I think you need to give this another spin. A lot of your questions suggest you may have missed out on what the film was getting at.
I totally agree. I think Iam1bearcat should read the review from this site and rewatch. It seems he missed the main point of the movie which I admit is easily done on a first viewing of an aronofsky flick!
Year: 2010
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Starring: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, and Vincent Cassel
3/5
A lot of the questions you posed are pretty clear, so I think you missed a lot. That being said, I don't think your assessment is too far off: I gave the film 3 (out of 4). I think Portman was fantastic and the direction and cinematography were good, but the story itself was trite and unoriginal, plus quite hokey at times.
Year: 2010
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Starring: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, and Vincent Cassel
The Wrestler 2.0?
Black Swan has a lot of striking similarities to Aronofsky’s previous film, The Wrestler. Both focus on a professional in their given field of work (and love) overcoming difficult obstacles to accomplish their dreams and stay afloat amongst peer pressure and personal issues.
The mix of Aronofsky, Portman, Kunis and a psychological thriller atmosphere should instantly equal great success, right? Well, as it turns out, not everything is a guarantee. Best example is right here with Black Swan as I was left confused, bored, perplexed and dissatisfied with the film. Which really sucks, because I was really looking forward to Black Swan over the last few months and while there is no major flaw that detracted me from the film, there was just nothing that gripped or entranced me.
The film raises a lot of questions but spends zero time answering them. Which, is fine for me, really. Hell, I’m the biggest fan of LOST there is, and that show certainly raised a lot of questions that it didn’t feel like answering and that didn’t bother me one bit. But here? It seemed like Aronofsky went out of his way to make a confusing, perplexing puzzler but without much substance behind it (like Nolan).
Some of the many questions that popped up, but really may not have anything to do with the overall story / emotional impact many others had:
[Show spoiler]Why did Nina still live at home at the age of 28 or so?
Why was her mom always weird and creepy? Was Nina insane as a child, or had mental issues? Is that why?
Why did Nina’s mom treat her as a 12 year old all the time?
What was the point of Lilly? And why couldn’t that role have been played by someone already at the ballet, especially since Lilly had no real impact other than being someone who wanted Nina's place, which again, could have been any of the girls already there?
And then there were some brief moments that made me scoff / laugh and think, “this is so effin’ stupid” most notably:
[Show spoiler]when Nina’s boss tells her to touch herself, the weirdo on the train touching himself, and then the whole ‘sex with Lilly’ thing.
What was the point of it? I didn’t see any point to any of it.
All individual categories were good or really good, but none were great.
The directing was…. Good, but made me sick and dizzy. I hated it. Odd since it was a lot like The Wrestler (over the shoulder, bouncy movements) but the dance segments were making me wince. Really couldn’t look at the screen for longer than a few seconds. Maybe that was the point, no idea, but it caused problems for me.
Portman was really good, but that was pretty much it. A few moments she really felt great, but otherwise I wasn’t left thinking this was a masterful performance.
Everyone else was solid. Really, no one else has a major story line or point in the film. Kunis is barely present, and Cassel is just a weirdo dick ballet boss. No one has any depth and we know nothing about any of these people which made it hard to care, relate and / or understand. Even Nina I couldn’t really connect with. She’s someone who is extremely motivated and determined to succeed and wants to be perfect. I myself have never felt that or tried to be that, so I couldn’t connect with the desperation of her character and situation like others will / did.
And the score… Clint Mansell really dropped the ball here. The score was good, but… that was it. Just like the rest of the film, it was good, but that was it. And even a few moments felt goofy and out of place, and almost Disney-ish with the horns and whatever else was included. Very few scenes had the score play a role in them and instead felt like they were just quietly floating around in the background. What a shame since Mansell is such a talented composer
In the end I will definitely keep Black Swan in my collection, and in a few weeks I will go back and revisit it to see if I pick up on things I missed the first time around. I’m really hoping my low enjoyment of the film came from mostly not really understanding what the hell the message was, but I fear I am wrong and that this is simply a film I cannot connect with.
All categories are good to really good, but nothing stood out as superb, which makes me wonder if I was watching the same film as most of the world
[B]3/5[/B
]
I agree with Dj. The questions you are asking indicate that you didnt "get" it. No insult intended, its just that the answers to those question are darn near what the movie was about.
And there was a point to
[Show spoiler]her boss telling her to touch herself and it was CRITICAL to the story. So was "sex" with Lilly. Oh, and Lilly existing in the film is of monumental importance, she is almost the point of the film.
I agree with Dj. The questions you are asking indicate that you didnt "get" it. No insult intended, its just that the answers to those question are darn near what the movie was about.
And there was a point to
[Show spoiler]her boss telling her to touch herself and it was CRITICAL to the story. So was "sex" with Lilly. Oh, and Lilly existing in the film is of monumental importance, she is almost the point of the film.
I agree with your spoilers. Those things were promoted by the masses, which got people to go see the film, but in actuality they were of great importance to the story.
I give Black Swan a 4.5/5, just a hair better than The Social Network, 2010 was a better year for movies than people admit.
I respectfully have to disagree, at the current moment, that 2010 was a good year for movies. As of right now, I think it was a mediocre year in terms of depth of quality and lasting importance of the films released. However, I haven't seen a single one of the foreign films yet, which is almost always where the best films of the year come from.
1939:
Gone With The Wind
The Wizard of Oz
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Wuthering Heights
Stagecoach
Ninotchka
The Rules of the Game
The Mikado
The Four Feathers
Of Mice and Men
The Women
Only Angels Have Wings
Dark Victory
Goodbye, Mr. Chips
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
As a lot of you guys know, I am an "old" dude. Considering this, some of you might be surprised that I didnt write this off a video game/music video lame ass mindless action flick.
To the 100% contrary, I am tempted to descibe it using the "M" word.
There is a heart breaking, gut wrenching, meaningful, heavy and deep story here. If you dont "get" it, or if you "miss" what Snyder is trying to say, the film may fall flat for you. And I'd call the storytelling itself, Expertly handled. If all you see is scantily clad hot chicks kicking ass, you have entirely missed the point.
The visuals, the worlds, the effects and the choreography are all at the next level of jawdropping. Yep, next level IMO.
Does it look like a video game? Sort of. So what? It looks beyond excellent.
Does it stream a constant barage of contemporary and classic rock in weird mixes? Yep. So what. Every tune is very fitting both in rythm, mood and lyrics for each scene. Awesome.
Right from the opening montage (which was awesome) I had great empathy for the lead protagonist Baby Doll. As the film progressed I learned more about the characters that joined Baby Doll in her quest and I cared about them too.
The acting by all the girls was top notch. Especially Sweet Pea. Damn good. And the lead villain did a fantastic job too.
I have read some people (who liked it) saying it was a bit messy and the deleted dance scenes hurt the film. NOT for me. The storytelling flowed so well that a rythm occurs and I sat with anticipation through the ebbs and flows. I believe that the way Snyder handled his (forced) edits of the dance scenes actually enhanced the mystery of those scenes.
Snyder took a truly powerful and tragic tale, violently combined genres, and told it using insane visuals.
It's kind of funny. I am far from the target demographic for this film, but I actually think an older audience will be able to appreciate the weight of the subject matter better than teen-twenties audience. Maybe. Depends on ones life experiences I suspect.
I will buy this on Blu-ray. The visuals and music are great, but I will enjoy revisiting this mostly for the story. Yep, the story.
4.5/5
Last edited by SquidPuppet; 03-30-2011 at 08:11 PM.
[Show spoiler]
As a lot of you guys know, I am an "old" dude. Considering this, some of you might be surprised that I didnt write this off a video game/music video lame ass mindless action flick.
To the 100% contrary, I am tempted to descibe it using the "M" word.
There is a heart breaking, gut wrenching, meanigfull, heavy and deep story here. If you dont "get" it, or if you "miss" what Snyder is trying to say, the film may fall flat for you. And I'd call the storytelling itself, Expertly handled.
The visuals, the worlds, the effects and the choreography are all at the next level of jawdropping. Yep, next level IMO.
Does it look like a video game? Sort of. So what? It looks beyond excellent.
Does it stream a constant barage of contemporary and classic rock in weird mixes? Yep. So what. Every tune is very fitting both in rythm, mood and lyrics for each scene. Awesome.
Right from the opening montage (which was awesome) I had great empathy for the lead protagonist Baby Doll. As the film progressed I learned more about the characters that joined Baby Doll in her quest and I cared about them too.
The acting by all the girls was top notch. Especially Sweet Pea. Damn good. And the lead villain did a fantastic job too.
I have read some people (who liked it) saying it was a bit messy and the deleted dance scenes hurt the film. NOT for me. The storytelling flowed so well that a rythm occurs and I sat with anticipation through the ebbs and flows. I believe that the way Snyder handled his (forced) edits of the dance scenes actually enhanced the mystery of those scenes.
Snyder took a truly powerful and tragic tale, violently combined genres, and told it using insane visuals.
I will buy this on Blu-ray. The visuals and music are great, but I will enjoy revisiting this mostly for the story. Yep, the story.
[Show spoiler]All right, I have to admit, I haven't seen this. Maybe I'll rent the BD when it comes out.
[Show spoiler]As a lot of you guys know, I am an "old" dude. Considering this, some of you might be surprised that I didnt write this off a video game/music video lame ass mindless action flick.
To the 100% contrary, I am tempted to descibe it using the "M" word.
There is a heart breaking, gut wrenching, meanigfull, heavy and deep story here. If you dont "get" it, or if you "miss" what Snyder is trying to say, the film may fall flat for you. And I'd call the storytelling itself, Expertly handled. If all you see is scantily clad hot chicks kicking ass, you have entirely missed the point.
The visuals, the worlds, the effects and the choreography are all at the next level of jawdropping. Yep, next level IMO.
Does it look like a video game? Sort of. So what? It looks beyond excellent.
Does it stream a constant barage of contemporary and classic rock in weird mixes? Yep. So what. Every tune is very fitting both in rythm, mood and lyrics for each scene. Awesome.
Right from the opening montage (which was awesome) I had great empathy for the lead protagonist Baby Doll. As the film progressed I learned more about the characters that joined Baby Doll in her quest and I cared about them too.
The acting by all the girls was top notch. Especially Sweet Pea. Damn good. And the lead villain did a fantastic job too.
I have read some people (who liked it) saying it was a bit messy and the deleted dance scenes hurt the film. NOT for me. The storytelling flowed so well that a rythm occurs and I sat with anticipation through the ebbs and flows. I believe that the way Snyder handled his (forced) edits of the dance scenes actually enhanced the mystery of those scenes.
Snyder took a truly powerful and tragic tale, violently combined genres, and told it using insane visuals.
I will buy this on Blu-ray. The visuals and music are great, but I will enjoy revisiting this mostly for the story. Yep, the story.
[Show spoiler]As a lot of you guys know, I am an "old" dude. Considering this, some of you might be surprised that I didnt write this off a video game/music video lame ass mindless action flick.
To the 100% contrary, I am tempted to descibe it using the "M" word.
There is a heart breaking, gut wrenching, meanigfull, heavy and deep story here. If you dont "get" it, or if you "miss" what Snyder is trying to say, the film may fall flat for you. And I'd call the storytelling itself, Expertly handled. If all you see is scantily clad hot chicks kicking ass, you have entirely missed the point.
The visuals, the worlds, the effects and the choreography are all at the next level of jawdropping. Yep, next level IMO.
Does it look like a video game? Sort of. So what? It looks beyond excellent.
Does it stream a constant barage of contemporary and classic rock in weird mixes? Yep. So what. Every tune is very fitting both in rythm, mood and lyrics for each scene. Awesome.
Right from the opening montage (which was awesome) I had great empathy for the lead protagonist Baby Doll. As the film progressed I learned more about the characters that joined Baby Doll in her quest and I cared about them too.
The acting by all the girls was top notch. Especially Sweet Pea. Damn good. And the lead villain did a fantastic job too.
I have read some people (who liked it) saying it was a bit messy and the deleted dance scenes hurt the film. NOT for me. The storytelling flowed so well that a rythm occurs and I sat with anticipation through the ebbs and flows. I believe that the way Snyder handled his (forced) edits of the dance scenes actually enhanced the mystery of those scenes.
Snyder took a truly powerful and tragic tale, violently combined genres, and told it using insane visuals.
It's kind of funny. I am far from the target demographic for this film, but I actually think an older audience will be able to appreciate the weight of the subject matter better than teen-twenties audience. Maybe. Depends on ones life experiences I suspect.
I will buy this on Blu-ray. The visuals and music are great, but I will enjoy revisiting this mostly for the story. Yep, the story.
4.5/5
I'm watching this regradless of reviews on Friday (never let reviews sway my opinion on a cool looking film) but I'm kinda suprised you rated it so highly. I hope I agree with you, I usually like Snyder but never loved him.
[Show spoiler]All right, I have to admit, I haven't seen this. Maybe I'll rent the BD when it comes out.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Diesel
Quote:
Originally Posted by Foggy
I'm watching this regradless of reviews on Friday (never let reviews sway my opinion on a cool looking film) but I'm kinda suprised you rated it so highly. I hope I agree with you, I usually like Snyder but never loved him.
Dudes. Some of you may enjoy this a mindles action flick. And that is A-OK with me because the action is A+. BEST fight choreography I have ever seen. And the girls must have trained and trained and trained. Their fighting poses and stances and blows are delivered with great authority.
But their is a lot more going on than meets the eye. A LOT. If this movie was made with a traditional look and no over the top action, it would still be a great DRAMA. Snyder took it all, threw it into a blender, wrapped it all in a big and constant metaphor and slammed it onto the plate in front of me.
Dudes. Some of you may enjoy this a mindles action flick. And that is A-OK with me because the action is A+. BEST fight choreography I have ever seen. And the girls must have trained and trained and trained. Their fighting poses and stances and blows are delivered with great authority.
But their is a lot more going on than meets the eye. A LOT. If this movie was made with a traditional look and no over the top action, it would still be a great DRAMA. Snyder took it all, threw it into a blender, wrapped it all in a big and constant metaphor and slammed it onto the plate in front of me.
It suits my palate perfectly.
Mayhaps I'll have to look into this someday after all.
The girls trained with Navy SEALS for the film I believe.
As a lot of you guys know, I am an "old" dude. Considering this, some of you might be surprised that I didnt write this off a video game/music video lame ass mindless action flick.
To the 100% contrary, I am tempted to descibe it using the "M" word.
There is a heart breaking, gut wrenching, meanigfull, heavy and deep story here. If you dont "get" it, or if you "miss" what Snyder is trying to say, the film may fall flat for you. And I'd call the storytelling itself, Expertly handled. If all you see is scantily clad hot chicks kicking ass, you have entirely missed the point.
The visuals, the worlds, the effects and the choreography are all at the next level of jawdropping. Yep, next level IMO.
Does it look like a video game? Sort of. So what? It looks beyond excellent.
Does it stream a constant barage of contemporary and classic rock in weird mixes? Yep. So what. Every tune is very fitting both in rythm, mood and lyrics for each scene. Awesome.
Right from the opening montage (which was awesome) I had great empathy for the lead protagonist Baby Doll. As the film progressed I learned more about the characters that joined Baby Doll in her quest and I cared about them too.
The acting by all the girls was top notch. Especially Sweet Pea. Damn good. And the lead villain did a fantastic job too.
I have read some people (who liked it) saying it was a bit messy and the deleted dance scenes hurt the film. NOT for me. The storytelling flowed so well that a rythm occurs and I sat with anticipation through the ebbs and flows. I believe that the way Snyder handled his (forced) edits of the dance scenes actually enhanced the mystery of those scenes.
Snyder took a truly powerful and tragic tale, violently combined genres, and told it using insane visuals.
It's kind of funny. I am far from the target demographic for this film, but I actually think an older audience will be able to appreciate the weight of the subject matter better than teen-twenties audience. Maybe. Depends on ones life experiences I suspect.
I will buy this on Blu-ray. The visuals and music are great, but I will enjoy revisiting this mostly for the story. Yep, the story.
We agree on a lot, but I can't agree here. 94 had several very good films, as you list, but its depth is severely lacking. Other years have many more quality, memorable films, as well as multiple all-time classics. Check out several years in the 60s and 70s, for instance.
We agree on a lot, but I can't agree here. 94 had several very good films, as you list, but its depth is severely lacking. Other years have many more quality, memorable films, as well as multiple all-time classics. Check out several years in the 60s and 70s, for instance.
2010 -
How to Train Your Dragon
Tangled
Inception
Social Network
Black Swan
Fighter
All countries
Argentina
Austria
Belgium
Brazil
Bulgaria
Chile
China
Colombia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Estonia
Denmark
Finland
Greece
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
Indonesia
Ireland
Israel
India
Latvia
Lithuania
Malaysia
New Zealand
Norway
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Singapore
South Africa
South Korea
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Thailand
Turkey
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
I'm watching this regradless of reviews on Friday (never let reviews sway my opinion on a cool looking film) but I'm kinda suprised you rated it so highly. I hope I agree with you, I usually like Snyder but never loved him.
Linear Mode
