Black Swan (2010)

Met with critical acclaim after it was first released at the 67^th Venice International Film Festival in September of 2010, Black Swan has since gone on to gather even more fame and hype.  Mostly due to its’ combination of elegant dance and the deep psychological portrayal of a person under pressure to simply be perfect.   Natalie Portman headlines a film filled with sex, drugs, emotional & physical stress and just plain paranoia.

Nina (Natalie Portman), an aspiring and paralyzingly-timid ballet dancer, competes and is ultimately chosen to dance the lead role in an upcoming production of the classic Swan Lake.  In order to completely pull this role off, she must take on the duties of portraying two characters.  The first persona that she must accept is that of the White Swan, a role in which the ballet director, Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel), finds her perfect for.  Her desire to be perfect in every move and motion plays directly into what is needed to be a great White Swan.  The White Swan’s evil twin, the Black Swan, is slightly more difficult for her to grasp.  She isn’t used to dancing with the recklessness and abandon that is encouraged to dance this role.

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Blue Valentine (2010)

During the 26th Annual Sundance Film Festival in January 2010, many films were introduced to the world. Many films that went on to do well among public audiences. Films such as Winter’s Bone, Waiting for Superman & Happythankyoumoreplease. Another film, directed by Derek Cianfrance, entitled Blue Valentine also seemed to get a lot of attention due to its deep drama induced story about a married couple played by Ryan Gosling & Michelle Williams. After a good showing at Sundance as well as other festivals, Blue Valentine finally found its way into theaters nationwide.

The story begins with the couples’ daughter Frankie (Faith Wladyka) looking for her dog, Megan, who has gotten out of the yard. After not finding her, she wakes up her father, Dean (Ryan Gosling) who playfully disturbs the slumber of his wife, Cindy (Michelle Williams). The audience is then introduced to the occupation of both; Cindy is a nurse while Dean is a painter. Like every other married couple, they go through their trials and tribulations as we are taken through a routine day in their life. The story is filmed in such a way that shows the two as they are in the present while flashing back to tell the origin of how they came to be.

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Takers (2010)

With all of the films chronicling the schemes and usually well thought out plans of bank robbers and thieves, the introduction of Takers didn’t really have me too excited.  The only difference that I could really see judging from all of the trailers and sneak peeks were that these particular robbers were very well dressed.  The John Luessenhop directed project takes us into the lives of a pretty close knit bunch living the high life and reaping the benefits of their chosen illegal career field.

            The team of takers consist of a rather ensemble cast headed up by Gordon Cozier (Idris Elba).  His second in command and best friend, John (Paul Walker), helps to run their crew of determined heister's.  The film begins with the group about to pull off another job on an unsuspecting banking establishment.  They are crisp, fast, strategic and downright perfect in their execution of obtaining their goal without managing to hurt any innocent patrons or employees.  Detectives Jack Welles (Matt Dillon) & Eddie Hatcher (Jay Hernandez) are the police officials assigned to the case.  Both cop with their own personal story among the many sub-plots included in this film.

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January 25th DVD Releases

The action comedy Red leads the new release charge this week along with The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by its side.  Disney's Secretariat also races across the release finish line to entertain families from their DVD players.  Much to many movie goers delight, Saw: The Final Chapter signifies the end of the franchise as well to a cease fire on grossing people out.  For Russell Crowe fans, one of his finest, A Beautiful Mind releases on Blu-ray.  Other great films are The Color Purple & Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.  Happy viewing!

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Tron: Legacy (2010)

Almost three whole decades after its predecessor, Disney brings us back to the grid with Tron: Legacy. Funny as it may seem, the special effects used to create the virtual world in the original film was seen as some pretty state-of-the-art stuff back in 1982. It almost seems kind of unfair to compare to it to this sequel. Technology has taken a giant step or two in the last thirty years or so. The grid, as Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) calls it, is now brought to us in crisp 3-D.

Since creating the uber-popular video game, Tron, Flynn has taken over the company known as ENCOM. He has turned it into a very likeable and successful software giant until he mysteriously disappears. His son, Sam (Garret Hedlund), has no plans on filling his father’s shoes despite owning controlling shares in the international empire. After Flynn’s disappearance, the higher-ups in the company begin to take it in a direction that he had never intended. Despite not wanting a part in fixing the company, Sam occasionally drops in to make the developers who work there jobs a little tough.

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January 18th DVD Releases

Takers comes to us on DVD this week which according to some females is filled with "man candy".  Ryan Reynolds lays in a box in Buried. Bobby DeNiro, Milla Jovovich & Edward Norton Jr. in Stone and Timothy Olyphant's performance in the 1st season of Justified.  Also a primetime soap opera classic, Dallas, releases it's 14th season on DVD.  Yeah, 14th.  Death Race sequel and the comedy about "losing it", The Virginity Hit drop as well.  Go get 'em!

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The Golden Network?

                I am aware that I am not on the committee that chooses the nominees and the winners of such award shows as the Oscars, Critic Choice Awards and the Golden Globes.  Neither are the insightful and film savvy amateur critics that I share my love of movies with.  But I can still put in my two cents where I see fit.

                I am not in dislike of the screenplay written by Aaron Sorkin for Faceboook origin story, The Social Network, nor did I dislike the overall film.  I actually enjoyed the movie directed by David Fincher by I don’t think it was the absolute best of last year’s big screen pictures.

                As everyone may very well know by now, the film took home four awards from the Golden Globes.  I did not stay up to watch the entire program but I was surely not expecting it to win so many.  I did anticipate it would capture a couple of awards in the major film categories, but 4?  Especially being placed up against another film that I personally thought was the Movie of the Year for 2010.

                You can probably guess which one that is without me even hinting at it but I’m going to tell you anyway.  The mind tingling project written and directed by one Christopher Nolan was well deserved of its numerous nominations.  I was hoping the committee which apparently is the Hollywood Foreign Press Association that chooses these things would also be aware.  Inception seemed to be shunned during these awards and was held without a win in any category in which it was nominated.

                No, the film wasn’t perfect, not many are.  But it was very well near to being so.  These two movies are slightly and vastly different on a couple levels.  One being that Inception is more of a film that challenges the mind.  It makes you think, makes you wonder and just simply forces you to pay attention to it.  It jumps around the screen screaming “Look at me, look at me!”.  The Social Network also demands your concentration but in a different way.  It’s a true story that depicts real life drama unfolding before your eyes.

                I respectfully disagree with these decisions but I suppose that is what award shows are all about, aren’t they?  I personally do not really care for the glare and glamour that they consist of.  Sure some of the jokes and antics are quite funny and amusing.  But I would simply like to know who won what and leave it at that.  But that’s just me.  How about spreading the wealth a little?  That’s all I ask, especially to those who really deserve it.  Now on the Super Bowl of film award shows, The Oscars.