Tag Archives: black swan

Top Best and Worst Films of 2011

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We all had our fair share on films that made us smile and made us frown. To celebrate my recent Writer of the Year award and a step to a new year, I will reveal my list of best of worst films of 2011. I, however, did not get the luxury to see some of the films I would have liked to have seen (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Artist, Melancholia etc.) and this will be a mix of UK and North American release dates.

*BEST*

1) Drive – Nicolas Winding-Refn crafts an artistically pulpy film noir that delivers heart-stopping tension but also brings some humanity to the story. Ryan Gosling is compelling as the nameless driver but it is Albert Brooks that steals the spot-light as the menacing Bernie Ross. The car chases (especially the pre-credits sequence) are brilliantly shot and the editing is fluid. The cinematography brings the darkness to the Los Angeles glamour that we all have been acquainted to from many films set in the City of Angels.

2) The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo – The thought on making an English version of the novel when there’s already a Swedish TV/Movie made two years ago made us all cry in outrage. Then David Fincher came along and proved the nay-sayers wrong! Even if you’ve already read the novel or seen the 2009 foreign film, Fincher still delivers a dark and intense thriller. Rooney Mara makes a career-making turn as Lisbeth Salander and I honestly prefer her take on the character than Noomi Rapace’s (not saying Rapace’s was bad, just prefered Mara’s a bit more)

3) Black Swan – It is essentially Darren Aronofsky’s Swan Lake, though it’s about a ballerina (Natalie Portman) who gets chosen to play the lead of the new version of Swan Lake. The sense of paranoia from the cinematography, visual effects and even from Portman’s Oscar-winning performance is executed brilliantly. You really feel you are descending into madness, blurring the fine line between reality and fantasy. It’s also a body horror film, as Portman’s character slowly becomes the Black Swan. It was seriously a dark start for 2011 but it got me hooked till its perfect finale.

4) War Horse – Spielberg never ceases to amaze with his filmmaking skills (okay, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull aside). The trailer for this film came off (for me anyways) as a parody, so it’s incredible that a filmmaker like Spielberg was able to make that work! The ensemble British cast is astounding, from the likes of David Thewlis, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hiddleston, Emily Watson, Paul Mullan and Liam Cunningham. The score by John Williams is one of the best he’s done since Munich and the cinematography by Janusz Kaminski (Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan) is breathtaking.

5) The Tree of Life – The biggest Marmite movie you’ll come across; you’ll either love it or you hate it! I, however, loved it and found it incredibly intriguing and ambitious. The film’s story is driven thematically and visually, being an expressionistic piece of work. Brad Pitt delivers one of his best performances in his career (along with Moneyball and The Assassination of Jesse James). A personal film that asks universal questions and it is such a beautiful and majestic piece of filmmaking.

*Honourable mention; Hugo*

*WORST*

1) Transformers: Dark of the Moon – Second highest grossing film of 2011 (behind Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2) but it comes up to my list as the most unbearable film to watch of 2011. The human characters are ungodly annoying, Shia LaBeouf has nothing we could relate to and constantly screams more in this film than the two previous films combined! The new girl in the block, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, is completely emotionless and nothing more to show than her looks. The action sequences are better executed this time around but the Transformers gets shoved aside in favour for the human characters. The film is also way too long, the rest of the film is just filled with filler and characters that don’t need to be in the film (i.e. Sam’s parents). Michael Bay said he didn’t care for Transformers before he made the first film and it still shows he’s not suited for this film.

2) Sucker Punch – This is an unfortunate case where you give too much money and creative freedom to a film director that’s all about style and no substance. The problem is, it tries to bring a message and empower women but there’s nothing to it to get and the women are no way represented in a positive note by wearing corsets and fish nets. The film is completely incoherent (both in story and style), the action sequences have no purpose but to be there and non of our heroines have any characteristics to make them any different from another. It is a complete mess of a film and hopefully Man of Steel will bring Snyder’s reputation back.

3) Green Lantern – Talk about being hugely disappointing. The marketing for this film was far superior than the final product (I have seen an Extended Cut version was released but heard it barely made any improvements). This really could’ve set a new movie franchise for Warner Bros./DC Comics; you had a director that’s competent in action and drama (both GoldenEye and Casino Royale are proof of that) and Ryan Reynolds being the likable cocky hero. This could’ve been as exciting and epic like Star Wars but the script and creative decisions got lost in the abyss. The film looks and feels so lifeless and artificial, you cannot help but feel underwhelmed this could’ve been a great film if more time and effort was put into it. The ending teased with a sequel baiting scene but this bombed at the box-office (even though Warner Bros. were convinced it would be a success that they green-lit a sequel. . . . Beware Green Lantern’s light? I think he should beware of our expectations).

*Dishonourable mention; Cowboys & Aliens*

*BEST BLOCKBUSTER*

X-Men: First Class – The X-Men franchise nearly had the last nail to its coffin, after the dull X-Men: The Last Stand and the terrible X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Matthew Vaughn, after his huge success with Kick-Ass, comes along and tells the story of the complicated friendship between Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Erik Lensherr (Michael Fassbender) and the origins of X-Men. The film is the best of the series, creating a huge sense of fun but not having the spectacle get in the way of character development (especially between the two leads). Both McAvoy and Fassbender are incredibly engaging from the start, though the project started on being another origin story but solely about Lensherr’s past and eventually becoming Magneto. Although the thing that brings the film down is January Jones as Emma Frost (strong contender for Razzie nomination) but that didn’t stop me from enjoying the hell out of this film.

*BEST TRAILER*

There was some huge decision making for which trailer would win this particular award, so it wasn’t easy to choose from previews of what is about to come in 2012. As much as the latest trailers for The Dark Knight Rises, The Avengers The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey were hugely exciting but I would go for Ridley Scott’s, Prometheus. All to do with Ridley Scott returning to the genre that got him on the Hollywood map (Alien and Blade Runner) and the fact it looks spectacular. Being an Alien prequel but not featuring any xenomorphs that we all know an love. Though it does show snippets of the origins of the derelict ship featured in the first film (and second film if you watch Special Edition version of Aliens). Also the cast looks fantastic, ranging from Noomi Rapace, Charlize Theron, Michael Fassbender, Guy Pearce and Idris Elba. The trailer even pays homage to the trailer of Alien (the title slowly fading in and the eerie sound effect that rings through-out the trailer).

Lindsay Lohan: Black Swan role should have been mine

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Lindsay Lohan claims she should have had the lead role in ‘Black Swan’.

The 25-year-old actress has reportedly spoken of her frustration that Natalie Portman was handed the part of ballet dancer Nina Sayers who descends into madness preparing for a production of Swan Lake – a role that earned her the Best Actress Oscar – insisting her own dance training made her ideal for the part.

Plum Miami magazine writer Jacquelynn Powers reports the actress told her she did “ballet until she was 19 and was indignant that she was not considered for the movie ‘Black Swan’.”

The troubled actress – who was recently freed from a 35-days house arrest, which she served in lieu of jail time after taking a necklace from an upmarket boutique store and violating the terms of probation set for her 2007 conviction for driving under the influence (DUI) – had refused to give an interview to accompany a photo shoot she did for the publication, and the magazine instead accompanied the images with an account of her difficult behaviour.

As well as costing the magazine $100,000 after turning up late, sending the shoot into overtime, she also refused to vacate the hotel room which the publication was paying for.

Jacquelynn wrote: “Monday morning was supposed to be check-out time, but Lindsay and her posse refused to leave. It was like watching the lights come on at a nightclub after-hours – not pretty.”

They also reported she was argumentative, drank wine while speaking about being alcohol-free, and insisted on cleaning a stripper pole before she would pose with it.

A photographer on the shoot commented: “She has a dangerous element to her presence. You never know what’s gonna happen in the next two seconds. Is she gonna bite you?”

Natalie Portman names son Alef

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Natalie Portman has named her baby son Alef.

The Oscar-winning actress and her fiance, choreographer Benjamin Millepied, have named their first child – who was born last month – after the first letter in the Hebrew alphabet.

According to Israeli TV Show ‘Good Evening with Guy Pines’, the Jewish actress decided to pay homage to her motherland with the moniker, which also means the “oneness of God”.

Meanwhile, the couple – who met on the set of ‘Black Swan’- have decided their son will adopt both their last names with the surname Portman-Millepied.

Prior to the birth of baby Alef, who is yet to be seen in public, Natalie admitted her Jewish ancestry had caused her to be “superstitious”.

She explained: “I think it’s a Jewish thing to be kind of superstitious. You don’t do any of the baby stuff before the baby arrives.”

Throughout her pregnancy Natalie paid tribute to her parents Avner and Shelley Hershlag, saying she hoped to look after her child in the same way that she was brought up.

She said: “If I am a shadow as good a parent, an echo, then I will be the best in the world, so thank you.”

New Dance Trends bring us Indie Ballet {Frost Fitness}

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Hot on the satin-clad heels of Black Swan, everyone’s keen to try ballet, but classical music’s not to everyone’s taste. Enter the latest ballet trend – Indie Ballet.

This shock new ballet style is all about the music – classic ballet pirouettes, pique and twirls blended with rocky indie tunes to make a totally unique style of dance, movement and entertainment.  Professional dancers and public alike will be merging jaw-dropping splits to music from the likes of Razorlight, The Futureheads, Franz Ferdinand, and Gomez.

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Indie Ballet isn’t the only new trend out there. Some of the others that are tipped to be hot on the dance floor this year are…

Waaking. Originating from the US, the Waaking phenomenon will be sweeping our nation due to its cool new funk style.  Inspired by Madonna’s ‘Vogueing’, this underground street dance movement is much faster and packs even more attitude, style and passion.

Heyday Dance. Rewind the clock – 1920s, 30s, 40s, 50s – the choice is yours.  End of war celebrations were the heydays, now this retro dance style is destined to be the top trend for  next year.  Heavily influenced by vintage fashion, think old skool dance halls, flappers, tea dances and Fred Astaire. It’s a classic with a twist for 2011!

Iconic 1980s. The Flashdance era is back!  Big hair, loud clothes, leg warmers and dramatic movements form the basis of this iconic 80’s dance movement.

Cheerleading. Cheerleading? We say, Bring It On!  With Glee hitting our screens to mass popularity and recent visits from the amazing NFL and NBA dance troupes, American cheering will be infiltrating dance studios across the country.

Move It 2011’s Creative Director, George Harper comments:

“The top trends this year really reflect the fact that people want to have fun and inject their workout with a new twist. If it is ballet, add a new soundtrack. Aerobics? Add an 80’s dance twist. Also people love dressing up so the vintage styles like Charleston and Lindy Hop really allow you to work a look while you workout. Cheerleading is my biggest tip – this is already a massive scene in the UK that few people know about. It will be THE craze in 2011 and it’s not just for girls – boys are getting in on the action too!”

Try out Indie Ballet and other classes at Move It from 11th-113th March at London Olympia.

Black Swan. {Film review/preview}

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Black Swan is a horror film. But a quiet one. You are not sure what is real, what is not. Neither does the protagonist, Nina, played to the hilt by Natalie Portman. It’s the role – and performance- of a lifetime. Portman does not let it down. She trained for 5 hours a day, for 10 months to take the role. She plays the anorexic, self harming, psychologically unravelling ballerina so well, at times, it is hard to watch. Though, a lesbian sex scene (in which Portman actually has sex with herself; a scene that is rumoured to have upset her father) should draw the crowds in.

Like Darren Aronofsky’s previous films, Black Swan is a head fuck. Nina lives with her mother. Her life is controlled by her mother and ballet. She is desperate to be perfect. Barbara Hershey is great as her mother. Vincent Cassel effortlessly brilliant as the cruel, cold artistic director. Winona Ryder is stellar as the retiring, washed up ballerina forced into retirement. Dealing with the winding down of the body clock, replaced by the younger model. It’s uncomfortable to watch, and important to note that there is only 10 years between Portman and Ryder. The truisms that strike with reality are painful. Times has let her down. The industry she has given her life to has tossed her out.

The brutality of pushing your body is heard in the film. The cracking of bones, the splintering toenails. This is a dark, gothic film. It’s not just about ballet. It’s also about an ageist society and an artist trying to lose themselves to the role. It is darkly beautiful, scarily apt and even just that little bit depressing. It’s definitely one to see.