Black Swan

Holy crap, it's a really cool feeling to walk out of a movie on January 10th knowing that you just saw the best performance of the year. If not the best altogether movie of the year, I don't think that any actor will flat-out ACT as well as Natalie Portman does in Black Swan.

So let's get all of the fluffy stuff out of the way first. The camera angles were very cool. Having that camera in her face while she danced the whole time was very enlightening, it made me understand that every freaking STEP she takes while she's dancing is measured and prepared...yet ballerinas make it look effortless. I haven't seen any other ballet movies before, or really many non-Step Up dance movies...but they should really think about doing the follow camera in this same style. Also, can we get that type of camera angle in a basketball/football movie? Quite possibly the best sport to show this way...hockey. I'm just riffing here, but would that not be absolutely crazy to see a defenseman or maybe a goalie between the pipes? Whatever, doubt if you want, it's gonna be amazing when Spielberg reads this and takes the idea and makes Mighty Ducks 5.

Now for the acting and the plot. Like I said, Natalie Portman just killed it. She also was apparently under 100 lbs for this movie - are you SERIOUS?! She's already a small girl, that's incredible. And not healthy. Get her back up over a dollar please, thanks. And please Ashton Kutcher, be gentle in No Strings Attached...my baby's fragile. Just kidding, NP and I aren't engaged...yet. The restraining order is about to be repealed, then it's time for wedding preparations!

Portman really seems to play coming-of-age roles really well (Queen Amidala who is always wise beyond her years let on, whatever-her-character's-name-is in V for Vendetta, and now the pretty pretty princess-turned-dark angel), and it just shows her versatility as an actress to really be able to envision a living, breathing character while she's going through the script. I also thought that Mila Kunis really played the fun-loving, carefree San Fran girl to a T (what does that mean anyway?). I really could've done without the lesbian sex scene, especially since I was in a theater full of girls...yeah. I'm pretty sure I still have the holes in the back of my head from all the stare-downs I got during that segment.

The transformation to black swan was incredible, especially with the simple, yet drastic makeup change on her face as she danced to the stark change in costume, it was just completely amazing watching the black swan act (or scene?). And of course to see how the dressing room just became a microcosm of the movie, it was a great parallel universe to have tangible illustrations of underlying themes throughout the movie.

Without giving away any of the plot and especially the ending, I really loved how it ended, I thought it did justice to the movie as a whole, and I loved how the credits rolled with applause in the background. It gave an incredible feeling to the movie, like it was in itself a performance. Also, I think it was an attempt to make all the (ridiculous) people who CLAP AT THE END OF MOVIES feel better. Since they obviously insist on clapping, how do you make that seem less awkward to all the rest of the patrons? Have the movie drown out their claps. Props.

So basically, this movie is good, Natalie Portman is a baller shot-caller, and you should see it for more than a freaking sex scene. Or ballet....ladies.