since antebellum gallery is located 2 blocks from the KODAK THEATER, thus making us, "hollywood" I thought i weight in on my fave films of 2010
THE BLACK SWAN
director- darren aronofsky,
an ultra contemporary film presented in a classic way. the traditional story of swan lake-tells the story of odette, a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer's curse- readapted in a modern tale of neurotic artists trying to create art in the competitive times we're living in. gorgeous costumes by amy westcott, excellent acting by natalie portman, (she will win the oscar) barbara hershey, (channels piper laurie from carrie!) sexy- mila kunis, and even sexier- vincent cassel.
cameo by winona ryder is right on the mark and sooooo camp!..
there's always be confusion as who wrote the original swan lake, but i will give credit to- Johann Karl August Musäus- circa 1778. the 2010 screenplay was excellent written by mark heyman, Andres Heinz and John McLaughlin, beautifully shot by matthew libatique, who's cinematography had me in it's spell from the second of the opening scene, to the finale where bloodied and fatally wounded nina sayers, (portman) softly speaks the now classic line, " it was perfect."
SOCIAL NETWORK
director- david fincher
the social network tells the classic story of insecurity, ambition, power and greed in the most contemporary way.. the film is an excellent depiction of the times we're now living in, which includes- A.D.D, O.C.D, ANTISOCIAL, ASPERGES types of behavior. the fast pace of the internet is now so ingrained in everyday life, everyone expects results for anything within a few days, maybe even a few hours.
based onThe Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich, this is only of the first truly contemporary films with a contemporary plot, told in a contemporary way. the star of this vehicle is definitely director david fincher, (seven, fight club) who makes a mundane scene like chatting online interesting. fincher was dealing with a story that has very little "action," about a group of people who spend most of their time online. fincher was able to make this cinematic.
screenplay by aaron sorkin, (a few good men, the west wing) was fast pace and captured the soul, (or soullessness) in contemporary silver-spoon college students. it's hard to believe that he had no experience with FACEBOOK prior to this film. in an interview sorkin said, " i know about facebook the way i know about carburetors. i know they're there and basically know how they work, but that is all."
the opening scene of 9 pages of dialog between 2 people shot in 4 minutes will go down in cinematic history, my opinion.
the acting by jesse eisnberg, andrew garfield and justin timberlake are good. the one who i predict will be nominated for best supporting actress is rooney mara as the girlfriend who dumps mark zuckerberg in the first scene. as i said earlier. that scene will go down in modern film history.
the soundtrack by Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross is brilliant. they will win an oscar.
THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT
director- lisa choloenko
i actually found this film sweet and honest, a modern portrayal of a modern family. very much could see this happening and have actually heard similar true life stories, but in real life the couples broke up.
the filmmaking and writing by lisa cholodenko and stuart blumberg are subtle, but none-the-less- perfect. I loved the way los angeles was filmed and used as a backdrop. tbe acting is the star of this project. both mia wasilowska and josh hutcherson, (as the kids) are good and sympathetic, juliana moore excellent. she is always hitting the mark with her portrayals. annette bening is soooooo funny and honest with her portrayal of the uptight lesbian " top" in the relationship. she is spot on. i say this without malice since the director is a lesbian so she knows what she's writing about. btw- lisa cholodenko also directed the lesbian cult classic- high art.
for me the unacknowledged performance is by mark ruffalo. his take on the womanizing playboy of yesterday is warm and quitely heartbreaking. even when he has no lines you can see him saying- i wasted my life. i could've had a better life. i could've been loved.
THE GHOST WRITER
director- roman polanski
an excellent film with a great plot, great story, suspense, tension & irony. a throw back to old time filmmaking, told in a modern setting without any SGI!
based on the book THE GHOST by robert harris, polanski starts off subtle, building gradually with each scene, the suspense continuously building, like a steady dam, with the climax of the film ready to burst at the seams.
ewan mcgregor is perfectly cast as a modern day jimmy steward/cary grant-like protagonist with kim cattrall, (very well acted) as his eve-marie saint-ish. bold and aloof, and equally breathy and sexy. in fact all the characters in the film are fully played out, just broad enough to give hints of under-layers, but not giving the whole thing away.
i also really loved the way polanski combines famous figures into each character~
ewan mcgregor as the ghost= jimmy stewart + cary grant
pierce bronson as adam lang= tony blair + ronald reagan
olivia williams as ruth lang= nancy Reagan + mary lincoln, with a little lucrezia borgia
kim catrelle as amelia bly= eve-marie saint + grace kelly
tom wilkenson as paul emmett= dick cheney & karl rove
also look for the great cameo of a condoleezza rice-type character towards the end.
the art direction & locations of filming so modern & austere, lonely and foreboding, a nod to hitchcock without any rip-off.,..
a true gem.. this film will get better with age.
because of the current media attention to polanki's private problems of 30-some years ago, (and american's hypocrisy to all things sex) the american response was luke warm, if not all out hostile.
i also LOVED- polanski's the ninth gate way back in 2000. this film also received scathing revues, but i put it on my best films of all times list.
i do have a soft spot for polanski. i really think he's one of the greatest living directors. he many even be my favorite living director.
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