Black Swan Review

I joked in the 127 Hours review that I'd probably forget to review this, or maybe not review it all; and to be honest it's taken a few days to finally get this started... because I'm still unsure how I feel about this film.

For one, this is Aronofsky's latest film since The Wrestler, which I liked so much I gave it a VFH Seal of Approval (it was actually the first movie to get one, if you dont count WALL-E on Blu-ray). Which makes my judgment even harder, granted when I saw that film I hadn't seen any of Aronofsky's other films, which I've since gone and done and now have a much better idea on how I should judge his work...

...Anyways, Black Swan! The film centers around a ballet dancer, Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman), the best of her dance company and is trying to land the lead in Swan Lake, the company's re-imagining of the classic ballet. But despite being highly considered for the role, she is thrown off her pedestal by a newcomer, Lilu (Mila Kunis), who is basically everything Nina is not: free-spirited, out going, and overtly sexual. The pressure and influence of her rival, not to mention that fron her overbearing mother, director, and the company's former star dancer, ultimately leads Nina on a strange mind-bending ride.

Prior to seeing the film, I heard from a lot of people that the film would freak me out, and that I'd be thinking about it for days, etc etc... Well, that wasn't the case, for me at least. Yeah, I guess a lot of the film was weird or taboo, but it wasn't shocking, or that weird. I mean, I have watched Zardoz numerous times... But that's not to say I was disappointed, I'm just saying that people make this film out to be much stranger and brain-busting than it really is, I think.

Regardless of other peoples' opinions, I really did enjoy the film. I loved how it was shot just like The Wrestler, which a very intimate and realistic look, as if you were right there with the characters. And the fact that Black Swan adds the mind bending elements that obviously weren't in The Wrestler, makes the style of shooting even more effective. That's not to say 'big-budget Aronofsky' isn't apparent as there are a few scenes that bring in some CGI work that started to give me flashbacks of The Fountain, but thankfully the film never takes it that far, and the one scene that heavily uses CGI here is actually quite beautiful.

Acting-wise, everyone's really good in this film. I can't think of anyone more fitting for this role than Natalie Portman, and I was surprised that Mila Kunis was able to pull off the role, as I don't think I've seen her do anything appealing. Both Barabara Hershey and Vincent Cassel were great as Nina's mother and director respectively, as both do a fantastic of job of portraying seemingly sweet mentors but then ultimately becoming over-controlling and sinister.

Overall, I really did enjoy Black Swan, but I don't think I liked it as much as people are saying I should... if that makes any sense. I'd gladly watch it again, as it's a very brutal film, but not in the same depressing sense as Requiem For A Dream, which I honestly can't bring myself to watch a second time because it's so uncomfortable. But at the same time, I still don't think I enjoyed it as much as The Wrestler, because I find it difficult to get any sort of emotional connection to the characters of Black Swan like I had with The Wrestler. But ultimately both are great films, and really shouldn't be compared to each other aside from the relation of having the same director. Bottom line, I liked this film.

Overall Score: 9/10

127 Hours Review

Continuing in my new-found tradition of seeing things and then not telling you for a week ((or a month) ... or never), I'm here to finally post my review of Danny Boyle's latest film, 127 Hours, starring James Franco as Aron Ralston, a hiker who in 2003 accidentally got his arm trapped by a boulder while hiking alone in Utah, and his persistence to stay alive.

This is Boyle's first film since the Oscar winning Slumdog Millionaire, which I saw and really enjoyed (and would totally link you to a review of it if I wrote one...), and I watched Boyle's first film, Shallow Graves, recently and really enjoyed it; so I'll say that I went into this anticipating a film that would be worthwhile (and hopefully devoid of any unnecessary Bollywood dance numbers). And it delivered, but how can a film about a got trapped for 5 days be enjoyable? Well, read on...

First off, I didn't see this year's other 'man trapped in a cramped place for a long period of time' film, Buried, so I can't give any remarks about who does it better, but I can say that it comparison to a lot of things I've seen this year, I really did enjoy this. It's the type of film I felt that I couldn't really predict how it would go down; I mean yes, I knew he was going to be trapped for most of the film, and that eventually he was going to remove his own arm (it's a true story after all), but just how I didn't know. Which is a good thing, I hate seeing movies where I know exactly what going to happen and how (lemme guess... Autobots win?) and Boyle does a great job of keeping the audiences attention, whether it be with interesting presentation or the sometimes weird an unneeded dream sequences; like the Scooby-Doo part was amusing but like... really? Did we need that?

The scene everyone's talking about though is when Aaron amputates his own arm. Like everyone else, I knew the scene was coming, but I had no idea what to expect. I've watched enough horror films to see somebody's arm get ripped off and not think much of it (okay, I'll cringe a little). But the presentation and realism really set this apart from other gore I've seen in films because you've been with this guy the whole film, with the feeling that you're trapped with him, and suddenly he makes this heroic decision to finally get out, and inside you're cheering for him ... And then he snaps his own bones and gnawes away at his nerves and tendons and it's just ... too much to bare. I'm not regularly squeemish, but just thinking of the scene as I write this still gives me chills. But I think that's the point, that outside of you're theater setting and popcorn, you are in Aron's shoes at that moment, and it really is testament to how good this film is.

If I had to compare this to the other 'really good film with a surprisingly young leading man who is usually in mellow dramas or comedies' film, The Social Network, I'd have to rate 127 Hours just a bit higher. Jesse Eisenberg did a great job acting in that film, but I've actually seen him act before so it was just a fitting role for him. But Franco, I've never seen him do serious well, and I didn't think much of him when I saw him in person, but he surprised me here. His usual comedic charm is there, but when he has to put on his serious face in times of desperation and struggle he does it, and he does it damn well. 127 Hours isn't a film I can suggest to everyone, for obvious reasons, but if you're not squeamish, definitely check this one out.

Overall Score: 9.2/10

Fun fact: just two years ago when Slumdog Millionaire released, Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler came out, and I enjoyed it so much I gave it a VFH Seal of Approval; and completely forgot to review Slumdog. Now, two years later, I've reviewed Boyle's 127 Hours, and Aronofsky has Black Swan releasing (which I also plan to see). Let's hope I don't forget to review that one this time...

Fantastic Mr. Fox review

And the reviews just don't stop this weekend! Regardless, finally, quite possibly my most anticipated film of this season arrived in theaters this weekend (well, most theaters; it opened hear in New York and in Los Angeles, but won't open elsewhere until Thanksgiving), Fantastic Mr. Fox, the latest film from one of my personal favorite directors, Wes Anderson.

But what sets this film apart from Anderson's five previous films? Well, for one, it's his first stop-motion animated film, and it's his first adaptation, being based off the Roald Dahl book of the same name (which I finally got around to reading a few weeks ago, just for the purpose of analyzing the film...). Another thing different about the film, is that it's Anderson's film with a PG rating, and considering all of his prior films were rated R, that's kind of something worth taking note of, but I'll explain later.

The film, like the book, follows Mr. Fox (George Clooney), a sneaky fox who likes to steal from farmers. What's different here though, is that Anderson has personified Mr. Fox, giving him a personality and motivation, which isn't as clear in the book. Here, having given up stealing, he's a husband to Mrs. Fox (Meryl Streep), father to Ash (Jason Schwartzman, and created for the film), and uncle to Kris (Eric Anderson, also created for the film), and is employed as a newspaper writer and wants a better life for his family. But when Mr. Fox finds a new home, across from three dastardly farmers: Boggis, Bunce, and Bean, his old stealing habits kick in, and it may cost him his home, and the respect of his family and friends.

For the most part, the film sticks to the story of the book, albeit a bit indirectly. I'm not going to spoil anything for those that haven't read the book, but those that have read it will probably see how the events of the book are re-imagined with Wes Anderson's unique vision, making the story all his own. In short, it's the story of the book, but just tweaked. I didn't think it detracted from the enjoyment of the film, and if you haven't read the book this won't even be a factor for you, but it just seemed worth noting.

The biggest difference between Fantastic Mr. Fox and Anderson's previous work is obviously the change from live-action to stop-motion animation. I can't speak for everyone, but I know that before I saw the film, I questioned if Wes Anderson's signature filming style could be translated into a stop-motion film starring animal puppets. I can now say, after watching the film, that yes, there's no denying that this is indeed an Anderson film; from the flat shots and use of symmetry, there's no denying whose film your watching when you see this. And it's not even a limitation on the animation, which looks great (especially on the human characters) and flows well. It's unlike any stop-motion film I've seen before.

Even in the writing, the way characters talk and act is just that signature look, and while you may not actually see Anderson regulars like Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman, and Owen Wilson, you will hear them, and think that also helped in retaining the feeling of his films. But, the non-Anderson regulars perform just as well. George Clooney and Meryl Streep have a really nice voice chemistry together, and they just seem so fitting for their characters; it's the type of film you can watch without thinking "oh hey, that's whatshisname!" throughout the whole thing because they just sound so natural. I really enjoyed Willem Dafoe as the oddly-Creol Rat, Michael Gambon as Bean, and Jarvis Cocker (who many may know as the former lead singer of Britpop band, Pulp) who has a small singer role as Petey, who looks like a caricature of himself. And to further the natural sounding voices, it's interesting to know that none of the voice work was actually recorded in a studio, instead Anderson opted to record in outside locations and such, and it really makes everything sound more believable despite seeing animal puppets on-screen.

Now that I've covered Anderson's hurdles of adapting, and moving to stop-motion, it's time to look at the most peculiar hurdle of them all, the PG rating. I'm always amazed when directors like Robert Rodriguez and Stephen Spielberg can go between gruesome rated R films and family friendly PG films so frequently without having any sort of hiccups, so it's interesting to see how Anderson went from five rated R films, to his first PG film, other than the fact that he adapted a children's book, in an animated format. There's a lot of peculiar dialog that you wouldn't expect from a film of this nature, like speaking of death, existentialism, alcoholism, and even the inclusion of characters that smoke (which is actually pretty much unseen in most children's media nowadays). Or for instance the word 'cuss' is used a lot in terms that would otherwise be wildly explicit, such as 'cluster-cuss,' 'are you cussing with me,' and 'what the cuss?' I'm sure you can get the gist of what they're trying to say there, and while I don't care, I'm sure many parents may not like the inclusion in what's targeted as a film for children.

The way I see it, Anderson made this film just like he would any other, but obviously changed the dialog and gave the film some wackiness thanks to the medium, so that it could be accessible to more people than just his usual fans. I think the way a lot of these more mature references are presented is so that adult viewers will get it, and the rest will just fly over kids' heads. When I saw the film, it was a primarily adult crowd, so I can't exactly say how kids will react, but everyone else seemed to be having a great time; I know I was having one.

Overall, I'd have to say, pardon me, but this film was FANTASTIC. It's an interesting case of a director known for sticking to the same style finally coming out of his comfort zone and creating something that feels familiar and yet is unlike anything done before. Fantastic Mr. Fox is certainly a new benchmark for Wes Anderson, having had mixed reviews on his last few films (though I liked them), and is certainly his most accessible film to date. When this releases nationwide next week, do yourself a favor and see this film, fan of Wes Anderson or not.

Overall Score: 9.6/10

Okay, don't give me that look, it may seem a bit biased, being that Wes Anderson is one of my favorite directors, but this is also my site. I will say, despite really liking all of Anderson's films, this film may actually be my new favorite of his. I'm not sure if it's the animation, or the cast, or the great soundtrack, but something about this film is just far more striking than anything else that Anderson has done before. What I really admire is just how well the movie was made despite being his first stop-motion feature (Life Aquatic had some stop-motion, but those segments were done by Henry Selick), while still retaining his signature film style. And despite being an adaptation, Anderson found a way to make it feel like it was all his own, while still being reasonably faithful to Roald Dahl's original book. Fantastic!

(500) Days of Summer review

If we opened the summer by having our first comedy review, The Hangover, then I suppose it only seems fitting to end the summer by reviewing our first... romantic comedy. Now, despite the label given to (500) Days of Summer, Marc Webb's feature film directorial debut felt like a much different film than the typical romance movie, but you'll have to read on to find out why.

What I found so different about (500) Days of Summer, or at least what made it more interesting, is that it was from the male character's, Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), point of view as opposed to that of the leading female character, in this case, Summer (Zooey Deschanel). However, this may have been done before, I wouldn't know, this isn't really my choice film genre. But, what I do know about the film is that it's very upfront as to what you're going to see, as the narrator clearly says, "You should know upfront that this is not a love story," which in my mind already makes it different from the typical happy ending, feel-good romance films.

The premise of the film is quite simple, Tom wishes to one day find "the one" and Summer feels that she's happier being free and independent. But while the characters may sound like nothing new, it's the way that (500) Days of Summer is presented that makes the movie so unique. As the title may suggest, the movie chronicles Tom's 500 days with Summer, as he tries to figure out where their relationship went sour.

Constantly throughout the film it will cut to a screen displaying what day it is (i.e. "Day (476)" and so on), though it is never in chronological order, making the viewer decipher what's really going on. I definitely liked the idea of viewing their relationship on a day-by-day basis, and a lot of times in the film it works. But then there's times where it's just bouncing back and forth too much, and it really seems to lose its impact. Marc Webb's unique directive touch is appreciated, but the execution just isn't always there (maybe next time buddy).

Otherwise, there are definitely parts of the film I enjoyed. The soundtrack is great if The Smiths and indie music are your thing, and I was glad that Zooey Deschanel was able to show off her singing talents in the film, as I much enjoyed her work with M. Ward on their She & Him album, Volume One (and I hope to hear more!). But there's was a lot of subtle things as well that were cool to see, like the assorted Smiths posters, or Tom's Joy Division t-shirt, not to mention the Han Solo cameo (I'm not sure how they got the rights to do that by the way) in one of the more amusing scenes of the film.

Overall, (500) Days of Summer is a good film, and for Marc Webb's directorial debut it certainly raises hopes for whatever film projects he may have in the future. But it still has its short-comings; mainly due to the unique day-by-day non-sequential storytelling, which is sometimes the film's greatest achievement, and yet it's biggest fault. I was also pleased with the casting, as this role for Joseph Gordon-Levitt felt more fitting of his personality then say... Cobra Commander, and it seemed like Zooey really got to be herself for most of the film, instead of hamming up emotions like she and the rest of the cast did in M. Night Shyamalan's The Happening. In the end, I did like the film as an "alternative romantic comedy", but if that's what you're looking for, I'd probably suggest something more like Garden State instead.

Overall Score: 8/10

For those curious, (500) Days of Summer had a limited release earlier this summer in July, but recently had its wide release on August 7th. That means it should actually be playing in a theater near you, unlike most independent films I've reviewed.

Visit the film's official website at FoxSearchlight.com
Watch Marc Webb's Cinemash short with Joseph and Zooey