Movie #376 - Black Swan

Black Swan
2010 - Rated R - 1 hr 48 min
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Starring: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel, Barbara Hershey, Winona Ryder, Benjamin Millepied

Yes, this movie got a lot of hype. And yes, so did Natalie Portman and her dancer-in-six-months training program. Usually hype drives me far away from a movie. I'm not a bandwagon rider, you know?

Something about the chilling previews sucked me in and so I went to see it in theaters. For weeks afterwards, I got chills every time I thought about it.  Now that's an impression. Owning it (finally) is really exciting for me. And I want everyone to watch it, but I'm acutely aware that Black Swan is not for everyone.

It's not a dancing movie, it's not a chick movie, and it's not a romance. So stop you're whining already.  Instead, it's been dubbed a "psychosexual thriller," a new category of weird mind-altering movie that's incomparable so far.  Aronofsky takes the art and beauty of The Fountain and combines it with the warped mind twists of a movie like American Psycho. Natalie Portman is perfect as the symbolic white swan, fighting against her inner black swan, stuck in a schizophrenic battle that plays itself out on the stage. I won't give anything away, because it's best to experience it as I did - not knowing much but expecting a wild, chilling story.

And that ending.... yup, still gives me chills.

Movie #210 - Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Forgetting Sarah Marshall
2008 - Rated R - 1 hr 51 min
Director: Nicholas Stoller
Starring: Kristen Bell, Jason Segel, Mila Kunis, Paul Rudd, Russell Brand, Bill Hader, Liz Cackowski, Maria Thayer, Jack McBrayer, Jonah Hill

From the awkward naked breakup in the very beginning to the Dracula puppet musical at the end, I love this damn movie.  Jason Segel hits every note of this movie perfectly and in an adorably charming way like no other.  Who could blame Mila Kunis for falling for him? And who could forgive Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell) for leaving him?

And then, of course, there's Russell Brand's Aldous Snow - a character that is the stuff of legends.  Seriously, he inspired a second, unrelated movie to be written about this character.  So well done.  So what if it's not really acting because Russell Brand truly is that nuts? Now we all get to enjoy it together.

If you haven't seen this, please do.  It's smart and funny, and tackles a topic near and dear to all of our hearts: how to move on when you've been brutally dumped.

Movie #150 - Date Night

Date Night
Twentieth Century Fox
2010 - Rated PG-13 - 1 hr 28 min
Director: Shawn Levy
Starring: Steve Carrell, Tina Fey, Mark Wahlberg, Taraji P. Henson, Wiliiam Fichtner, Mark Ruffalo, Kristen Wiig, James Franco, Mila Kunis

Finally... something with a budget!

I love this movie.  Mostly, I love the things in this movie.  Steve Carrell. Check. Tina Fey. Check. Mark Wahlberg's abs. Check!  There's lots of cameos too and tons of awkward situations that make you just uncomfortable enough to laugh.

This was one of the movies we saw when our daughter was still in the hospital, so since it made me laugh then, it will always hold a special place in my heart. And on the movie wall.

I won't ruin it, just suffice it to say that no one does ordinary-suburban-couple-thrown-into-extreme-and-dire-circumstances quite like these two.  And there are moments when I see flashes of my own future while watching this.  Hey, if that means our life is going to be this funny, so be it.

Netflix Movie: The Book of Eli

The Book of Eli
Silver Pictures
2010 - Rated R - 1 hr 58 min
Directors: Allen Hughes, Albert Hughes
Starring: Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis, and Jennifer Beals

I figure if I'm reviewing the entire wall, I might as well include reviews for the non-wall movies that Mike makes me watch. Not that I didn't want to watch The Book of Eli, I just would rather spend the time chipping away at that list of 600+ movies.

Anyway, we watched the Netflix DVD yesterday and I did thoroughly enjoy it. Denzel, as always, was fantastic in this post-apocalyptic movie (my third apocalyptic movie in three days... and 28 Days Later is only two short movies away). I was a little skeptical of Mila Kunis, the would-be bad ass runaway who tags along, but in the end, her wielding a machete wasn't quite so unbelievable as you'd think. The plot was fairly predictable, but the twist at the end got both Mike and I (which is saying something, because he's tough to surprise). Although it would have been nice to see Denzel do his own action sequences, but I guess that's what happens when awesome actors start aging. Oh, Denzel!

Overall, I highly recommend it for an action/adventure with a spiritual twist. Great casting, strong plot, and really interesting look at what society after the nuclear "flash" would be like.

Now, back to the wall.