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missyh8997
Reviews
Black Swan (2010)
Simply Stunning!!!!!!
Most notable for films such as The Wrestler, Pi and Requiem for a Dream, Director Darren Aronofsky, has delivered a powerful film that leads you down the rabbit hole of madness. This fanciful drama pushes the boundaries of normalcy, desire and the destructive pursuit of perfection; leaving you questioning your definition of insanity.
Black Swan was released in 2010. It stars Oscar nominated actress Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis (That 70's Show) and Vincent Cassel (Ocean's Thirteen). The story follows a Ballerina named Nina (Portman) who has won the lead role in a performance of Swan Lake. Nina is the personification of the Swan Queen; Princess Odette but she lacks the passion and intensity of Odile, the evil sorcerers' daughter. Thomas (Cassel), the director of the performance, see's that Nina can perform both roles and pushes her to let herself go; by any means that he sees fit. He keeps his eye on another dancer in the company, Lily (Kunis). She is everything that Nina is not. She's seductive, impulsive and dangerous to Nina's ambitious yet fearfully controlled life. Consumed by the idea of perfection Nina slowly begins to unravel and descends into an abyss of insecurity and uncertainty.
Aronofsky, has used his trademark directing skills to make you feel like you are apart of the film. Whether it is his use of sounds being heard but not seen on the screen or shooting scenes in fast motion, the direction was executed exquisitely. Visually breathtaking! The score was tearfully beautiful yet unnerving all at the same time. The music undeniably enhanced all the emotion and suspense created by all the talent that went into this film. Every performance in this film, in my opinion, is flawless. Every emotion that I can think of was invoked by this film. Each character was believable and intriguing. I was pleasantly surprised at Mila Kunis's performance. Only having seen her in "That 70's Show" my expectations were not very high. She was amazing and I look forward to seeing her in future films.
The only thing that I'm going to say that is negative is my own personal pet peeve. I felt that in the first half of the movie, the plot was playing out a little too slowly for my taste. With that being said, I would still give two tremendous thumbs up for this film. It's a must see and deserves any and all nominations it receives.
A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)
Disappointed but I didn't hate it
I couldn't imagine A nightmare on Elm Street without Robert Englund and for a long time I refused to watch it. I broke down today and watched it, keeping in mind that it was not a remake of the original but a re-imagining of a story based on the original. As a re-imagining of (in my opinion) one of the best horror movies ever produced, I was very disappointed. If you are going to take someone else's creation and re-do it. It needs to be better, bigger and phenomenally more awesome. I didn't like the change of the back story or that Krueger wasn't scary. No disrespect to Mr. Haley. He did a fine job on what he was given to work with. If this were a stand alone film and there had never before been a Freddy Krueger in our lives, I think I would have liked it a lot more than I did. So, I would say watch with an open mind and try not to compare it to the original too much...
Dear John (2010)
The book was better
I have to say first off that I love everything that Nicolas Sparks has done.
I loved the book but was disappointed in the movie. I can accept small changes for the sake of the big screen. But changing overall situations, relationships and outcomes made me feel like I was cheated. However, if I hadn't read the book first I would have adored it. The cast I thought was chosen very well. It was beautifully made and delivered. It still made me cry and it took a lot of energy not to sob. I would recommend watching the movie before reading the book. Especially, if you're a fan of books. If your more of a movie fan than a reader, watch and enjoy this film before you read it.
The Number 23 (2007)
Fantastic
Brilliant! Jim Carrey's performance was memorable. The story is captivating and scary. A must see. This film makes you think. It made my head hurt. I found myself doing the math and I got goosebumps. It has the perfect mix of suspense, drama, and comedy. I have nothing bad to say about it. The creepy thing is, my favorite # has always been 23. It made me wonder if this obsession with #23 was real or fake. Thank God for the internet. This is a dark and creepy film. Do not watch it alone. If you're anything like my better half, you'll have nightmares for weeks. So, get some popcorn. Get your girl/boyfriend. Turn out all the lights and get scared together....
Halloween (2007)
on the fence
If I hadn't seen the original Halloween, I would've'e loved this movie. Don't get me wrong, Rob Zombie did a great job and I really enjoyed it. However, I feel that I was watching two movies at once. The first was a great prequel explaining all the "why's" that Carpenter and Hill purposely left out. It was fantastic and made my skin crawl. The second was, in my opinion, a bad remake. I felt that the screenplay was adapted awkwardly. It seemed to have too much Carpenter and not enough Zombie. I don't know if this was intended to connect the older generation with the new, but it didn't work for me.
The movie was produced extremely well and has an awesome soundtrack. The point of view switch from Laurie's to Michael's was done perfectly. You feel sympathy for both characters as well as being afraid. If you are big fan of the original, you probably won't like this. If you go into it with an open mind and remember that it's not Carpenter's I think you will like it and be happy you made the choice of buying the ticket.
Tipping the Velvet (2002)
I loved it
I loved this movie. Not because of the romantic story lines between women, but for the visualization of human strength, despair, and liberation. This film is a must see. Entertaining! Emotional! Captivating! All the characters are very well written and portrayed by some very talented actors. This story is a story of self discovery and sexual awakening. A journey of the mind, body and soul. You find yourself identifying with the characters and at some points, even the storyline.
I do have to say that I recommend watching the movie first, then read the book. If you read the book first, you will be slightly disappointed. The screenplay adaption cut out a lot and some things were changed. Some for the better and some for the worst.
The Village (2004)
disappointing
**********SPOLIER INFO *************** I have too say that I was disappointed in this film. I went in anticipating a scary story about a legend. One that according to advertising and publicity would scare and inspire. It did neither for me. Don't get me wrong, I loved the concept but felt that it was poorly delivered. To me, this movie sent the message to hide from your fears, to run and to lie. The so-called victims in this movie turn out to be nothing but a group of scared individuals who run from their lives because they can't deal with society. Not a real scary twist of events. Overall, the acting was terrific, very good performances and the shooting locations were beautiful. Just not a mind blowing plot and I felt that it had sent out a poor message.