a close to dvdrip quality version of Black Swan leaked yesterday. it may or may not be on my hard drive at the moment (if it were, no guilt because i paid to see it twice - that's how it works, right? like you're allowed to download cd's that you already own?)
anyway, i had the chance to watch a couple things closely today, even though i should be cleaning the apartment and finishing my unpacking (yes, i moved in close to 6 months ago).
so a little more indepth analysis of my two favourite scenes from the movie.
**major spoilers lie ahead**
When Nina gets home from the club and walks in the door to her apartment with Lily. That's what we see, but it becomes obvious later on that Lily isn't actually there and from what i gather stayed at the club when Nina got in the cab. According to someone on imdb there is an audio cue that plays everytime Nina is 'hallucinating?' but i haven't caught it yet (that's gonna take another couple viewings i think! haha). anyway, Nina and Lily walk in to the apartment and the point of view is from a mirror within a mirror. The way Nina and Lily are standing, the view through the mirror (audience's perspective) is half of Nina and half of Lily form one person before they split apart when one of the turns around. ingenius! then, as Nina's psychotic mother questions her about where she's been, Nina says: "to the moon..." then cut to Lily leaning against the wall opposite, whispering the completion of the sentence as Nina finishes it "...and back". the whole segment lasts less than 60 seconds but is pulled off so well that it's one of the best parts of the movie for me. I wish i was still at Dawson studying cinema so that i could write a monster of a paper on the intricacies of Black Swan.
As for my other favourite scene, it has to be right before the end in Nina's dressing room as she has her "holy shit moment" and comes to realize what she's done. as she looks down and sees the blood and pulls out the shard of glass. this is Nathalie Portman's shining moment in the film for me. a splitsecond before she glances down at her dress, you can see her eyes well up with tears and they fall just as she lowers her head. she pulls out the glass and the strings and horns swell - so, so, so, beautiful. so well done. it's an INCREDIBLE scene. honestly, i never really liked Nathalie Portman that much in anything prior to this. i doubt she has ever delivered a performance even half as intense as this. And i know that she never will either. This role was her masterpiece and I'm really happy that she took advantage of the opportunity and pulled it off so brilliantly.
The dinner club scene is also very cool, because Arronosky actually manages to translate the euphoric, dissociative and general warm, hazy and unfocused feel of a mdma trip on screen - the lights, the cuts matching the beat. bonus points for that, because it could have been a little cheesy.
Ok, i'm done. I promise, no more gushing about this movie (at least until Oscar time).
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
perfection re-visited
Black Swan... where to begin?
i rarely go to the cinema to see movies anymore, what with the price being something like $15. when i started going to the theater regularly at the age of 12, it was 5$ to see a movie. then again when i started smoking at 14, packs were 4$. anyway, all this to say that going to the movies is a rare treat for me these days. last tuesday, i took advantage of half price tuesdays and went to see Black Swan. Tonight, also being Tuesday, i went to see it again.
I first saw the trailer for it around mid-summer, and i knew instantly that it was going to be special. I like Arronofsky. I liked Requiem for a Dream, in spite of Jennifer Connolly and her eyebrows. It came out in the midst of my raving days, which made it seem extra relevant. i remember eating some mushrooms in my friend Jeff's parents basements and watching it. The soundtrack was the best part; Clint Mansell never disappoints (he also did the score for Black Swan). I enjoyed his first movie, Pi; the numerology and Kabballa connection was quite interesting. I am one of the few people who actually enjoyed The Fountain. It was filmed here in Montreal, and i was randomly contacted on myspace by someone involved with the film years ago (2004, if i remember correctly). He was a cute guy named Matthew and we went for drinks a few times. He was a friend of Darren's and was filming the behind the scenes footage for the extra features on the DVD. He had some funny anecdotes about Hugh Jackman shaving his head bald for some scenes in the movie and a freezing warehouse where they were shooting. anyway, i liked it, but i can understand why it was pretty much universally panned by critics and audiences alike. I think the execution was brilliant (including, for once, the CGI), but the film suffered from trying to do, or show, too much. i chalked it up to Darren being too ambitious and biting off more than he could chew. I haven't seen The Wrestler yet - maybe i will, maybe i won't.
so, yeah.. Black Swan...(may contain very minor spoilers and nuts)
i won't mince words; this is the best movie i have seen in 10 years. The movie that has touched me the most since "Mulholland Drive", wayyyy back in 2001. it's sad to think that it's taken that long. on first glance, one might assume that any dark 'psychological thriller' with two pretty ladies making out in it will automatically garner high praise from me. not true. Without getting into too much detail, Mulholland Drive touched me in a way no movie previously had or ever will. It's all about being able to relate. it just so happens that i can relate to Diane Selwyn's character so much that it's scary. I get how easy and quick it can be for true love to turn in murderous hate (for the record, i've never murdered anyone... hahaha!) And i also happen to love David Lynch. It is what it is. There are many connections to be made between the two movies, way beyond lesbian make out sessions. There's also a lot of "Repulsion" in it, which is another one of my favourites.
Black Swan flirts with perfection, it really does. The only slight negative that comes to mind is the sometimes heavy-handedness of the symbolism used by Arronofsky - there were a lot of mirrors, a lot of black and white, light and dark... that being said, everything else, from the performances (esp. Portman, Kunis and Cassel), the casting, the script, the makeup, the costumes, the score, the camera work was perfect. especially the camera work. at first, i was a little disconcerted by the up close and personal feel of the hand-held, but it really adds to the overall effect. especially the dancing scenes. both times i left the theater feeling 'out of sorts' physically. a little drained emotionally too, as if that even has to be said. the last 30 minutes or so of the film are exhilarating beyond words. if something can be both frenetic and restrained at the same time then this is a perfect example. hard to explain - it's just something that has to be seen.
I suppose i do have a thing for movies with female leads involving a descent into madness. If Nathalie Portman doesn't win the best actress Oscar, it will be a crime against humanity. mind you, naomi watts wasn't even nominated for MD, so nothing surprises me anymore when it comes to the Academy. I was skeptical about Mila Kunis in this role, i really was. all doubt was completely unfounded because she pulled it off. so well, in fact, that i can't even picture any one else playing her part. i know i'll be keeping an eye on her upcoming roles (yes, she is very easy on the eyes). i have tons more to say about the movie, but am going to wait for subsequent viewings, of which there will be many, to expound further.
for anyone interested, my top three female performances in modern day cinema:
Naomi Watts in "Mulholland Drive"
Catherine Deneuve in "Repulsion"
Nathalie Portman in "Black Swan"
all three movies are in my top 10. all three are dark, intense and emotionally-charged - just how i like em!
i rarely go to the cinema to see movies anymore, what with the price being something like $15. when i started going to the theater regularly at the age of 12, it was 5$ to see a movie. then again when i started smoking at 14, packs were 4$. anyway, all this to say that going to the movies is a rare treat for me these days. last tuesday, i took advantage of half price tuesdays and went to see Black Swan. Tonight, also being Tuesday, i went to see it again.
I first saw the trailer for it around mid-summer, and i knew instantly that it was going to be special. I like Arronofsky. I liked Requiem for a Dream, in spite of Jennifer Connolly and her eyebrows. It came out in the midst of my raving days, which made it seem extra relevant. i remember eating some mushrooms in my friend Jeff's parents basements and watching it. The soundtrack was the best part; Clint Mansell never disappoints (he also did the score for Black Swan). I enjoyed his first movie, Pi; the numerology and Kabballa connection was quite interesting. I am one of the few people who actually enjoyed The Fountain. It was filmed here in Montreal, and i was randomly contacted on myspace by someone involved with the film years ago (2004, if i remember correctly). He was a cute guy named Matthew and we went for drinks a few times. He was a friend of Darren's and was filming the behind the scenes footage for the extra features on the DVD. He had some funny anecdotes about Hugh Jackman shaving his head bald for some scenes in the movie and a freezing warehouse where they were shooting. anyway, i liked it, but i can understand why it was pretty much universally panned by critics and audiences alike. I think the execution was brilliant (including, for once, the CGI), but the film suffered from trying to do, or show, too much. i chalked it up to Darren being too ambitious and biting off more than he could chew. I haven't seen The Wrestler yet - maybe i will, maybe i won't.
so, yeah.. Black Swan...(may contain very minor spoilers and nuts)
i won't mince words; this is the best movie i have seen in 10 years. The movie that has touched me the most since "Mulholland Drive", wayyyy back in 2001. it's sad to think that it's taken that long. on first glance, one might assume that any dark 'psychological thriller' with two pretty ladies making out in it will automatically garner high praise from me. not true. Without getting into too much detail, Mulholland Drive touched me in a way no movie previously had or ever will. It's all about being able to relate. it just so happens that i can relate to Diane Selwyn's character so much that it's scary. I get how easy and quick it can be for true love to turn in murderous hate (for the record, i've never murdered anyone... hahaha!) And i also happen to love David Lynch. It is what it is. There are many connections to be made between the two movies, way beyond lesbian make out sessions. There's also a lot of "Repulsion" in it, which is another one of my favourites.
Black Swan flirts with perfection, it really does. The only slight negative that comes to mind is the sometimes heavy-handedness of the symbolism used by Arronofsky - there were a lot of mirrors, a lot of black and white, light and dark... that being said, everything else, from the performances (esp. Portman, Kunis and Cassel), the casting, the script, the makeup, the costumes, the score, the camera work was perfect. especially the camera work. at first, i was a little disconcerted by the up close and personal feel of the hand-held, but it really adds to the overall effect. especially the dancing scenes. both times i left the theater feeling 'out of sorts' physically. a little drained emotionally too, as if that even has to be said. the last 30 minutes or so of the film are exhilarating beyond words. if something can be both frenetic and restrained at the same time then this is a perfect example. hard to explain - it's just something that has to be seen.
I suppose i do have a thing for movies with female leads involving a descent into madness. If Nathalie Portman doesn't win the best actress Oscar, it will be a crime against humanity. mind you, naomi watts wasn't even nominated for MD, so nothing surprises me anymore when it comes to the Academy. I was skeptical about Mila Kunis in this role, i really was. all doubt was completely unfounded because she pulled it off. so well, in fact, that i can't even picture any one else playing her part. i know i'll be keeping an eye on her upcoming roles (yes, she is very easy on the eyes). i have tons more to say about the movie, but am going to wait for subsequent viewings, of which there will be many, to expound further.
for anyone interested, my top three female performances in modern day cinema:
Naomi Watts in "Mulholland Drive"
Catherine Deneuve in "Repulsion"
Nathalie Portman in "Black Swan"
all three movies are in my top 10. all three are dark, intense and emotionally-charged - just how i like em!
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