Black Swan

After a couple of weeks of fun and frivolity, we are now firmly back in my wheelhouse. Matt and I will be reviewing all the nominees for Oscar’s Best Picture in 2011. The first movie is Black Swan and it is a great place to start.

In Black Swan we delve into the world of ballet. Evidently, this is a crazy, competitive profession where dancers at the top tier are always forced to fight for their spots, while watching their backs. Natalie Portman plays Nina, a ballerina with talent who has never been able to reach the leading roles. As casting begins, Nina is discouraged because her director is less than encouraging about her ability to play the Black Swan Queen. He acknowledges she has the purity of the White Queen, but none of the sultry fire of the Black.

Nina refuses to give up and she dances her best in an attempt to win the coveted role. Against all odds, Nina wins the lead role and is introduced to a world she has never known. The back-stabbing is now at an Olympian level and she is constantly running to avoid being caught on the casting couch.

Unfortunately, her home is no haven. Nina lives with her mother, a former dancer, who is WAY too involved in the minutia of Nina’s life. Her mother feels her own career was cut short when she gave birth to Nina so she is focused on living vicariously through her daughter. Unsurprisingly, it appears that Nina has some emotional problems and is cutting herself to relieve the pressure on the job and at home.

During all this upheaval, a new dancer, Lily (Mila Kunis) joins the company and seems to be in pursuit of Nina’s leading role. As the pressure mounts, Nina loses her ability to determine between paranoid fantasy and reality. The viewer is also left to wonder. The ending is a gorgeous cacophony of costumes, music and insanity and will leave you wondering how it all came together.

Black Swan earns a solid four stars. The acting is superb, the writing is sharp and crisp and the musical score is creepy, yet elegant. If you are looking for a good psychological thriller, curl up on the couch with a big bowl of popcorn and Black Swan. Its twists and turns will keep you glued to the couch until the bitter end.

Michelle D. Kieffaber

Black Swan

Black Swan

Director Darren Aronofsky creates an entirely new spin on how to present the timeless ballet classic Swan Lake.  Enlisting names such as Natalie Portman, Barbara Hershey, Vincent Cassel, Mila Kunis, and Winona Ryder gave Aronofsky the ability to pirouette into an Oscar nod for Best Picture in 2011.  Although the film did not garner the award, Natalie Portman was able to capture the Best Actress prize.

Although I am not an enthusiast on all things ballet, I tried to sit down and give this film a fair shake.  Michelle and I had agreed on reviewing the entire Oscar nominated films for Best Picture (2011).  Since we had already reviewed The King’s Speech, we decided to broaden our horizons and attack Black Swan.

The movie begins with a dream-like dance sequence showing Nina Sayers (Portman) as the star attraction in Swan Lake.  The naturally talented yet bashful and backwards Sayers is a ballerina for a New York ballet company, which will soon release their director’s, Thomas Leroy (Cassel), version of the archetypal ballet piece.  Nina becomes obsessed with obtaining the role as she believes her shelf-life as a ballerina is dangerously close to expiring.

As would be expected, Nina is selected as one of the individuals to audition for the part of the Queen.  After a short deliberation period and much to her surprise, Thomas chooses Nina as his headliner.  His only concern is that she is pure as the driven snow and questions whether she will be able to pull off the dark and mysterious persona of the black swan. 

Nina heads home to let her mother, Erica (Hershey), in on the great news.  Her mother is initially excited about the role; however, as the movie progresses Erica becomes concerned about the mental well-being of her daughter.  She begins to notice the strange behavior and self-mutilation that Nina exhibits.  As Erica attempts to help, she pushes Nina farther away, which leads to a strange friendship with a rival ballerina named Lily (Kunis).

As Nina continues her conversion into the black swan, she becomes more and more delusional.  She believes that Lily is out to steal her role and is doing everything possible to undermine her credibility with Thomas.  The struggle between the two culminates when Nina returns to her dressing room and Lily is dressed as the black swan.  Incensed by the betrayal of her fellow dancer, the two come to blows and Nina kills Lily before she returns to the stage for her transformational performance as the black swan.  I will not ruin the ending for you, but ultimately, her delusions end up creating her perfect reality.

This film for me was a bit difficult to sit through.  Yes, it had all the drama and twists, but it just didn’t seem to keep my attention.  I’m not really sure how it was selected to be awarded an Oscar for Best Film.  I absolutely understand Portman winning Best Actress as she was able to move between light and happy to dark and twisty.  I thought she was really the only bright spot in this entire film.  I give Black Swan three stars.  If you haven’t had a chance to see this movie, you may want to keep it that way.  The King's Speech was in another league compared to this film.

That's How Matt Sees It!

Aliens

Matt and I wanted to review a summer blockbuster and decided to watch Aliens. I was mildly concerned because I never saw the original movie. I was afraid I might not be able to understand all the subtle nuances since I hadn’t seen the first movie. But, hey, in my defense, Alien came out when I was in high school, Aliens the summer I graduated, and I had other things to do. I also have never been a sci-fi chick, so skipping these movies didn’t seem like a problem to me. What I discovered after watching Aliens is that Sigourney Weaver kicks ass and I need to watch the first movie.

In Aliens, we discover that Sigourney Weaver (Ripley) has been discovered by a space salvage crew after floating in orbit for 57 years. Obviously, she is shocked to have she lived in suspended animation for such a long time. Unfortunately, waking up comes with a price. She starts to remember the horror she had endured and is tormented by nightmares.

Ripley, who once commanded her own ship, was forced to take a menial job with the salvage company who found her. When she relayed her tale of aliens with “acid for blood” the company was skeptical, but she never changes her story and was obviously sincere about her experience. When a farming colony goes missing, Ripley is allowed to join a Marine expedition to search for the colonists. If the expedition goes well, Ripley was promised a job as commander of her own ship.

The Marines are a gung-ho bunch who see no worth to Ripley’s experience, and charge in, making a bad situation worse. In general, the Marines annoyed me. (Even a very young and cute Bill Paxton worked my last nerve.) Fortunately, most the Marines are killed off, and the remaining members of the team turn to Ripley to save them from the aliens.

Along the way, Ripley finds a lone survivor from the colony. This survivor is a savvy little girl who has managed to hide from the aliens. Ripley and the girl, Newt, form a bond and function as mother and daughter. Never mess with a Mama lion, she will always fiercely protect her cub; stupid aliens.

There are many alien chase scenes and I won’t take the time to explain them all, but rest assured, Sigourney is not going to fall victim to these slimy beasts again. She ends of saving Newt and escaping the alien horde. Like there was ever a doubt?

This movie was lots of fun, even though it didn’t challenge me intellectually; I loved it. Hey, who says every movie has to have a deep and profound effect on us? Aliens gets four stars for the ass-kickingly, fun romp that it is.

Michelle D. Kieffaber

Aliens

Aliens

Director James Cameron stuns us with this amazing sci-fi spectacular.  Aliens is nothing short of an out-of-this world experience.  Cameron shows off his film-making prowess in a heart thumping, visually stimulating, and special effects laden masterpiece.  Really, if you haven’t had a chance to see this classic or just have not had a chance to watch it in a while, I urge you to put this on your summer movie must see (possibly again) list.

With all of that said, this film begins with Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) returning from her previous war and encounter with beings from another planet.  Ripley soon realizes that she has been floating in outer space for nearly six decades.  She tries to explain the details of the mission and how the rest of the crew met their grizzly fate; however, skepticism about her story draws her unadulterated ire.

Ripley is then notified that the planet she just came from had been settled by about 100 people approximately 20 years ago.  Her concern for the colonists is immediate, but she is assured that no reports of extra-terrestrials have been reported.  Unfortunately, soon after the proclamation that all is well in Shangri-La, Ripley is notified that transmission from the colonists has ceased.  She is then approached by Carter Burke (Paul Reiser) to return to the planet as a consultant for the military team that is being deployed.  She initially refuses, but finally relents and agrees to return with a group of tough Marines, which ends up under the direction of Cpl. Dwayne Hicks (Michael Biehn).

The group arrives to find that mankind has been turned into living incubators for a very unwelcome guest.  One sole-survivor is discovered in the form of 10 year old Newt (Carrie Henn).  Ripley quickly forms a bond with the little orphaned girl and promises to keep her safe.  The little inhabitant turns out to be extremely valuable as she helps the group escape in several different situations.  Ultimately, only a handful of the characters survive the confrontation with the aliens.  But, don’t think it’s over just because the crew make it safely back to their ship.  Cameron still has a little movie magic up his sleeve, which may be the film’s most memorable segment.

This film was way ahead of its time.  The acting and action were unbelievable for a sci-fi thriller.  Although she did not win, Weaver received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.  The film actually won two awards for visual effects and sound editing, which is certainly well deserved.  In all, Aliens was nominated for a total of seven Oscars.

I give Aliens five stars.  The acting was unbelievable, action scenes that never stop; an awesome music score, special effects that still blow my mind, and cinematography that was light years ahead of its time.  If you have never watched this film, you are missing a piece of sci-fi history.  I love this movie and hope you will too!

That’s How Matt Sees It!

Dirty Dancing

To kick off the summer, I suggested to Matt that we review each other’s summertime favorites. At the top of Matt’s list was Dirty Dancing. Dirty Dancing is a guilty pleasure for me. I saw it TEN times in the theater when it first came out. It’s probably the only “chick flick” I’ve ever really loved.

There are probably only two people in the world who haven’t seen this movie, but I’ll outline the basics. The movie begins with a doctor and his family arriving at a mountain resort for a much needed summer vacation. Jennifer Grey (with her original nose) plays Baby, the conscientious, yet idealistic daughter. She is instantly drawn the charms of a young, buff dance instructor, Johnny (Patrick Swayze in his prime). While exploring the grounds, she stumbles upon a staff party filled with erotically gyrating young staffers. She is drawn into the dance and though she has no experience, she does show some raw talent.

Bored with the bourgeois antics of the older campers, Baby stalks the staff and discovers Johnny’s dance partner is pregnant and is looking to terminate. Unfortunately, the procedure can only be completed on the night she and Johnny were to perform at a local hotel. Baby convinces Johnny to allow her to fill in. While he teaches her to dance they fall in love. Johnny counterbalances Baby’s sheltered naiveté with his street smarts, thus making them an endearing couple.

When Baby’s father finds out about the terminated pregnancy he believes Johnny is responsible and forbids Baby to see him again; she still sees him on the sly. When Johnny is accused of stealing, Baby confesses to being with him, much to her father’s dismay. The once close bond between Baby her father is crumbling, but her love for Johnny and her zeal to do what is right drive her to become an adult her father never knew.

In the end, Johnny throws caution to the wind and whirls Baby onto the dance floor at the season ending show. Her father can’t help but see her in a new light.

Dirty Dancing earns a solid 4-star rating. The writing is far from inspired, but it touches on several universal themes (love, class differences, youth in revolt). The acting is good, but not inspired, however, the music is inspired and the story keeps you riveted to the very end. No one can go wrong if they grab a pint of Ben and Jerry’s and curl up on the couch with Dirty Dancing.

Michelle D. Kieffaber

Meatballs

Meatballs

Although it is still officially spring, Michelle and I decided to each pick one of our favorite summer movies to review. Meatballs was Michelle’s pick as a classic must see summer flick. Upon hearing Michelle’s selection, I was a bit surprised because I know she is quite the movie aficionado with a keen eye for Hollywood drama. Although, I am quickly learning that she has a fascination with films that are somewhat quirky and Meatballs falls squarely into that category.

This 1979 cult classic directed by Ivan Reitman is the epitome of all movies to follow in this genre. Several different directors have attempted to pull off the famed summer camp theme; however, none seem to provide much more than Reitman was able to dream up some 32 years ago. He seemed to be able to capture the hijinks, fun, and romance that often occurs at camp.

The film begins with the counselors-in-training (CIT) getting their last minute assignments from Morty (Harvey Atkin) the camp administrator. Morty’s assistant, Tripper (Bill Murray), could not be the polar opposite of his fearless leader. Tripper has a fondness for fun at all costs! As soon as Morty’s lecture concludes, the counselors prepare for the arrival of the kids.

The children finally arrive at camp with the excitement and exuberance that only a child can maintain or even generate. Everyone is ready to begin their summer with fun and games with the exception of one young boy who seems woefully misplaced. Rudy seems to be teased needlessly by kids and counselors alike. During the process; however, he befriends Tripper and begins to show promise of finally breaking out of his awkward shell. The culmination of his metamorphosis comes in the final event of the Intercamp Olympiad, which ends up deciding the final outcome of the games. Although the ending to the race is wildly predictable, you can’t help but cheer for the little guy.

The counselors also get in on the fun as we discover their idiosyncrasies. Love abounds with our CITs as summer romances blossom into solid relationships. Some of the funniest moments, in this film, come from the counselors and the trouble they create. If you have ever been a camp counselor, you may be able to relate to some of the late night shenanigans.

Overall, Bill Murray holds the film together with his unique style and comedic personality. The story line isn’t overly dramatic or stupendous, but it gets the point across. The flow was a little crazy for me at times, but I finally decided that this is a movie about fun with a message of self-discovery and acceptance thrown in on the side. There were many parts that made me smile and even laugh out loud. I give this film 3.5 stars based on the fun factor alone. A summer classic that you should watch again just for the entertainment value.

That’s How Matt Sees It!

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

I have wanted to see The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo for months so when Matt asked me to choose the next movie, I jumped at the chance to suggest it. This movie is based on a book by Stieg Larsson. He wrote three books in this series before he died, and the books have become hugely popular. There’s a reason the books are popular; they are fantastic.

Normally, I cringe when great books are made into movies because the movies never seem to measure up. This movie is an exception. There are few deviations from the book and the movie captures the creepy factor the book oozed. It is important to note this review is for the Swedish movie. An American version is scheduled to be released in December 2011.

The movie starts with a journalist, Mikael Blomkvist on trial for libel. Though he maintains his innocence, Blomkvist loses the case and is sentenced to a prison term. To save his magazine, Millennium, further embarrassment, Blomkvist steps down from his position and takes a job working for an elderly businessman, Henrik Vanger. Vanger has been mourning the death and disappearance of his favorite niece, Harriet, for decades. He wants to make one last attempt to find her killer before he dies. He knows Blomkvist is a tenacious journalist and will be perfect for the assignment.

Meanwhile, we are introduced to Lisbeth Salander, a strangely dark young woman who works as an investigator at a security firm. Salander is being manipulated and abused by her state-mandated guardian and you see her fire and intelligence simmer below the surface as she submits to his sleazy advances.

In the course of his investigation, Blomkvist learns of Salander’s skills as a hacker/investigator and they begin working together to solve the mystery of Harriet Vanger’s disappearance. While working together, Salander begins to trust someone for the first time in her life.

The twists and turns in this movie come fast and furious as the pieces of the case fall into place. There are many subtleties to this movie that may be missed by a viewer who hasn’t read the book, but the lack of these nuances won’t keep you from enjoying the movie.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo earns five stars. The acting is excellent, the dialog is crisp, the pacing is perfect and the cinematography is poetic. Anyone who has read my reviews in the past knows I’m no fan of subtitles, but I never noticed them because I was so thoroughly drawn into the story. I highly recommend this movie (but be warned, it is violent) and also encourage you to read the book.

Michelle D. Kieffaber