FILMS ... with Tim Milfull
Black Swan (MA15+)
Director: Daniel Aronofsky
Stars: Natalie Portman, Winona Ryder, Thomas Cassell
Rating: 5/5
108-minutes, now screening
Much of the gossip around the Golden Globes and Academy Awards this year has centred on Natalie Portman’s astonishing performance in Daniel Aronofsky’s film Black Swan.
So her win at the Golden Globes at the weekend came as no surprise, as she seems to go above and beyond in her portrayal of an obsessive ballerina. She plays Nina Sayers, a relative veteran of the New York Ballet Company.
For the last four years, Nina has played a supporting role in the shadow of principal ballerina Beth Macintyre (Winona Ryder), but the company’s director Thomas (Vincent Cassell) has recently decided to shake things up and retire Beth, plunging Nina into the spotlight as one of the contenders for the principal position. Her chief rival is Lily (Mila Kunis), a rebellious tearaway, whose unconventional stylings are attractive to Thomas.
In his eyes, Nina’s perfect dancing is ideal for the White Swan, but the principal ballerina must also be able to take on the role of the Black Swan, which is much more complicated – perfect technique simply isn’t enough to maintain both roles; there has to be some wildness as well.
As Nina struggles to find the wildness in her own dancing, forces in and beyond her control conspire to terrorise her. At home, Nina’s oppressive mother, Erica (Barbara Hershey) is desperate to influence every aspect of her daughter’s life; at work, Thomas uses dubious techniques to unlock Nina’s passion; and in the few precious moments outside work and home, Lily has her own designs on Nina.
Black Swan is an extraordinary film, with complex choreography and camera work, a wondrous, discordant soundtrack fashioned around Tchaikovsky’s original ballet, striking visual effects, and outstanding performances – a masterpiece.
THE BINGE
Eclectic mix from Hopscotch
Four Lions (M) now available through Hopscotch
The Kids are All Right (MA15+) now available through Hopscotch
The Thick of It (Season 3) (R) now available through Roadshow
GoMA: A New Tomorrow: Visions of the Future in Cinema Screening until 27th February
Two very different films have been released recently on DVD by Hopscotch. Four Lions (pictured above), which had an impressive run in Brisbane theatres in 2010, is about four young London-based Muslims who decide to embark on their own version of jihad by blowing themselves up while running the London Marathon.
While the theme of this film sounds overwhelmingly sober, Four Lions is surprisingly funny, heartwarming, and ultimately tragic. The Kids are All Right features Julianne Moore and Annette Bening as lesbians Jules and Nic who are raising two teenage children. Joni (Mia Wasikowska) and Laser (Josh Hutcherson) decide to bring their birth father Paul (Mark Ruffalo) into the family, and what was already been a tumultuous household is plunged further into chaos.
Lovers of political satire such as Yes, Minister and The Hollow Men will be pleased to know that season three of the BBC comedy The Thick of It is now available. All of the regulars are present again in this foul-mouthed and very funny vision of British politics: Chris Addison’s youthful senior advisor, Ollie; the elderly mandarin, Glenn (James Smith); the incompetent publicist, Terri (Joanna Scanlon); and the Labour spin guru, Malcolm (Peter Capaldi), who can only speak in the most disgusting expletives.
Finally, lovers of science fiction should head along to the Australian Cinematheque’s latest program, A New Tomorrow: Visions of the Future in Cinema which presents a fantastic range of science fiction between now and February, from Fritz Lang’s restored print of Metropolis and Daniel Aronofsky’s The Fountain, to a number of Stanley Kubrick’s classics including A Clockwork Orange and 2001: A Space Odyssey, and other audience favourites.
Capped off with a live performance by Zan Lyons that remixes and reworks the genius of Bladerunner, this is the first of three innovative cinema programmes on offer between now and April.
For more information about a wide range of live performance, programmes and other exhibits at GoMA’s 21st Century: Art in the First Decade, visit www.qag.qld.gov.au/21stcentury
Win FREE tickets to Another Year
Courtesy of Icon film distributors , we have 10 double passes to give away to Mike Leigh’s critically acclaimed English character study Another Year. Starring Jim Broadbent, Lesley Manville and Ruth Sheen, Another Year screens from next Wednesday January 26. To be in the running for a double pass, email us with the words “Another Year” in the message field to editor@theindependent.com.au by 5pm next Wednesday January 26. Include a mailing address.
Winners will be selected randomly and only they will be notified before the double passes are mailed out. But be warned: this is a slow-moving, closeup look at British suburban life. If you’re into car chases, gun battles or soppy Yank rom-coms, ignore this one.
But it should delight those who cherish wry observations on the seemingly every-day lives of some London folk over four constantly changing seasons.
