BY MIKEY MIGO
It’s official. Black Swan is easily a top shelf movie. I am currently debating myself whether it’s the best movie I saw from 2010 or not. There are a few that I missed, but I have to put this at the top of the list with “Social Network” and “Inception”. It was a thing of beauty all around. Darren Aronofsky is a mad genius and it’s really clear as to how awesome he is becoming. I almost have to put him in the same boat as Fincher, especially after this one. What we have here is a surreal psychological thriller. It’s Natalie Portman playing a nice ballerina girl. She wants the lead in Swan Lake and eventually gets it. What my know-nothing ass learned was that the tradition of Swan Lake was that the dual lead of the White Swan and the Black Swan is played by the same person. Like I said, she’s a sweet girl so she’s perfect for the purity of the White Swan, but lacks the edge and aggression to be the Black Swan. What we see is the transformation of Portman’s character as she slowly and surely becomes a horrible person to balance out her persona on stage and off. Portman is amazing in this and deserves a shelf full of statues for this one. She brings a certain chaotic grace to the screen that I don’t think has even been done like this before. It doesn’t end with her though. We also have Mila Kunis playing almost her Tyler Durden. Kunis shines hard here. I’ve seen her in many roles, but nothing ever stood out to me to make me think “Whoa! She can act!”. This movie gave me a dose of that sentiment. She’s seductively aloof. There is a scene involving Portman and Kunis that’s going to wear out DVDs for years to come. The sexual tension in this movie is intense and raw. Then again, that’s exactly what the movie is. It’s intense and raw. This movie pulls you in, enthralls you, entertains you, and amazes. I keep trying to think of anything objectively critical to say about it and I can’t. If you enjoy movies, then you’ll want to see this one because this is how it’s done. See it! See it now! A!
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