Black. Swan.

Black Swan - This was an interesting movie.  I couldn't help but think, especially with the ending, that this was so much like Aronofsky's last movie, The Wrestler, which I also loved.  It is about the personal demands, physically and emotionally, of an obscure, competitive and extreme form of art.  I swear Natalie Portman's character reminded me of many of the girls I went to law school with.  And Mila Kunis's character reminded me of some of the other law school girls that the Natalie Portman type HATED.  But back to the movie... like in The Wrestler, we got to see a behind-the-scenes look at the every-day life of the elite in a world that many of us know nothing about.  Where The Wrestler takes the point-of-view of how the personal demands of that lifestyle affect the health of relationships, this movie takes a look at how those demands affect one's psychological health.  Though many of my friends may think a movie about ballet would jeopardize their masculinity, this movie - as expected - transcends the world of ballet.  Not only that, but it is a thriller that challenges the audience on what is real and what is not.  It reminded me of the last act in Fight Club in that regard. 

The performances were spot on.  Portman changed herself physically for this role, and it paid off.  She was frustratingly good as little miss perfect.  She is not as sympathetic as Rourke's character in The Wrestler, but with a mother like that - the girl never really had a chance.  There was a lot of talk prior to this movie of the sex, but that was overhyped in my opinion.  The most sensual scene in the movie was not the one involving Mila Kunis, or anyone else but the title character, for that matter.  So, that aspect of the movie shouldn't be on the mind going in.  But everyone from Portman, to Kunis, to Cassel (a very underrated actor, IMO) and Hershey were great.  

I loved the grainy and dark camera work.  It reminded me of The Wrestler, and also of many Michael Mann movies.  You were on edge the entire time, meaning the audience struggled to ever get comfortable.  I applaud this movie, though it still isn't quite as good as Inception.  But, it was on my mind for much longer than The Social Network.  I recommend seeing this movie, especially coming from someone who is a Personality Type One like myself.  You just may learn something.

How to Train Your Dragon - I also saw this little movie on Netflix last weekend.  I was very pleasantly surprised.  I've seen a lot of kids movie lately, and I've been impressed with how well they resonated with adult audiences.  This is another in that category.  I also highly recommend it, as it is right there with Toy Story 3.