Originally achieving some sort of semblance of fame as the singer-guitarist of ’80s alternative band Pop Will Eat Itself, Clint Mansell is today the man I will happily and enthusiastically call the best film score composer working today. Born in Coventry in 1963, Mansell’s work as an indie musician revealed a spirit keen to explore new ground, encompassing pop, hip-hop, electronica and rock over their 10 year existence from from ‘86 to ‘96.

After the band members went their separate ways, Mansell was approached by young filmmaker Darren Aronofsky to score his debut feature, π (sometimes written as Pi). Following the success of π, Aronofsky and Mansell collaborated again, resulting in one of the most iconic pieces of film composition of all time. Reused everywhere from the trailers for Lord of the Rings to Sky Sports News, ‘Lux Aeterna’, taken from Mansell’s soundtrack for Requiem for a Dream is a swirling, menacing orchestral arrangement that almost anyone will recognise if you sing it to them, even if they don’t know where it came from. The refrain of ‘Lux Aeterna’ appears in Requiem for a Dream in several different forms, as Mansell blends the classical strings piece with trip-hop, trance and techno versions, alongside made-up gameshow themes and crazed dance tunes. Aronofsky’s second film is a masterpiece for many reasons, but I’m certain nobody would disagree with the assertion that Mansell’s score is a very important part of that; the film’s infamously harrowing climax would be a lesser sequence without ‘Lux Aeterna’ on the soundtrack.

The soundtrack for Requiem for a Dream made Mansell’s reputation as a film score composer, and he began to accept regular jobs, including working on films as diverse as The Hole, Sahara and Doom.

In 2006, Mansell’s 3rd film with Darren Aronofsky, The Fountain was released. Although the film continues to divide critics and audiences, there can be no dispute that the score is one of the most moving, exhilarating film scores of all time. Made while working with the respected Kronos String Quartet and the Scottish post-rock band Mogwai, The Fountain includes several solo piano pieces, as well as Mansell’s more familiar electronic quirks and orchestral grandeur, and is arguably both the most ambitious and most successful musically of his work to date. Wherever you stand on the film as a whole (and I happen to regard The Fountain as one of the finest works of cinema it has ever been my privilege to see), the soundtrack just works perfectly, both with and without the accompanying visuals.

For Smokin’ Aces in 2007, the director, Joe Carnahan, gave Clint Mansell just six weeks to compose and record the entire score, with no guiding rough cut. And he did it. On time. Not only were Mansell’s fans satisfied with the work, but when the Smokin’ Aces soundtrack was released without Mansell’s compositions, Carnahan claims to have had fans driving past his house in the dead of night playing the Requiem for a Dream score at full volume. Carnahan even jokingly suggests that he had received threats of physical violence: true or not, the fans’ demands were heard, and Mansell’s score for Smokin’ Aces got an album release.

Over the last couple of years, Clint Mansell has worked again with director Darren Aronofsky on the Oscar-nominated The Wrestler, starring Mickey Rourke. Although The Wrestler does not have the same kind of scene-stealing music as Mansell’s previous work with Aronofsky, it is nonetheless an effective, subtler attempt at a score. This year, Mansell created a sparse piano, guitar, drums and effects score for Duncan Jones’s debut sci-fi, Moon. One of my favourite films of this year, Moon is a brooding, quiet, atmospheric movie that is really made great by four things: Sam Rockwell’s career-best performance; Jones’s assured, note-perfect direction; the eye-catching production design by Tony Noble; and Mansell’s routinely great score.

I haven’t heard nearly as much of his work as I would like to, but he’s a rare figure in cinema; a composer whose involvement in a project would be enough to make me see a film. Everything I have heard by Clint Mansell has been distinctive and beautiful in equal measure. I’m hoping that his work with Aronofsky will continue, and hope that he’ll be working on Duncan Jones’s second film, the sci-fi-noir Mute (currently set for release in 2011).

As I close this article up, the penultimate track of The Fountain is playing on my iTunes library. One of the tracks featuring both the Kronos Quartet and Mogwai, ‘Death Is The Road To Awe’ is an 8 minute epic of guitar, piano, orchestra, choir and percussion, with a chiming glockenspiel melody alongside the grand sweeping strings section. It’s a fitting sonic accompaniment to the end to one of the few films that I would identify as “life changing”.

David

Listen to the newest mix: VIBRANT!

Here you got the TRACKLIST,
and after the jump there’s my explanation:

(01) Bei Bei & Shawn Lee – Make Me Stronger Feat. Georgia Anne Muldrow (Floting Points Remix) [00:00:00]
(02) Dorian Concept – Bipolar Friendship (Mar Variation) [00:04:28]
(03) Gus Gus – Anthem [00:07:19]
(04) Julien Dyne – Behind The Forage [00:10:50]
(05) Burial – Lambeth (Benji B Version) [00:14:55]
(06) Lamb – Trans Fatty Acid (Kruder & Dorfmeister Session Mix) [00:18:38]
(07) Mike Slott – 23 Halfs [00:24:19]
(08) Floating Points – Truly [00:26:37]
(09) Theophilus London – Pull My Heart Away (remix) [00:34:12]
(10) Mike Slott – Amanallah [00:37:33]
(11) Computer Jay – Distance [00:40:00]
(12) Dark Star – Aidy’s Girl Is A Computer [00:43:21]
(13) Florence & The Machine – You’ve Got The Love (The XX Remix) [00:48:07]
(14) Francis And The Lights – A Modern Promis [00:53:46]
(15) Duck Sause – aNYway [00:56:30]
(16) Dean High – Beyond The Stars [ 01:01:04]

You can download this compilation right HERE..
Dont forget to leave me a comment with your thoughts and stay tuned for more musical ejoyment in the future.
Peace J.

Tracklist Explanation:

[track 01] This track is something special! A collaboration between LA based Musician/Composer Bei Bei and UK based Multi-instrumental/Producer Shawn Lee. Vocals by the acclaimed singer Georgia Anne Muldrow. If that’s not enough UK Producer Floating Points did this crazy remix. Enjoy!

[track 02] Another blessing from my man Dorian! But I also gotta give some credits to the talented Amsterdam Based volalist Mar. That man is building a steady reputation these last months(mostly with friend and Producer Full Crate).

[track 03] I got this Gus Gus track from the PI soundtrack after a revisit to the fantastic world of one of my favorite directors; Darren Aronofsky! If your not familiar with PI yet, go and help yourself..

[track 04] Crazy track by multi-talented artist Julien Dyne Producer & Visual Artist. Check out his debut album; Pins & Digits. Good stuff.

[track 05] Great new track based around some haunted bell, with wooden 2step beat from the genius Burial! Benji B dropped this on his 1Xtra show so sorry for voiceover, there isn’t a clean version yet..

[track 06] A nice remix from the Godfathers of Lounge; The Kruder & Dormeister.

[track 07+10] New tracks from the other half of Herald Of Change; Mike Slott A.K.A. Slottkavicsthe. Coming from his long anticipated album LuckyMe. 23 Halfs is a slow-moving number rife with space-noise, warbling bass, and a variety of influences from jazz to R&B. Then Amanallah a Dilla-inspired boom-bap-crunch and ’80s synths track. enjoy!

[track 08] A fantastic track from Floating Points caled Truly of the new Vacuum EP. Truly contrasts with a gradually phasing groove, shifting between electronic minimalism and heavy smudged disco soul like few others out there!

[track 09] Simpely the best Electro/Hiphop crossover of the year!

[track 11] Distance is the immediate dancefloor track, sounding like a face-on collision of Flying Lotus style mid tempo swing beats and the very finest Skwee electronics. It can get a bit overwhelming at times with some high end frequency abuse but in a club situation this will rule.

[track 12] A love song for the mp3 generation, and however indecipherable Aidy’s digitized musings are, a sense of humanity pervades and betrays a very real sense of frustration over having a computer for a surrogate lover.

[track 13] Florence is totally over-the-top orchestral radio pop, so of course, since The XX isn’t over-the-top anything, they strip it all away and rebuild an intensely quiet 2-step/funky anthem with calypso tumbles and trademark whispers.

[track 14] Track from the follow up to the brilliant debut Striking EP which further explores minimalistic funk and passionate soul.

[track 15] The debut track from the collaboration between dance music veteran Armand van Helden and DJ A-Trak. It’s a winner with fresh guitars, synths and drums, effortlessly re-fit for today with some deft control touches by the duo.

[track 16] Closing track by newcomer Dean High.

Una vita dedicata al wrestling, alla lotta coreografica, fisica, dura ma anche leale. Il tempo però passa e le luci del successo, si affievoliscono, lasciando emergere le fragilità, gli egoismi passati tutto a discapito delle relazioni umane, soprattutto con i rapporti più delicati, in questo caso con la propria famiglia.

Il film di Darren Aronofsky, piantona il suo protagonista Randy, il nome d’arte usato nel mondo del wrestling, Robin (un nome poco accettato) per la vita normale, una realtà distante soprattutto perché il nostro Wrestler non ci si rispecchia. Tenta in tanti modi un compromesso, sente di essere solo (un infarto gli da la forza di cercare un cambiamento), tenta di riavvicinarsi alla figlia, dal carattere duro, rancoroso, perché in passato l’uomo ha fatto un’unica scelta (il palcoscenico). Randy però non si accontenta, vuole (senza pretendere, in un primo momento) il contatto di un’altra donna (sente di poter dare amore a una donna che lavora in un locale lap dancer), lei (una splendida Marisa Tomei) in discesa (i clienti la evitano, perchè non proprio giovanissima) con un figlio a carico, lo allontana pur provando un sentimento. Queste esistenze, così fragili, si toccano, si respingono, si illudono di aver riscoperto qualcosa di nuovo, ma inesorabilmente, non stanno incarnando il loro vero essere, così Randy, dopo aver accettato di abbandonare definitivamente il wrestling (stiamo comunque parlando di eventi occasionali, per nostalgici, non a grandi livelli), accetta di lavorare a un bancone di un supermercato (l’ingresso in sala, girato come se fosse pronto per un nuovo combattimento è magnifico), lì gli avversari sono altri, reincarnate da una vecchietta rompiscatole.  Quel tipo di lavoro non lo rispecchia, di nuovo, la realtà è amara. E per fuggire o per combattere da un nemico fortissimo  il vecchio Randy (il wrestler) colui che non può essere sconfitto, per lo meno sul ring, decide che la sua vita è quel mestiere e non può rinunciarci.

Il film è davvero emozionante, strappa anche qualche lacrimuccia, pur non essendo proprio perfetto (per fortuna). Ho trovato il secondo scontro con la figlia tirato un pò via, troppo strillato, ma rientra comunque nella fragilità di quella bambina cresciuta da sola, senza il supporto del padre.

Mickey Rourke è magnifico, recitazione fisica, il respiro affannoso, quella dialettica e quel portamento sono tutti elementi che arricchiscono il personaggio Randy (ma non solo, c’è proprio Rourke lì dietro), l’empatia con lui è forte, fino alla fine, fino a quell’ultimo salto.

Photographed for Esquire magazine April 2004 by [searching for credit]

“I think mystery is kind of great. I don’t know anything about Bette Davis or Katharine Hepburn or Ava Gardner — not really — and I like that. I love watching their movies because they’re my personal movie stars. I don’t know what they eat and who their trainer is.”

No clue where this came from; sometimes I just right-click and save things and make no effort to credit them. Super-sorry!

“Most of the time we do nothing, myself included, … I think the lesson I learned from [playing humanitarian Tessa in The Constant Gardner] is that a lot of drops make up an ocean. If people would stand up and say what they believe in maybe we can make a difference. Helping one person is better than nothing. Just do something.”

Still from The Shape of Things

“There’s not much room for eccentricity in Hollywood, and eccentricity is what’s sexy in people.”

I have heard rumors she is one of the actresses who has been approached to play Catwoman in the next Batman movie, but I’ve also heard Chris Nolan quoted saying that Catwoman isn’t going to be in it. It doesn’t matter, because that would be lame anyways. She should not be Catwoman, regardless of whether Selina Kyle pops up in the next movie (a direction which would actually disappoint me).

What Rachel Weisz should do in the new Batman movies is play Talia, the daughter of Rā’s al Ghūl and love of Bruce Wayne’s life. Helloooo, she would be perfect! Talia seriously needs to once and for all get in the mainstream big screen storylines, especially considering how great the new movies Chris Nolan’s been making are: in the comics she even has Batman’s kid, for god’s sake (Damian Wayne, who is the current Robin). It’s already been set up, when, in the novelized Batman Begins, Rā’s al Ghūl refers to having a wife and daughter while he is talking to Bruce.

So, come on. Let’s finally get her in a movie, and let’s have Rachel Weisz play her. The woman is a stranger to neither action pictures (The Mummy franchise) nor comic book movies (the wildly underrated Constantine). That’s my awesome suggestion: obey!

Here, she can be seen practicing her alternative career options.

Name: Diane

Major: I was so ambitious I did TWO majors – and both of them in impractical fields. The first was Literature/Writing, which was fun. The second was Film Studies. Also fun. My homework mostly consisted of watching movies and writing stories, with the occasional paper thrown in (those pesky Core Requirements!).

What I would’ve majored in 4 years ago had I known the economy was going to hell: I don’t know. I get bored pretty easily (hence the arts-focused career path – I need a lot of variation in my day to keep my attention). Maybe Psychology? I thought that was interesting.

Why I decided to waste $160K on an Ivy League education: Ummm… To be completely honest? It was the only place I got in to. I’m not kidding. I missed the deadlines for all the Canadian universities (I’m Canadian), and the lower-tiered schools wouldn’t give me any financial aid as a non-traditional (read: 23-year-old) international student, so they wouldn’t let me in. How messed up is THAT?!

Current City of Residence: Toronto

Ideal City of Residence: Hmmm. I really like it here in Toronto. I would also be happy in New York. Or Los Angeles. Or San Francisco. And Chicago was pretty cool. And, from what I hear, although I’ve never been there, I’d probably like Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver, too. And as for international? Maybe Chiang Mai or London… But for now, I’m pretty content with Toronto.

Current job: *cough cough* none

Dream job: film/TV writer/director. If I could be like Joss Whedon or J.J. Abrams, I’d be so thrilled.

Resume claim to fame: Perhaps that I was director’s assistant to the director of Saw II, III, and IV? Or that I interned for Darren Aronofsky? Or that I got to apprentice with one of the directors of CSI for an episode?

Greatest achievement I don’t like to talk about on interviews: Um. I don’t really have an answer here. I think everything on my resume’s pretty rad. (If I didn’t, I wouldn’t put it on there.)

Seeing as Darren Aronofsky is responsible for directing one of my favourite films of all time, Requiem for aDream, it is no wonder that he yields such an exhilaratingly complex film as The Fountain. Past, present and future dissolve into the timeless infinite in this visual masterpiece. Dr. Tomas Creo (starring Hugh Jackman) experiments to find a cure for tumours in order to save the life of his wife, Izzie (played by Rachel Weisz), who has a brain tumour. As time runs out, he becomes more and more obsessed with his work, in stead of spending time with his ailing wife. In an effort to aid him to come to terms with her death, Izzie writes a book about a Spanish soldier who is sent on a mission by the Queen of Spain, Isabella, to seek the Tree of Life. If he succeeds in his task, she will become his Eve and they will rule together for all eternity. It is, however, up to Tomas to complete her book and face his fears about mortality.

The film is stunning theatrically, and although I liked it, I can see why even the stunning cinematography was not enough to appeal to the masses. I am actually quite satisfied at The Fountain not being a major box-office success or reduced to a commercial blockbuster. Even though it includes a love story, it is not the typical heroic romantic love story. And even though it includes action, it is not the typical Steven Seagull action movie. It is a stylistically hybrid film that includes science fiction, but is not just that; includes fantasy, but is not only that. It is indeed a very complex film that deals with a lot of complex issues regarding mortality and spirituality, and draws on mythology and religion to makes sense of life. It might not be very scientific, but mythology and religious frameworks often aid one to understand one’s world better, and, therefore, assists one to come to terms with life and death.

Clint Mansell, who also did the musical score on Aronofsky’s Pi andRequiem for a Dream, once again gives birth to a beautiful soundtrack in this film.

SPOILER WARNING: Tomas is not the typical romantic hero, for in the end, he does not succeed in his quest to save Izzie’s life. But what is most heroic in actuality, is accepting death – the deaths of loved-ones and one’s own death as well. One can either waste time fighting death, or enjoy one’s time on earth by coming to terms with it. Death is something no one can escape. It is a fact for every living thing on earth. At the end Tomas realises that Izzie would much rather have spent her last days with him surrendering to her death, than him fighting her death in his absence. Here strength and enlightenment come from being able to let go. When he completes her novel and uses the Mayan mythology she talked about, it helps him to accept her death. Immortality is not something one is destined for on earth. It is something to be achieved in another dimension, when one’s soul has been freed from one’s physical body. The seed he plants on her grave is a sign of new life sprouting from death, just like the Tree of Life was created from nothing. SPOILERS END HERE.

It has taken a lot to get this film made. Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett were originally cast for the lead roles, and shooting was set to take place in 2002 on a $70 million budget. After Pitt walked out, production ceased. The film was resurrected in 2005 and finally completed in 2006 on a $35 million budget. If you want to read more on the film and the production, go tohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fountain_(film).

INFO

Genre: Fantasy / Science Fiction / Drama / Romance / Action
Running time: 96 min
Country: USA
Language: English
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Writing credits:
Darren Aronofsky
Ari Handel
Producers: Arnon Milchan
Eric Watson
Iain Smith
Cinematographer: Matthew Libatique
Music: Clint Mansell
Main Cast:
Dr. Tomas Creo – Hugh Jackman
Izzie Creo – Rachel Weisz
Dr. Lillian Guzetti – Ellen Bursty

BLACK SWAN by Mark Heyman

25 March 09 draft

129 pages

Darren Aronofsky to direct

Starring Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Winona Ryder, Vincent Cassel, Barbara Hershey

Fox Searchlight, Overnight Films producing

Fox Searchlight distributing

Darren Aronofsky is unique in Hollywood; he’s a brand, a brilliant filmmaker, but his artistic reputation is predicated on one crazy film (Requiem for a Dream), one good low-budget exercise (Pi), one brilliant character study (The Wrestler), and one absolute train wreck (The Fountain).  He’s a good director, but his reputation far outstrips his actual output.  He’s able to attract great actors and he’s a gutsy, unrelenting artist, but his movies are unapologetic exercises.

Auteur with a capital "A."

When news of Black Swan first hit, everyone got 12-year-old-boy excited when they heard that Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis would have sex in the movie. The script is far more than that, but the sequence that ends in Portman and Kunis’s characters sleeping together is the centerpiece of the story.  The script is a plague of mood-without-story, and it seems to play into all the qualities that make Aronofsky a critical darling and a commercial conundrum.  This is insular writing that doesn’t need to be.  It makes one yearn for the fantasia that would’ve been Aronofsky’s Robocop reboot.  If anyone has that script…

Black Swan follows NINA, a ballet dancer with a company in New York.  She’s cast in the lead role in Swan Lake by Korolyevna, the company’s artistic director, but he’s still not sure she can play the black swan, the dark half of the role.  Enter LILY, new to the company and a dead ringer for Nina.  She’s a free spirit and Nina feels threatened by her.  Nina pushes herself to prepare for the role, she has a brief affair with Korolyevna, and she becomes more and more paranoid as opening night approaches.  Lily takes Nina out, inspiring her to cut loose but also stretching Nina’s psychosis past the breaking point, ending in Nina having sex with what she thinks is Lily but turns out to be her own doppelganger.  On opening night, Nina kills her double and dances the role brilliantly but she bleeds on stage, the wound self-inflicted.

Script is here, and as always if you’re the copyright holder and you’d like me to take down the link please email me and I’ll do so.

Darren –

That week in St. Barts was fantastic, thanks again for inviting us.  My wife was wondering if Rachel wouldn’t mind passing on her recipe for cioppino – OK, really I’m the one asking.  The secret ingredient is Worcestershire, isn’t it?

I read the latest draft of Black Swan.  I see how it’ll play to your strengths, and Natalie and Mila are great casting choices.  I’m concerned, though – I don’t think the script is up to par.  It’s good, but it’s not great.

To me, this script is about the relationship an artist has with herself; it’s about her perception of herself, about catalyzing her inner conflict by physically manifesting it in another character.  I like that theme.  It’s an exploration of the duality artists must inhabit, and in many ways I think the script becomes a metaphor for the actor’s process.  That the medium is ballet rather than theater or film makes all the difference – ballet can be visceral, visually arresting, and enrapturing without lapsing into cliché.

The Black Swan

That’s all why the script is a good idea, but the issue here is execution.  I don’t think the script has made good on its conceit, and although some of what I’m going to suggest might feel as though it’s taking the script in a more commercial, less auteur-centric direction, you know all too well that I believe in the audience, not the artist.  The Fountain is an amazing piece of art but it’s a crap movie, and I don’t want you to make another one of those.  The Wrestler touched people because Mickey was an amazing character and the relationships were conflicted, difficult, and nuanced, and the script was impeccably structured.  Black Swan is more The Fountain than The Wrestler right now.

Let’s just run through the sketch of the plot here.  Nina gets the chance of a lifetime when she’s cast as the swan in Swan Lake.  Nina starts to doubt herself, sabotage her own dancing, and throw away everything she’s worked so hard for. Nina is pushed to the brink, but as she self-destructs, she also finds the inner fire needed to fully execute the role.

Do you see what’s missing there?  Any other character aside from Nina.  They’re all unnecessary to the story.  Even though Lily appears to be the driving force behind Nina’s breakdown, she has nothing to do with Nina falling apart.  She’s only present for Nina’s breakdown, not inciting it.

As we deconstruct the story, it feels as though there is less and less substance here.  I keep waiting for something to happen.  The affair with Korolyevna and Nina’s guilt about Beth takes up most of the first half of Act 2, climaxing in the cocktail party and the first real moment of connection between Nina and Lily.  The second half of Act 2 doesn’t really get started until Lily and Nina go out together; that’s a great sequence, but I don’t feel like the script earns it.  Really, the whole story seems to be building to the moment where Nina and Lily have sex.  It’s the ultimate act of self-love on Nina’s part – she’s having sex with someone she believes is a manifestation of herself, as much about her own self-confidence and interior struggle as it is about her relationship with Lily.  It’s the one moment in the script that feels dangerous, unexpected, daring, and a little bit original.

In order for that moment to work, I think everything up until then has to change.

First of all, Lily must become a central part of the first act.  I’d like her to show up first by page 12, or no later than page 15 rather than half an hour in.  Introduce her as Nina is trying out for the swan, establish Lily’s part in the company, and begin the connection between Nina-as-the-swan and Lily’s presence.  I want Lily in a lot more of the script, and I think it’s important to keep her front-and-center, always near Nina.  She’s must be the manifestation of everything in Nina that is both dangerous and powerful, everything that Nina has repressed.

I don’t understand why Korolyevna gives Nina the part right now.  If it’s his attraction to her, I don’t think that’s interesting enough.  A more genre approach would have the other competitors felled by mysterious injuries; better might be that Lily is the front-runner, but she purposefully messes up so that Nina gets the part. Perhaps we find out later that Lily was just too scared of the role, that her flub had nothing to do with Nina at all.  I want Nina to feel as though she’s being manipulated by Lily in every scene.  The relationship between Nina and Lily is where this script works best; let’s put it everywhere we can.

The relationship with Korolyevna and Nina doesn’t have enough tension to it right now.  Yes, she’s not all that interested in sleeping with him and that sex scene toes the line of consent (until, y’know, she commands, “Fuck me”), but otherwise?  He’s single, she’s single, it’s ballet; their affair doesn’t have any conflict to it.  There isn’t even a cautionary tale told early on, where Nina hears how one of Korolyevna’s former lovers lost a great part or went crazy or killed herself.  If Nina has a boyfriend then the affair matters a little more.  If Korolyevna is married, I’m more interested.  If he’s married to the prime benefactor of the ballet, now I’m intrigued.  If the ballet is going to close down if Korolyevna gets divorced, the affair starts to make sense.  The thing is, I never feel like there’s any jeopardy for these characters – the worst that might happen is that Nina loses her role as the swan and ends up back where the script started.  It’s a cliché to tell a script to raise the stakes, but, well, raise ‘em.

The script doesn’t handle Beth well.  I suppose she and Korolyevna were having an affair too, but it doesn’t matter to the plot.  We don’t see her accident or even really hear about what lands her in the hospital, which turns what should be an important detail into inconsequential trivia.  If I had to guess, I’d say that she’s supposed to be a warning to Nina, but the script doesn’t make that work in the least.  This isn’t to say that Nina has to be accused of causing Beth’s accident or that Lily should be the one who harms Beth, or even that Beth should point a crooked finger at Nina, warning her of what’s to come.  Nothing so on the nose is needed.  Play up Nina and Beth’s similarities, how Nina is supplanting Beth (and an errant newspaper clipping doesn’t cut it).  Show the horror of Beth’s accident, the sudden and sheer terror that she feels when she realizes she’ll never dance again.  That way, she’s a cautionary tale for Nina without being cliched about it.

$20 says she's playing Beth.

I don’t think the script pays off Erica either.  The fact that Erica is Nina’s mother isn’t much of a revelation, except to make us wonder why Nina is still living with her mom and why her mom is a controlling freak.  Without context, more information about Nina’s family, I don’t care.  Erica is an unnecessary character right now.  Also, be careful about the eating disorder stuff; it’s such cliché in a ballet movie and it never pays off here.  That’s also true of the Mean Girls nattering Nina overhears in the hallways, all the other ballet dancers talking about her behind her back.  A little goes a long way.

The script finally starts to cook when Nina and Lily go out together in the sequence that culminates in them having sex.  The script needs more of when Lily and Nina clash, when Lily cajoles Nina, when they inspire each other.  Often the script only tells us that Lily looks up to Nina instead of putting that in a scene.  We know how Lily effects Nina.  How does Nina effect Lily?

In the end, I don’t think the script reaches the transcendent moment it’s looking for.  It’s trying to boil to an aha; that moment when Nina kills her double and then dumps the body in the closet should be frightening and scary, but instead it’s just weird.  I never believe that the body is real.  When she bleeds on the stage as the script ends, I’m not sure what the point is.  Does she die?  Does this mean she’s sacrificed herself for her art?  To what end?  Has the soul of the Black Swan taken her over?  It’s all just metaphor at this point, metaphor I’ve seen done elsewhere better.

The script can climax in cacophony – build to opening night, maybe Nina’s double has actually become real, and it’s Nina’s double who dances the Black Swan part.  Maybe Lily, understudy to Nina, takes over the role because Nina isn’t ready and Nina’s double kills Lily and takes her place.  The idea of Nina’s double becoming a real person, Nina’s psychosis manifested physically, is attractive to me but by no means is it the script’s only option.  Either way, I don’t think it’s enough for the script to build to Nina just performing the part on opening night and that’s it.

I trust that your vision for the movie can smooth over a lot of these rough patches, but no matter how deft your touch, you can’t fix the endemic problems with the script.  I know you don’t want to turn this into some kind of mechanical exercise in plot, but the script needs purpose and direction so that it’ll pay off on its potential.

I’ll have Simone send over my page-by-page notes.  See you in Vail?  We’re there between Christmas and New Year’s, as usual.

- John

O DVD Fonte da Vida (The Fountain) foi nossa recente aquisição para a videoteca da Escola e é o nome do último filme de Darren Aronofsky. Ele foi o diretor de Requiem para um Sonho e realmente se superou ao gravar esta nova película, que conta com Hugh Jackman (X-Men) e Rachel Weisz (O Jardineiro Fiel) nos papéis principais.

Apesar do filme ser incrível, com várias associações e referências ao Yôga, o que rouba mesmo a cena é a trilha sonora. Assim como em “Requiem”, Aronofsky chama Clint Mansell para as composições e o resultado de seu trabalho é incrível! As músicas transformam o filme num épico, com frases sonoras que se comunicam ao longo de todas as cenas de maneira lindamente harmoniosa.

Na trilha, confira a primeira faixa (The last man) e a décima (Together we will live for ever), que são perfeitas para yôganidrá. Agora cuidado com a faixa nove (Death is the road to awe), pois ela é realmente apoteótica e pode assustar. Agora, se você também achar que a faixa #3 (The tree of Life) é boa para coreografia, pode tirar o cavalinho da chuva que essa já tem dono! =D

Pi is not just a mathematical constant, it’s an existential constant. Its not just a fraction that represents a ratio of any circle’s circumference to its diameter; its the ratio of a person’s tolerance to his surrounding. This is what Darren Aronofsky set out to show in the movie.

Unlike the constant which belongs to the Euclidean space, Max belongs to the real world. His quest for deciphering a pattern in rise and fall of stock market, ends up being a quest for his existence. And not even his mentor, Sol, is in any position to help or pacify him.

The movie is beautifully shot in black & white, with fine pixels which give it the grave look of a distant world. The insecurities of Max and his xenophobic nature is captured in those “door-locking” sequence, which is repeated everytime he leaves home. Another apsect was the constant search for “patterns”, in everything. Nature is filled with such patterns, honeycombs are hexagonal in shape, birds fly in a group forming a “V”, pentagonal petals and triangulated conifer trees. Max eyes are always searching for such dynamics.

The irrational number brings with itself, irrational people like Marcy and Lenny; the former represents the corporate greed who are willing to offer a newer and more powerful microchip to Max in exchange for the elusive decoded pattern of stock market behaviour, and the latter represents the clergy who are seeking a correlation between science and theology. While Marcy chases Max everywhere, Lenny befriends Max deceptively; but both of them want the same thing from Max, the pattern he has been working on.

Apart from the xenophobia, Max also suffers from migraine kind of attacks, when he feels like his head is being clobbered. The whirring sounds in his head, the swirling music and the background disturbing zing noises have been very well handled. It adds to the impact of the pain and we can feel what Max is going through. Great effort by Clint Mansell, amazing musical score by him.

Pi is also regarded as a transcendental number, which could also be the reason why the film is named so. Its about enlightenment, moving from darkness of illogic to light of reason; a transcendental experience of having discovered the pattern and passing out in sheer disbelief and fits of ecstasy.

The Wrestler è un film del 2008 diretto da Darren Aronofsky e interpretato da Mickey Rourke, vincitore del Leone d’Oro al 65° Festival di Venezia e candidato a 2 premi Oscar nell’81a edizione della rassegna, e inoltre vincitore di ben 2 Golden Globe.

Leggi altre notizie su: | Drammatico | Darren Aronofsky | Mickey Rourke | Marisa Tomei | Evan Rachel Wood

I hate math, always have, always will, don’t know what this says about me!

Written By: Darren Aronofsky & Sean Gullette
Directed By: Darren Aronofsky

The need is within all of us to define every facet of our lives. For some reason we feel the need to compartmentalize and label all that we see, worst of all we try to provide rigid order where order doesn’t exist. I don’t know why I do this and I certainly don’t know why anyone else is so order stricken. I’m not an answer man, I’m the man always looking for answers to the questions that bounce around in my brain. I must take a look in the mirror though, because by seeking answers to every question I come across am I not applying more order where none exists?

Other films have tackled the idea of a life spent seeking order, in that area Pi doesn’t tread any new ground. Actually, Pi doesn’t tread any new ground in any area, but it asks questions that interest me. Pi follows through on the idea of definite order to a conclusion that is both satisfactory and startling. When Max finally lets go and stops caring about the numbers he is seemingly at peace, the frantic visual style calming down supports this theory. Where Darren Aronofsky really questions the lives we lead is through the serenity that Max appears to find. If Max can only find peace by giving up what drives his life then what does that say about our drives and desires?

The ideas put forth in Pi are interesting, but it is an interesting film in other ways. The information we receive is interesting on its own, the little tidbits we learn about Judaism and math are interesting in a “I never would have thought about that” way. Visually Aronofsky opts for a frenetic style to accompany an energized pace and souped up lead character. The three compliment one another throughout the film, creating an affecting meld between the two that kept my attention. It’s also nice to see that in his first film Aronofsky was just as thought provoking of a director as he was in his latest film, The Wrestler.

There are a few moments when Pi goes a little too overboard with its information delivery. It’s mainly near the middle, right before the breakdown in Max’s apartment where his neighbors arrive to help him. There’s a such a thing as too much information and in that moment, and a few others, I felt that Aronofsky tired to get across too much information in too fast of a fashion. That may be something that only bothers me though, as it still fits in with the tone and pacing of the film.

Pi is a very good thriller, but it isn’t a thriller about guns and chases, it is a thriller that seeks to thrill through brain stimulation. Pi succeeded in stimulating my brain and in captivating me from beginning to end. It’s not the best you will find from Aronofsky, but Pi remains a great first entry from a director who has gone on to make a series of splendid pictures. Take a chance and give Pi a shot, it will challenge how you view the world, but that’s the point of Pi isn’t it?

Rating:

***1/2

Cheers,
Bill

Présent sur les DVD et Blu-ray américains de The Wrestler de Darren Aronofosky, le vidéoclip de Bruce Springsteen a mystérieusement disparu des éditions européennes de ce film.
On ne le trouve ni sur les DVD et Blu-ray français, ni sur leurs homologues belges et anglais.

Pourquoi cette suppression qui réserve la vision de ce clip en qualité DVD – ou, mieux encore, Blu-Ray – aux possesseurs de lecteurs multizones ?

Vos protestations sont attendues !

Ficha técnica

The Wrestler, 2008, EUA, França, 115 min

Direção: Darren Aronofsky

Produção: Wild Bunch, Saturn Films, Protozoa Pictures

Roteiro: Robert D. Siegel

Elenco: Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood

O Lutador é o melhor filme de 2008. Começo assim este post, de maneira direta e generalizada porque, em primeiro lugar levei em consideração o renascimento da estrela de Mickey Rourke, e em segundo lugar, bah, leia a seguir os meus vários motivos pra colocar o cinturão de ouro no filme.

Randy “The Ram” Robinson foi um popular lutador de luta livre dos anos 80. Nos EUA, os torneios de luta forjada que reunem homens fisiculturistas trajando colants são muito populares e seus praticantes têm uma legião de fãs. Porém, como todos sabem, a carreira de lutador não é muito longínqua. Randy, vinte anos depois de seu auge, vive num trailer alugado e sobrevive de algumas lutas arranjadas.  Tido como lenda somente em seu meio, ele tem que enfrentar muitos problemas extra-ringue, como aluguel e empregos rotineiros.

Após um embate realmente violento, com direito a arrame farpado e grampeadores, Randy sofre um ataque cardiaco. Por recomendação médica, faz uma pausa com as lutas, e numa visita a sua melhor amiga, a stripper Cassidy (Marisa Tomei, linda e madura) revela a grande vontade de rever a sua filha, Stephanie (Evan Rachel Wood). O primeiro encontro entre os dois não é nada amigável, pois a filha se nega a receber o pai relapso e pensa que ele só veio a procurá-la por que está debilitado e necessita de alguém para cuida-lo. Seguindo os conselhos de Cassidy, ele presenteia a filha com roupas e os seus laços vão se estreitando. Destaco a cena em que pai e filha dançam num salão abandonado onde amor e nostalgia se unem de maneira linda.

Num encontro da velha guarda da luta livre, Randy vê antigos colegas em estado lamentável. Alguns usam bolsa coletora ou estão em cadeira de rodas. Ele percebe que o futuro de lutador não é nada promissor, e agora que reassumiu responsabilidades com a filha decide ter uma vida “normal”.

É interresante acompanhar a vida cotidiana de Randy, desde suas jogatinas de video game com os garotos da vizinhança (é engraçado o contraste de gerações quando o menino diz que o jogo do Randy é antigo, mas revela gostar de um video game moderno sobre a Guerra do Vietnã) até o seu emprego num mercado. Porém, apesar de fazer atividades que não têm nada a ver com a luta, ele sempre faz algum vinculo a ela. No seu dia-a-dia ele não quer ser o cidadão Randiski (seu nome verdadeiro), mas sim o Randy “The Ram”.

Num lapso de responsabilidade, Randy deixa a filha esperando num restaurante por horas e a relação entre pai e filha que havia se estabilizado vai por água’baixo. Em seu trabalho no mercado, tem um ataque de fúria ao ser reconhecido por um antigo fã, e libera toda a energia de lutador nos clientes e no estabelecimento. Logicamente, foi despedido. É o começo da decadência da vida pessoal de Randy que aponta para um recomeço na vida de lutador profissional. Mesmo com a saúde limitada, ele marca uma luta com o seu adversário histórico, o Aiatolá. Cassidy é totalmente contra este combate e vai até o ginásio para impedir que Randy realize a luta. Ela não consegue e se contenta em assistir o espetáculo de uma pequena janela. Alias, parece que Cassidy é a única ligação pessoal de seu mundo exterior para as lutas, pois quando ela desaparece da janela, Randy se sente livre para  acabar com o adversário e talvez  realizar o seu último voo.

O diretor Darren Aronofsky consegue em O Lutador, algo que já havia conseguido em Requiem para um sonho. Ele mostra o cotidiano dos personagens de forma tão envolvente e detalhista que é impossível não se simpatizar com eles. Acompanhar o dia-a-dia de Randy torna-se cativante, o espectador torce pelo lutador dentro e fora dos ringues. E o que dizer de Mickey Rourke… após vários anos em decadência, o ator chega ao seu melhor desempenho neste filme. Seus conflitos internos parecem ser exorcizados em Randy.

Concluindo, assistam, comprem, aluguem, roubem, baixem O Lutador. Reserve um espaço para este filme, ao lado dos clássicos Rocky e Touro Indomável. Você não irá se decepcionar.

In 2002 this little gem went largely unappreciated. Despite boasting a writing credit by Darren Aronofsky and starring Olivia Williams and a wonderful supporting role played by Zach Galifianakis it was a bit too thriller for horror fans a smidge too horror for mainstream thriller audiences (terrible marketing doesn’t help either). Essentially the premise is “haunted submarine” set in World War 2. But what makes this flick standout is how well written and wonderfully executed it is. It doesn’t strive to be anything mind-shattering; it’s just a very good, very fun to watch horror thriller set in a submarine.

The film centers around three British workers rescued from their sunken hospital boat; two sailors and a nurse (played by Williams). Questions surround the circumstances of their rescue: Are they spies? Was their ship really sunk? How did they stray so far out into Nazi waters? As the sub is suddenly hunted by a mysterious German warship it’s discovered that one of the rescued sailors is a Nazi POW, and the issue of trust splits the crew of the ship in half. The presence of the inexplicably eerie German ship becomes a conflict between the two factions in how it has found them and how best they should survive while being pounded with depth charges and matched in naval moves tit-for-tat. It’s slowly revealed the the circumstances of the rescue sub itself is now questionable. And meanwhile, the bearded, philosophical Galifianakis is given the opportunity to spin wild theories about the circumstances as he reads from issues of Horror Magazines.

Submarines are scary. It doesn’t matter what film you’re watching; you root for any person trapped in a submarine. They’re dank, claustrophobic dwellings where there’s no escape and our characters are forced to whisper lest they be spotted on a radar. “Das Boot” was about Nazis. And it didn’t matter. You wanted those Nazis to survive. Because they were in a submarine. The tension of waiting for depth charges, clanking sounds in the hull, or even a sneeze resulting in our characters being discovered (and subsequently drowned) makes the submarine setting terrifying by itself; but add horror elements gracefully woven into the story and you have one hell of a nail-biter.

[If anybody has a horror flick they think deserves a second look write it up and throw it my way and I'll post it. I'm going to be running with this theme until Halloween because it's easy and I have shit to do]

O Lutador (The Wrestler)

Nota:  4 HR’s

EUA, 2008 – 115 min
Drama

Direção: Darren Aronofsky

Roteiro: Robert D. Siegel

Elenco: Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood, Mark Margolis, Todd Barry, Wass Stevens, Judah Friedlander, Ernest Miller

Vou começar dizendo Marisa Tomei! Depois eu explico.

O que dizer deste filme “diferente” por falta de outra palavra o qual me fez pensar muito mais nele nos dias seguintes do que no momento logo após a sessão. Geralmente logo após terminar o filme eu já tenho uma idéia sobre ele, sobre o que escrever, qual a minha opinião, qual a nota que pretendo dar essas coisas, mas com “O Lutador” tudo isso foi um pouco mais complicado. À medida que os dias iam passando eu comecei a nutrir boas lembranças do filme e ele foi crescendo em conceito, devo admitir que hoje gosto mais do filme de que quando eu sai do cinema. Acredito que se deve ao fato de que este filme é daqueles que você precisa pensar, analisar e realmente colocar os neurônios pra funcionar.

Não se trata de mais um enlatado americano, mas sim de um filme retratando a trajetória de um homem que se dedica a fazer aquilo que gosta, sem se importar com as conseqüências, provavelmente por que no fundo fazer o que ele gosta é tudo que ele tem. Na maioria das vezes nos fazemos coisas que não gostamos para ganhar um dinheirinho para ai sim durante um breve período fazer o que gostamos. Em “O Lutador” é diferente, ele se dedica de coração e alma a fazer o que gosta, obviamente não sem sacrifícios.

Depois desta introdução melosa vamos aos demais pontos do filme.

Mais especificamente Marisa Tomei, sim ela esta um arraso, de cair o queixo, iradassa, e supermega gostosa. Pronto nada mais tenho a dizer dela, ah quase me esqueci de dizer que a atuação dela ta bem bacana mas quando comparado as suas peripécias no “clube noturno” nada mais importa.

A relação de The Ram (Mickey Rourke) e sua filha (Evan Rachel Wood) é muito bem colocada e as cenas em que os dois estão interagindo realmente passam a emoção do momento e te fazem torcer pelo personagem (ainda estou com raiva do Randy…ao verem o filme saberão ao que me refiro).

O filme também trás uma pitada de humor bem colocada e de muito bom gosto (bom gosto no que se refere a bom gosto pra mim, obviamente). Cenas como a do “Get a room?” são hilários, podemos citar aquele que The Ram acorda num quarto estranho e sai de fininho e ainda tem a cena da cliente chata querendo algo como salada alemã “A Litlle more.” “A Litlle less.” Hahahaha…realmente muito boas.

O Filme é bom, bem divertido e te faz pensar bastante, cada vez que penso nele quero aumentar a nota, mas vou ficar com 4 mesmo, ele é bom mas ainda assim não chega ao extraordinário e muito menos ao ordinário.

Att,

Zaboobs

Time for everybody’s favourite installment. This week, I’m nominating the superhot Mila Kunis. Remember that 70s show? You know you do. 6:30-7:00pm, everybody’s favourite time of the day. Well, in case you needed more convincing, apparently she has a “steamy“  scene with previous “I’d tap that” winner, Harvard’s Natalie Portman, in the new Darren Aronofsky movie about competing ballet dancers (Yes, from the man who brought you “Pi”, and “Requiem for a Dream”). This is sacrificing for art.

these boots are made for lying down suggestively

There’s not much in the way of news, but here’s what’s on offer over the past couple of days.

Aronofsky finds a way to convince straight blokes to see a ballet flick

If you want proof that Darren Aronofsky is talented, you’ve got it.  By casting the jiblet-tingling trio of Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis and Winona Ryder in his new thriller ‘Black Swan’ he’s managed to convince me to see a movie about ballet.  That’s undeniable talent right there.  Now he just needs a quick re-write to include a gratuitous three-way scene and we’re set.

He’s black?  Check.  He’s a comedian?  Check.  He hasn’t had a hit in a while?  Check.  Get that man into a dress asap!

What is it with black comedians and cross dressing?  Jaime Foxx and Martin Lawrence are teaming up to subject the world to “Sheneneh and Wanda”, an alleged comedy based on some sort of BET Awards skit they did a few years ago.  The story centers around two “modern independant women” who rob banks.  Ugh.  Hasn’t anyone learnt from “Big Momma’s House” or “White Chicks”?

It’s official.  I will never see this movie.

As if one wasn’t bad enough, BOTH Gwyneth Paltrow and Nicole Kidman have been cast in “The Danish Girl”, the new movie from Thomas Alfredson, director of “Let the Right One In”.  It’s about the real life relationship between the first post-op transsexual and it’s wife.  Kidman will play the tranny and Paltrow will play it’s wife.  While the story doesn’t particularly interest me, I like LTROI a lot and was interested in Alfredson’s next flick.  Not anymore.

Hello film lovers! I’m taking a brief respite from my voracious consumption of the new Stephen King joint Under the Dome to bring you a hurried and distracted NDTD. Then let me get back to my book, for god’s sake!

I find myself bankrupt of words powerful enough to express my profound relief at this news: the imprudent remake of Oldboy directed by Stephen Spielberg and starring Will Smith has been squashed. Guys, I actually like Stephen Spielberg. I totally LOVE Will Smith. But this was the worst fucking idea ever conceived in Hollywood, the city that is bringing us White Chicks 2. Oh by the by, Will’s now going to be starring in the adaptation of Flowers for Algernon so…there’s that.

Oh man, this news is so geeksweet I can barely type it for spazzing! PAM GRIER IS JOINING THE CAST OF SMALLVILLE AS AMANDA WALLER. Dudes! The casting is so epic and the plot implications so thrilling that I absolutely cannot WAIT for her arc to begin. ZOMG!!

Have your grain of salt at the ready: casting rumors regarding Spider-Man 4 are swirling about, namely involving Dylan Baker finally taking the step from Dr. Curt Connors to The Lizard, and Rachel McAdams possibly donning the sexy cat burglar suit as The Black Cat. Both rumors are nebulous; both make me extremely happy.

Winona Ryder is now in talks to join Mila Kunis and Natalie Portman in Darren Aronofsky’s ballet thriller Black Swan, proving entirely accurate my once-posted theory that Aronofsky is simply casting all of the attractive brunettes he would like to see wearing leotards. No judging here! Get yours, Darren.

Review Preview:

Yeah, yeah, you’ve heard it all before.  But you guys! I promise!

this is the beginning of a weekly series, where Bill Bodkin suggests a movie for you to rent, usually something under the radar or a cult classic.

Pro wrestling and Bill Bodkin is as synonymous as Bill Bodkin and peanut butter- it is a staple of my life. For over 20 years I have spent thousands of dollars on tapes, DVDs, pay-per-views, magazines, books and t-shirts, been to over 20 live events, watched countless hours of wrestling programs and dedicated huge amount of ink to the sport while writing for the paper in college. As a lad I would constantly talk about wrestling, perform moves on unwilling friends, I even wrote my own fantasy wrestling promotion for about four years. Hell, many people I know even thought I would get involved in wrestling as a career, whether it be as a performer or writer.

So to me, The Wrestler, a serious look at the world of professional wrestling, was something I desperately wanted to see. And this past January I finally got to see, what I believe is one of my favorite films…of all time. And I think it’s a movie you should rent- immediately.

For those unfamiliar with the plot, The Wrestler revolves around a broken-down former wrestling superstar named Randy “The Ram” Robinson. “The Ram” is a Hulk Hogan-esque character who didn’t catch the breaks that the Hulkster did in his life [well at least in the 80s and 90s]. In fact The Ram’s life is eerily reminiscent of many former wrestling stars…popping pills, broke, without family and living only for the adulation of the crowd, even if it’s one in a local VFW. As you can tell, this isn’t the happiest of flicks.

As a wrestling fan, I was completely blown away by the actual wrestling action. The believability of the matches were what initially sucked me into this movie. Mickey Rourke really went all out- not only developing himself in terms of his physique, but also knowing how to actually wrestle. The matches by themselves are really fun to watch. It made me believe in the film because of it shows brutal realism of being in the ring. If this had been done any less seriously, the movie would’ve fallen apart.

The film gets bonus points for its soundtrack. Rife with great heavy metal from Ratt, GNR, Quiet Riot as well as a heartbreaking ballad from The Boss. Double bonus points for the movie being set in Jersey.

Outside of the action and the music- what makes The Wrestler great is the story and the acting.

The plot is extremely simple, one we’ve seen before- beat down guy gets second chance at life- will he blow it or will he make the most of his second chance? And while we all know this story, it is fresh and extremely personal and that is thanks to director Darren Aronofsky.

The Legion of Doom: Aronofsky and Rourke make The Wrestler a must-see film even for non-wrestling fans.

Like the brutal realism we see in the ring, Aronofsky deftly weaves the brutal reality of Randy’s life in between sequences of bodyslams and headlocks. Aronofsky is able to take a plot used a million times and draw an audience in, build hope your hope that Randy can turn the corner and any time The Ram stumbles on his path to redemption you fall with him. To me, that is the mark of a truely great director- he makes you feel everything the main character does- from the bitter cold of a frozen Jersey tundra to the roar of the crowd.

However Aronofsky could not have made this movie as powerful as it is without Mickey Rourke. Rourke is this movie. You almost forgot he’s Mickey Rourke and believe he is Randy “The Ram.” Maybe this is due to the parallel between the character and Rourke’s own fall from grace; either way Rourke owns this role and even though Sean Penn was great in Milk, I believe Rourke deserved the Best Actor Oscar.

I could probably ramble on about this movie for days, but I will not. The only thing I ask is that you should get to the movies and see this film as soon as you can. Even if you are not a wrestling fan, you can truly appreciate a tremendously gripping story with a truly phenomenal performance- both physical and emotional.

Winona Ryder, Vincent Cassel y Barbara Hershey se incorporan a Black Swan, thriller sobrenatural que dirige Darren Aronofsky. Anteriormente Natalie Portman y Mila Kunis habían sido anunciadas como protagonistas de la película, que hasta hoy carecía de otros rostros para sus papeles secundarios. En el filme Portman es una veterana bailarina que justo antes de una importante representación lucha por el protagonismo de la misma con otra compañera. La rivalidad entre ambas crece cada día entre la bailarina y su competidora, pero el caso es que esta parece no ser real, no estando claro si se trata de una aparición paranormal o si simplemente es producto de su mente. La sinopsis, que es un tanto peculiar, se anticipa como un nuevo reto para un director del talento de Aronofsky, que ya ha captado la atención del público anunciando una escena en la que las dos protagonistas mantienen un fogoso encuentro sexual. Ryder será en el filme la bailarina principal del grupo que por su edad está a punto de poner fin a su carrera, Cassel el director de la obra y Hershey la madre de la protagonista. En la fotografía Winona Ryder.

Natalie Portman is growing up.

She would like you to have a great week and let you know  that her lesbian sex scene with Mila Kunis is:

                               “not raunchy – it’s extreme”

She tells V Magazine  (love their work..) that her role in Darren Aronofsky’s new film ” Black Swan” contains a serious lesbian sex scene with Mila Kunis and insists that ‘it’s not raunchy – it’s extreme’.

“Black Swan focuses on a veteran New York City ballet dancer (Portman) who finds herself in an intensely competitive situation with a rival (Kunis), who might be a ghost or figment of Portman’s chracter’s imagination.”[ReelLoop]

Here’s Nats in more innocent times in The Professional (loved this movie..classic stuff people)

How cute was her laugh.

Good times

“Death is a disease, it’s like any other. And there is a cure. A cure. And I will find it.”

Dans ma collection de films maudits, The Fountain occupe une place très speciale. Peu de films ont autant exploré les thèmes de l’amour et de la mort. D’abord mis en chantier en 2002, avec Brad Pitt en tête d’affiche, The Fountain devra repartir à zéro lorsque sa star du honorer d’autres engagements. Darren Aronofsky, déjà le génial auteur de Pi ainsi que de Requiem for a dream, ne pu se résoudre à en rester là. Quatre ans plus tard, il convainc Hugh Jackman et sa propre femme, Rachel Weisz de participer à l’aventure. La seule condition des studios sera que le film devra être tourné pour deux fois moins de budget, Jackman n’était pas aussi bankable que Pitt. Du script original, Aronovsky en tirera un graphic novel. C’est donc une autre version de The Fountain qui se retrouva dans les salles en 2006.

De nos jours, Tommy lutte de toutes ses forces pour trouver un remède au cancer qui ronge Izzy, sa femme. Scientifique, il passe de plus en plus de temps dans son labo, à expérimenter, qu’aux côtés de sa compagne qui s’éteint. Car plus Izzy arrive à faire la paix avec l’idée de mourir, plus la colère et l’obstination emporte son mari. Du temps des conquistadors, Thomas se voit confié par la reine Isabelle la mission d’aller débusquer l’arbre de la vie, qui confère la vie éternelle. Ce, peu importe les mutins et autres indigènes qui se dresseront sur son chemin. A une époque inconnue, Tom voyage dans l’espace avec un arbre dans une bulle d’oxygène. L’homme qui occupe son voyage par la méditation, hanté par des visions de son amour défunt, espère atteindre une nébuleuse pour revitaliser le végétal dont il tire sa longévité en mangeant son écorce.

Et là déjà je suis sympa de vous expliquer le pitch. Car The Fountain est très déconcertant. Les trois fils narratifs se croisent tout au long du film sans que l’on sache vraiment quel est le lien, qui est qui. Le long métrage apporte quelques éléments de réponse, le graphic novel offre d’autres pistes. Reste l’expérience sensorielle, à commencer par la beauté des images (qui ne sont pas en scope, mais putain de sa race quel choix artistique de connard !), magnifiques car comme toujours, un petit budget force à de grandes expérimentations. Jackman trouve là son meilleur rôle tandis qu’il est impossible de ne pas tomber amoureux de Rachel. Pour quiconque se laisse porter par The Fountain, les thèmes et enjeux d’une histoire alambiquées survivront au fond du crane pendant des jours, des semaines, des années. La preuve, je vous en parle.

Œuvre d’art, film d’auteur aux interprétations multiples, Aronovsky à accouché d’un monstre de beauté et de sensibilité, bien plus poignant et puissant que le gadget masturbatoire pour bobo qu’est The Wrestler.

TRAILER STAGE !!!