A post about...ballet.

I mean not really.  I went to see Black Swan tonight, staring Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis.  It's a psychological thriller about ballet.  Going in I didn't know what to expect, since I know nothing about ballet besides it being a dance form and having seen The Nutcracker a hundred times through high school (thanks dancer friends and cultural grants).  But I heard this movie is going to win stuff when the awards season rolls around, and it's been getting pretty good reviews.  Some friends wanted to go, so hell - MOVIE NIGHT.

I'll let someone with much more of an eye for critiquing movies break it down for those wanting more, but I will say this: it's a good flick.  I was as equally disturbed and creeped out by it as I was loving it.  It's beautifully shot, and the story can be read at so many levels.  Portman does an incredible job (I forgot she was the Queen of Naboo the entire time I was watching this, which puts her in DiCaprio/Inception status), and has you questioning the boundary of Nina's (Portman) reality the entire time.  At one point, my friend turned to me in the theater and said "I think she's going to turn into a swan."  You can't tell if Black Swan is about to go del Toro on you like Pan's Labyrinth, or Silence of the Lambs, or what.  But it engaged me the entire time I was sitting there, for better or worse.

And there is some worse, but it's necessary to the story.  I haven't squirmed in my seat that much since watching people get their legs sawed off and breast cancer removed with a knife in John Adams.  But it's so necessary to take you down this rabbit hole with Nina, the story would lose its edge without it.

So I'm recommending Black Swan, was very much a sleeper surprise for me.  And if you can stomach it, you'll see some of the best story telling, acting, music, and cinematography this year.

Never retiRED

I saw the movie RED tonight, featuring Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, and Mary-Louise Parker among a ensemble of notable others.  Strongly going to recommend this one - the film does a great job of combining a quick pace and explosive action with witty dialogue and humor.  Reminded me a little bit of Lucky Number Slevin in its style (not to mention Willis and Freeman staring in it), but with better timing and more compelling cast of characters.

If there is one complaint I have though, its that some of the characters are just underdeveloped for the stars playing them - Freeman's character, while central to the plot, almost feels like a cameo, and Parker's character is such a passive female role and so foreign to those of us familiar with her from The West Wing and Weeds.  Willis's character, while the protagonist of the tale, does feel a little too familiar at times - while a bit softer than "Butch" from Pulp Fiction, I was waiting for him to have to go back to his house to pick up his father's watch off off the kangaroo on the nightstand.  Malkovich, however, steals almost every scene he's in - his delivery of the quirky comic relief is very entertaining and helps to make sure the movie never takes itself too seriously.

But all in all, it's an enjoyable ride for just under two hours that will leave you quite entertained.  If you can still find it in theaters, go catch it.

Holi-dazed

Happy Holidays everyone.  This past month has been the most negligent I've been on here since, well, my last time benignly neglecting my duties as a blogger.  Did a lot of travelling, and trying to recharge the old battery for the onslaught that will probably be the next five months.  I'll see if I can back into it and into some sort of routine to post up regularly.

Most of all, hope this finds you safe and truly happy.  Happy 'Nother Year everyone.

Sound of the Day

With thanks to my Mom:

Getting FIFA'd

Congratulations soccer, you just signed yourself to an eight-year deal of still being a second tier sport in the United States.

Seriously, if Bill Clinton can't sell you on a deal, then it absolutely is a lost cause.