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Black Swan (2010)
Dazzlingly Dark
Black Swan is a plunge into a really dark world of self-doubt that not only manages to make its audience incredibly uncomfortable, but also establishes a psychological and interpersonal connection with it as well.
Director Darren Aronofsky has been no stranger to directing some of the deepest, most personal and darkest films of the 21st century. Black Swan is not only not an exception, but perhaps his most layered film yet. I had been anticipating this film with incredibly high expectations, considering my admiration and appreciation of his directing of contemporary classics like Requiem and The Wrestler, yet this film still managed to absolutely floor me. Natalie Portman delivers her indisputable best performance to date, with complete immersion into her raw and starkly real role as the Swan Queen, Nina. Her performance serves the very deep and personal plot flawlessly, which absolutely made its way into my soul. The supporting cast is pretty good too, leaving nothing to be desired. But perhaps most exceptionally notable is this film's direction and lighting. The dark and disturbing imagery that accompanies this film is shot so spectacularly well that I was often left conflicted between awe and disgust. The film's script also integrates itself within the film and its cast seamlessly, as I, even being the script nitpicker I am, couldn't find a line in the movie that felt out-of-place or awkward. It is all consistently emotionally- investing and brilliantly unsettling.
All in all, Black Swan is an unforgettable work of art that managed to completely obliterate my already high expectations. Definitely the best drama of 2010.
Pulp Fiction (1994)
The Quintessential Tarantino film. And that's saying quite a lot.
Not that I think this is the best movie ever made, but it sure as hell is my favorite film of all time. It is also probably one of the single most influential film ever made. Here's why:
Quentin Tarantino is regarded by many to be the very best storyteller in the industry. This movie showcases this, as it never fails to impress no matter how many times you have watched it. The dialogue is the very highest point, as even pointless gibberish sounds interesting. It makes you feel more immersed into the story, and makes the characters more human and believable. I felt like I met these people, I learned a lot about their personality and taste. Then comes the absolutely sensational acting by stars including John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Bruce Willis, Ving Rhames, Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, and the very best, Samuel L. Jackson. Every scene in this film is memorable, keeping me glued to my seat. This is not only a movie, it's an unforgettable experience.
The Hunger Games (2012)
Decent adaptation, but not a very nice experience.
The Hunger Games' trilogy is one of the most beloved young adult book trilogies every written. You would expect a similar rating for the movie, but unfortunately for Suzuanne Collins, it falls short. The action scenes would be generally good if it weren't for the annoying shaky cam. This is something that cinematographers of today implement too much into action movies, and I like it when it is used in the correct time and not excessively used. In almost all the scenes in this movie, the cameraman can't stay put. As for the acting, it's not really anything special. Jennifer Lawrence does a decent job, Josh Hutcherson does a decent job, Woody Harrelson does a decent job, and pretty much everyone was decent in this movie. Probably the only stand-out performer was Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket. A major problem with this movie is that I think the delivery of the lines from the books were not exactly what I imagined them to feel like. In the end, I think this movie is nothing special at all, and I hope that Catching Fire can fix the errors this movie has made.