Lately..

...I have seen a few films.

Here's what I think of them.

Black Swan (Aronofsky, 2010)

Okay, so I do love Requiem For a Dream, and The Wrestler definitely had an impact on me (but maybe this was more down to the performances, and the company I was in whilst watching it!), but I've always been on the fence about Aronofsky as a director. Talented, yes, but I think the sense of uneasiness he likes to instil in his films is sometimes taken too far. I do like a good dark 'psychological thriller' but there was something that had already put me off Black Swan before even seeing it. I couldn't put my finger on it - I wanted to see it, but something held me back.

Then I saw it. Some scenes are mindblowingly vivid- really quite terrifyingly real, and the cinematography throughout is particularly powerful. Cassel's acting is top class (as usual), but Portman steals the show with her performance as vulnerable dancer Nina. There were moments when I felt like I was falling down that dark hole with her.. But I didn't want to.

I wanted to appreciate the film, if not enjoy it. But the pluses I found were completely outweighed by the negatives, and the bitter taste the film left me with. Black Swan is all about duality and subtexts, but the undercurrents of tension brought about by the (un)addressed nature of Nina's anorexia, sexual confusion and disturbed mental state, in my opinion, are really quite unpleasant. A complex, interesting film - sure - but ultimately a bit pretentious and overindulgent, no? Somehow I don't think this is a film I'll be watching again in a hurry. Sorry all you Black Swan lovers.

The Hangover Part II (Phillips, 2011)

The Wolfpack are indeed back, bound for Thailand, and providing us with just as many laughs, if not more than they did in the first film. Absolutely brilliant seeing this at cinema in Thailand!

"When a monkey nibbles on a penis, it's funny in any language".

Rabbit Hole (Mitchell, 2010)

Slow, and some scene set-ups make its original form as a stage play identifiable. Its translation to screen works though. Superbly acted by Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart and serves as a poignant portrayal of a couple struggling to deal with the loss of a child. A grower.

Hereafter (Eastwood, 2010): Another beautifully crafted work directed by Eastwood. Unusual topic but avoids drifting into fantasy and maintains a mesmerising realism. Thumbs up.

It's Complicated (Meyers, 2009): Rom-com through and through but it's refreshing in its focus on an older generation that the genre generally swerves away from. Couldn't stop laughing. I could bear to watch it again, which says something..