Black Swan

Black Swan is a really good movie, maybe not great... but definitely really good. Darren Aronofsky's latest effort is true to his form. I'm pretty sure he's the only director that can make an edgy film about Swan Lake. I like that he maintains a certain level of freshness to what he brings to the screen.

The film captures the obsession and utter despair of someone who is a perfectionist. We ultimately learn there is no perfection in life. Natalie Portman does a fantastic and convincing job in her role of the obsessive dancer. People are saying she should get the Oscar, but we'll see who else is in contention. A lot is being said about Mila Kunis' performance and that she should get an Oscar nod for supporting actress, but I think Barbara Hershey was much better in her supporting role.

I've been a fan of his since π -- despite it being almost the exact same premise of a screenplay I had written in college!

Summer Movies

I saw The Hangover last weekend. Finally an original movie in Hollywood! Expect to see sequels. I must admit I did not expect this movie to be as good as it is nor did I expect to laugh my ass off. I am currently assless on account of all the laughing I did at this movie.

This is probably going to be the best movie of the summer so save your 11 bucks for The Hangover. Transformers 2 looks like it's going to stink like an enormous steaming pile of dead fish on top of hot garbage. I only say this because like the mythical King MidASS, anything Michael Bay touches turns to poo. Transformers was like watching a 2 hour car commercial. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to offend the makers of car commercials here, because they tend to have more of a compelling story than this movie had...

I vow to never see Transformers 2... but don't hold me to that as I can easily get sucked into movie hype. I eventually caved and saw Terminator Salvation. The director, McG, has the directorial depth of a dinobot.

*** SPOILER ALERT! ***

When the CGI Arnold Schwarzenegger shows up as the T-800 toward tend of T4 it's kind of hokey. Yeah, it's nice to see that Arnold's image makes an appearance, but we're taken right out of the movie at this moment and reminded that this is really just an obligatory nod. Terminator Salvation lacked the vision and sheer logic of he first 2 movies. McG doesn't really tie this movie into the series in a crafty way.

In the remaining 2 sequels that are to come I think the writers should take it from me here. When the Resistance inevitably infiltrates Cyberdyne to send Kyle Reese and the Terminator back through time to protect his mother and his juvenile self, they should do it all in one mission. That is to say, don't make it so simple to break into the technologically superior enemy base and travel through time. Economize...

I say they should simply have Kyle Reese infiltrate cyberdine, help reprogram the T-800, then send himself back to 1984 (T1) and the T-800 Terminator back to 1991 (T2) all in one mission from the same point in the future... make sense? (Oh, and let's just forget about T-3 alltogether... please? can we? Okay if he must, just amend my plot proposal to include the third turd of a Terminator movie)

Just consolidate their mission, ya know? Make it actually seem like they only have one chance to get it right!

So just take it from me Hollywood, it would make so much more sense and be way more compelling.

Remake, Adaptation or Sequel

Ever get the feeling that every single movie that comes out these days is completely unoriginal? It's because people aren't willing to go see something new! I once spoke to a guy who edits theatrical trailers and he said that focus groups respond better to previews that show every major plot point of the movie. He also said people won't go to see a movie if they don't know that it has a happy ending before hand. This is why a movie trailer is generally 5 minutes less than its corresponding theatrical release.

Where's the originality? I'm someone who is very proud of my individuality and what I consider to be originality... But the entertainment industry is teeming with lemmings who are incapable of recognizing unique genius when they see it. Hollywood is always hedging its bets.

Let's take a look at some of the major movies that are coming out this summer...

1. Wolverine (Sequel to a Comic Book Adaptation)


2. Star Trek (Remake and Sequel)


3. Angels and Demons (Adaptation and Sequel)


4. Terminator Salvation (Sequel)


5. Night at the Museum 2 (Sequel)


6. Land of the Lost (Adaptation of a TV show)


7. Transformers 2 (Sequel to an Adaptation of a Cartoon based on a Toy)


8. Ice Age 3 (Sequel)


9. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (Adaptation of a Book and a Sequel)


10. G.I. Joe (Adaptation of a Cartoon)

If an original movie is able to make it, expect there to be umpteen sequels. You can also expect to see other movies with the exact same premise. For example, last year Adam Sandler came out with Bedtime Stories - (A family comedy about a hotel handyman whose life changes when the lavish bedtime stories he tells his niece and nephew start to magically come true.) Not to be outdone this summer we have to endure Eddie Murphy's "Imagine That."