Black Swan

One of the most amazing directors of the last decade Darren Aronofsky returns from The Wrestler with what has to be one of the best films I've seen this year.


Probably like many of you out there, I walked into this film not really knowing if I was going to like it. I love Aronofsky, even The Fountain which a lot of people hated I still hold in high esteem. His brave filmmaking defies convention, pushes boundaries and he always gets top performances from his cast. However, the trailer is somewhat misleading. Is it a thriller? A drama? Even a horror? But then, all these genres have filled his works in the past (apart from The Wrestler), it's hard to label it, which is all part of the magic. Even the Russian-inspired posters look amazing and will grace many a wall in the future of young trendies I'm sure. But the main point of issue however was really the fact it was about ballet and to be matter-of-fact about it, I know sweet FA about ballet. Fortunately, it doesn't matter and I have never been so enthralled by a film of this nature.

To put it simply, the story focuses on young Natalie Portman as Nina, a ballet dancer who is trying her hardest to win the Swan Queen part in a new vision of Swan Lake but she just cannot exhibit the passion of the Black Swan. Her slow, torturous journey into the dark realms of her psyche uncover more than just passion and soon we start to question reality as we travel alongside her.

Aronofsky does his typical European 70's 'amateur' 16mm style film-making that uses a lot of handicam, jump cuts, shaky, 'realistic' shots that make us feel like we are part of the action, that we are part of Portman's character, an extension of her conciousness. She is so innocent, so child-like that the idea that she has to play a dark, seductive monster through movement of her body alone seems unrealistic but Vincent Cassel as Thomas believes in her, he sees something, a darkness she keeps hidden. Like pretty much all of Aronofsky's work, the human body is an important factor in his films, whether it's sexual, violent, or through expression - everything counts, and in Black Swan, it's here in spades.

Portman plays rather an understated, muted yet remarkable performance as Nina gets to grip with her role. There's so much going on here, said in so little, that it's hard to express unless you've seen it. We all know that ballet dancers are known for having eating disorders, putting their body through unbearable pain, often resulting in a child-like appearance and Portman, at her thinnest and youngest, is going through all this to be perfect. She's an obsessive compulsive which doesn't help either and her child-like appearance is often reflected in her demeanour. She doesn't like talking about sex, she has an overbearing mother, no friends, works too hard and has a melancholiness that is hard to relate through words. We know she has a history of self-abuse and that her mother (who is creepy to say the least) is living her dancing dream through her daughter, that the other girls don't really like her but what is truly frightening is that by opening the pandora's box of restrained emotions, it's making her go insane. This isn't really a drama, it's a psychological horror that I think will make a lot of cinema-goers uncomfortable and shock them, but in a positive way.

Nina is taking over from Winona Ryder in the main Swan Lake part, but it's a position Ryder's character is somewhat reluctant to leave. As a result of this, Cassell tells us that by being self-destructive, by being that passionate, is what perfection is about, it is what makes Ryder's character such a joy to watch, and he constantly drives the point home in that she must lose control to really give a great performance, that you can spend all your time learning the moves but without that soul, it's meaningless. However, she is trying her best to stay in control of losing control because her world is crumbling around her, she is literally being corrupted in front of our very eyes.

Throughout all this, she feels pressure that Mila Kunis' character Lily is ready to jump into her shoes at any minute. She knows that Lily's care-free, easy, passionate attitude is something Cassell wants in the Black Swan performance, and in fact Lily soon becomes a representation of the dark side of Nina, and it's this dark side that is so tempting ...

I don't know what Swan Lake is really about, but there's enough information here to make you realise that the similarities with the play and the film aren't a coincidence. In fact, the whole film might as well be a performance of Swan Lake, the final temptation of the Black Swan being too irresistible. Many theories can be read into this, whether it's the obsessive compulsive nature going one step too far, whether Portman's character is mentally unstable, self-destructive, whether Lily exists, whether Nina is a figment of Lily's imagination or perhaps that it's in fact Nina's mother's vision and Nina doesn't exist at all. Whatever the film is truly about, it's exciting to watch, you are soon questioning everything and Portman's descent is intense, horrific and yet mesmerising to watch, I spent the whole time on edge and the physical horror of the nails, the picking and the scratching was enough to make me look away, and I have never looked away at anything before. The idea of mirrors, reflections, doppelgangers and this 'fake' image of ourselves, this other-worldly reality we see in front of the mirror each day, this dual nature like the Swan is also fascinating and something Aronofsky plays with expertly during the film. The sexuality of the film is also very strong and people will no doubt talk about the lesbian scenes for years to come, but her embrace of her dark nature, of her womanhood in fact, is something I hope no other woman had to go through. The crescendo of the piece is Swan Lake and is where you see Portman literally transform. She is almost intoxicated with everything she has strived to keep under control and for her to be perfect, for her to survive, she has to pretty much destroy herself.

Of course, many things can be read into this piece and I'd love to hear what other theories people have come up with. Whether I've missed anything stupidly clear out or if I'm completely missing the point entirely. But in any case, the acting was superb, the directing was flawless, the script inspiring and as a film it was perfect, it's hard to believe this and The Wrestler started off as an idea for one film! I can't hold this work of art in high enough esteem and can only hope that it takes over at the Oscars. It's dark, it's visceral, it's horrific, it's disturbing, it's glorious, it's the Black Swan.

Rating: 10/10

The Expendables

Stallone gets together with some action mates to bring back some good old fashioned 80s cinema excess. But is it just cannon fodder?

Stallone knows how to put together an action film that people want to see - fact. "The Expendables" has already got some great box office results and it proves that him and the audience agree on what makes a film entertaining. I enjoy Stallone both as an actor (he was Oscar nominated remember) and as a director/writer - he never tries to be more than he is, he sticks with what he knows and is clearly out to have fun and doesn't try to make his films too clever. He knows people mostly go to the cinema for escapism, adventure and to see some bad guys get their asses kicked. Well, "The Expendables" ticks every box.

In fact, you might as well call it "Rambo 5: Rambo & Friends" as it is pretty much the same thing as Stallone's return to Rambo a few years back. Go into bad guys place in some tropical setting, save the girl, kill a load of people, blow the whole thing up. But there is a bit more to it, the plot basically follows a group called The Expendables who are mercenaries that are a bit past it. Stallone heads up the group and Lundgren's Gunner is a bit of a mental and is sacked, Statham plays Stallone's trustworthy sidekick and Mickey Rourke ... does tattoos. They get asked to kill some leader of some island who is really being controlled by evil suit Eric Roberts. The island is ruled under an iron fist and there's a girl who wants to save it and helps out on a recon mission Stallone and Statham take. They escape, come back with the rest of the guys and cause some damage. They try to make it a bit more twisty but essentially it's nothing your half-demented Gran couldn't figure out.

The acting is surprisingly good I thought, for the most part anyway. Statham shows time and again that he is a great cheesy action star and shows up huge beefheads like Vin Diesel by stealing all their work. Stallone does his self-deprecating bit but does go through some kind of journey as he finds what it's like to stand for something again. The 'love interest' was satisfying because it wasn't a sexual thing but rather a paternal thing. The girl wanted a father figure she could be proud of, and to Stallone the girl resembled some kind of hope. It's nice that they didn't just want to fuck as there was probably about 45 years difference between them anyway. Stallone has always been nothing but a gentleman in his films. Jet Li's acting was awful but bearable ("I'm short" - okay I get it! You're being racist about yourself!) and I loved Dolph Lundgren. Rourke did his bit but you could tell when he gives his little soliloquy, he pulls out the acting guns and it does get quite emotional - for a minute, you forget you're watching a beefy action flick. Willis and Schwarzenegger are only in it for one scene, but it's pretty awful and self-aware to the point where they are almost slapping each other on the back. Steve Austin was himself as always, though I thought the reference to him being a woman beater, seeing as he actually did beat his wife, was a bit close to the bone. The real let-down, not for any reason but for his previous work, was the General himself David Zayas. He is better known for being the cheeky, fat cop in Dexter and I couldn't take him seriously as a tyrant at any point. Shame.

So let's get to the good bit, the action. Well, I thought it was great. From slicing heads off, to some huge fucking guns, to exploding helicopters, to some great fist-fights - it had it all. Some of the fighting, especially from Statham was amazing and made me get those tingles at the back of my neck because it looked cooooooooooooool. They are shooting from planes, from cars and generally shooting all over the place. The dialogue isn't too cringeworthy but it does sometimes get a bit much, but the odd one-liner is forgivable.

Overall, this is a definite boys-only affair, Statham even ditches his cheating girl halfway through the film and realises that he always has his mates. Awww. They hang out at some kind of garage/tattoo parlour and ride around on their bikes in their leathers. It sounds slightly gay and to be honest, it is a bit, but in a completely 80s macho way. If you want to see some good old fashioned action where everything explodes then this is for you but if you want a more sensible, serious, smart action thriller then look elsewhere - and make sure it's not Salt.

Rating: 7/10

Cemetery Junction

Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant present us with this nostalgia trip back to their homeland of Reading during the Seventies. But after disastrous results like The Invention Of Lying, does the return of Merchant prove to be another winner, or should it just be left for dead? The Wild Bore goes up the junction to find out.

I used to be a big fan of Gervais, but recently his output has been somewhat crap. The Invention Of Lying might have been one of the worst films in the last decade, Ghost Town was alright, but he only starred in it rather than writing it. Even his stand-up hasn't been that great and I think it's clear he is at the top of his game when he is with Merchant. This film would prove this theory correct.

But don't go rushing out just yet because as much as this film was enjoyable, it felt like an ITV Sunday drama. The story is about three mates, one full of ambition for the 2.4 children lifestyle, the other one more care-free who is just shooting the breeze, and the fat, funny one. Julie, the love interest, is about to settle down as the nice little housewife but has aspiring dreams to be a photographer. The whole thing is basically about finding themselves, whether it's in Reading or not.

The Seventies setting worked well, the great music and amazing fashion really stood out and I'm sure a lot of the audience will gladly reminisce about their own youth. But trying to update it by using language such as 'cunt' and 'fit' made it jar slightly and, apart from the fact it's supposed to be about Gervais and Merchant's own youth, there's no real reason for this to be set during that time, apart from quaintness. The suburban frustrations still run solid today and that no matter what, kids will always think they are special. Which quite frankly is dangerous, look at the Americans for example (heyo!). The setting works though and casual racism and sexism that (as far as I know) was around back then, isn't being held back and, as people familiar with Gervais will know, can be quite cringeworthingly funny. But that's just it. It's absolutely not a comedy - though peppered with humorous bits, it's actually very serious.

Main character Freddie wants the big house, the big car and all that, but as the film progresses he sees how that lifestyle, and the people involved, can lead to nothing but an applause and a punch bowl, which is a great representation of how empty it all becomes. His job of selling life insurance says it all, people thrive on adventure and living for the moment, but everything he's planned out suddenly looks stale and he realises that there's a bigger world out there. His old sweetheart Julie spurs this on, her own sense of adventure inspires him to the point where he is constantly directly quoting her, however she believes she can have it all, the married lifestyle and the wide, open world for her to explore - but unfortunately, it doesn't always work out that way. Freddie is also working for her Dad, one of my favourite actors Ralph Fiennes, and she suddenly sees how her fiancee Matthew Goode, is just becoming a clone of her father. Freddie's own Dad, Ricky Gervais, surprisingly ruins the whole thing. You cannot see Gervais as a factory worker as he looks like he hasn't done a hard day's work in his life, his arms look useless and flabby and you can't help but still see traces of David Brent in everything he does. To be honest, he should now be stepping away from in front of the camera and concentrate on being behind it before we all get too sick of him. A cameo would be fine, like Merchant's brief yet hilarious one in this, and someone could have been better cast to play Freddy's dad than himself. It's once again a selfish move by a shameless self-promoter.

As much as I enjoyed all the acting in the movie (but Gervais), the real standout was Tom Hughes who plays Bruce. His character was not only more enjoyable to watch, but perfectly executed. He looks fucking cool for a start, like Lou Reed Velvet Underground era, and is a rebel with a heart, he'll stand up for his mates and for his principles. Even though his anger against his father is directed against others, he doesn't just kick off for no reason, he's an angry young man and wants to be like James Dean. Freddy might go on about how Bruce is just scared to leave the town, but you start to realise maybe he stays because he wants to be with his mates, or maybe that he doesn't want to leave his father or for some unfinished business of sorts. Whatever it is, he knows he can't leave until he's sorted himself out. His realisation about his father is horribly affecting, and a little too close to home for me but even though the story's emphasis is on Freddy, the true story is about Bruce and perhaps having him in the front of the poster is more telling than we suspect.

Then the comic relief, Snork, is a lovable idiot and, like a lot of people, is perfectly happy to just stay where he is. This pretty much sums up what the film is about. Even though your hometown is a piece of shit, no matter if you run away, stay or put things off until a bit later, it's your choice to make and you should do whatever makes you happy. This leaves a more heartwarming feeling than just trying to tell people that they should definitely go explore because, for some people, they just don't need to, and will probably be just as happy, perhaps happier, than if they go away. But then it does inspire you that there's more out there than what you can see, and that's always a good thing.

It's a shame that, by the end, it all gets a bit cheesy and feels too sweet and mainstream, something I wouldn't have thought of Gervais and Merchant, but there's enough here to keep every type of audience entertained. I wouldn't go see this at the cinema if you can help it, as like I said, it's a nice Sunday evening viewing, but it's not going to blow anyone away. It's a sweet little film and it's good to see the comedy writing duo doing something different and proving they can be taken seriously. A step forward perhaps, but by no means a leap.

Rating: 7/10

Clash Of The Titans

A 3D sensation meant to blow your brains out but is it the work of Zeus or rather like staring into the eyes of Medusa? The Wild Bore takes on the Gods to find out.

Another 3D extravaganza starring Sam Worthington, this Greek myth gets a brand new re-imagining by Louis Leterrier, the guy who made The Transporter and The Incredible Hulk and, like his previous work there is no soul, no character and nothing but things that might look kinda 'cool'.

The thing is, at least with The Transporter it was so simple that you couldn't knock it for being convoluted, but strangely with the tale of Perseus already mapped out, a lot goes wrong. Namely the whole thing seems to happen so fast! His incredible fighting power seemingly unbeknowest to him until someone attacks, Worthington's cardboard response to find out that you're a bloody demi-God from Zeus himself is remarkable and some weird love story that just doesn't make sense.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. The idea here is that the humans aren't praying anymore which feeds the Gods (what are we?! 12?!) so in anger Zeus agrees for Hades to take over a bit and release the Kraken. Hades unfortunately kills Perseus's family and our hero is there when Hades tells the kingdom of (giggle) Argos that they have to sacrifice the Princess in ten days or the Kraken will destroy Argos (please no! It'll be like Woolworths all over again!). Thus Perseus and some others decide they need to destroy the Kraken instead and not cave in to the Gods' wishes.

In theory, this could work so easily that it hurts but instead it's just a confusing sequence of events that tries, and fails, to have some character depth. Where to begin? Well, let's get all the story shit out of the way, firstly the film is somewhat of a father/son relationship tale but Zeus is playing both the good guy and the bad guy, he will release the Kraken and even agree to abandon Perseus in one scene, then be coming down to try and help a bit later. What? Why not just stop all this nonsense from the beginning?! It almost makes me quiver in embarrassment it's so badly executed. Then there's Gemma Arteton's Lo who acts as a guide for Perseus, which is fair enough, but they then have one kind of love scene, (which is more awkward than anything) and then they are suddenly destined to be lovers. I don't think being with her for all eternity was what Perseus had in mind seeing as he hardly knew the bloody girl.

So the journey begins and some Orc-like creature is on their tail, when they have a fight with him his blood sprouts ... huge scorpions? Why? Is this what Hades was supposed to have given him? Scorpion blood? Also who the hell are these weird blue sand creatures, are they in Greek mythology? I don't think so. They look like they should be in Star Wars! Soon they travel to the Underworld and the Medusa fight is awful, not only is it not scary in the slightest (the original stop-animated one was a million times scarier and less real) but I didn't know what was going on, Perseus is hanging at one point and hoists up his mate, but I don't understand where to. The editing is so fast and crap, that sometimes you have no idea where everyone is and what they are doing, this casual disparaging view of the audience who are presumably constantly suspending belief anyway shouldn't be used in films today, audiences are getting smarter and they need to keep up with it. Anyone who walked away from Clash of the Titans thinking it was great was probably watching it while playing truant.

Finally when he surfs in against the Kraken, the whole thing lasts about five minutes and he saves the Princess, which might as well have been a sheep for what it was worth. He takes a lucky smack against Hades who is banished to the Underground in a piss-poor way and that's it. Did I really just fork out the extortionate 3D rates that cinemas are charging for this?! I can understand how the Zeus/Perseus thing could be interesting if better told, I can even understand the idea of rising up against the Gods, but looking into the production further you can see it was plagued by script re-writes and re-shoots, that the original vision of one man against the Gods becomes a mess because of too many people sticking their noses in. It's in essence a road movie, and you shouldn't stray too far from that, but it's proof that Letterier is all style and no substance and can't handle the big projects. I doubt he'll get a budget like this again, but unfortunately as is the way of Hollywood, there will probably be a sequel because idiots like me have forked out to see it, even just to see a 3D film. So you never know.

But putting to one side the awful plot, what's the effects and all that like? Well, not that good either. Everything looks so CG that it makes me sick they could even have let it pass. The 3D-ness is okay, but it was fuzzy around the sides and I could have easily been watching it in 2D and it wouldn't have mattered, there wasn't much depth of scenery nor anything sticking out of the screen, instead it felt like the 3D aspect was an after-thought, which is a shame. You'd think Worthington might have even piped up seeing as he was in the greatest 3D epic yet. But alas no, and this film does truly show his acting colours which are grey to say the least. Even Neeson and Fiennes don't put their all into it and it's apparent that this was just a paycheck for them and nothing more. Even the comic relief of two weird hunters doesn't get more than two lines, the religious guys in Argos are inconsequential and other characters are as flat as the screen it's being projected on.

I'm trying hard to think of some good stuff but there's not much. The action is so fast that you're not often left bored until the end, which should be amazing but just isn't, the bit with the three witches is probably the best scene and the costumes are pretty good, but the fact that I'm even discussing the costume as a plus is proof of how bad this film is. Don't go to see it unless you have to. The money might be up on the screen but there's far more superior stuff out there. I'm only giving this marks because of a certain bang for your buck and that I was at least able to sit through it. But for something like Clash Of The Titans, you'd really hope it was more than just Cash For The Titans.

Rating: 3/10

Kick Ass

Another comic book adaptation in an already bloated genre, but does this new Matthew Vaughn flick kick some ass or compared to achievements like The Dark Knight and Iron Man, have it's ass well and truly kicked?

Matthew Vaughn's previous director credits have done well (Layer Cake, Stardust), but this is arguably his first big Hollywood picture and it seems that it won't be his last. Not only for the fact that Kick Ass has already got a sequel and a prequel in the works before it was even released, but because it's bloody great!

The main reason I like this is because Kick Ass himself, is shit. He might be full of bravado and have a brief spell of being numb to pain after getting shanked, but he is constantly getting beaten up and is well out of his depth - which makes him even more likable. It's almost a parody of the original Spiderman film, the geeky guy who fancies the hot girl, experiments with his powers (or lack thereof with hillllllaaaaarious results) and takes on some bigwig criminal, but it's taken all the good bits of it and made it better by making it completely 'normal'.

The story is quite basic in that Kick Ass wants to do some good, but instead becomes a YouTube sensation and gets mixed up in the exploits of real superheroes Big Daddy and Hit-Girl who are causing the real chaos. Bad guy Frank D'Amico blames Kick-Ass and soon his son, the wonderfully geeky Christopher Mintz-Plasse, takes on the moniker Red Mist to lure Kick-Ass into a trap to prove he can be as evil as his father. That's basically it. Simple and it works. Side stories such as Kick-Ass pretending to be gay to spend time with his crush, his two mates as more comic relief and Big Daddy's haunted past are given adequate enough time without pulling away from the main plot and shows that big movies can still have a great script.

The acting is also great - Nic Cage works wonderfully as the action-hero father, Chris Mintz-Plasse does his usual thing which always works, Aaron Johnson as KickAss is perfectly balanced between geeky, brave yet believable but the real stand out is Hit-Girl actress Chloe Grace Moretz. The best action is with her involved and she also gets the best lines, her character arc is much more interesting and you can actually believe in a weird way that a little girl like her might exist and she's like what ... eleven? Incredible.

The music is great, the palette, cinematography and general vibe of the film is fun, energetic and yet still has it's more dark and sinister moments. By no means is this one of the best superhero films ever, but it's a hell of a lot better than most of them out there and it's not afraid to take the piss out of itself either. The minor flaws that do exist aren't the fault of anyone involved but rather being picky about what I wanted to see (more action, more Big Daddy, more of an ending) but I'd definitely watch it again and would recommend it to anyone young or old. Now go kick some ass!

Rating: 8/10