Did Darren Aronofsky Keep Our Trust with Noah? (+ podcasting on The Matineecast)

The Christopher Nolan that made Following and Memento is not really the same Christopher Nolan that made the Dark Knight trilogy and Inception. He's got more money, more trust, more opportunities. Yet, there's a clear connection running through his body of work, the identifiable Nolan-ism that makes us realise that Following and The Dark Knight Rises are made by the same person, instead of feeling like a rote blockbuster made by the same guy that's made 20 blockbusters before that.

And this is the case with Darren Aronofsky and his biblical epic/passion project, Noah. I must admit, had this been made by another person, I wouldn't have been at all interested in it. But because this is a film made by the guy who has given us films like Black Swan, Requiem for a Dream and The Wrestler, I was excited to see how he'd fare when he was given a few more dollars in his back pocket and the opportunity to tell a tale that would get the tongues wagging - perhaps more so than ever before.

Noah is indelibly a Darren Aronofsky film. It doesn't feel like it's cut from the same cloth as Aronofsky's other films, but it makes a nice addition to a nice enough patchwork quilt. Aronofsky is the kind of director that we could trust with anything - even The Wolverine, had he chosen to make this film - but Noah seems like the biggest thing we've trusted him with yet. Or is it the biggest film that we've trusted anyone with yet?

Hmmm, one has to ponder.

Top 10 Favourite (modern/classic) Directors

You remember how like, a month a go, I listed my favourite modern actors and actresses, along with my faaourite classic ones? I did promise at the end of the classic one that I'd list my favourite directors. But the Classic Movie Marathon got in the way and last weekend I completely forgot about it, so here it is...my favourite directors from any era:

Honourable Mentions: Martin Scorsese, Elia Kazan, John Hughes, Sam Mendes, Edgar Wright, Robert Zemeckis, Billy Wilder, Howard Hawks, Roman Polanski, Jane Campion, Peter Jackson, Kathryn Bigelow, Judd Apatow, Matthew Vaughn, Sidney Lumet, Greg Mottola, Duncan Jones, Rian Johnson.

10. Danny Boyle (on the set of 127 Hours)

When I came to the end of making my 100 Favourite Films list I got really angry because I missed a lot of films (I need to extend the list to 150), but I got especially angry over the fact that no Danny Boyle movies made the list. Now, that is nothing against him - or his films - because every work I've seen of his is absolutely brilliant. It's just one of those things when it comes to making a list like that. Danny Boyle's films have been both revolutionary and visually stunning, with the cool editing techniques he uses, the high saturation he uses with the camera and the always awesome soundtrack music he chooses. What he can do with a film is absolutely amazing. And pretty much half of the music I listen to comes from a Danny Boyle movie, so he gets extra props there.
Favourite film: 28 Days Later...

9. Jason Reitman (on the set of Up in the Air)

I know that Jason Reitman has only made three films. But he is one of those people who just became great after their first feature. I believe that the guy just continues to get better and better, even though he is so consistently great. His films, Thank You For Smoking, Juno and Up in the Air have all been tremendously well-received, which is exactly what he deserves. Add in the fact that he already has 4 Oscar nominations to his name (three for Up in the Air - Picture, Screenplay and Direction, one for Direction in Juno), I'd say that Reitman is well past the 'up-and-coming' stage...and I'd hate to have him let me down.
Favourite film: Juno

8. Frank Capra (left, on set of It Happened One Night)

Frank Capra films are the best. For anyone who is slightly snarky towards those classic films, I'd definitely put forward Capra movies to them first, because his movies are always so happy, funny and all-round enjoyable fares. It Happened One Night and It's a Wonderful Life, particularly, are two of my favourite films. The former because it is probably the funniest film I have ever seen and the latter because it's probably the most beautiful film I have ever seen. Plus, I never feel as uplifted as I do after I've seen a Capra movie.
Favourite film: It Happened One Night

7. Darren Aronofsky (on the set of The Wrestler)

As some may know, I'm a huge fan of lots of editing and 'different' camera techniques. And no-oe gives me that more than Darren Aronofsky. I'm pretty new to being a fan of him, since I only really started taking notice of him after I saw Black Swan and then trhe big life fuck-up Requiem for a Dream a mere two days later. I've been meaning to rewatch The Wrestler since I bought it like three months ago, but I still haven't gotten around to it. I see Aronofsky's work as an art form; he and his cinematographer Matthew Libatique like creating films that have so many different fragments that they all spin out to be a beautiful masterpiece. And I also like how the first word I say at the end of any Aronofsky movie is "fuck". I mean that in the best possible way.
Favourite film: Requiem for a Dream

6. George Cukor (right, on the set of The Philadelphia Story)

 First thing you should know about George Cukor: he was originally the director for Gone with the Wind. That's before he got into several arguements with David O. Selznick and Clark Gable didn't like his very feminine approach to the movie. One of the scenes he shot that remained in the film was the scene where Rhett and Scarlett have their first dance together. Here is a morsel of the considerable talent Cukor had: he could direct a dancing sequence unlike any other. Cukor was known as a ladies director, since he often directed movies with very strong female characters (including The Women, a film which doesn't have one man in the cast!). The people who direct chick flicks today need to take a note or two off him. Oh, and by the way, he directed 20 different actors to an Oscar nomination...good track record, huh?
Favourite film: Gone with the Wind...but since he was uncredited for that, I'll choose The Philadelphia Story.

5. Baz Luhrmann (on the set of Australia)

I'm quite the Baz Luhrmann obsessor. I own each of his movies, Strictly Ballroom, Romeo + Juliet, and Moulin Rouge! being the special edition 'red curtain trilogy' copies, and I also own Australia. I've seen each of his films at least three times and I love them all to little bits. I'm actually considering going to stalk the set of The Great Gatsby because I am so excited for that. I've spent too long without a new Luhrmann movie. His movies are great, lavish spectacles, with some great visuals and they always bring a tear to my eye. The fact that the guy is also very musically talented just adds so much pizazz to his films. I need a new Luhrmann film, and I need one now.
Favourite film: Moulin Rouge!

4. Alfred Hitchcock (on the set of The Man Who Knew Too Much)

 Does this man really need that much of an introduction? I know it. We all know it. Alfred Hitchcock was the master of suspense, and he is probably the greatest director who ever lived. His films are all fantastic, and probably twice as scary as they would have been because he had something to do with it. A lot of his films were instant 'must haves' on my 100 favourite films...every collaboration between he and his favourite blonde Grace Kelly got a spot, along with a few others. Psycho is one film which I will never forget. Thank you, Mum, for introducing me to him at the tender age of 11. I simply love his films.
Favourite film: Psycho

3. David Fincher (on the set of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)

When making my Top 100, I was surprised at the big mound of David Fincher films got into the very top part of my list. You can't dismiss Fight Club. That movie pretty much changed my life. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button has always been a favourite of mine, even though I still can't get over the act that Fincher directed it. And The Social Network. Y'all know how I feel about that one. I don't care what anyone says, that is one of the best movies I have ever seen and I could watch it 100 times in a row if I wanted to. His other films Zodiac and Se7en are both masterpieces. I just wish, that in a perfect world, I would have as much talent as Fincher. He just never stops being fucking awesome, you know?
Favourite film: The Social Network

2. Quentin Tarantino (on the set of Inglourious Basterds)

You know what I like most? When a director directs his own stuff. That's why I absolutely love Quentin Tarantino. Most of what he has directed has come from his own brain, and it takes skill to make that so effing awesome. I live for Tarantino films. When I find out he is making a new one, my stomach does a million backflips. His films are just totally boss, alright? I can't say anything more than that otherwise I might come across as a little crazy.
Favourite film: Inglourious Basterds

1. Christopher Nolan (on the set of Inception)


Wholey shit. What a surprise. I know that no one saw that coming. You know what (in fact, you probably already know this)? Every time I see a picture of Christopher Nolan, I feel so inspired. He's just a normal man, who lives a normal life, but he just so happens to direct some of the greatest modern films. And yet, he's just so cool with it. I mean, The Dark Knight went straight to #1 on the IMDb Top 250 within two days of it's release, and he's just like "cool, people like my movie, onto the next one..." I just happen to think that he is a God-like figure...and probably the greatest idol I have ever had.
Favourite film: Memento

Who are your favourite directors?

AAN: Oscar predictions - Writing and Directing

Welcome to Part Three of my Oscar predictions - the big one that Annual Awards Nerdism for 2011 has come down to.

Key:

My Leo - Coolness. I want it to beat the crap out of the competition.

My Zuck - This one will win. For better or for worse.

My Steve - I will weep into my laptop keyboard if this wins.

Todays categories are:

-Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published

-Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen

-Best Achievement in Directing

Let's hop to it, shall we?

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published

Toy Story 3 had lots of kiddie charm,
127 Hours made its lead lose an arm,
The Coens reinvented westerns with True Grit,
Winter's Bone didn't make me laugh one bit,
All these screenplays may put up a good fight,
and it's proven that all these people can wonderfully write,
but for this award there's only one walk-in,
and that's The Social Network's Aaron Sorkin.

My poetry skills serve as an insult to these very talented writers, I know, but I'm in the rhyming kind of mood at the moment, so let this be a warning: more poetry follows. Something fun, yes?
Anyway. Having seen all of these films (Winter's Bone review coming up tomorrow), I think I can count myself as a bit of an expert. But that's no use when it is as plain as the protruding nose on my face that Aaron Sorkin will win this one. If he doesn't...well, that would be like giving Best Picture to Sex and the City 2. He should win it for the opening scene alone. If only I could write like that man, I would be happy.
But let's not forget the other worthy contestants.
127 Hours has a nice script by Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy. I'm incidentally (and slowly) reading the original book by Aron Ralston, which is harrowing stuff, and somehow Boyle and Beaufoy managed to translate the descriptive will-to-live material onto the screen without much effort, and I respect that.
The Coens have always been well able screenwriters, and that is shown by winning two other awards for their writing abilities. Their scriptwork and characterization in True Grit is amazing, but I think they should take the year off, don't you?
Will someone please tell me how Toy Story 3 is an adapted screenplay and true stories like The Fighter and The King's Speech aren't? My second choice is this one, because it made me laugh, happy inside, and cry my eyes out more than I ever had until I watched Requiem for a Dream. And, if you ask me, it's damn good entertainment for every age group.
Winter's Bone is depressingly bleak, but I surprisingly liked it. The scriptwork was good too. I liked the way they captured the world in Ozarks and a chick kicking ass. The scenes towards the end still continue to haunt my dreams.

My Leo: The Social Network
My Zuck: The Social Network
My Steve: Winter's Bone

Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen

 
There was a surprising deserved nom for Another Year,
the Academy also went for The Fighter's boxing fare,
The King's Speech came back for another bite,
there's some funnies here with The Kids Are All Right,
the Academy may hate Chris Nolan it would seem,
but they nominated his script which dared to dream,
I hope that Inception can take it all,
for it was the movie which asked 'Did the spinning top fall?'
 
Fun Oscar fact I figured out myself: Black Swan is the only Best Pic nominee not nominated for a screenplay award. Taking its place is Mike Leigh's screenplay for Another Year, a movie which I haven't seen but have heard plenty of good things about. The Kids Are All Right gets a well deserved nod here, along with true story-based The Fighter.
Hey, the party is over here. Will Inception or The King's Speech win? If you asked me for the answer to this question just before the awards season started, I would have gone with Inception hands down. As awards season progressed, my heart was still with Inception but The King's Speech won everything. Then a miracle happened. Inception won big at the WGAs, but The King's Speech wasn't in contention. So, the stats would say that The King's Speech will be the big winner, yes? No. I refuse to stoop to that level. I haven't given up hope on Inception. After all, Chris Nolan is already overdue, they snubbed him so all the backlash from that should get my boy some votes, and, look at it this way: his script is virtually the meaning of 'original'. As original as you can get.
I don't care for all the hoopla surrounding The King's Speech. Inception and Chris Nolan are still my main men.
 
My Leo: INCEPTION!
My Zuck: Inception
My Steve: Another Year
 

Best Achievement in Directing

I'm still getting over the Chris Nolan snub,

but these directing men folk seem nice enough,

Darren Aronofsky showed us how ballet is done,

The Coens showed us how the west was won,

Tom Hooper's film got approval by the Queen,

David O. Russell tried to get Christian Bale clean,

David Fincher may do lots of films on disturbing tales,

but we all know he is a director who never fails,

here he hits the jackpot with a movie about the net,

and he makes The Social Network a film we can't forget.

Let's get this out of the way first: I like David O. Russell and The Coens direction. But Danny Boyle and especially Chris Nolan should have been nominated. They were just better, y'know?

For me, this race is a three way between Tom Hooper, Darren Aronofsky and David Fincher. Why?

David Fincher has won lots of directorial awards, including the Golden Globe and BAFTA. And hey, look at his filmography. Surely, all the greatness from that list makes him worth the votes? While I can see him gaining similar attention for his upcoming The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, this year he's going to shine.

Tom Hooper won the DGA. While his work isn't amazing, there are a lot of things that could point him to a win. The main reason being: all the awards hype surrounding The King's Speech. The Best Pic winner generally wins Best Director too. But who said The King's Speech will win Best Pic? Also, the Academy love new blood. Especially if it's British.

Darren Aronofsky could possibly sneak the upset. His filmography, though select, could work in his favour. You gotta admit, his work in Black Swan is beautiful. Hopefully the voters will see the light and vote for this deserving man. But that's probably a long way off...

My Leo: Darren Aronofsky

My Zuck: David Fincher

My Steve: David O. Russell

So that's it for tonight. Sorry if I have damaged you with my bad poetry skills. Tomorrow I will take a look at all the acting awards. Until then, Au Revoir!

AAN: I think the Brits might like The King's Speech (BAFTAs banter)

The lengths I go to for my obsession with movies. It was only this morning I realized that the BAFTAs were on in the morning, during school time. What was I to do? Well I got the tweets from BAFTA through my phone, but it was even luckier that the majority of the awards happened during first period, in which case I was in ICT (computing class). Unfortunately, two of the main awards, best actor and film, spilled over into period two, when I had English, and it was virtually impossible to sneak a peek at my phone the whole hour. When it came time for interval, though, all hell broke loose when I found that The King's Speech swept up, leaving The Social Network nowhere to be seen. But then I realized, those British people really liked The King's Speech, and hopefully that won't be the case at the Oscars (two weeks!).

The King's Speech mob and their mob of awards.

Notes on the winners:
-I don't care how great everyone thinks The King's Speech is. It is a fantastic movie, but it is my least favourite out of the nominees here, and the nominees I have seen at the Oscars, for that matter. Oh well, I'm happy it won, but The Social Network is better.
-You know what's cooler than winning Best Film? Winning Best British Film, too. The King's Speech did that.
-I guess Jesse Eisenberg went the whole awards season without winning anything. In fact, I'm sure every actor in the lead role went the whole award season without getting anything. Congrats, Colin Firth. Though I still think you are getting all these awards for your work in A Single Man.
-You go Natalie Portman. YOU ARE THE SWAN QUEEN!
-Geoffrey Rush for Best Supporting Actor? He was excellent, but he was just there. I was sure the BAFTAs would have gone with Christian Bale like everyone else, or Andrew Garfield since they really like him. But they go with an Australian? Hmmmmmm...
-This was a WTF moment for me. Helena Bonham Carter is great and all, but I thought they would have gone with Amy Adams. Then again, HBC probably won't upset Melissa Leo's Oscar campaign.


Andrew Garfield and Jesse Eisenberg hold David Fincher's award very tightly in fear that Tilda Swinton may steal it.

-I love that David Fincher won Best Director. I mean, there's supposed to be that film/director thing going on, right? Well Finch broke that right up. It would have been better if Christopher Nolan won, though. -Everyone except the Writer's Guild will keep ignoring Christopher Nolan's script for Inception and keep going for David Seidler's 'original' one for The King's Speech. Sweet as then, brothers.


Aaron Sorkin and his bagillionth award...and Julianne Moore.

-Who won Best Adapted Screenplay? I'll give you a clue: it wasn't The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. -The cinematography seen in True Grit really stood out for me, but no love for Wally Pfister and Inception? I sense another winless year for Mr. Pfister...
-The editing in The Social Network is good. I don't mind this award going to them.
-That's how we do it. Inception for Best Production Design. Go Ariadne. (Wait...she wasn't really the architect? We need to go deeper...)
-Costume Design for Alice in Wonderland. Seriously? Hasn't everyone forgotten about that movie now?
-I give up on campaigning Hans Zimmer's amazing Inception score to win. It never gets me anywhere. Thanks to no The Social Network, The King's Speech gets its sticky beak in here, too.
-Makeup/hair for Alice in Wonderland? Guess that makes partial sense.
-Best Sound for Inception. Just because everyone knows its amazing.
-Inception gets Special Effects, too. Because it actually looks real, y'know.
-It makes me laugh that The Secret in Their Eyes didn't win Best Foreign Film even though it won an Oscar last year. Well deserved win for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, though.
-SHOCK! Toy Story 3 won Best Animated.
-N-n-n-noooo Andrew Garfield for Rising Star? Sad. But Tom Hardy is a good choice, since we'll be seeing him everywhere soon.

Notes on the bits I saw of the show:
-Did anyone bother to turn up? Like, 50% of the people I saw winning awards couldn't be there. Natalie Portman is understandable though, since she is preggers and all.


Random hobo Gerard Butler with Darren Aronofsky and Natalie Portman's award.

-On the subject of Portman, the speech Darren Aronofsky gave on her behalf was awesome. So true that she didn't have to thank anyone. -Colin Firth is a funny bugger. Tom Hooper is apparently as thorough as his routine health check.


I wish I could be Amy Adams.

-Amy Adams is beautiful. Particularly in that dress.


Rosamund Pike and Dominic Cooper with original screenplay winner David Seidler

-Rosamund Pike was funny. So was the crack Gerard Butler made at her.
-Helena Bonham Carter's speech was perfect. Love her.

That's a wrap for the BAFTAs. Now only the big one to go. Is The King's Speech going to continue sweeping up there?

Just because it is Nicholas Hoult in a suit and it's Valentines Day and I am lonely :( HAPPY VALENTINES DAY MY LOVELY READERS!

Classic--Requiem for a Dream

or: The most depressing film. Ever.

One word to sum it up: Depressing.

How about this for irony? At Christmas, the happiest time of the year, I asked my friend to get me Requiem for a Dream, since I had wanted to see it for a long time. Just a little under a month later, it finally got posted and I received it as my Christmas present. Little did I know that that Christmas present wasn't really the happy gift that I could rejoice over. Instead, I literally felt drained of all happiness when that movie ended. I don't think I have ever cried so much during a movie!

Pills and heroin offer fulfillment of the dreams of four residents of Brooklyn's Brighton Beach in the shadow of a crumbling Coney Island amusement park. Sara (Ellen Burstyn) dreams of appearing on television wearing a red dress that's a bit snug. So she starts a diet assisted by uppers. Her son Harry (Jared Leto), his girlfriend Marion (Jennifer Connelly), and his best friend Tyrone (Marlon Wayans) pin their hopes for money on moving up from pushing nickel bags of heroin to buying in bulk. They also deal to support their growing habits. Things are going well: Harry buys his mum a new TV, she's losing weight, she has status among her friends, Tyrone's girlfriend is cool, and the team has money in a shoe box. These dreams are addictive.

Jesus Christ. This movie is not one I want to watch again anytime soon. It was far too traumatic. I have to admit, with the R18 rating heavily slapped on it, I feel as if I was too young to watch this movie. And I never admit defeat to a censors rating. I was watching it, thinking, 'this isn't too depressing...' However, once I got to the scene where Harry injects heroin into a decaying hole in his arm, I was watching this through my fingers. Seeing the end to each characters story thrown together in that beautifully edited climax tore me to pieces. I knew the effects of drugs, but I think I was too naï­ve to believe that it was quite that heartbreaking. My warning for this movie is: it's ultra depressing, on an epic scale.

Besides the shocking story, this movie is very well made. Darren Aronofsky, in his early years of film making, created a movie which is a lot like being high (I guess). The editing is perfect, and there are such quick cuts that the movie just blows away from you in no time. Aronofsky uses every trick in the book: split-screens, time lapsed photography, extremely tight closeups, long tracking shots, hip hop montages...it's the kind of film making that is truly amazing to watch. Set to a soaring score by Clint Mansell, the momentum this movie builds up is the type I could expect from an epic action film rather than a drama, which is something that happens too rarely. In short, the style of this movie is the kind that I go for. If I were to ever make a movie, then it would probably be similar to this.

The performances, too, are phenomenal. Especially the one from Ellen Burstyn as the tragic Sara Goldfarb. She is the main emotional arc in this movie, and her slow burning insanity is heart breaking to watch. The unfortunate thing is that her characters dream is immensely close to reality. Jennifer Connelly is wonderful as Marion. I absolutely adored the bath scene she's in which is a slick copy from a Japanese movie called Perfect Blue. Jared Leto isn't fantastic in this movie, but its the type of movie which makes you think that he should really still act. Marlon Wayans is surprising, and proves that he shouldn't really be doing...whatever it is that he does these days. The performances, the direction, the music...they're all at great form. And that's why Requiem for a Dream rocks, even if it's emotionally rattling.


THE VERDICT: Darren Aronofsky's talents are well on display here, with some clever visuals that help tell a tragic and depressingly true story of dreams shattered.

9/10

Cinema--Black Swan

or: Crazy ballet.

One word to sum it up: Spooky.

I would say that Black Swan is a movie which you could either absolutely love of absolutely hate. It has the potential to be something artsy and beautiful, or it has the potential to be something which people would dismiss is 'oversexualized torture porn'. I tend to agree with the former. It must be a case of those who are into this sort of thing will love it, and I guess it helps if you are familiar with Darren Aronofsky's work. However, those who only want to see dancing...this film will go way over the top of their head.

Nina (Natalie Portman) is a ballerina in a New York City ballet company whose life, like all those in her profession, is completely consumed with dance. She lives with her obsessive former ballerina mother Erica (Barbara Hershey) who exerts a suffocating control over her. When artistic director Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel) decides to replace prima ballerina Beth MacIntyre (Winona Ryder) for the opening production of their new season, Swan Lake, Nina is his first choice. But Nina has competition: a new dancer, Lily (Mila Kunis), who impresses Leroy as well. Swan Lake requires a dancer who can play both the White Swan with innocence and grace, and the Black Swan, who represents guile and sensuality. Nina fits the White Swan role perfectly but Lily is the personification of the Black Swan. As the two young dancers expand their rivalry into a twisted friendship, Nina begins to get more in touch with her dark side - a recklessness that threatens to destroy her.

Here's the truth about Black Swan: I cannot recommend it to anybody. It's one of those movies which just can't be loved by anyone. It's fantastic, but most people might just go "ugh, she's crazy" and completely switch off the movie. That lesbian sex scene will probably also cause some eye rolls. However, to the right viewer, like me, Black Swan is a beautiful piece of art which explores the fine line between reality and insanity. We first meet Nina when she is an innocent young woman living with her overbearing mother. There is something so scary already about Nina: she's like a ten year old stuck in a 20-something year olds body. One of the problems is the fact that the movie spends a long time dwelling on this fact, and even though she gradually becomes more defiant, when she really becomes crazy comes far too quickly. It is wildly interesting to watch her rise and decline though, and this movie could really be set against any theatrical backdrop, as it's one of those stories which is ever so topical to that kind of thing.

When Darren Aronofsky is subtle, he does a brilliant job. With the help of some amazing cinematography from long time working partner Matthew Libatique, Aronofsky shoots ballet like he shot wrestling in The Wrestler, and it is absolutely beautiful. The ballet sequences in this movie are stand outs, but I would not go and see this film just for them. Rather, I would go see it for it's brilliant use of conflicting genres. In most ways, it is the epitome of a psychological thriller, but it also a very scary physical horror. While it zeroes on the paranoia that comes with taking a role, it also spares no details on the pain that ballerinas go through, to the point that it is almost unwatchable. Another fantastic detail of Black Swan is the use of the ever present mirrors. Never have I feared an inanimate object so much after seeing a film. They create this eerie feeling, which goes perfectly with the brilliant Tchaikovsky infused score by Clint Mansell. And there you have it: all the trimmings to go with an arty flick that any arty film lover will adore.

It goes without saying, Natalie Portman is perfect in this movie. The way she adapts to both sides of her character is amazing, even to the point that it is painful to watch what she is doing. Just give her that Oscar already. While the Oscars forgot the supporting players, it is hard to ignore them. Mila Kunis is simply amazing as Lily, the free spirit who is effortlessly good at what she does. Why ignore her, Academy, why? Barbara Hershey is the scariest mamma I've seen since Margaret White in Carrie, but you can see how much she cares for her gradually insane daughter. Vincent Cassel, possibly the most underrated out of the lot, uses his macho persona to convey the sensual, almost villain like presence on screen. Black Swan is an effortlessly well acted film, rounded off by a thrilling finale which messed with my brain in the most amazing way.


THE VERDICT: Black Swan is a perfectly made, well acted piece of film which is easily classified as 'art'. Aronofsky has never been better.

8/10