Black Swan

The plot of Black Swan is based around Tchaikovsky’s beloved Swan Lake, but let’s not be led astray, this film isn’t focusing on the beauty and grace of the ballet world, but rather the dark, desperate side to the seemingly unstrained dance. It isn’t all tutus and ribbons this time.

                Directed by Darren Aronofsky, it tells the story of a young ballerina, Nina (Natalie Portman), and her painful journey to the top. She lives in a small New York apartment with her much too overbearing mother (Barbara Hershey) and seems to be stuck within her childhood. Her timid speaking voice, pink pajamas, and stuffed animal filled bedroom all convey to the audience that despite her age, Nina is, and always will be, a little girl, or “My Sweet Girl” as her mother so lovingly (and creepily) refers to her. She is fragile, not unlike the tiny plastic ballet dancer that spins round and round in her jewelry box every night to help Nina rest easy. She is constantly on edge and painfully alert. The audience is made well aware from the very beginning that Nina’s seams are, and always have been, frayed, and they are in danger of coming apart at any second.

She dances for a major ballet studio directed firmly by Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel) and is dying to get her “big break”: a leading role in the company’s next production of Swan Lake. Winona Ryder makes her appearance as the unstable, former head dancer of the company who has simply become too old and well-known to be marketable. Despite her unflinching self-deprecation, Nina gets the part of The Swan Queen. If her stress-level was high before, it’s off the charts by this point. Her strenuous practice sessions become much more frequent and much more, well, strenuous. Let’s just say that your feet will be aching by the time the movie’s over.  Her life becomes characterized by hallucinatory experiences and paranoia. Nina has no problem playing the innocent role of the White Swan, but cannot ever seem to “let loose” enough to play darker role of the Black Swan. When a new dancer named Lily (Mila Kunis) comes onto the scene straight out of California, Nina is threatened. Lily does everything that Nina cannot seem to. Nina’s already paranoid tendencies do not help her to deal with this unfortunate situation. She scratches at her own skin until it bleeds, dull to the pain. Long story short, she battles with both herself and others on the days leading up to the premiere of the ballet, striving for perfection. This strive involves throwing up her food, spraining various body parts, and relentlessly tearing herself apart, both physically and mentally.

The film has a certain Phantom of the Opera quality to it, but without the heartwarming moments and soaring vocal renditions. It’s fast paced—threatening to explode at any moment. At times the thrill is almost too much to handle, but nevertheless it will constantly keep you on the edge of your seat. Much of the movie is filmed as though seen through the eyes of a very close follower. As Nina is hurrying to work you only see the back of her hair as the camera jostles slightly with her every step. The audience sees all of Nina’s obsessive tendencies up close and personal, making them all the more disturbing. Uneasiness seems to be a common theme, and it resonates with the audience. There were a few moments in the film that were funny, although not necessarily intentionally so. The audience in the theatre would laugh nervously, desperate for a small break from the uncomfortable subject matter. Black Swan is not for those with weak stomachs, and it’s definitely not a “feel good” film by any means, but it delivers masterfully in the thrill and terror departments. It will get under your skin. Pun intended.

Natalie Portman does an amazing job in her role as Nina. She did a majority of her dancing scenes on her own after training for months before filming, and cut her weight down to a scary low. She is so convincing as Nina that you’ll have to keep reminding yourself that this tiny, fragile woman with bones jutting out everywhere is actually Portman, and that she has done all of this for a movie role. Her dedication to her career is inspiring.

Black Swan is an intense, psychological thriller that is definitely worth your time. Your muscles will ache from the tension by the end. You will become almost completely immersed in the world that Aronofsky has created. In the last scene, without giving away the twist ending, Portman really sums up the film in just three short words: “It was perfect.”

               

Favorite Book, Album, and Movie Reviews

Joni Mitchell - Blue

Blue isn’t a color that one would normally associate with happiness, but Joni Mitchell’s Blue will invoke that emotion specifically. A perfect combination of happy and melancholy, her powerful lyrics and soaring vocal melodies with leave you breathless. Her lyrics would be beautiful even if they were to be simply spoken rather than sung, and immediately grasp the listener, creating a deep emotional connection with her words. Key tracks include “All I Want”, “California” and “A Case of You”. Mitchell’s voice has an almost trance-like quality and a sincerity that has yet to be matched by any contemporary artist today. Mitchell’s fourth and best album, Blue, is a necessity for any serious music lover. 

All Girls are Princesses

Even though Sara Crewe has been orphaned and is forced to sleep in a cold attic, work as a maid for other girls her age, and wear tattered rags for clothes, she is still a princess. All girls are—according to the movie A Little Princess. Based on the similarly titled book by Frances Hodgson Burnett, it may seem like your typical sob-story, but in reality it is much more than just that. The movie teaches important life lessons that can be appreciated by 10 year-olds and 60 year-olds alike. With beautiful Indian imagery and Hindu myths weaving their way throughout the story, this movie will not easily be forgotten.

The Virgin Suicides

Many books these days are much too promiscuous—leaving nothing to the imagination of the reader. The Virgin Suicides, however, is a different story. Written from the point of view of an adolescent boy, its revelations have the ability to ring true with the child inside all of us.  Jeffrey Eugenides’ writing is fresh and compelling from beginning to end and gives his book the potential to be one of the first classics to come out of recent fiction. He tells the story of 5 mysterious suicides and a neighborhood’s preoccupation with discovering an undiscoverable truth. A must-read.

 

ABC's Modern Family

Family. It’s a simple enough concept that’s definitely been done before. From The Brady Bunch to Family Guy, people have been making shows with this theme for some time now. Modern Family, on the other hand, takes the simple idea of family life and upgrades it to a much more hilarious and entirely new level.

Created by Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan, the show airs on ABC Wednesday nights at 9 pm. The show features an older man (played by Ed O’Neill) by the name of Jay who has divorced and remarried a beautiful Columbian woman named Gloria (played by Sofia Vergara). Together they are attempting to raise her pre-teen son, Manny (Rico Rodriguez), whose emotions frequently get the better of him. The other families we follow throughout the season consist of a gay couple with an adopted Vietnamese daughter, Lily, and another (seemingly) normal family led by Phil (Ty Burrell) and Claire (Julie Bowen) with their three children. It seems like it would be a lot to try and follow, but after a few episodes you’ll be so immersed in the lives of these families that you won’t even be thinking about the somewhat complicated family tree.

                In the most recent episode, titled ‘Manny Get Your Gun’, the first scene shows Manny standing up at the head of a dinner table giving a speech to an ungrateful audience for his birthday. He politely thanks them all for coming, but says that he, on the other hand, was almost unable to make it due to a sudden realization that he had “skipped over his childhood”. We then travel back to 30 minutes before the birthday dinner and watch the pre-events unfold. Basically, the entire episode is based on each family getting ready to go to Manny’s party. It doesn’t sound riveting, or exciting in any way. After all, how funny can these situations be? Despite popular belief, the answer is this: pretty damn funny.

                While Manny is busy making prank phone calls (Is See-More Butts there?) and trying to recapture his “youth”, his mom and step-dad are fighting over why Gloria always seems to misplace things. The Dunphy’s (Claire and Phil) are fighting over which parent is the “cool” parent and discussing their upcoming weekend at family camp. Mitchell and his partner are fighting (yes, controversy is a definite theme here) about him not being spontaneous enough, which ends with him breaking out into dance in the middle of an outdoor mall as part of a “flash mob”. Surprise!

                The show can very obviously be compared to The Office. The main characters are delightfully politically incorrect and oblivious. Ty Burrell’s character, Phil, is incredibly similar to The Office’s Michael Scott. Their not-so-witty comebacks and non-subtle pleas for attention are identical. Even their gestures and facial expressions strike up similarities. People may say that this could detract from Modern Family’s originality, but Michael and Phil do have a few things that separate their identities, the most important being that they’re written into entirely different situations.

                Modern Family is a great sitcom to get into if you’re looking for a lot of genuine laughter. The only thing about this sitcom that will upset you is the fact that it’s only on for 30 minutes at a time.  

Aqua: An Architectural Beauty

Upon walking up to the new Aqua building in Chicago, one’s first thought can be summed-up in one simple three-letter word: Wow. This spectacular skyscraper has a lot to say, and it’s not in the least bit afraid to say it.

This massive endeavor began in 2006, and was finished 4 years later in 2010. Designed by architect Jeanne Gang with Studio Gang Architects, it is known as the tallest building in the United States that was designed by an architecture firm led by a woman. It is located in The Loop area of Chicago at 225 N. Columbus Drive, and was given its water-themed name, Aqua, in order to keep with the nautical concepts of the buildings in the surrounding area (such as The Tides and The Shoreham). However, Aqua manages to dramatically out-shine its neighbor structures despite its similarly categorized choice of name. The aquatic theme makes perfect sense, seeing as the structure is located by both the Chicago River and Lake Michigan.  With a shocking total of 82 floors, Aqua is a massive architectural feat. Floors 1-18 are designated for hotel residents, and 19-80 are residential apartments and condominiums. And as if its accomplishments aren’t abundant enough, it is also the first building in Chicago to have electric car charging stations. Amazed yet?

                Well, there’s more. The structure itself is made up of hundreds of curvy concrete panels, each one unique, seemingly “stacked” one on top of the other. Small, square windows peek through on each side, resembling water puddled in between raised areas of wet sand. It seems as if the building is almost one large, rippling wave, flowing in the wind. It stands out marvelously from its surrounding buildings, such as the Fairmont Hotel Chicago directly across the street. Aqua simply has more character. Staring up at the huge structure, it seems almost as if it were molded out of clay by a sculptor on an enormous spin wheel. But whatever you choose to compare it to, there’s no denying its awe-inspiring beauty.

                The only criticism that this amazing building brings to mind is the fact that it’s so aware of its own amazingness. Plastered all across the main level windows are signs stating that the Aqua has been “Voted the best skyscraper in the world.” And it doesn’t just say it once, it says it multiple times. We get it already. Why not let us “ooh” and “aah” and construct our own opinions on the subject? We’ll probably end up coming to the same conclusion, but it’s simply unnecessary to pummel us with the fact.

                Standing next to this spectacular structure, you might find yourself feeling a bit “blown away”. And it’s not just due to the fact that you’re in one of the windiest cities in the country, either. The designers of the Aqua set out to create something different, beautiful, and inspiring, and they more than accomplished their goal. So next time you’re wandering around Chicago, be sure to stop by North Columbus Street. Your neck will definitely start to ache from craning upward to stare at this massive skyscraper, but frankly, you won’t mind.

Review #2 (Negative)

L’Etoile by Edgar Degas is considered to be a classic impressionistic painting. Although Degas never himself claimed to be an impressionist, he is still considered to be one of the artists at the forefront of the impressionist movement. He was born in 1834 in Paris, France and began painting around the age of thirteen. Degas met Edouard Manet in 1864 and was influenced by his artwork for the rest of his artistic career. He was said to be a very argumentative person, with an exceedingly difficult personality. He had very few friends and was known to be constantly devoted to his work, isolating himself from the outside world. Towards the end of his life he was almost completely blind and found it difficult to continue with his artwork. He died in 1917 in Paris.

            Despite his bleak life story, Degas still managed to create many revered pieces of art during his lifetime. “The Star” is one of his more famous works but, much like his life story, the painting has an overall very depressing quality. His use of dark blues, greens, browns and blacks will bring forth exactly the emotions that normally come to mind when thinking of these colors: despair, desperation and sorrow. The focal center of the piece is the female dancer towards the lower right hand corner. Her face displays a deep melancholy, while the dancers (or audience, depending on how you choose to perceive it) behind her look on with unreadable expressions. It brings to mind the “danse macabre”. Is this girl in the innocent white tutu dancing towards her own demise? We can only speculate.

Review #1 (Positive)

Done in 1878, Edgar Degas’ classic painting titled “L’Etoile” or, in English, “The Star” is a crucial piece in the puzzle that is impressionistic painting. The color palette is a subdued mixture of pale blues, greens, and browns, giving the painting a cool, almost “danceable” overall feel. The “star” herself is the focal center of the piece. Degas’ impeccable use of shading puts the spotlight directly on the dancer as she moves effortlessly across the stage. The piece has a flow and a sense of movement that can be felt almost immediately by the viewer. The background of the painting is beautifully ambiguous. At first glance, it seems that the dancer is simply going out onto the stage from behind the stage curtains, where her fellow dancers wait to join her. But upon closer inspection, she appears to be dancing on the floor of a cave, with the other dancers huddled in the shadows of the cave walls. In the upper right corner, you can see a cold, wintery scene. Is it the open entrance to the cave, or simply a painted set piece made specifically for the ballet performance? This question can be left up to the individual viewer, and is part of the alluring mystery of the piece. Despite the attention to detail and rushed brush strokes throughout, there is one emotion that specifically comes to mind when viewing this piece: calm. However one chooses to interpret this great piece of artwork, there’s no denying that its beauty will both overwhelm and inspire you.

Black Dogs by Jason Buhrmester

Using fake names. Stealing from liquor stores, gas stations, and department stores. Getting arrested, multiple times. And all before the age of twenty. This is the life of Patrick Sullivan, the lead character in Jason Buhrmester’s Black Dogs. It may sound like a tough life to lead, but Mr. Sullivan is doing just fine for himself. How, you ask? Well he and his friends just managed to pull off the biggest rock robbery in history. No big deal.

                A quick read at only 241 pages, Black Dogs is a fast-paced novel that tells the story of Patrick Sullivan and his odd (but lovable) group of friends living in Baltimore. After a house theft gone wrong, Patrick gets off scot-free and one of his best friends, Alex, gets sent to prison. In order to right his wrongs and get a little spending money for him and his friends, he devises a plan to rob the most popular rock band of the time, Led Zeppelin. Not everything along the way goes as planned, and the reader is taken on a hilarious ride through the ups and downs of their utterly flawed mission. As one robbery leads not-so-flawlessly into another, the crew learns more about one another and also, not so obviously, about themselves. This book has plenty of classic rock references to satisfy the music enthusiasts in the audience, but will also appeal to the not-so musically inclined due to the pure excitement factor. Zeppelin fan or not, chances are you won’t be able to put this one down.

                The book is based loosely on the “Zeppelin Robbery” that occurred in 1973. While the accounts leading up to the robbery and the characters were all fictional, the robbery did in fact take place. However, the culprit is still unknown today. Led Zeppelin’s safe deposit box at the Drake Hotel was robbed of $203,000 at the end of their ’73 tour. It was the largest safe deposit box robbery to happen in New York City at that time. Buhrmester’s account of the story is riveting and unapologetic. You’ll find your jaw dropped at some point in nearly every one of the hilariously titled chapters. Named everything from ‘The Worst Blow Job in the World’ to ‘Snowbirds’, the chapter titles alone will have you begging for more. But if that’s not enough, the rough dialogue and shallow lead characters will keep the pages turning.

                If you’re interested in reading a book filled with hidden meaning and depth, this book may not be for you. But if you’re looking for an exciting read that will keep you on your toes until the very last page, try reading Black Dogs. And if you’re not convinced that you should read it yet based on content alone, the flashy red cover should give you that extra shove.

Dinner for Schmucks: An Unsatisfying Comedic Buffet

Dinner for Schmucks is a comedy about a man named Tim (played by Paul Rudd) who is trying to work his way up the corporate ladder. After coming up with a good business concept, Tim gets invited to a “Dinner for Winners” by his boss. He is instructed to find the biggest “schmuck” and take him to a dinner to be laughed at.  Luckily for Tim, he literally crashes into his schmuck, Barry (Steve Carell), one day on the street and thinks his search has been successful.  Not quite.  Long story short, Tim’s girlfriend Julie (Stephanie Szostak) doesn’t approve of the whole “stepping on and climbing over others to get ahead” technique and Tim spends the rest of the movie trying (and failing) to win Julie back and stop Barry from making a complete fool of himself at the dinner. The plot of the film is not very cohesive and thus the many subplots have difficulty tying in with the main plot. Though the subplots do eventually converge at the end (albeit, in a very roundabout fashion), the journey getting there is convoluted and sometimes painful to watch.

Let’s talk about the schmuck of the hour, Barry. It’s nearly impossible not to love Carell, in any movie.  And although you’ll probably fall in love with his Schmuck’s character, you may also find him to be almost too oblivious. His brainless antics easily induce true laughter a few times throughout the film, but there are too many instances where the audience is simply overwhelmed with the obvious fact that Barry is a complete idiot. We get it already!

The overall message of the movie (if there is one) also seems unclear. The audience is constantly coaxed into laughing and poking fun at Barry all throughout the bulk of the movie, and is then almost scolded for doing so. Maybe the point is just to show us who the true schmucks really are: us. Nevertheless, the audience is misled.  It’s like a mother feeding her children nothing but cookies and ice cream for a month, and then putting them on weight watchers one day, without warning, and slapping away their sticky, outstretched little hands. By the end of the movie you’ll have all the compassion in the world for Barry, but you’ll still probably want to laugh at him.

Although Dinner for Schmucks seemed promising at first glance, it made one common mistake found in comedies today—it gave away most of the funniest parts in the previews, before the dinner even began. The appetizer previews were deliciously enticing, but the main course was not as filling. There was a wide variety in the virtual buffet of funny scenarios, but they failed to deliver the final satisfaction prominent in a “less is more” approach, that may well have salvaged the film.  At the end of this overcooked and over-thought experience you are left with nothing more than a bad taste in your mouth.  

With such an incredible cast comes incredibly high expectations.  Dinner for Schmucks continually fell just short of incorporating the magic recipe that could have made it a classic.  If you are looking for nothing more than a few good laughs, this movie will satisfy your appetite. But it may be a better idea to run to your nearest Blockbuster and rent last season’s episodes of The Office on DVD.

Jamie Cullum -- A Diamond in the Rough

Many artists today don't possess the raw talent that it takes to fuse new ideas with classic songs, and much less to write their own, original music. But Jamie Cullum isn't most artists. In his most recent album, The Pursuit, he puts a refreshing spin on songs such as Cole Porter's "Just One of Those Things" and Leslie Bricusse's "If I Ruled the World". He has a great talent for taking older songs and making them relevant again. But no matter the context of the song, you’ll be humming along to all of these hits in no time.
The Pursuit is Jamie Cullum's most experimental album to date. He flows effortlessly from bluesy ballads to jazz/pop influenced upbeat melodies. Although the fluidity of the album could be questioned by some, Jamie's quirky spirit carries through from song to song, tying the album together with a perfect bow.
Of all the star-quality songs on this album, "I'm All Over It" may shine the brightest. A break-up song with a happy outlook, it will have you throwing down your Ben & Jerry's and struttin' your stuff while Cullum croons "I'm all over it now, and I can't say how glad I am about that!" Another gem, "Not While I'm Around" puts a calming and yet affirmative twist on Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd ballad.
Showing us that he can make an extremely diverse album without losing sight of himself and his style is just one of Jamie Cullum's many talents. After this album, it's safe to say that Mr. Cullum and his deliciously raspy vocals are going to be sticking around for quite some time.

X-Tina Over-Shoots, and Barely Scores

Thefreedictionary.com defines "Bionic" as "Having extraordinary strength, powers, or capabilities; superhuman." Choosing this as the title to her most recent album, Christina Aguilera misleads her fans. Although her vocal capabilities are the epitome of the qualities listed above, the majority of tracks on her latest album bring to mind slightly different describing words.
While many of the tracks missed the mark, there were a few that did hit dead on, propping Aguilera back up on to her pimped-out pop diva throne.The opening track, and namesake for the album, is a decidedly powerful "blast-off". It does, as the lyrics say, "hit 'cha like a rocket". In a good way. The sound effects seem almost randomly picked, but come together nicely. The audience won't mind the fact that the robot Christina is "taking over their mind-frames" in the slightest. Similar to the first, track two is also a hit. It's almost as if Christina is aware of, and attempting to prepare her listeners for, the multiple 'misses' that follow. Most of these songs flirt very heavily with mediocrity. Amidst these assembly line songs there are a few more hidden gems, but the listener has to be willing to suffer through the bulk of the album to get to them. Songs to keep your ears peeled (through the fog) for: "You Lost Me" and "I am".
The beauty in Aguilera's voice is just that, her voice. Her range is insane, and her vocal acrobatics could amaze even the most cynical critic. This album's use of special effects and robotic disguises is a misguided attempt to sell records. The sooner she realizes that simple fact, the better. Aguilera needs to get back to actually singing, and leave the voice modulation to Kanye. This album seems almost a desperate attempt to Xerox Lady Gaga and simultaneously tack X-Tina back on to the Top 40 map. Although her efforts in reinvention were endearing, she really should stick to what she does best.

Ultimately, the futuristic cogs were trying entirely too hard to "crank out the hits" on this one.