"BOO BOO, WHERE'D YOU PARK THE FUCKIN' CAR?" - Dickie Eklund, I think it's my favorite line in the movie.
Movies are so impressive these days that its hard for me to decide which ones I think will be up for awards. The Fighter immediately looked good to me from the trailers. It looked like a good part for Mark Wahlberg, and Christian Bale definitely seemed intriguing. I guess I just wasn't expecting it to be Oscar caliber. I've watched it now, and I can say that it was. Totally.
Like every proud American, I watched The Rocky movies quite a few times as a kid. Those were always great flicks, and I guess as a result I've always been endeared toward boxing movies. Now, I'm no sports fan, but I imagine if I were to watch a sport it would be boxing. That being said, The Fighter is as good as Rocky in terms of a boxing movie. Because it does what Rocky did, and Ali and Raging Bull: it was about the boxer, not his fights necessarily. And it did it well.
The film follows Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg), a welterweight boxer from Lowell, Massachusetts. Micky has not had many big fights, has lost most of the ones he has had, and is considered a 'stepping stone' for better fighters by most people. He has a lot of reputation to back up being a fighter, seeing as how his brother, Dickie Ecklund (Christian Bale) was a former boxer who once knocked down 'Sugar Ray' Leonard in a televised fight; an event which the people of Lowell, and Mickey's family, remember highly and proudly. With those kind of expectations on his shoulders, Micky feels the heat and is considering giving up the sport. And why shouldn't he? His mother (Melissa Leo) is a controlling self proclaimed manager who probably sees Micky's fighting career as a way to jump start the burned out Dickie's comeback career. Dickie Ecklund has his own subplot in which his attempts to help his brother are sabotaged by his drug addiction and self destructive behavior. Micky's only silver lining seems to be Charlene (Amy Adams), a fiercely tough bartender and his new love interest who encourages him to break away from his family and set out on his boxing career himself. With this combination of underdog story and the amazing family drama at the center of it, The Fighter is solid.
I will get the behind the camera stuff out of the way quickly, as I really want to get into the story and characters. This film is directed by David O. Russell, a very cool director who has previously directed the awesome Three Kings, as well as I Heart Huckabees (both starring Wahlberg). This may be his best film yet, though I still love Three Kings. He creates an atmosphere here that is hard to deny. All of these people seem real, and their situations are never really implausible. The writing by Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy, and Eric Johnson is witty, endearing, and sharp. The camerawork during the fight scenes is really cool too. Also, I will say there aren't many fights in the movie, but when they are they too feel real. This movie has an '80s training montage that training montages from the '80s would envy and that is something. With that in mind, I will end off by saying this film has a badass soundtrack. Just badass.
Now the fun part.
2010 was like a freaking explosion of some of the best characters to grace cinema in awhile. And all of these characters had actors that could back them up and back them up well. Let's start off with our hero, Micky. Micky is an immediately relatable character, especially if you are a little brother (like I am). Every little brother gets the feeling sometimes that they aren't as good or as greatly appreciated as their older brother. Usually that is just feeling. In Micky's case, it is the truth. Though he is strong and kind, he is also repressed and downtrodden. He fights to spend time with a daughter in his ex's custody, loses just about every fight he is in, and his family prefers a crackhead over him; so yeah, he doesn't have a lot to be happy about. Mark Wahlberg, a good actor who does not ever get enough credit, plays this kind of role convincingly and sincerely. Either through quiet subtleties or angered venting, Wahlberg puts Micky's emotions on the sleeve.
Now for the big show, Christian Bale as Dickie. Bale is famous for being a method actor, a chameleon who can just kind of become a role physically and mentally. He does it again here. Dickie at first seemed like a total goofy, darkly comic relief character (like a buddy in an Adam Sandler movie); see line at the top. From right off, you can see why people like Dickie so much. He's a likable guy, funny, light hearted, tries to be respectful. And, hey, he did knock down Sugar Ray Leonard, which is more than anyone else from Lowell can say, I suppose. He is also sadly and morosely portrayed as a total drugged out screw up who coasts through life on charm and reputation. Even if he is a pretty pathetic junkie, he's not a bad person and he cares for his family. Bale also does that weird thing where he changes his body for the role. When we first see Dickie (because he is the first thing we see) he looks like some freak they found on the street: wild eyed, rotten teeth, balding, very animated and hyper, and with an almost unintelligable Massachusetts accent. Needless to say, Christian Bale had earned his oscar and is one of the greatest actors working right now.
The other powerhouse in this film is Melissa Leo as Alice Ward, the boys controlling mother. Leo is an actress who has been working for awhile in a lot of independent films or highly raved dramas (21 Grams, for example.) She has always been an effective and honest actress, but here is a really touching and exciting role. Alice is a bitch for the majority of the film. She is often domineering, untrusting, paranoid, and selfish. But no one is really a villain in this film. Alice isn't a bad person, it's just the way she's always been and clearly needs someone to tell her what's what. She's a mother who cares for her children, wants her family to be a team, but goes apeshit if she thinks someone's trying to mess with whatever idea she has about her family. Leo is awesome in this, and yes, her oscar was also well earned. I also think I might be one of the few people in the world who liked her oscar speech; it was kind of cute.
Amy Adams was also surprising in the role of Charlene. This is because Charlene is a foul mouthed badass of a woman who knows what she wants, sees what others want, and tries to help them but knows when to help herself. Adams usually plays sweet, wholesome, almost mousy characters. So this was very fun. She's still Amy Adams, and being that she is, she was terrific in this role. If there was ever a great woman behind a great man in movies, it's Charlene.
Other cast members I enjoyed included veteran actor Jack McGee as Micky and Dickie's father, who is probably the most stable person in this movie. Mickey O'Keefe, a Lowell policeman and Micky Ward's real life trainer, acts really well as himself in this movie, a caring figure who is insulted constantly throughout the film. 'Sugar Ray' Leonard also has a brief scene as himself in the film.
So yes, characters are ace.
The heart of this film comes from the brothers. The end credits show real footage of Micky and Dickie, and it was surprising how accurate they were portrayed in the film. Real Micky Ward has a thicker accent and isn't as soft spoken, but then again anyone can be considered soft spoken next to Dickie. The struggles these two go through, their relationship and whatever family history is behind it is what I was most interested in. How they would resolve such delicate issues was some inspiring shit.
This whole freaking movie is inspiring. It shows people at their worst and how they rise up from that. That's some American Dream storytelling for you, people. Plus, it's been awhile since we've had a good boxing movie. I mean there was Cinderella Man a few years back (which I need to see), and the first part of Black Dahlia (which you should not see; or do, because it's almost so stupid it's funny). So I'm saying this is it. A great boxing movie, a great movie in general. Now all we have to do is wait for Warrior, the UFC knockoff to come out and bury this film in a sea of hardcore assholes. I'm kidding, of course, UFC is cool too. But that movie looks lame.
This is that review I told you I'd write months ago right here on Your Modest Guru. Thanks for reading.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Black Swan Review
"The truth is when I look at you all I see is the white swan. Yes, you are beautiful, fearful, and fragile. Ideal casting. But the black swan? It's a hard fucking job to dance with both." - Thomas Leroy
(POSSIBLE SPOILERS; seriously I can never really tell what counts as a spoiler anymore)
Here's an Oscar movie I was really, really looking forward to. Black Swan is a psychological thriller for the books. It showed me that movies can still break new grounds and show you things you haven't quite seen before, along with a bunch of other movies in 2010. The movie features an outstanding, career making peformance of an already amazing actress, the ever growing power of a young talented actress, the intricate nature of the screenwriters, and the sheer brilliance of one of the most interesting American directors.
Black Swan is the story of Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman), a ballet dancer whose discipline and skill is almost completely unmatched. She performs in a company, whose most recent production is that of the famous Swan Lake. Nina's biggest ambition in the movie is to earn the role of Swan Queen, in which she must perform an elegant and serene dance as The White Swan personality of the Queen as well as The Black Swan, whose dance is exotic and invigorating. The company director Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassell) knows Nina is perfect for the White, but is aware she doesn't have enough passion to be the Black. This brings conflict as Nina tries to find a tone in herself to dance as the black swan, while fellow dancer Lily (Mila Kunis) is perfect the role. In her relationships with the exciting and friendly Lily, the seductive and inspiring Thomas, and Nina's own obsessive but worrisome mother (Barbara Hershey), Nina begins to change. She begins to uncover the layers of her personality. She starts to gradually veer from her innocent nature to a darker one; to transform herself from the White Swan to the Black Swan. And I don't use the word "transform" figuratively either. But while this change could be exactly what Nina needs to be perfect, it could also mean her undoing.
The movie is art, in my opinion. Cinema at its finest. It has untraditional and exciting action, wonderful and powerful performances, and technical precision that is just amazing. I've never seen any ballet in my life, and I've seen even fewer movies about it. But Black Swan not only makes ballet look incredible and beautiful, it makes it look freaking brutal. Most men may write off ballet as something, I don't know, "girly." Those men should watch this movie. The dancing these people have to train for makes some sports athletes I've seen look like pussies. It's a lot of keeping your body conditioned, repetitive practice, careful timing, and elegance if anything. It also appears to be very competitive. Maybe they aren't racing a ball down a court or bludgeoning body against body on a field but what they do is very difficult. So difficult that I imagine it was a bitch for Portman and Kunis to prepare for their roles. At times I'm sure they used doubles, but for the most part it is pretty clear that no one else but them could be dancing. I'm all about getting cultured, maybe I should try to see one of these productions. You never know.
Director Darren Aronofsky is one of the most brilliant directors around. He chooses projects he gives a damn about, and cares even more about making them perfect. They flow together almost as well as the ballet in this picture. Movies like Pi and The Fountain are haunting films that make you question reality, while films like The Wrestler and Requiem for a Dream (which I honestly have not seen all of; I know, it's his most popular but still...) are films that show human beings down on their luck in ways we can't even imagine. Black Swan has all of those qualities, and then some. Aronofsky's filming during the dancing is jaw dropping, making it so that it moves effortlessly, rhythmically with Natalie Portman as if the camera was being guided by her every move. The writers Mark Heyman, Andres Heins, and John McLaughlin are also invaluable as they weave together a plot that twists and turns, makes you second guess yourself again and again as to what you are seeing. In that sense, they make Nina a filter for the audience; neither of you knows exactly what's going on. Though the special effects in the film are at times a little over the top, the dark mood of the film makes it mesh well and you don't really mind. Plus, there's not a lot of the special effects so don't worry. And how could I forget the always awesome Clint Mansell's score for the film, which is just as haunting and effective as his other music compositions.
Now on for the really fun part. The acting department was ace in this film, of course. I will start off by saying that Natalie Portman has been doing nothing but leaving her mark in cinema history lately. I'm sure a few decades from now, she will be regarded as one of the greatest actresses of all time. I'd make that claim already after watching this movie. Like Firth did for The King's Speech, Portman embodies her role to the point where you're sure no one else could play it. Though you feel for Nina for a lot of the movie, as I expected, you also dislike her a lot. I did at least. She is obsessive and vicious at times, believing any misstep to not only be someone else's fault but an action against her. What I was most intrigued with was her personality, as any gentleman would be. But seriously, Nina's mind is the most intense thing in this movie. It is clear as day that she is still a child. She lives with her mother, sleeps in a little girl's pink princess room, she is deeply hurt easily, I could keep going. Somehow, Portman portrays this unique trait so convincingly that it is shocking when she begins seeking out her darker or perhaps more mature self. You wonder what will happen to her when she reaches that point, if she reaches that point. The point is, Portman deserved that Oscar and I don't care what anybody thinks. But if Portman has left behind her days as Padme from Star Wars (it's actually kinda funny looking back now), Mila Kunis has left behind her days as Jackie from That '70s Show (also funny). Kunis conveys a lot of mystery and even more power in her role as Lily. She presents herself as a chipper, welcoming confidante who may just be a bit too reckless for Nina, but of course not everything is as it seems. With the roles she's been getting lately and how she's played them, Kunis is an actress I am really hoping to see more and in more movies like this. Besides, how can you not love Jackie? Vincent Cassell is an actor I enjoy seeing. He's always effective and convincing. I say this because I usually see him play cold blooded assholes (Ocean's 12, Derailed). I thought that might be what he was gonna play in this movie. It's pretty clear that Thomas cares about his play and his dancers, but is determined to get such a legendary production right, understandably. He has a tendacy to prefer some dancers over others, and an even bigger tendacy to sleep with them. His interactions with Natalie Portman were actually some of my favorite moments in the film. He knows her personality just by how she dances and encourages her to break free of herself (in hindsight, maybe not the best advice, but how could he know). The funny thing is that even when there are hot and heavy moments between them, they still appear to have a student-teacher relationship and I liked that. Barbara Hershey is Nina's mother, who I was sure would be domineering and Joan Crawford-esque. Well, actually, she might be. I saw her as very worried for her daughter, but maybe you will see something else. She was good regardless. A very bizarre performance is turned in by Winona Ryder (that's right) as Thomas' former star dancer and lover. She is a forgotten, tragic figure who was once great. This performance, with one scene in particular, might have been the creepiest. So if you can't tell I'm in love with this cast.
For those with the faint of heart, this movie is unbelievably dark and moody. But hey, I enjoy dark and moody. I AM DARK AND MOODY! Sorry about that. But for real, this is a visceral experience for the new generation. You'll know what I mean. Now it's not to say there aren't other things to be said about this movie. It does have it's moments of true beauty. The actual dancing, especially the last, is jaw dropping and just plain gold (take some fucking notes, Sucker Punch). The kind that makes you go "wow." Oh yeah, the infamous-even-before-release Natalie Portman/Mila Kunis sex scene was, well it was...eerie. Sure, it's sexy but at the same time it is very ominous. In fact, sexuality in general is one of the more ominous and even alien things going on with Nina throughout the movie. Her moments with Leroy felt almost pedophilic given the way Portman portrayed the character (not saying that's bad, just interesting). The movie also steals Fast Times at Ridgemont High's crown of most embarrassing masturbation moment. So kudos to you, Black Swan, kudos to you.
Aronofsky apparently meant this to be a companion piece to his last film, The Wrestler. I can see that. Both films have to do with masters of their medium in the biggest moments of their lives. Two people giving it their all for their passion at the expense of their body, their minds, their friends, maybe even their lives. But where The Wrestler was about Mickey Rourke searching helplessly for redemption, Black Swan is about Natalie Portman searching painstakingly for darkness. Aside from the dancing, there isn't a whole lot to Nina's situation. Nina is the one who sensationalizes everything, which in turn makes the movie sensational. Her perspective on things morphs from a simple company's rendition of a classic to that of a massive conspiracy to destroy her. In her mind, (possibly in reality too) it's not her style that must change but the way she views herself. But how must the Black Swan role appear to a girl as virginal and controlled as Nina: probably not just something sexy, but maybe violent, reckless, animalistic. Or maybe something a bit more haunting is happening. Maybe everything she sees is what is happening. But that would be crazy, wouldn't it?
Five out of five swans. This has been a quickly written review from Your Modest Guru. Thanks for reading.
(POSSIBLE SPOILERS; seriously I can never really tell what counts as a spoiler anymore)
Here's an Oscar movie I was really, really looking forward to. Black Swan is a psychological thriller for the books. It showed me that movies can still break new grounds and show you things you haven't quite seen before, along with a bunch of other movies in 2010. The movie features an outstanding, career making peformance of an already amazing actress, the ever growing power of a young talented actress, the intricate nature of the screenwriters, and the sheer brilliance of one of the most interesting American directors.
Black Swan is the story of Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman), a ballet dancer whose discipline and skill is almost completely unmatched. She performs in a company, whose most recent production is that of the famous Swan Lake. Nina's biggest ambition in the movie is to earn the role of Swan Queen, in which she must perform an elegant and serene dance as The White Swan personality of the Queen as well as The Black Swan, whose dance is exotic and invigorating. The company director Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassell) knows Nina is perfect for the White, but is aware she doesn't have enough passion to be the Black. This brings conflict as Nina tries to find a tone in herself to dance as the black swan, while fellow dancer Lily (Mila Kunis) is perfect the role. In her relationships with the exciting and friendly Lily, the seductive and inspiring Thomas, and Nina's own obsessive but worrisome mother (Barbara Hershey), Nina begins to change. She begins to uncover the layers of her personality. She starts to gradually veer from her innocent nature to a darker one; to transform herself from the White Swan to the Black Swan. And I don't use the word "transform" figuratively either. But while this change could be exactly what Nina needs to be perfect, it could also mean her undoing.
The movie is art, in my opinion. Cinema at its finest. It has untraditional and exciting action, wonderful and powerful performances, and technical precision that is just amazing. I've never seen any ballet in my life, and I've seen even fewer movies about it. But Black Swan not only makes ballet look incredible and beautiful, it makes it look freaking brutal. Most men may write off ballet as something, I don't know, "girly." Those men should watch this movie. The dancing these people have to train for makes some sports athletes I've seen look like pussies. It's a lot of keeping your body conditioned, repetitive practice, careful timing, and elegance if anything. It also appears to be very competitive. Maybe they aren't racing a ball down a court or bludgeoning body against body on a field but what they do is very difficult. So difficult that I imagine it was a bitch for Portman and Kunis to prepare for their roles. At times I'm sure they used doubles, but for the most part it is pretty clear that no one else but them could be dancing. I'm all about getting cultured, maybe I should try to see one of these productions. You never know.
Director Darren Aronofsky is one of the most brilliant directors around. He chooses projects he gives a damn about, and cares even more about making them perfect. They flow together almost as well as the ballet in this picture. Movies like Pi and The Fountain are haunting films that make you question reality, while films like The Wrestler and Requiem for a Dream (which I honestly have not seen all of; I know, it's his most popular but still...) are films that show human beings down on their luck in ways we can't even imagine. Black Swan has all of those qualities, and then some. Aronofsky's filming during the dancing is jaw dropping, making it so that it moves effortlessly, rhythmically with Natalie Portman as if the camera was being guided by her every move. The writers Mark Heyman, Andres Heins, and John McLaughlin are also invaluable as they weave together a plot that twists and turns, makes you second guess yourself again and again as to what you are seeing. In that sense, they make Nina a filter for the audience; neither of you knows exactly what's going on. Though the special effects in the film are at times a little over the top, the dark mood of the film makes it mesh well and you don't really mind. Plus, there's not a lot of the special effects so don't worry. And how could I forget the always awesome Clint Mansell's score for the film, which is just as haunting and effective as his other music compositions.
Now on for the really fun part. The acting department was ace in this film, of course. I will start off by saying that Natalie Portman has been doing nothing but leaving her mark in cinema history lately. I'm sure a few decades from now, she will be regarded as one of the greatest actresses of all time. I'd make that claim already after watching this movie. Like Firth did for The King's Speech, Portman embodies her role to the point where you're sure no one else could play it. Though you feel for Nina for a lot of the movie, as I expected, you also dislike her a lot. I did at least. She is obsessive and vicious at times, believing any misstep to not only be someone else's fault but an action against her. What I was most intrigued with was her personality, as any gentleman would be. But seriously, Nina's mind is the most intense thing in this movie. It is clear as day that she is still a child. She lives with her mother, sleeps in a little girl's pink princess room, she is deeply hurt easily, I could keep going. Somehow, Portman portrays this unique trait so convincingly that it is shocking when she begins seeking out her darker or perhaps more mature self. You wonder what will happen to her when she reaches that point, if she reaches that point. The point is, Portman deserved that Oscar and I don't care what anybody thinks. But if Portman has left behind her days as Padme from Star Wars (it's actually kinda funny looking back now), Mila Kunis has left behind her days as Jackie from That '70s Show (also funny). Kunis conveys a lot of mystery and even more power in her role as Lily. She presents herself as a chipper, welcoming confidante who may just be a bit too reckless for Nina, but of course not everything is as it seems. With the roles she's been getting lately and how she's played them, Kunis is an actress I am really hoping to see more and in more movies like this. Besides, how can you not love Jackie? Vincent Cassell is an actor I enjoy seeing. He's always effective and convincing. I say this because I usually see him play cold blooded assholes (Ocean's 12, Derailed). I thought that might be what he was gonna play in this movie. It's pretty clear that Thomas cares about his play and his dancers, but is determined to get such a legendary production right, understandably. He has a tendacy to prefer some dancers over others, and an even bigger tendacy to sleep with them. His interactions with Natalie Portman were actually some of my favorite moments in the film. He knows her personality just by how she dances and encourages her to break free of herself (in hindsight, maybe not the best advice, but how could he know). The funny thing is that even when there are hot and heavy moments between them, they still appear to have a student-teacher relationship and I liked that. Barbara Hershey is Nina's mother, who I was sure would be domineering and Joan Crawford-esque. Well, actually, she might be. I saw her as very worried for her daughter, but maybe you will see something else. She was good regardless. A very bizarre performance is turned in by Winona Ryder (that's right) as Thomas' former star dancer and lover. She is a forgotten, tragic figure who was once great. This performance, with one scene in particular, might have been the creepiest. So if you can't tell I'm in love with this cast.
For those with the faint of heart, this movie is unbelievably dark and moody. But hey, I enjoy dark and moody. I AM DARK AND MOODY! Sorry about that. But for real, this is a visceral experience for the new generation. You'll know what I mean. Now it's not to say there aren't other things to be said about this movie. It does have it's moments of true beauty. The actual dancing, especially the last, is jaw dropping and just plain gold (take some fucking notes, Sucker Punch). The kind that makes you go "wow." Oh yeah, the infamous-even-before-release Natalie Portman/Mila Kunis sex scene was, well it was...eerie. Sure, it's sexy but at the same time it is very ominous. In fact, sexuality in general is one of the more ominous and even alien things going on with Nina throughout the movie. Her moments with Leroy felt almost pedophilic given the way Portman portrayed the character (not saying that's bad, just interesting). The movie also steals Fast Times at Ridgemont High's crown of most embarrassing masturbation moment. So kudos to you, Black Swan, kudos to you.
Aronofsky apparently meant this to be a companion piece to his last film, The Wrestler. I can see that. Both films have to do with masters of their medium in the biggest moments of their lives. Two people giving it their all for their passion at the expense of their body, their minds, their friends, maybe even their lives. But where The Wrestler was about Mickey Rourke searching helplessly for redemption, Black Swan is about Natalie Portman searching painstakingly for darkness. Aside from the dancing, there isn't a whole lot to Nina's situation. Nina is the one who sensationalizes everything, which in turn makes the movie sensational. Her perspective on things morphs from a simple company's rendition of a classic to that of a massive conspiracy to destroy her. In her mind, (possibly in reality too) it's not her style that must change but the way she views herself. But how must the Black Swan role appear to a girl as virginal and controlled as Nina: probably not just something sexy, but maybe violent, reckless, animalistic. Or maybe something a bit more haunting is happening. Maybe everything she sees is what is happening. But that would be crazy, wouldn't it?
Five out of five swans. This has been a quickly written review from Your Modest Guru. Thanks for reading.
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