BLACK SWAN

WTF?

Ballerina Nina (Natalie Portman) scores the lead role her company’s production of Swan Lake; but only after impressing her sleazy dance teacher Thomas (an underused Vincent Cassel) and following the ousting of aging prima ballerina Beth (Winona Ryder). But what starts out as a dream come true soon becomes a nightmare as Nina must contend with rival ballerina Lily (Mila Kunis) getting all single white female on her; or not. Is Nina really in danger or is it all in her head?

Natalie Portman does deserve all the kudos and awards she has been getting for her portal of Nina, she lends a manic unhinged air to her performance while at the same time managing to make Nina scared and vulnerable – of both herself and those around her. Her transformation as it were is brilliantly played, her drive and passion oozes from the screen. She is matched by Kunis as Lily who revels in the ambiguous stalker-ness of the role. Portman and Kunis also share a very hot onscreen chemistry with their love scene rating high on the raunchy scale. Both are supported by a fantastic Barbara Hershey as Nina’s over protective Mommie Dearest mother, and with what little she is given, Ryder’s Beth is creepily effective – even if I had to turn away during her final scene.

Indeed I found myself looking away a lot during Black Swan. There are some very unsettling images and moments – Nina picking at her fingernails is almost too much to bear! Director Darren Aronofsky is know for his trippy visual films, including Pi and Requiem for a Dream, and Black Swan is certainly one trippy film. It is a mind f**k; a brilliantly filmed mind f**k. Aronofsky employs shaky cam which gives proceedings an unbalanced edge as Nina finds herself increasingly more tormented from forces outside and within.

Also notable is Aronofsky use of mirrors to effectively highlight the film’s theme of dual identities and dark reflections. Nina’s role in Swan Lake means she must play the good white swan and the bad black swan. Black Swan is all about identity as good swan Nina struggles to keep black swan Lily at bay while also seeking to subdue her own ‘black swan’ buried deep within her psyche. Confusing? Well Black Swan can be very confusing, and even with its breathtaking climax, that does provide answers, I was still left me scratching my head thinking WTF?

But then that is half the fun of movies like Black Swan, they leave you theorising and speculating long after the credits have rolled; and likes last year’s Inception its great to have a movie that keeps your mind active. Black Swan is certainly a trip, and one well worth taking…

3 ½ of 5 Stars

THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

Yes this was released in 2010, but I only saw it recently and given its win at the Golden Globes, and Oscar nominations, I thought it was pertinent to comment on it; plus it’s my website and I’ll blog what I want…

The Kids Are All Right centres on lesbian couple Nic and Jules (Annette Bening & Julianne Moore respectively) who have managed to raise two kids and who, despite having 2 mums, turned out all right (Surprise!). All is going swimmingly until the kids decide they want to meet their sperm donor dad, easy going Paul (Mark Ruffalo), without telling their mums. Inevitably the truth comes out and soon the whole ‘family’ are dining together. But things get complicated as Jules finds herself drawn to Paul putting her relationship and the happiness of her family in jeopardy. Will everything turn out…wait for it…alright?

The Kid Are All Right feels like an episode of an above average TV drama on the big screen, with the added bonus of an A-list cast. And aside from the cast I don’t know why this film is getting all the critical praise it has been getting as the story of extra marital affairs is hardly new, and I wouldn’t be surprised of the novelty of having Moore and Bening play lesbians isn’t the real reason for the praise; OMG its so daring!

That said their relationship feels very real and believable, which makes the fallout of Jules’ betrayal wrenching. Bening is great in the dinner scene (you know the one) and Moore plays Jules confliction over her attraction to Paul well. Mark Ruffalo is great as sperm donor Paul, walking a fine line between nice guy and slightly untrustworthy lout. And Aussie actress Mia Wasikowska and Josh Hutcherson as the kids are great even if they are given very little to do.

According to the Golden Globes Kids is a comedy, and while it is amusing, given the subject matter I don’t know why it wasn’t classified as a drama (probably because it wouldn’t have a chance against The Social Network). Its win is almost as confusing as Benings win for best actress (and her Oscar nod), yes she is good, but Julianne Moore is clearly the standout as the very torn Jules. But then I guess the Golden Globe nominations hardly ever make sense, why should the actual winners be any different? Not that the Oscars ignoring Moore again are much better…

All in all The Kids Are All Right is a solid, entertaining but ultimately forgettable. Honestly? A resounding Meh.

2 ½ of 5 Stars

LOVE & OTHER DRUGS

Jamie Randall (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a serial ladies man bedding girl after girl without the worry of feelings or love. That is until he meets Maggie Murdock (Anne Hathaway) a free spirit, with a hidden secret (She has early onset Parkinsons!), who is also looking for no strings attached sex. But of course this being a romantic comedy Jamie soon catches feelings, which forces both of them to confront the realities of Maggie’s illness. Oh the whole thing is set in the early years of Viagra too – not that that has much bearing on the whole thing.

Romantic comedies are all about the onscreen chemistry of the couple, and luckily Gyllenhaal and Hathaway share great on-screen chemistry and their sex scenes often border on the raunchy side. Indeed their nakedness is really the drawcard for the whole movie – hey look its Anne Hathaway’s boobs!

As fragile Maggie Hathaway is tremendous, subtly playing the signs of Maggie’s Parkinsons without going overboard (she doesn’t go full retard as Kirk Lazarus would say). Director Edward Zwick does use the parkinson subplot for emotional weight, and tears, managing to mine both by featuring real life sufferers discussing their conditions. However while the reality of carefree Jamie possibly having to one day become Maggie’s full time carer is touched on it is dismissed quickly so as not to spoil the happy ending (oh come on it’s a romantic comedy for gosh sakes…).

Gyllenhaal’s Jamie is very lovable despite his womanising ways, and a lot of the films comedy comes from his time spent selling Viagra, with co-worker Bruce (Oliver Platt), to doctors via their ‘responsive’ female reception staff. Josh Gad as Jamie’s brother Josh also provides some big laughs – his use of video material is one of the films best moments.

In the end I actually wanted to like Love & Other Drugs a lot more than I did, and I expected it to be a lot funnier than it was. It’s nice to see a romantic comedy with substance, but frankly it could have been better –naked A list starts having fake (but sexy) sex onscreen does not a movie make.

3 of 5 Stars

MORNING GLORY

Fired from her job as a producer on local morning breakfast show Becky Fuller (Rachel McAdams), through her sheer pluck and determination, manages to score a better gig on the low rating, and nearing cancellation, Daybreak hosted by Colleen Peck (Dianne Keaton channelling KAK) and Paul McVee (Modern Family’s Ty Burrell). Becky finds herself in hot water when on the first day of the job she fires the sleazy Paul, leaving her a co-host short. Desperate to save her show, and her job, Becky blackmails out to pasture journalist Mike Pomeroy (Harrison Ford) into becoming the new co-anchor, but can they survive working together and will it be enough to save the show? Oh and there is also a plotline about workaholic Becky finding love – but I’m going to give that as much attention as director Roger Michell did – that is not much.

As plucky producer Becky McAdams owns this movie, and she is given able support from Harrison Ford as the curmudgeonly set in his ways Pomeroy. It is their relationship that forms the main plot of Moring Glory as Becky tries to get Pomeroy to embrace infotainment style news of breakfast TV over the hard hitting journalism of yore. This isn’t the romantic comedy the trailers would have you believe, indeed Patrick Wilson as love interest Adam, doesn’t get to contribute much, and their union is devoid of any dramatic tension.

Diane Keaton is wasted in her role as the Colleen and while she does score some big laughs once she is allowed to get nutty on air, she is still far too underused. On the other hand Matt Malloy as resident weatherman Ernie Appleby manages to get the biggest laughs of the film with the smallest role, his reaction to a roller coaster ride is worth the price of admission alone.

McAdams might be able to juggle love and a job but I’m not sure screen writer Aline McKenna can convincingly juggle the comedy and drama elements in Morning Glory. Is it cutting satire, goofy comedy, or a romantic comedy with streaks of serious drama? In the end it’s a little bit of all of them, which doesn’t add up to a satisfying whole. The brightest parts of Morning Glory are the behind the scenes shenanigan’s of morning television and I can’t help but think if the movie had focused more on that it would have been stronger for it.

3 ½ of 5 Stars

TANGLED

Everybody knows the story of Rapunzel don’t they? A princess with really really really long hair trapped in a tower until a handsome prince comes along and rescues her… Well, Tangled is Disney’s version of the fairytale, with a title that is a little more male friendly and a trailer that emphasises its swashbuckling male lead over the princess and hides the musical numbers.

Many years ago the vain crone Gothel (Donna Murphy) discovered a magical flower that restores youth which she hides and greedily keeps to herself. When the kingdom’s pregnant queen falls ill the flower is discovered and used as a healing elixir. When Rapunzel (Mandy Moore) is born she possesses a long mane of golden hair that, like the flower, can stop the aging process, however if it is cut off its power fades. Not wanting to lose her loose her ‘follicle’ of youth, Gothel kidnaps Rapunzel and locks her away in a hidden tower.

Rapunzel is content to stay locked up in order to please her mother, but longs to discover the source of the ‘lights’ that appear in the sky every year on her birthday (A tribute by the king and queen for their missing princess). When rouge thief Flynn Ryder (Zachary Levi) drops in however Rapunzel seizes her chance and blackmails Flynn into taking her to see the lights. Mummy isn’t going to be happy.

Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi are great as the romantic duo, but it is Donna Murphy as Rapunzel’s evil ‘mother’ Gothel that really impresses. Gothel is the embodiment of passive aggressive mothering, using every trick to keep her darling Rapunzel locked in her tower – its very Mommie Dearest. Of course it wouldn’t be a Disney movie without funny animal sidekicks, and Tangled gives us cheeky Gecko Pascal and the scene stealing palace horse Maximus. Maximus is a study in silent acting, the driven horse will do anything to catch his man, in this case Flynn Ryder, and the pair’s unlikely team-up provides many of the films biggest laughs.

Tangled looks absolutely gorgeous, an old style animated film taken into the 3rd dimension. The backgrounds are lush and inviting, the lantern scene is breath taking and the character animation, particularly that of bloodhound horse Maximus, is sensational – especially given horses are one of the hardest creatures to animate.

Tangled is Disney’s second attempt, after last years The Princess & The Frog, to reinstate the tradition of animated musicals which fell out of vouge following their boom in the 90’s. Unfortunately none of the composer Alan Menken’s songs come close to matching his older work with Howard Ashman (The Little Mermaid, Aladdin and Beauty & the Beast) but they are toe tapping enough that I wouldn’t be surprised if Tangled turns up as a Broadway show (if only for the tavern scene!)…

Overall Tangled is a return to form for Disney whose earnest, heart on its sleeve storytelling has suffered next to snappy and sarcastic hits like Shrek, and even the broad appeal of sister studio Pixar. Tangled is a fairytale for modern audiences, full of action, laughs and just enough sentiment without it becoming cloying. Tangled has the distinction of being Disney’s 50th animated feature, and if they are all as good as this I look forward to the next 50…

4 of 5 Stars

WELCOME TO 2011

And we are back!

A month into the New Year already – can you believe it?

A new year brings new movies and hopefully more regular updates from me, starting with some brand new reviews…

Let’s see if I can keep things a little more timely this year…

2010 - A MIXED BAG (OF POPCORN)

And so 2010 comes to an end, not the best year for movies, and clearly these last few months have not had me champing at the bit to get to a cinema…lets take stock shall we?

Everyone else is doing it…

2010 didn’t have any outright stinkers like last years Where The Wild Things Are (I. HATE. THIS. FILM) or Astroboy (So many childhood dreams shattered), though it did have some disappointments’; Sex & The City 2 and Scott Pilgrim VS The World I’m looking at you…the less said about Clash of the Titans the better…

On the plus side 2010 saw a resurgence of Australian films, or certainly Australian films I would pay money to see in cinemas. From the bright and colourful (and flawed) Bran Nue Dae, Peter Helliar’s uneven attempt at the Rom-Com with I Love You Too, and finally the all ages action adventure of Tomorrow When The War Began. Stay out of the dreary suburbs Aussie film makers and I’ll continue to support you!

There was no big break out comedy hit like last year’s The Hangover, with Date Movie and Hot Tub Time Machine being funny but somewhat lacking. Likewise action films were in short supply, though Salt put up a valiant effort, The A-Team entertained while The Expendables wasted its action movie all star cast.

3D continued its assault on the big screen, even if the 3D only added to the ticket price and not the experience. When you are witness to a piranha fight over a CGI penis (Piranha 3D) you know 3D has reached its limits…

It was a year of farewells as Shrek and Toy Story took their final bows – and Harry Potter began its extended swan song. The super hero movie took a year off, only Iron Man 2 and Kick Ass daring to leap from tall buildings – although 2011 looks set to be the year of the super hero with Thor, Captain America and Green Lantern all fighting for dominance.

Instead the thinking person’s film returned with the mind bending logic, and special effects of Inception, and the talky, but riveting The Social Network putting intelligently written and engrossing scripts back onto the big screen. More please!

But the best film of 2010?

For me it isn’t a tough call at all, while I enjoyed The Social Network and Inception, no film left me completely satisfied like Toy Story 3. As far as I am concerned it’s a masterpiece from beginning to end; it has it all – action, adventure, laughs, and moments that can turn a grown man into a blubbering mess. And when you pay your cash and sit in that big dark room of strangers that’s what you want from a movie?

Isn’t it?

Happy New Year…see you at the movies in 2011!