Movie Review: Black Swan

I really, really, really, want to like Black Swan. Unfortunately, there are a couple of problems that I just can't forgive. The first is the script. Yes, it is molded around the story of "Swan Lake" which at first glance is a very clever conceit. However, the references to Nina (played by Natalie Portman... don't worry, we'll get to her) "becoming the black swan" were so gratuitous through out the film, I almost walked away feeling like I was being talked down to. Yes, we get it. There are parallels on many levels. Don't cram it down my throat.

The structure of the film was fine, however, and the the last third of the film really makes sitting through the first two worth it. The finalé is beautiful and emotionally strenuous. A perfect harmony of cinema, music, dance, and drama. This is part of the reason why I am so frustrated with the film, and its director, the now Oscar nominated Darren Aronofsky. Based on an interview from Creative Screenwriting Magazine, Aronofsky was tremendously involved with the development and rewriting of the script. How can such a staunch cinematic visionary be pleased with such clunky dialogue? It's embarrassing at times. I start to think well, maybe I am missing something. Maybe that is the way that it is supposed to be. Aronofsky is trying to tell me something about human nature with this fable. But then I say No! He could have told this story without dialogue (they do it every year in ballet that is the subject of the film), and it would have been better!

Now, Ms. Portman. Yes, she is the Oscar favorite. And yes, she truly transformed herself for the role. And yes, she nailed the dancing, which was critical for this entire movie to work. But... much like the character she was portraying, Ms. Portman never transcended into the role. There was always a sheen of the starlet's personality that came through some how. And I don't think that you can always revert to pouting to express confusion, sadness, distress, and annoyance. This is the performance that I saw. There were so few instances of true raw emotion (and there were a few shining moments) coming from Ms. Portman that it totally destroyed all of the work that she accomplished with her technical feats. I just have a hard time believing her character, who is the premiere dancer at one of the world's most famous ballets, and who grew up in New York City for that matter, could be so removed. I might be wrong about this, and Mr. Aronofsky's conceit for the characters in his nightmare/fable just didn't resonate with me. However, Ms. Portman's performance is worthy of study for actors or directors on physical transcendence and commitment, but it is not worthy of an Oscar.

7.75/10

Movie Review: The Parking Lot Movie

Now out on DVD (Watch it Now), is Meghan Eckman's highly enjoyable documentary The Parking Lot Movie, which chronicles the day to day existence of a bunch of rag-tag parking lot attendants in Charlottesville, VA. But these are not your average "service workers." Comprised of musicians, artists, professors, and students (or floundering graduates) from a variety of disciplines, these parking lot attendants assume the position of the town philosopher who watch the comings and goings with a critical eye. Many of them equate their experience working the lot as an existential journey, where they not only learn about their own inner most workings, but they also come to an enlightened view of the world through the most mundane of social interactions.

Coming in at a scant 70 minutes, the film is comprised of short philosophical vignettes where everything from the ridiculousness of the SUV craze to emotional impact of having a job where "you do nothing... all day" is contemplated. The commentary is hysterical, the characters are engrossing, and the overall watching experience is one that kept my mind buzzing hours after watching. These are the kids in high school that didn't care about being liked. They are the ones with passionate and informed views on the world who will not relent in an argument. They are the people you want to be friends with, but you are too afraid of what they will say about you or what your friends will say about them. These guys (and they are all guys) have found a transitional mecca where the knowledge and mystique of those who have come before them on the lot is passed down in an almost primal tradition.

The exploits of the attendants on their day to day routine outside the booth are captivating enough, but it is their various views of the world that won't let you look away. The abilities of the director are minimally on display in the film, and the loosest of structures as well as a lack of transitional bridges from section to section certainly don't help. But in the end, it doesn't matter... and is almost perfectly appropriate. A well polished or precisely constructed film about these characters would diminish the impact of their awesomeness. This is a true instance where a director and a subject and its characters all converged perfectly at the same time in their lives. When the film ended, I was sad that my time with the wisemen of the Corner Parking Lot had ended. I still had so much more to learn.

8/10