Black Swan is a beautiful, poetic film that manages to surpass expectations through unforgettable images, an unbelievable performance, and exquisite direction, all of which that propel the film beyond its somewhat-ordinary premise.

Black Swan rests upon an incredible performance from Natalie Portman, who plays Nina, an experienced ballet dancer who lives with her mother (Barbara Hershey) in New York. Her company is preparing for a production of Swan Lake, the famous ballet by Tchaikovsky in which a princess is transformed into a beautiful white swan. The story ends as her true love is stolen from her by the black swan, and the protagonist takes her own life. The trick is that one ballerina must play both parts: the graceful, precise White Swan as well as the unpredictable, sensuous Black Swan. And although Nina is perfect for the White Swan, she lacks the passion required for the other half of the part, which is a great fit for Lily (Mila Kunis), a newcomer who quickly grabs the attention of the director (Vincent Cassel).

The bulk of the film rests upon Portman’s shoulders alone, who is definitely up to the task. The rest of the cast are also great, but don’t have nearly as much screentime. The movie is really a character study of Nina, and follows her transformation, both literally and figuratively. Portman is not only perfect for the meek, fragile girl that the main character begins as, but also shows her versatility as Nina explores a darker side of herself. More impressive is how much of her performance is non-verbal. For many scenes in which she is by herself we must rely on facial expressions and body language to understand the character’s feelings. This subtle touch really makes Nina stand out as her own character and externalizes Nina’s feelings so that the audience can understand the motivations and conflicts that drive her. The sheer physicality of the role is also an extraordinary feat. Portman and Kunis both must act as well as perform ballet alongside world-class dancers. This normally requires years of training, but these two actresses were able to master convincing ballet in just a few months.

And the ballet elements are vital to the film. The incredible choreography of the ballet is there not only for spectacle, but compliments the main story. From the opening dream sequence all the way to the thrilling conclusion, director Darren Aronofsky and director of photography Matthew Libatique imbue the film with beauty and an unmistakeable energy. The ballet sequences are particularly spectacular, as the camera weaves its way in and out of the dancers, taking the audience on-stage with the performers. The film takes the art form of ballet and enhances it by filming it in an exciting, energetic way. The direction is also key in providing the mystical, eerie feeling that pervades the film. The grainy quality that only real film can provide makes the movie look rough, yet beautiful. The psychological thriller elements, specifically the way in which we see Nina’s mind deteriorate is not entirely unique, but are sufficiently unnerving and suspenseful. The music also serves to drive the story. The classical music utilized in the film further creates the feeling that the entire film is itself a ballet. The film’s incredible performances are only magnified by the beautiful images and classical score.

On the surface, the film is a very good psychological thriller but its universal themes are what propel Black Swan to greatness. As the ballet Swan Lake shows through into Nina’s life, it comments upon her state of mind. The movie takes on an interesting dimension as Swan Lake not only serves as an allegory for Nina’s journey but the film itself is also an adaptation of Tchaikovsky’s ballet. The film explores questions of reality and identity through a fantastical premise. The difficulty is in externalizing the psychological issues that are at the heart of the story, but the film has no trouble in doing so. The film is entertaining as a thriller but also is stimulating intellectually. The main themes of the movie are identity and reality, both of which are dealt with masterfully.

Mirrors play a vital role throughout the movie – from the makeup mirrors backstage, to the huge walls of mirrors in the studio, to Nina’s bathroom mirror – the film is littered with mirrors. This points to ultimate question of identity that Nina must face. She sees herself reflected so much, as she tries be one person, but who is she really? The doubles that she sees following her also point to her deteriorating mental state. Her feeling of being fragmented is represented to the audience not as unrealistic dialogue but as exciting, suspenseful imagery. This intellectual backbone of the film makes the otherwise ordinary thriller tropes present in the movie into something much more meaningful and interesting.

In the film, the line between reality and fantasy is intentionally blurred, and eventually disappears altogether. At first, one constantly tries to figure out what is real and what is not, but in the end it doesn’t matter. Instead of giving an easy answer, the movie disregards the distinction between real and non-real. What “really happened” doesn’t matter. The film portrays both sides of the story – the literal and the figurative – and the two are blended perfectly. Because there is no “answer”, many viewers will be put off by the film, but by leaving it open you are forced to actively engage with the movie rather than just sit back and relax.

Black Swan is a movie that hits you hard. It is visceral, exciting, suspenseful, beautiful, and thought-provoking. Go in with an open mind and you will be in for a wonderful film rife with beautiful images, extraordinary acting, and plenty to think about well after you leave the theater.

Rating: ★★★★★ 

He comes striding out of the desert wastelands of the U.S. like a man on a mission. Wearing dark shades, carrying a longbow and a formidable machete, with a single knapsack on his back, that’s exactly what he is. Denzel Washington is the Strong Arm of the Lord and the powerful core of the Hughes Brothers thriller Book of Eli.

We have had more end-of-the-world duress than we can stand lately, but Eli, crowned with excellent and rousing action scenes, evocative cinematography and a refreshing spiritual subtext is the genre’s best entry since they laid Mad Max to rest. Filmgoers looking for a bit of weekend popcorn fun will find themselves surprised by it. This is the apocalypse with a sense of the thought-provoking and the profound. Best of all, it turns out to be a hum-dinger of a samurai film.

When it all ended is never made perfectly clear, because we aren’t ever certain of the current date. Eli, the wandering warrior who evokes the spirit of bushido samurai crossed with an Old Testament prophet, says it’s been 30-plus years since the whole thing broke down. It’s been long enough anyhow for the life expectancy to rapidly drop, rendering most of the current population youngsters who were born after the nuclear apocalypse that ruptured a hole in the Earth’s protective shielding and let in the destructive rays of the sun.

Most of the world is like Solara (Mila Kunis), a feisty young woman living in a wrecked way-station that is learning to be a town again. Solara’s mother (Jennifer Beals) is a blind woman under the forcible control of the town’s leader, the sinister and opportunistic Carnegie (Gary Oldman). Their existence is a stifled and brutal one, but it beats life beyond the protection of the town, where those turned by the sun’s radiation seek out human flesh and the opportunity to waylay passers-by and take their…Wet Naps? Yes, in this moribund future seemingly irrelevant things have become prized possessions.

Enter Eli, who comes into the town carrying with him a book. A book he will protect above all else, and a book that Carnegie needs to get if he ever wants to rule the remainder of the population the way he wants. He pushes, and Eli pushes back, and then the action fireworks fly as Carnegie and his men set out after Eli and Solara, who has bonded with the lone wolf and followed him out of town. Instead of dropping all the film’s most spectacular pieces in one section of the film, the Hughes Brothers have generously spaced the picture’s many battles throughout. The details of a world shattered by war are abundant and specific. One of my favorite scenes involves a hunter stalking game through a forest of snowy white ash and drawing his quarry into his bow’s sights: the menu? Hairless cat.

The acting is top-notch for this kind of thing and the performers don’t look down upon the material or coast on their reputations. Gary Oldman has played bad so many times that his picture is in the dictionary, but he’s never played bad badly and that remains true here where he takes a one-note black hat and transforms him into a dangerously practical man that believes only in power he can wield. I haven’t seen Beals in ages, but she’s radiant and fragile here as Oldman’s downtrodden mate. Mila Kunis as Solara, the acolyte to Washington’s spiritual samurai, shows new facets as an actress that never saw the light during her television days. Michael Gambon plays a crazy farmer who may have eaten more than his fair share of human meat but who’s still willing to help protect Eli and the book he carries. Even Tom Waits shows up as a greaseball engineer. When Waits is the guy recharging your batteries, you know the end is well nigh.

Finally, there is Denzel as Eli. This is one of his best performances. Eli is a man of single-minded determination, carrying what he believes to be hope for all. He is also, when the need arises, capable of swift and violent retribution. Washington understands this and plays his character as a morally righteous man whose faith hasn’t just set him free of the death sentence of this world; it’s also charged him with rescuing it if he can. What he learns along the way is that the secrets housed within his book are more than just words; they have impact he has yet to fully experience. Here is a man who will quote psalms in one breath and blithely decapitate someone with another, and yet he doesn’t come across as a contradiction. This is a magnificent performance in a film that is far better than I would have expected it to be. 2009 was a stellar year for science fiction and if Eli is any indicator, 2010 will give it a run for  its money.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Darren Aronofsky, director of the 2000 hit Requiem for a Dream, is back with his next project, Black Swan.

Black Swan is a supernatural thriller that follows dancers within the New York City Ballet. In particular, the film centers on Nina, a veteran of the stage who must fight to keep her place in the spotlight for a production of Swan Lake. Nina’s biggest rival is a dancer named Lilly, but here’s the kicker: Nina isn’t sure if Lilly is real, a delusion, or a supernatural apparition.

Casting details have been released, and Aronofsky has himself a cast that’s sure to deliver. Natalie Portman will be starring as Nina, with Mila Kunis playing the part of Lilly. Joining them on stage will be Winona Ryder, Vincent Cassel, and Barbara Hershey.

Ryder will be playing the role of Beth, a dancer coming to the end of her career, whose place in the company Nina and Lilly are competing for. Cassel will be the director of Swan Lake, and Hershey will take on the role of Nina’s mother.

The script for Black Swan was originally written by John McLaughlin, but the final product was rewritten by Mark Heyman, who co-produced Aronofsky’s The Wrestler.

Black Swan is set to start filming in a couple of weeks, with Fox Searchlight likely taking on distribution rights.

It’s tough to really say Extract is a comedy. Sure, it’s being marketed as one and masquerades as one, but the film never hits the notes it wants to. Certainly there are laughs, few and far between though they may be, but none ever really rise much higher than a chuckle. Writer, director, and animation guru Mike Judge is more concerned with telling a story than he is with satisfying the audience’s comedy fix. Taken from that viewpoint, Extract leaves a little more to be desired and only becomes a fairly mediocre film.

There’s no point in discussing Judge’s visual style, as he’s never been one to do interesting things with a camera, so the main focus will continue to be the story. The central plot revolves around Jason Bateman’s Joel trying to validate his amorous feelings toward Cindy (Mila Kunis) by convincing his wife (Kristen Wiig) sleep with a gigolo hired by him. While slightly intriguing, it’s not enough to keep the film chugging along for even its brief allotted runtime. It works, mostly, because Judge knows when to let it flow out of proportion, except for when dealing with Cindy. She’s just there, never really serving any purpose other than free looks at Mrs. Kunis. Her arc is never really wrapped up either – except for a quick throwaway line that’s underplayed and easily missed.

Also wrapped up rather haphazardly is David Koechner’s annoying neighbor Nathan. He’s a distraction (and that may be his purpose), but this gag gets old quick. Koechner’s perfect at being a pest so the blame doesn’t rest on him. Judge wraps him up rather randomly, and in a way that’s more off-putting than anything. In Koechner’s defense, though, he’s annoying in a lovable oaf sort of way. Beth Grant has us wishing Anton Chigurh would pay her another visit. Every frame wasted on her is one the film could be using to improve its story. Sadly for us, she’s the whole catalyst for the film’s subplot involving Step (Clifton Collins, Jr.), who is suing the company with persuasion from Cindy.

Thankfully, Collins Jr. handles Step very well and never rocks the boat with a character that could easily fall into the same type of trap. Perhaps he’s a visual metaphor for the film: looks goofy and overblown but is actually subdued and somewhat likable. Making the film likable in the least is Ben Affleck, who, like  Collins Jr., looks incredibly goofy. Softening that goofiness soewhat is a certain charm Affleck applies to Dean to turn him into the bartender we all know and love, even if he’s a little odd-looking. Affleck keeps the outrageous aspects in check to keep Dean likable. He ends up being the best of the bunch, and truthfully it’s nice to see him making a mini-comeback.

Which leaves Jason Bateman and Kristen Wiig as the leading couple. Bateman of course is always a welcome addition to anything he does, even the strongly overrated Juno. He’s no different here, and has a presence that’s underrated to a degree. He guides the film when Affleck isn’t around to help him wade through the bad parts and doesn’t make Joel a wuss. Wiig certainly feels at home as Suzie and actually fits very well with Bateman. She’s sexy enough to be a housewife and smart enough to not overplay the character. She and Bateman feel natural, as if they really were married and going through these problems.

Shamefully they’re not enough to help the film overcome its own problems. Story aside, the film doesn’t appear to be trying for gut-busting laughs. The Hangover suffered story problems as well, but they made up for a good portion of those by delivering the funny. Extract has opposite goals, but really should have stuck to that plan. There’s nothing here that will evoke a great amount of laughter from a group of friends looking for the next big comedy, who will likely chalk up the film as disappointment in that respect.

For me, though, Extract comes off as a mediocre film that does enough right to balance its wrongs. Some performances sparkle while others tarnish hopes the movie had of being great. There’s a laugh or two here and there, but nothing that will have audiences in tears like the studio would want. In a sense, this is Office Space from the boss’ point of view and we come to discover that being the boss isn’t as glamorous as it appears. Essentially, that’s Extract in a nutshell.

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 

I was eagerly anticipating this movie as I’m a big fan of Jason Bateman’s understated comedic approach… and Mila Kunis’ understated hotness. And yet, neither could save this film. It was, in my opinion, just plain dumb. While writer and director Mike Judge usually does a great job depicting the humorous banality of everyday life in workplace and family, this script falls flat.

Bateman plays Joel who runs an extract factory (think vanilla extract, root beer extract, etc.) that he is trying to sell. Joel is a great character for Bateman. He looks at everyone around him like they are idiots, yet pulls off this sense of caring that comes straight out of his time on “Arrested Development”. Kunis plays Cindy, who gets hired at the factory and starts causing problems, both at work and at home. Dean (Ben Affleck) is Joel’s bartender buddy who seems as bizarre in this role as the advice he gives. J.K. Simmons (Spider Man’s J. Jonah Jameson) plays the plant foreman, Brian. His role is pretty funny, as is the one of ‘Step’ (Clifton Collins, Jr.) whose hilarious unfortunate accident is a focal point. In fact, if the movie had just been about Joel, Brian and Step’s life at the factory, it could have been comedy at its best. But throw in Joel’s wife Suzie (Kristen Wiig) and her almost funny sweatpants, and airhead ‘pool boy’ Brad (Dustin Milligan), and you have enough ‘plot’ to suck the life out of this endeavor.

Yes, there are some hilarious moments that will make you laugh out loud. But they are scattered among unfunny backdrops of plant worker stereotypes, infidelity and drug use. Even these last two subjects could have been funny (see The Hangover as a case in point), but instead of going all out for laughs, Judge tries to walk the line between making light of the situations and having an undertone of seriousness. And the line between the two ends up being a glass wall that lets you see what the movie could have been – but it never gets there.

Unfortunately, this ends up being a pointless movie with no redeeming qualities. And the ending leaves you wondering what the hell just happened… not only to the girl, but to the last two hours of your life. I can’t even figure out who the movie was geared towards. It seemed the theater was filled with mostly 20s, but the movie was mostly about a couple in their 30s, yet had jokes aimed at teens? Whichever way, I guess I’m just too old to get any of it.

I wouldn’t recommend this movie to anyone of any age. Save your money and watch some of Judge’s quality TV work like ‘King of the Hill’.

Rating: ★½☆☆☆ 

From the strange and creatively awesome mind of Mike Judge who brought you Office Space, Idiocracy and Beavis and Butthead, comes the next comedy called Extract. Starring Jason Bateman, Mila Kunis, Ben Affleck, Kristen Wiig, J.K. Simmons, the film will come to theaters everywhere September 4th. Take a look at the posters below:

Check out the pics of Tina Fey and Steve Carell on the set of their upcoming comedy, Date Night. Taken during production in downtown Manhattan, you can see the hilarious (HILARIOUS!) duo as they embark on their date. Might I suggest that Mr.Carell is trying to tip a man. Wacky stuff there. Wacky.

Date Night is directed by A Night at the Museum 1-2 director Shawn Levy and also stars Mark Wahlberg, James Franco, Taraji Henson, Kristen Wiig, Ray Liotta (the list keeps going), Mila Kunis and, of course, Mark Ruffalo. The film is due out next summer.

Source: Coming Soon

Max Payne was not what I was expecting. I went into the theater looking for a passable story with some in your face violence and a typical Mark Wahlberg solid performance that would be worth watching – but not worth owning on DVD. I came out of the theater totally excited to see this movie again.

Wahlberg brings the video game character Payne to life in this gripping story of murder and mayhem in New York. If you’ve played the game, you’ll be pleasantly surprised that, contrary to the trailer depiction, this movie follows the storyline pretty well.

Max Payne is on the hunt for justice after the killing of his family. His sparse clues lead him to some junkies and some crazy dudes spouting Norse mythology. Combine this with other murders that are taking place, mix in some mob complications and add a dose of demons and you get one hell of a ride.

From the opening scenes you’re struck with an acute sense of anticipation that never really lets up throughout the movie. Whether Max is figuring out a new connection or running in a rain of bullets, this movie doesn’t slow down.

With a great cast including Mila Kunis (Forgetting Sarah Marshall), Chris O’Donnell (Vertical Limit) and Beau Bridges (Stargate series) the movie is produced and directed by John Moore (Behind Enemy Lines and Flight of the Phoenix). Filming is dark and has the graphic novel feel you would expect. It also has some amazing special effects that were introduced in the game that really come alive in the movie and leave you wanting more.

I appreciated a couple things in particular about this movie that I had questions about when I saw the trailer. The first was that there was no nudity. There was the opportunity and even an expectation in one scene and yet the director left it out. I think it’s refreshing to see movies like this stand on their own without the need to add something they think the teens and twenty something men this movie is aimed at will be drooling for. And the second thing is the way in which the demonic presence is included. While I still had some questions as I left the movie about their portrayal and purpose, it wasn’t the overwhelming storyline that it looked like it might be. Instead it was intriguing and left me hoping for a sequel.

If you’re a fan of the game or of action movies in general, Max Payne won’t disappoint. And don’t be disappointed in yourself later for leaving the theater before the credits finish…

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆