Black Swan

This is one of the best films i have ever seen and sits atop of my list for the best of 2010. Darren Aronosky once again proves to be a revolutional and awe-inspiring filmmaker. I believe this is his best work yet and i have extreme high praise for The Wrestler. He really knows how to mirror a culture and all of its ins and outs(in this film: ballerina dance). The film mirrors the plot of a classic ballet "Swan Lake" in which its plot has a man, who is in love with a white swan, then gets mesmerized by a black swan and that black swan overpowers the white swan to suicide. The same juxtaposition is seen in Natalie Portman's perfect and mesmerizing role as Nina. Nina is a workhouse, moral, daughter to proud mother, who wants nothing but success(White Swan) but finds out that the only way for her to get that success is to turn into this immoral, jealous, fame-hungry competitive diva(Black Swan) and her inner battles between good and evil is the same battle as the popular ballet. She is coerced into a black swan mentality by her understudy and her ballet producer, both played wonderfully by Mila Kunis and Vincent Cassel.

This is truly a masterpiece in intelligent filmmaking and i have a feeling that their wont be any better that Aronofsky, who painfully structures the audience to see what he wants and makes them completely uncomfortable with what they are seeing(this swan's demise). Although the film has great supporting roles, Natalie Portman shines and haunts us as Nina. She is perfect and this may be one of the best leading actress performances of all time. She easily plays the white and black swan perfectly in this role, just as her director(Cassel and Aronosky) would dream of.

Perfect, intense and magical film here. One of the best in a while. I was mesmerized.

Grade: A+/A

The Fighter

Great film here by David O. Russell who gets the most out of actors Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams and Melissa Leo. All perform at very high levels. The film is about a family and its boxing lifestyle and its Boston lifestyle. It is about community and who one decides to involve in that community. The film has little to do with boxing and all to do with relationships in one's life. Great acting, especially by Bale, Adams and Leo highlights a film dedicated to character and the limitless abilities of their personalities. A truly inspiring film but has some resonances to classic boxing films.

Grade: A-

127 Hours

Revolutionary filmmaking by Danny Boyle here. He makes a simple struggle into a story about life and death and the tragedy in-between. The film is about a man who gets stuck in the middle of nowhere. The film is about much more than this...its about a struggle to survive with only yourself and your own means. Its a story of triumph and the will of a person. Great work by James Franco who makes this "regular" guy into someone spectacular, and believable and understandable. One of the top ten of the year, i believe.

Grade: A/A-

Incendies

Terrific film here by brilliant french-canadian filmmaker Denis Villeneuve. Quebec film is alive with such great talents like Villeneuve, Denys Arcard, Xavier Dolan and Jean-Marc Vallee. This film here is about a family's discovery of a past, which has created them. The past makes us all, and a newly discovered past, can change who we are in an instant. Villeneuve shines through by exploring two children's exploration into their mothers life in Palestine and they find out that who they are is dependent on the life of their mother and the brutality and hardships of her early life. The audience is extremely intrigued by this family life. Great performances by everyone involved.

Grade: A