Black Swan (2010)

3 / 5 Jan '11
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Darren Aronofsky
Written by: Mark Heyman
Actors include: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Barbara Hershey
Genre: Thriller, Drama
Length: 108 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
I was actually really excited about getting to see this, the first movie I'd seen in the theatre in a long time, but I thought it was quite disappointing. Yes, it's about ballet, lots of ballet, I now know the plot to Swan Lake (yay me). I seems like it's attempting to be like The Wrestler in that it's showing the dark side of ballet but this is more about obsession and striving to be perfect. Natalie Portman plays a ballerina selected to play the lead role of the swan both the dark sides and the light, the dark she has more trouble with. Mila Kunis plays another ballerina who is more on the dark side and is free spirited. The most interesting part was demented Mom to Portman Erica Sayers (Barbara Hershey who appears to have had bad plastic surgery), but it wasn't enough to keep it interesting. I do give credit for some of the effects in this, and conceptually it was kinda neat, it just didn't deliver and I thought it was insanely disappointing. Most people seem to adore this one, and I know I'm in the minority but I'd say if you want a good thriller this isn't it, if you want a strange ballet film then proceed.

Availability:  Not on DVD & Blu-Ray yet

Boxcar Bertha (1972)

4 / 5
Tagline:  Bertha Loved Lovin'...But There Was More Money in ROBBIN' TRAINS!
Directed by:  Martin Scorsese
Written by:  Ben L. Reitman, Joyce Hooper Corrington
Actors include:  Barbara Hershey, David Carradine, Bernie Casey
Genre:  Crime, Drama, Action
Length:  92 minutes
Banned:  Nope

Review:
Pretty neat little tale that was apparently taken from the diaries of a woman named "Boxcar" Bertha Thompson. Barbara Hershey plays our freespirited title character who after losing a family member during the Depression rides the rails to adventure. She meets a fellow named Bill Shelly who is a union leader who is railing against the railroad. Together they rob people and trains in order to collect money to distribute to the poor. It's very reminiscent of the Bonnie & Clyde story in several ways though I wouldn't call it a copy cat. I was really surprised at the exploitative nature of the film considering it is a Scorsese, but since he's working with Corman maybe that is where the excess comes in. No matter why it's there, it's a very fun movie and it has violence, nudity and it's pretty exciting throughout. The cinematography was quite lovely and the movie is well made, I'm a little surprised that I hadn't heard more about this one until relatively recently.

Availability:  On DVD

Falling Down (1993)

4.5 / 5
Tagline:  A Tale Of Urban Reality
Directed by:  Joel Schumacher
Written by:  Ebbe Roe Smith
Actors include:  Michael Douglas, Robert Duvall, Barbara Hershey
Genre:  Comedy, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Length:  113 minutes
Banned:  Nope

Review:

Wow, this was not at all what I expected, it's almost like Death Wish in some ways...okay so less shooting and no Bronson but still!  The story is about an unemployed divorced fella named William (Michael Douglas).  We follow him on his quest to get home to see his Daughter for her birthday only just about everything that can go wrong does.  This leads to William abandoning his car in L.A. traffic and taking to the streets with a reckless demeanor...he's basically lost it.  The thing is, the streets are rather dangerous, but not as dangerous as him as he destroys and beats up just about anything in his path...it's really very exciting!  The only thing is a nearly retired Cop is on his path and not about to let him get away with all of his destruction.  This is one heck of a dark comedy that I really loved the heck out of, it's something different and one heck of a treat.

Availability:  On DVD & Blu-Ray