A masterpiece for 2010...

Rating: 9/10 (25 January 2011)

I will say this, Natalie Portman deserves her Golden Globe and (if she gets it) an Oscar too for her performance. I've been watching Natalie for years. I first came to notice her in Star Wars: A Phantom Menace, and have seen her become a serious actress with V for Vandetta and The Other Boleyn Girl.
However, I wasn't inclined to see Black Swan because I thought she was a sure-fire candidate for a Golden Globe or Oscar. The fact she won surprised me, and thus with all the hype, I had to see the movie.
Black Swan is an adaptation of the story "Swan Lake." Natalie Portman plays Nina Sayers and her female opposite is Mila Kunis (from Family Guy and That 70's Show fame). They chose two actresses that look devastatingly alike and at times it's very hard to tell them apart. Nina gets the role of Swan Queen in the new Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel) ballet of Swan Lake.
Winona Ryder has a small cameo as the retired ballet lead Beth Macintyre, but takes a backseat to the plot of Kunis and Portman's rivalry. As far as cinematography goes, it's not the greatest of films...but it's not the worst. I sincerely hope it doesn't win Best Picture nor Best Cinematography at the Oscars. It's not that it doesn't deserve awards...it's just not the best of 2010 in my eyes.
I did enjoy it a lot more than expected. I think the score is unbelievably great and the lighting does a great job of building a suspense in a few key scenes, but basically this is a showing of Portman's acting skills.
It's got a lot of thrilling parts, almost like a horror, but it plays out as more of a drama. There is a sex scene that may not be suitable for anyone under 14. But, overall, it's quite an amazing film. Definitely a top five film for me for 2010. It's going to be one of the best films of all-time for me. Don't miss it.