Welcome to 'Screen Adventure' film lovers. I'm Shaun K. and I'll be taking you through the world of groundbreaking cinema - films that changed my life, influenced me as a filmmaker and films that I feel everyone who is serious about cinema should check out!
Black Swan is a strange and seductive creature indeed, marketed as a modern day ballet thriller in the vein of, All About Eve. Black Swan is closer to say Jacques Tourneur's Cat People, the 1942 horror film which told the eerie tale of a young bride being overcome by fear of her awakening sexuality. It took two visits to the cinema for me to firmly grasp, both the style and substance, of Black Swan - and it is an extraordinary film indeed. So much could be said about it, but what seems so striking to me, is it's constantly evolving, bristling and evocative style - sometimes derivative, sometimes stunningly original, which threatens to overshadow the smaller subtleties of the film's actual substance.
Writer/Director Darren Aronofsky (Requiem For a Dream, The Wrestler, The Fountain) has created a film, which on the surface appears finely similar to others, yet remains elusively difficult to pin down, one thing is clear - this is evidence of an artist evolving rapidly. Where Aronofsky's first three film's were technically bold and ambitious, he has traded in his original approach of technical perfection, instead for a reckless, thrilling and unpredictable abandon and as it would happen this is what Black Swan's main character, Nina Sayers, begins to move toward, herself, through out this film.
Set in modern day New York's icy world of professional ballet, Nina (Natalie Portman Leon: The Professional, Heat) is an aspiring ballerina, with her heart set on dancing the role of the Swan Queen in a revamped version of Swan Lake, choreographed by the outspoken company director/choreographer, Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel Le Haine, Irreversible, Mesrine). Thomas eyes these ballerina's, weeding out the weak from the strong. He tells Nina she would be perfect to play the White Swan, but she doesn't have what it takes to play the complete dual role of the Black Swan - she is too innocent, too frigid, too fragile. When Nina comes to Thomas's door making a plea for a reconsideration, he throws himself at Nina with an agressive kiss, Nina reciprocates by biting him - this is when Thomas sees a glimpse of darkness in Nina that all of her technical grace could never match, thinking now that maybe Nina has what it takes to play the White and the Black Swan.
Thomas taunts Nina as he prepares her for the role, constantly comparing her to all the other girls who appear wild and care free enough to play the darker and seductive Black Swan. One of the first things that struck me was how everyone around Nina, in the beginning of the film, has a power over her, a sexual power to be precise, whether it be Thomas, Nina's mother (played by Barbara Hershey Boxcar Bertha, Hannah And Her Sisters) or even fellow Ballerina, Lily, played by Mila Kunis (Family Guy, That 70's Show), a sexy and darkly sensual woman who lures Nina into places she didn't expect to go. In fact everyone around Nina influences her, in one way or another, but if Nina is more fragile than we imagined, what might happen to her when she begins to break.
Natalie Portman and Vincent Cassel in Black Swan
For those of you who had their hearts torn out after seeing Aronofsky's previous film, The Wrestler, Black Swan may seem like a step down, but I'd urge you to see Black Swan again in the hope that some of it's appeared flaws give way to it's sublime subtleties, Black Swan is in it's own way as much a legitimate character piece as The Wrestler was, instead the minimal style that complimented Mickey Rourke's raw, wounded performance has given way to a surreal, horror piece, bathed in style, cloaked in erotic tones. Black Swan is shot in hand held 16 mm film, to stunning results, while the film tips it's hat to previous psychological horror maestro's like Roman Polanski, Brian Depalma and of course Dario Argento, Black Swan's use of 16 mm mixed with sly CGI effects seem entirely fresh. All the performances are spot on and the only small criticism I can find with the film is some small moments come across as perhaps unintentionally funny or awkward, but that's a small observation to make when observing a unique creature such as this.
Black Swan explores a fragile psyche on the verge of constantly shattering and the work that Portman did for this role is evident, Aronofsky films Nina's foot pirouetting, excrutiatingly in slow motion, like a piece of wooden machinery that is about to crack. Portman certainly deserves any accolades she recieves for the film as she walks a fine line through out the film, not to mention her technical ballet work, which even if there were stand in's at a certain point, it may not even occur to us. Vincent Cassel is perfect as always and is a huge credit to the film, as he is an actor that is always amazing to watch. The sublime and cheeky use of CGI is put to good purpose as Nina gets a glimpse reflections which betray her movements, like a part of her being taken over.
Aronofsky takes only the directing credit this time round, as the screenplay is credited to three other writers Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz and John McLaughlin. Aronofsky reteams with cinematographer Matthew Libatique (Requiem for A Dream, Pi) who shoots the film impressively with 16 mm film, using all of the film stock's rougher qualities and softer focus to play against the velvety lighting. Aronofsky continues his collaboration with outstanding composer, former P.W.E.I. frontman Clint Mansell, who creates a subtle yet omnipresent score by simply tweaking some of the existing pieces of Swan Lake. The real highlight of the film is the sound design which brings in the surreal and horror elements perfectly, it all ammounts to something to be reckoned with, as the sound design compliments some of the most effective scenes conceived, which simply set out to make your skin crawl!
Then of course, there is a certain sex scene in the film which caused lots of talk, where in a lesser film, would have been used purely for titillation, this scene which seemed to be hot on everyones tongue, certainly was exploited for marketing the film, but I should add that it also happens to contain one of the most fascinating uses of blurring reality and dream, ie. what may have or may not have happened, that I have ever seen, and it's implications potentially become as disturbing as your imagination will take you. The eroticism of Black Swan was initially something I saw as a flaw in the film the first time I saw it, but upon my second viewing these scenes played far more organically than I'd remembered.
Black Swan is a gorgeously made horror film that verges on perfection, it's definitely worth a second viewing, as I was amazed at how much I got out of the film a second time, I not only enjoyed it more the second time, but there were moments that I reinterpreted entirely, as well as scenes and characters which seemed far richer than on my first viewing. Black Swan is an agressive, focused and beautifully made film which explores all the unexpected contradictions, brittleness, paranoia and madness, of the world it enters into.
When I first heard about the remake of True Grit, I was less than enthused. Firstly, I never was a fan of the original, which starred John Wayne, and secondly, I never was a fan of the other Coen Brothers remake, The Lady Killers.
While writer, director and producers Joel and Ethan Coen, have proven them selves as two of the finest film makers in the world, it also seems that when your first half a dozen films or so happen to be undisputed classics (Blood Simple, Millers Crossing, Raising Arizona, Barton Fink), it's only natural that maintaining this standard will waiver at some point. The Coens have a enjoyed a career which seems to have performed a balancing act between witty farce (Burn After Reading) and cold blooded thrillers (No Country For Old Men). In other words I had no idea where, on the spectrum, True Grit may have lied as I relaxed into my viewing.
This turned out to be a curious mix - True Grit shows the Coens having unbridled fun with their material, including reuniting with Jeff Bridges, who starred in their cult classic The Big Lebowski. Bridges dons an eye patch much like John Wayne did as he steps into the shoes of Rooster Cogburn, never trying to channel Wayne (although I have no doubt that Bridges could if he wanted to), instead making the role his own. The problem, however lies in True Grit's desire to please everyone at once, with the film feeling torn between being a solid film, with moments of genius to a well meaning but faltering crowd pleaser with thinly drawn characters and a touch too much of the spoken word.
True Grit lies in the spectrum of a decent enough, quality Coen brothers film, but it's subtle enough inconsistencies, particularly during the second half bring it down. Beginning as a brassy piece of story telling, about a 14 year old girl, wise beyond her years, without ever seeming cute (perhaps a little too wise, if you ask me). Set in the wild west, newcomer Hailee Steinfeld plays Mattie Ross, a young girl with justice on her mind and vengeance burning behind her eyes, after the unjust murder of her father. Mattie seems capable of taking care of her self as she trades and deals with the roughest that the wild west has to offer, looking to swfitfully seek revenge against her father's slayer, Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin - American Gangster, Planet Terror, No Country For Old Men).
The most impressive thing about True Grit is how it manages to pull this all off, with out seeming completely ridiculous. Mattie is a tough soul, for the most part, we never see her in a moment of weakness around anyone, even when she is over powered she kicks backs in spirit. It would appear that this very trait in her is what leads her to U.S. Marshall and misfit, Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges The Last Picture Show, The Big Lebowski, Lolly-Madonna XXX), a man who stumbles and gurgles about, but has a notorious reputation for all the bodies he has filled with lead. Bridges is sensational as Cogburn, with the ability to amuse as well as set you in to trance with each line. Bridges words seem nearly inaudible, coming off like he just swallowed his beard, but it's a great performance where each line and glance is perfectly delivered.
In true western fashion Mattie and Rooster are joined by tracker, Mr. Leboeuf, played by a dryly amusing Matt Damon, who gives his best performance since The Informant. The cast also includes the always excellent Barry Pepper (Three Burials, 25th Hour, The Green Mile), infact the whole cast is solid and always a pleasure to watch. Long time Coen Brothers collaborator Roger Deakins (Kundun, Fargo, Doubt) shoots the film to stunning results, as always, and the first half of True Grit is an impressive feat, which requires us to suspend our disbelief in the name of an adventure, as Mattie, LeBoeuf and Rooster set off on a man hunt, as cold blood infects their veins and some very promising pieces are all put into place.
It's during the second half of the film where True Grit's weaknesses begin to emerge, where the lack of substance in the character of Mattie creates a lack of any real consequences or feeling in the film, when the pay off arrives and she comes face to face with Chaney, it's then that we realize that we really don't know a single thing about her or her relationship with her dead father. Do we know what is really driving Mattie? Do we even really care? As a result, the second half dissapoints, and fails to live up to the promise of some of the first half's moments of brilliance. The actual character of Tom Chaney is somewhat of an anticlimax as well, and this all brings up questions as to why more time wasn't spent on working on the script.
True Grit diplays some truly awesome film making, but it's writing and uneven tone let it down. It's very entertaining, but definitely not what I would call a high quality film, despite Deakins seductive cinematography and the strengths of it's fine casting. True Grit has a fun mixture of playfulness and violence that bump heads - that's not one of it's flaws, in fact it's the best thing the film has going for it. It's main problem is the over all direction and point of view of the story, which seems muddled, as it's unique bite fails to gel with it's broader family appeal.
I imagine True Grit will find it's groove with most audiences who will probably respond favourably to it, but I also suspect that those pleased by it's family film leanings will be turned off by it's occassional dark heart and vice versa, it's a pity that Joel and Ethan Coen couldn't make up their mind over which one they wanted to make before the camera's rolled, it had the potential to be a fantastic journey into the old west.
In the words of an anonymous friend, I don't like George Clooney, but I love George Clooney films. It seems these days that a film with Clooney in it, is by default, a seal of approval. With the star of Syriana, Michael Clayton and Three Kings taking the lead role of the assassin with many names, director Anton Corbjin (Control) takes a stab at the tried and true formula of the 'hitman taking on one last job'. I've always personally taken a shine to Clooney's presence, and while he may have a limited range, the man can sure as hell carry a film. The American calls for this kind of leading presence in it's central, enigmatic role and the results certainly have merit worth mentioning.
Clooney plays Jack/Edward, an American who snakes along the winding roads of an old Italian village, awaiting his final task from his insidious employer. The setup unfolds at a leisurely pace, some time after we have witnessed the opening scene where Jack kills his girlfriend with out blinking an eye. Jack has the ability to coldly detach himself from the kill, which he has to be prepared to do at any given second, unfortunately for Jack's girlfriend, she just got in the way of his job.
The American is filled with long stretches of silent reflectiveness. Clooney is easily able to convey the dilemma of Jack, who is unable to get close to anyone that he would have to be prepared to kill as a part of his vicious line of work, if they were to bear witness to any part of his job. The Dichotomy of Jack's detached existence is that he seems to crave this human contact the way a soul would crave food or water. This is all psychological as Corbjin's still camera penetrates Clooney's face, similar to how Peckinpah did with Steve McQueen in The Getaway or Melville did with Alain Delon in Le Samourai. These desires are never verbalised but communicated through looks, played out through scenes of isolation, which stretch on, as if they initially serve no purpose, but then come into immediate focus, the moment Clooney shares a scene with an actor.
The American seems to be a European's view of Americans, it captures the strange insulation that Europeans seems to find indicative of Americans. Their sense of exile from any sort of culture or history and this is what lurks beneath the surface in Corbjins film. Indeed, Clooney's presence will attract crowds to this film, but The American hurries up for no one and audiences will have to either settle in to the film's slower pace, which eventually rewards with suspense, but is more interested in taking the scenic route, rather than providing an action packed pay off.
The American explores this western phenomenon of surpressing where we have come from, as Clooney is surrounded by beautiful architecture, scenery and history every where he looks. The film is usually filled with something beautiful, whether it be architecture or women, we are always aware of the influence one culture has had on the next. It's easy to see what attracted Anton Corbjin, who was originally a photographer, to this film (in fact Jack announces his cover to an old Italian priest as a photographer). The American consists of either Clooney brooding away, as he portrays a man who has clearly become uncomfortable with his own existence, or in scenes of duologue, where the two leading woman in this film, as well as a priest can see into his soul. Jack may seem like a closed book, but the spine is old and bent, and the pages are brittle and frayed - perhaps he is loosing his edge.
While Corbjin uses his still photograph sensibilities to once again instill a photographic beauty to the story telling, this approach doesn't quite work as well as it did in his first and previous film, Control. While Control was charged with a sense of passion and focus, The American wonders in nostalgia, ultimately making it a solid film - but never a fantastic one. Clooney's performance makes do and gets the point across, but it would have taken a more accomplished actor to further bring out the dimensions of this film, which it so clearly relies on the lead performance to do.
The central story unfolds when history threatens to repeat itself. Jack visits a prostitute repeatedly, and when she begins to fall for him on a much more personal level, Jack is torn between his paranoia, his own fondness for her and a sense of the inevitable creeping up on him. Eventually The American forms a very interesting web of intrigue, where no one around Jack is guarenteed to be who they may appear as. The American is a meditative film, that is always solid but never a stand out one, Clooney is as charming as ever, his appeal is hard to deny and he does a very decent job in a film that unfortunately always gives you the sense that something is missing from it.
While The American feels like a rehash of many films, it's approach and style to the material still makes it seem like a breath of fresh air in the current climate of forgettable cinematic product. As many times as we have seen the path that Jack goes down, it's always a pleasure to watch it again, when such though has been put into it.
Cyberspace has certainly changed the way society functions, and certainly in the last few years, the website Facebook, has been a bigger game changer in networking and the manner by which we conduct our social interactions more than we might want to admit. Director, David Fincher's (Zodiac Fight Club, Se7en) new film The Social Network comes as a surprising smack in the face, which firstly confirms exactly where this evolving technology finds us currently as a society, and secondly, adds a thoroughly engrossing back story to it's origins of betrayal and one young man's acerbic grab for glory. The Social Network is indeed a film of the times, and it's dry, academic looking trailer hardly prepared me for what turned out to be such a thought provoking, muscular film about one man's tale of alienation
Tomas Alfredson's 2008 film Let The Right One In is set in a characterless town in Sweden, so non-descript in fact, that you even sense it's soullessness. Let The Right One In first introduces us to a 12 year old child named Oskar. A young boy who sits on his own in the snow, lost in a world of emotional iciness, as far as we can see, Oskar's only friend is his father, that is when he even sees him, Oskar's parents are divorced and this seems to have left him invisible to the insulated community around him. His skin is as pale as the falling snow, and the only attention he receives are from three bullies who remain the bane of his existence. In his spare time Oskar fantasises about killing them, about inflicting the same kind of torture they do on him
I was quite reluctant to see Let Me In, but eventually I relented. Based on the book by John Ajvide Lindqvist, and more notably a remake of the Swedish masterpiece, Let The Right One In, which told the exact same story three years before this. I have now reviewed Let The Right One In, and I found it to be a film of profound emotional beauty despite it's subject matter being about a vampire, both Let The Right One In and Let Me In (the book and the film) is essentially a love story of the most tender but grizzly sort, sure, there is a good dose of blood letting and darkness that fills your senses, but the spectrum of subtlety, delicate emotions and atmospheric power that the original explores is staggering, so for the Cloverfield director Matt Reeves to attempt an American remake, he has a lot stacked against him
Surprisingly, I didn't think twice about being at the advanced screening for the most gloriously low brow event of the year. Having had little exposure to Jackass in the past I embraced it with open arms. I suspect that my complicity in sitting back and cracking up with the rest of the packed audience was possibly inspired by the unfortunate experience of seeing SAW 3D the day before, but even so, there's something positive to be said for a film that just wants everyone to have a good time even if it is at the potential expense of the people on screen and the number of possible spinal and brain injuries that could occur in practise. Jackass 3D is indeed a most depraved time, but God almighty it made me laugh hard
One has to wonder what makes humans so intrigued by gangster films - the lure of power, the rise and fall and the violent instincts that cause a man to command the kind of respect that discounts the value of other peoples lives. No matter how many psychopathic characters are portrayed on screens, when they are gangsters we feel the distinct lure every time - from Cagney to Pesci to Pacino, we are constantly aware of how seductive they are despite the moral conflict to cheer them on versus standing in judgement of them. Mesrine Parts I and II, indeed leave us torn in this way. Portraying a character that is despicable yet fascinating. This fascination is indeed thanks to actor and leading man Vincent Cassel who leaves us mesmerised with one of his most astonishing performances to date
Lovely review David (why is it whenever I write your name I suddenly feel like Margeret Pomeranz - darnit!) This trailer didn't appeal to me at all, so I imagine that reading this review is most likely more entertaining than the film itself.
did you like Eastwoods last film, Invictus? I found it rather forgettable actually, and I wasn't all that enthused with Grand turino either. I was surprised by how much I liked The Changeling actually, but my favourite of Clint's is still 'Play Misty For Me' - just call me an old nostalgic fool.
P.S. I'm trying to remember now, was it Eastwood or Costner that directed 'A Perfect World'?
Jason - you couldnt drag me to see this - heheheh - have you seen David's review - hilarious! it's all in good fun at the end of the day - glad to hear you got something out of it!
oh the passion! Lovely listings my friend, with a few surprises in there. Will have to check out Animal Kingdom.....
finally saw BL: port of call new orleans - what a hair brained film - I sort of liked it, just for it's ridiculous pointlessness and eccentricity - and dont know the break dancing soul and the lizard , it totaly added character to an other wise typical scene of rappers acting as gangsters.
hehehe - David amuses me once again - what a surprise.
Bryn, I got about half way through your review , which I found enthralling, then decided to shut the book so i could go in a bit colder. It's enough that I already know what happens, so I want to be a bit surprised.
Loved that you say it's one of his best films (Boyle), he's a real hit and miss story teller and I love that Mantle shot this, he's one of my favourite D.O.P.'s and I loved his work on Antichrist.
I cant believe I'm saying this, but, due to what I've read, I'm now looking thoroughly forward to watching this!
g'day gents - good to be back in the swing of things.
I'm pretty much with you on this one David, I left with positive impressions, initially, after seeing the Fighter, but realized how mediocre it was when I was not bothered at all to wirte a review.
The only saving grace for the film is Christian Bale's extraordinary performance - you can just tell that he did something terrible in those crack dens to find his character.
Wahlberg was appealing and that was about it, so was the girl, but I can only recommend it for Bale's exceptional performance.
As for Russel's other film. Always loved Three Kings, never liked anything he did afterwards. Wanted to go back and check out his earlier work and had my spirits dampened after seeing the faulty 'Flirting With Disaster'.
David - I once again take my hat off to you - you have a special skill, that has gone long unaknowledged.......the ability to make me want to go see a bad film simply from your cynical and amusingly disastrous words of doom.
hehehehe - when I read Matt's review, I just thought, "I knew it would suck", when I read your review, it tempted me to slot this into the film I land up catching up with on DVD with my sarcastic friends,while we're all drunk and are looking for a shit film to make fun of
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Comment by ShaunK
on Sanctum
Screen Adventure
I'm gonna stay away from this one, maybe one day they'll get it right.