Black Swan (2011)

The light Rom-Com of a ballerina who only want's to meet the right man, but her bitch of a rival comes along and threatens everything, only for her to triumph in the end and become the prom queen/businesswoman of the year/ Head Ballerina thingy... This is, in fact what a film called "Black Swan" about the mental anguish of a young woman (Natalie Portman) dancing in a rendition of Swan Lake could well have been like. Fortunately, Darren Aronofsky plays by a different set of rules.

Dark Subject matter is nothing new for this man, "the Offsky" as I affectionately call him, made his Directorial début with π (pi, pronounced Pie, the mathematical term) The 1998 black and white thriller about a man trying to decode the the formula on which the stock exchange is based on, showing us the downfalls of great genius, as a man cannot escape his brilliance because his mind just won't cease calculating, ending with visuals and themes spawning the bastard child between Taxi Driver and A Beautiful Mind. While he later went on to achieve acclaim with Requiem For A Dream and The Wrestler, π was AronofskY setting the bar for himself, a high one at that.

So what can one expect? As I said before, it's the story of Nina, a working Ballet dancer in the high octane and pressure filled Ballet circuit, a mixture of bitchy stage-school kids and a more laid back cock tease Lily (integral to the plot, and Nina sexual/personal awakening played wonderfully by Mila Kunis). Landing the role of The Swan Queen seems to only add to the foundation of mental issues Nina has aquired because of her pushy mother, ever desperate to make her daughter live out the life she couldn't.

While she can execute the White Swan choreography to a T nearly every time, it's the more relaxed, emotional titular Black Swan Nina has trouble with. With manipulative Director Thomas (masterful yet bastardly turn by Vincent Cassel) pushing her to be more emotive, the film takes many dark, surreal and fantastical twists and turns before it's beautifully shot, performed and directed finale. Visually speaking one of the best films of the past 10 years.

Conclusion? Stellar cast performing a knockout piece I find hard to knock, perhaps the movie tried to hard to be subtle (Nina wearing a white, feathery scarf, Lily having black wings tattoo'd on her back) but it seems to suit the story Offsky was trying to tell. Though starving children in Africa and homelssness on the streets of London ARE big problems in the grand scheem of things, in the tiny world created for this little doll of a girl by her controlling mother (and subsequently, Director) means this life, and then this play is all she has, and her drive for perfection in her field only seems to fuel her mental downfall. An absolute must see, (whether or not the Academy grant it best picture), and it's also suitable to take the girlfriend to. Also, Mila Kunis and Natalie Portman getting it on.... win win? 9.9/10

The Green Mile

The Green Mile is the second of what I suppose you could call a trilogy of films adapted from Stephen King stories by Frank Darabont. After the critical and commercial success of the film that is currently sitting on top of IMDBs Top 250 (Shawshank Redemption), The Green Mile is another human, emotional journey, with an added fantastical edge. Set in a 30s detentions centre for those on death row, the green mile is the last place those committed to die call home.

Despite a mammoth three hour run time, it never seems to drag. The characterisation of the main characters, and the performances from Hanks and Clarke Duncan, are fantastic, both showing strength and insecurity in equal measure. The film dares to show those on death row, particularly Michael Jeter's character, who have been condemned to die for terrible crimes, as incredibly humane and hinged characters. The real villain is Doug Hutchison's Percy, who has to be one of the most despicable, hated characters in film history.

Despite the overall positivity of the piece, it can be fairly grim stuff. The subject matter becomes increasingly dark, sometimes shocking, which ups the stakes and the drama by a couple of notches. The film confronts you with the worst of human life, and gives us a light at the end of the tunnel in John Coffey. However, there is no real message or morality tale here, if nothing else it seems to be simply that bad things can happen to good people, and that magic would be cool if it actually existed. It wasn't a tale of personal triumph like Shawshank, this is just a fairytale, but you have to say, a very good one. But, when would you really be in the mood to watch it again?

8/10

Frost/Nixon

Nominated for five academy awards in 2009 and starring one of my favourite actors in Charlie Sheen, I had a good few reasons to go in to viewing this with a certain optimism. The film re-tells the play of the same name, which in turn tells the story of how David Frost (Sheen) came to interview Richard Nixon (Frank Lengella) after the Watergate scandal. To be perfectly honest, I had no idea what the Watergate scandal was, let alone the its historical significance. I am now enlightened.

The films strengths come from characterisation and performances of the two leads. Despite an inform Sheen giving a charismatic, heartfelt performance, Langella steals the show with a strong, accurate portrayal of the former president. The way the two trade punches, so to speak, in the closing stages are a joy. Strangely the film holds a lot of parallels with Rocky, with lots of emphasis in the dialogue about 'the fight' and battle between the two's verbal jousting, making the final show down a great pay off.

Despite the film being slow burning, it never really sags. Sam Rockwell & Oliver Platt are good additions to the background, giving the piece a bit more weight. Rebecca Hall is amicable but never really shines. The only reason I there were times I felt a little bored was because I'm not a huge politics fan, nor am I American, so the subject matter didn't connect with me in a way it may have for someone like Sam Rockwell's character.

Still, a very assured, classy film that does well to entertain considering the rather dry subject matter.

7/10