Helena Bonham Carter, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, Brendan Gleeson, Jason Isaacs, Bill Nighy, Alan Rickman, Fiona Shaw, Timothy, Spall, Tom Felton, and Peter Mullan just to name a few.

With the book being broken up into two parts and everything being left in we are left with sequences that would usually be cut or at least shortened due to time constraints. Instead left in are our three heroes journeying across the English countryside looking for horcruxes and avoiding death eaters. The scenes rely heavily on Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint and they do not disappoint. It’s been a pleasure to watch these three actors develop their craft and while Radcliffe and Watson have been performing well for quite some time now Grint has finally come into his own. The scenes which have them dealing with their emotions and love for each other, both platonic and otherwise, are gripping and a testament to the casting and development of these three youngsters. Often the other movies have been swallowed by CGI and while there is probably a different foe attacking these children every ten minutes or so, it's the scenes where they are left to their own devices that are truly magic.

For those familiar with the book one of the more impressive/startling sequences in the movie is the retelling of the story of the three brothers. The style and content of the story is a perfect example of the maturity displayed throughout the movie, especially when comparing it to the earlier movies. This series has been all about the rise to evil so there is little doubt that this movie isn’t intended for the younger Potter fans.

The movie ends with plenty of still to come, including a final face off between hero and villain. The world of Harry Potter has changed over the course of seven different stories, times are bleak and Harry and company are rarely far away from danger. It’s been over a decade of people watching and waiting to see how it would all come to an end, and while most of the audience will already know how it all plays out it’s never really been about the ending, it’s about the journey. B+

Unstoppable

Tis the season for Oscar bait, and with that comes added depth to the movies coming out this season. Unstoppable doesn't contain a single extra layer. You know exactly what you're getting. A train you can't stop dangerous chemicals on the tracks, headed towards a small blue collar town, with a train full of children coming in the opposite direction. We're one horse and a sweet mustache away from a Dudley-do-right cartoon. Cue the woman tied to the tracks.

Not that there is anything wrong with this formula. If this is what you want when you are going to the movies then director Tony Scott is going to give you exactly that. It's full of the train running through things which always impresses me as to how things still remain on tracks. Despite whistles, bells, and a track signaling the exact path of said train people still manage to leave shit in front of it. Really that is a credit to the writers of the movie, but that is the only kudos i will be handing out to the team who was able to churn out gems like "We're talking about a missile the size the Chrysler building" and then go to lunch feeling good about themselves.

This movie has almost every cliche you could think of right down to the actors playing their parts. These are just two ordinary men hopping from car to car on a runaway train trying to protect their loved ones who live in the town the train is headed towards. It features the chiseled old employee, Denzel Washington, who is being forced to retire and train the new employee, Chris Pine, who is just trying to find his calling and make amends with his astranged family. One can only hope a high pressure situation will fix all of that. Denzel Washington has worked with Tony Scott in five previous films so they clearly enjoy working with each other. And I think after Denzel wins awards for acting, like the TONY for Fences he enjoys doing mindless action flicks where he can get a nice paycheck. Meanwhile Chris Pine should be on everyones list of actors to watch before he gets even more expensive to cast.

Besides the train barreling down to kill a school of nuns, the antagonistic forces in this movie are the suits worried about minimizing their costs. Everyone plays the roles and fits into the subsets that they need to. The middle man is played by Miss Rosario Dawson who has yet to blow me away in any of her performances but she does the job and I never regret seeing any of her films.

There are a lot of laugh out loud moments in this flick whether that is intentional or not. Much of it stems from the live news coverage of the story to further convey that the movie is based on real events. All of the news outlets privy us to awful coverage and ridiculous graphics which is probably the most accurate portrayal of the story.

For all the flack I have given it, my opening statement is true. These guys give you exactly what you want. It follows a B-movie formula and will actually get your heart pounding if you let yourself become immersed in the ridiculousness of it all. B-