Black Swan is everything a movie should be, it checks every box story, acting, cinematography, asthetic, setting its all there. Portman absolutely crushes this roll and if she hadn't won the Oscar for this it would have been a total robbery. The story is enjoyable and easy to follow, and all the other amazing aspects of this film help to get you hooked and to keep you hooked until the film builds steadily to its stellar, powerful third act that mirrors the energy of the ballet being performed flawlessly until the curtain closes. This film also really reminded me of a much much darker version of The Red Shoes (another phenomenal film) and not enough can be said about this film and it should absolutely be viewed if you haven't watched it already.
Reviews
7 Reviews
The Lighthouse
(I) (2019)
Lacks a coherent story, but the lead performances and cinematography are so good it doesn't matter
20 October 2023
The Lighthouse is absolutely fascinating and while the story is absolutely lacking Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson are acting so well it doesn't even matter in the slightest. I was never a fan of Pattinson but he truly showed his chops here and won me over in every way and showed he can act with one of the greatest actors ever (Dafoe) in a film in which they are the only characters and are essentially locked together on this small island lighthouse and not get overshadowed by Dafoe. Essentially what you're watching is a descent into madness fueled by isolation, hunger, fear, paranoia, jealousy, alcohol and ultimately the lighthouse itself. The other aspect that carries this movie is the choice to shoot this in black and white using old cameras, this movie would be substantially less enjoyable had that choice not been made. The atmosphere and the cinematography are top tier and if you appreciate how films are shot and whats used to shoot them this is a must watch.
Took several viewings but I now find it quite good
20 October 2023
At first viewing I was quite low on this one and just couldn't get into it, perhaps that was somewhat to do with the hype the movie had around it and the way it was marketed. Make no mistake that the vvitch is NOT some goretastic bloodbath by any stretch of the imagination. Instead this movie relies heavily on its atmosphere and the strength of the performances and cinematography to incite fear into the audience. As many strong horror films have done before this one, its what you don't see that frightens you and what you do see only aids to push your imagination further into the descent of despair that the characters of this film are slowly sliding into. I've watched it 3 times now and each time its far better than the previous viewing and the atmosphere, environment, the dialect spoken, the writing, and most of all the choices made while shooting the film (the very bleak almost gray cloudy washed out tone of the movie that seems to get more encroaching and restricting as the film develops) all make it more interesting than the previous viewing.
Donnie Darko
(2001)
Phenomenal film with a tone and feel that is near unmatched
20 October 2023
Donnie Darko is a film that is absolutely oozing feeling and asking its audience to reflect on life, love, family, growing up, and ultimately sacrifice for those that you love. The film doesn't hold your hand and while the knock on this movie has always been that the story doesn't make much sense, however if you simply follow what is presented to you a general idea of what is taking place isn't at all hard to see or understand. There are however a lot of deeper details about this universes time travel mechanics we the audience are left to interperet our own way and I believe the film is better for that. The performances are absolutely top tier as is the soundtrack and the cinematography. Don't get too bogged down on analyzing this and just watch it and allow yourself to get soaked into the celluloid and simply feel what the movies making you feel which for me is a wide range from sadness to reflection to laughter to satisfaction to frustration and it all is put into a soup that makes the movie a very watchable, entertaining escape from reality for 2 hours.
Hell
(1994)
Captivating, Beautifully Disturbing Study of Jealousy and Marriage
5 May 2023
I found this film to be a quite captivating, beautiful, supremely acted, often anxiety producing examination of jealousy, mistrust, psychosis, abuse, manipulation and a lot of other emotions explored through the lens of a male whom we never truly know whether he is a reliable narrarator or a very sick individual. While jealousy is certainly an emotion most everyone will experience, the jealousy that is thoroughly explored here is of a more specific variety one where the male character feels everyone is a threat and everyone is in competition for his wife. At the same time he is constantly wrestling with the feeling of inadequacy and self doubt about where he stands in comparison to her people in her past and present. Inevitably this drives him to abuse, manipulation, assault, sever mental illness and ultimately a total unwinding of life itself for both parties. Chabrol did an excellent job, its beautifully shot, beautifully cast, and although dark and heavy at times it maintained my attention and i was entertained throughout. Absolutely suggest a watch!
One Of The Funniest Movies Ever
26 January 2023
My friend and I randomly went to see a movie (as we frequently would way back in the day) and we would often go with no particular movie in mind so we saw "Harold and Kumar Go to Whitecastle" on the marquee and thought it looked interesting. We laughed for nearly the entire run time and this movie is STILL quoted 19 years later. In my opinion this easily one of the most entertaining comedies not just of the early 2000's but of all time. Both lead actors play off eachother incredibly well with one being reserved and the other being much more in your face. The movie is also written quite well and while it may just be about a simple journey of getting to whitecastle the film leads us and the characters on an epic journey with different locations and different characters to interact with much like "The Iliad" or "The Wizard Of Oz" classic movie can't recommend it enough.
The New York Ripper
(1982)
Intense, graphic, stylish, entertaining.
5 July 2022
"The New York Ripper" is a stylistic, ultra graphic depiction of a killer on the Loose in NYC. I found this film to be enjoyable and entertaining IF you like these sorts of films or are familiar with Fulcis other work you will likely find this enjoyable. With that being said the graphic parts of this film can't be understated it is extremely graphic and seeps the viewer in murder, sex, torture, maiming, voyeurism, sexual assault, sexual perversion, mysogyny, and an overall pitch black tone. It feels as if Fulci might have been channeling his disgust for the world into this film and that feeling echoes throughout. Watch If you're up for it and not easily offended.
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