Black Swan

I have neglected this blog for far too long.  It is only appropriate then to start things up again with my favorite film from last year.  This movie left me with a feeling of exhilaration I haven't experienced since I was a child. 

It's about the quest for perfection.  We all strive for it in some area of our lives whether it be the perfect job, the perfect home, or the perfect relationship.  For Nina Sayers this quest is in the form of becoming the perfect ballerina in her company's version of Swan Lake.  Nina has been cast as the Swan Queen and must portray both the white swan and her dark twin the black swan.  The white swan is not the problem.  Nina is a very innocent and naive girl still living with her mother in the apartment she grew up in.  Her bedroom has probably remained the same since she was 10 years old and her mother insists on doing everything for her. For Nina it is the black swan she has no connection with; the seductress who uses passion as a weapon to steal the love of her white twin.  In essence we have a young woman who has never truly matured thrust into a very adult role on stage.

The film starts out a bit grainy with a handheld camera.  It progresses to wide sweeping shots and clearer images.  This seems to reflect the growth (or unraveling one could say) of Nina's character.  There are many instances where the viewer is confused as to what is real and what is not.  Is someone playing with Nina?  Is she going crazy?  The answer is clear in the end and I was left gasping for air.  This wasn't because of the ending itself (a fairly straightforward one) but because of the dizzying and wonderful Swan Lake performance.

Black Swan is ripe with sexual tension.  Nina has repressed this side of herself for so long and it is obvious she has little experience with sex.  This changes over the course of the film and as Nina becomes more in touch with her sexuality (no pun intended) she begins her transformation into the black swan.  Sex is a powerful thing and Nina's new exploration of it allows her to be more free with her black swan performance.  I have heard critiques about this aspect of the film and people saying it's a little too "women just need a good fuck" but I feel it goes beyond that.  All of these changes and new feelings in Nina only fuel her already delusional goal of being absolutely perfect.  Striving to better oneself is not a bad thing but placing perfection above all others things is all-consuming.
                                                   

28 Days Later

                                                 


(I actually wrote this a few years ago for a forum I frequent and decided to be lazy and copy/paste it here.)

I re-watched this the other night as a refresher for my post here. For me, this movie never gets old. There are still a few "gotcha" moments that still make me jump every time. And I know they're coming.


While I had seen "Trainspotting" and thought it was great, 28 was the film that really made me notice Danny Boyle as a director. I love the grainy-ness of the film and how you're learning about the situation along with Jim's character. True, we know how the outbreak started, but as he wakes up in an empty hospital surrounded by empty streets we're back in the dark again.

It can be a touchy subject for some as to whether or not this is a "zombie movie." While you could put it in that category I will explain my reasons for not considering it as such. In films like "Night of the Living Dead" the body has to die first and is re-animated with a hunger for human flesh. Here we are dealing with a virus that has a minuscule incubation time and turns the victim into rage personified. I find that a great twist on the zombie genre. The person is taken over before your eyes and is not undead.

I also love the cast. My general love for Cillian Murphy aside, I think he does a geat job. I mean, how many times can a person yell "Hello" and still get across the utter desperation and bewilderment of this situation. Brendan Gleeson was perfect as the father figure of the group and I get choked up every time that tiny drop of blood falls in his eye and he turns.

And then the twist comes. They've turned to a small military camp for help and find themselves in just as much danger. Maybe it's because I'm a woman that I find the "human incubator project" so chill-inducing. Some friends I've talked to about this film thought that was a downturn in the movie, but I find it just as compelling. It drives the point home that not only is there danger from within ourselves but from those sworn to protect us.

This film does have a few light (and much appreciated) moments. The grocery store scene being one. And I appreciate that while there was some sexual tension between Jim and Selena, it doesn't overpower the story.

Overall, I love this film for being fun, scary, and thought-provoking. You can take it as a genre film or you can dig deeper and find some social commentary without being beaten over the head with it (and some naked Cillian Murphy peen doesn't hurt either).

Phew! Thanks for listening to me ramble.

Watership Down

How do I find the words to describe a movie that has been a part of my life since before I can remember?  No doubt I watched it as a child with my parents in the other room thinking their five year old entertained by an animated movie about cute little bunnies doing their cute little bunny things.  They could not have misjudged the tone of this movie more.

This movie possesses such a hauntingly beautiful quality from the opening explaining the lapine mythology all the way through to the bloody and brutal climax.  The score emphasizes these events in such a subtle manner that it never ceases to make me feel a pang of nostalgia with every viewing.  In fact, now that I think about it, this may have been the beginning of my movie score geekness.

The story follows a group of rabbits on their journey to finding a new home.  On the surface it appears to be such a simple story.  But the rabbits are more than displaced.  They are trying to create an entirely new society in the midst of everyday survival.  Fiver, the group's visionary, knows that something terrible is going to happen to their current home.  With his brother, Hazel, and a friend, Bigwig, he tries to convince the Chief Rabbit that the entire warren must leave.  The Chief is not to be convinced and later that night a small group leaves the warren for good.

I'm not going to go through the plot point by point.  I could never do the film justice.  Throughout the film, the rabbits are exposed to varying amounts and types of danger from both natural enemies and even their own kind.  They encounter other groups of rabbits living in different kinds of societies; neither to our group's liking.  It is a difficult journey for our heroes, both over unfamiliar terrain and in starting their lives afresh.  But in the end you will be holding out hope that somehow this group has the strength to see Fiver's vision through.

What this is all about...

I guess I should start off by telling you about the purpose of this blog.  It's really just a place for me to organize my thoughts on the movies I have seen.  I'm not a professional critic by any means, nor do I think I would want to be.  This is just a corner for me to talk about something I have a deep passion for:  Film!  And if someone reads this and wants to engage with me, all the better.

If I had to pick one genre, I guess I would say I'm a drama girl.  I don't mind if a movie makes me cry.  All kinds of stories interest me and I'm always up for something new and original.  But really, I love all genres.  What I'm into at the moment changes with my mood.  Sometimes I don't mind a good cry.  Other times I'm up for something light and fluffy.  Still other times I want a good scare.  I am just a self-proclaimed movie freak!

You may be wondering where the title of this blog came from.  I'll start off by saying my favorite movie is Watership Down.  The blog title comes from my favorite line:  "They look sad; like trees in November."  I thought it only fitting to reference my favorite movie.  The domain name comes from a place mentioned in the movie Nuthanger Farm.  My first formal review will be of this movie and hope readers will bear with me as I find and develop my writing skills to do these movies justice.