Black Swan
Black Swan
#1Black Swan
Posted: 12/5/10 at 6:04pmI'm surprised nobody here is talking about it since it opened the other day. I saw it yesterday morning and it really is one of those movies that stayed with me the entire day and even into today I can't stop thinking about it. It's a given that Portman will be recognized by the Academy this year, but I also hope they remember Barbara Hershey who is thankfully back on the screen after being gone for God knows how long, and also the astounding star turn from Mia Kunis. There's so many reviews out there I won't bother with one of my own, but the film lives up to every bit of "hype" it's received and then some.
pli1018
Broadway Star Joined: 4/16/07
#2Black Swan
Posted: 12/5/10 at 6:37pmI caught an advanced screening on Tuesday and I've been thinking about it since then. I think it was a brilliantly constructed film with a darkly disturbing tone. I thought the entire cast was fantastic, with Portman getting the meatiest role. The final sequence was, for lack of a better word, perfection.
dramamama611
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/4/07
#2Black Swan
Posted: 12/5/10 at 6:42pmI can't wait to see this.
#3Black Swan
Posted: 12/5/10 at 7:55pmThe final sequence was brilliant. *SPOILERS* I knew that Nina's performance on stage that night would be perfection, it had to be. But it was like watching a completely unhinged person walk a tight rope with no net to catch her so even though I just knew it would be brilliant, my heart was still beating out of my chest the entire time. I actually had to catch my breath when the credits started to roll.
#5Black Swan
Posted: 12/6/10 at 11:01am
I saw it Saturday night and I really enjoyed it. I didn't know exactly what to expect, but the film wasn't quite what I thought it would be. You can certainly see Aronofsky's inspiration for a modern exploration of The Red Shoes as well as a tip of the hat to Argento. They style and themes are also very similar to Requiem for a Dream. But even with all this, the film stands on its own as well. What I found most interesting is that, while it is a pretty straightforward story, it is about so many things. And it certainly was a film that stayed with me. I couldn't stop thinking about it.
As for the performances, I thought Portman was well-suited to the role. I think she deserves a nomination, but I don't know about her winning. There was a key element missing for me (see below). Hershey delivered an excellent performance, but good Lord, her face is a disaster and incredibly distracting. I don't know if that was a deliberate choice of Aronofsky, but I have to wonder if someone else could have done just as well or better. And I was happy to see Rider again, even if it was a cameo of sorts.
***SPOILERS***
The only key really missing for me, which I attribute to Aronofsky more than Portman, was Nina's overwhelming sense of ambition. There were hints of it here and there, but I never truly felt she was ambitious to the point of obsession. I could definitely relate to her levels of stress, but maybe I need to watch the film again (which I certainly will). I couldn't figure out what her "tipping point" was that would cause her fugues.
#6Black Swan
Posted: 12/6/10 at 2:00pmI can't wait to get to see this. I got all excited because I thought it was being released on December 3, but it turns out that was just the limited release, and since I live in the middle of an effing cornfield it is not playing anywhere near here. Guess I'll just have to wait...alas.
#7Black Swan
Posted: 12/6/10 at 9:21pm
I bought tickets 2 days before and was glad I did. Every show was sold out and they announced at 7PM they would add an 11:25 PM show…I have NEVER seen that happen before ..nor have I ever seen people outside rush to then BUY the 11:25 PM tickets…..
First off, name the last fictional film about ballet to be released at Oscar time?
One has to go back to “The Turning Point” in 1977.
…never really a topic movies liked to touch..
Add in, this is a horror film in the best sense of the word – and you have something, frankly, that no one has ever seen before.
You never knew if you should laugh, cry or vomit simply because “ballet slasher films” ..well…there are none…
What’s next, “opera porn”?
All that said – it is a film that has haunted me for days.
I work at Lincoln Center. I have even been to the location the film was shot at in Purchase, NY. I have stood backstage and watched a star ballerina come offstage and pound her head on a wall because she wasn’t “perfect”.
I believe something like this could happen in real life at any time.
all that said:
Portman is magnificent in every single way. It is not an easy performance to digest. It is not Sandra Bullock in “The Blind Side”. It is a very raw, very frightening, very pervasive piece of acting. It will be looked at years from now as original in scope and broad in range and texture..and again, original, as will the film itself.
The other actors are all perfect.
The mixing of genres sometimes within a scene, sometimes within seconds, sometimes laughable, sometimes horrific…
..well…
What does one see when one has gone mad?..
Is there a set template? Would yours be different from mine?
Who knows what madness looks like to the mad. Nina's madness happened to look like this..
In short, “Black Swan” is unique in every way and frankly entertaining as hell…and one of the best films of the year with the female performance of the year.
Make that two years...(last years Best Actress doesn't count)
TheatreDiva90016
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/10/04
#8Black Swan
Posted: 12/6/10 at 9:31pm
"What’s next, “opera porn”?"
Sign me up!
#10Black Swan
Posted: 12/6/10 at 11:42pm
SPOILERS:
PS: The tipping point, I think was simply getting a shot at the role..
She was already a girl with major problems....as a member of the corp de ballet she could work hard - be noticed - long for more..but fly under the radar
...the moment she even gets picked to audition - it's all over....
even the slightest pressure...the slightest stress..and it was a very quick spiral...
#11Black Swan
Posted: 12/7/10 at 9:21am
Ballet slasher film = Suspiria
#12Black Swan
Posted: 12/7/10 at 10:14amSuspira - I sounds interesting...will check into it...thanks Mr. Matt
StockardFan
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/19/08
Borstalboy
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/9/04
#14Black Swan
Posted: 12/7/10 at 10:31pm
Saw it tonight and, while I didn't love it as much as the other posters, I did like it quite a bit. I just don't think its the groundbreaker everyone is swooning about, but as a kind of American giallo, it works nicely. Wonderful cast. Def Aronofksy's best flick.
Did anyone else have some audience chuckles when Ryder's character says, "You stole my things??"
#15Black Swan
Posted: 12/7/10 at 10:56pmNo but we burst out laughing with her "Did you suck his Cock?" line. I LOVE that Winona was totally in her own separate little movie in this. I F'in love her.
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