The First Movement-- Talking about a few Academy Award nominees

So, I've messed with blogs before but I decided to create my own to discuss film (and to a lesser extent a bit of music)... I don't feel like I know nearly enough about film, but it's a passion of mine and I am an aspiring film student, so I feel if I discuss film (and hopefully SOMEONE will respond and there will actually be discussions) then maybe I can know a bit more...

ANYWAY, in the words of Arcade Fire, now I'm ready to start...

Let's start with a review of sorts, I know it's a bit late but still appropriate but Black Swan by Darren Aronofsky just came out on DVD and I have purchased it a few days ago.  I'm not expecting everyone to agree with me, you're all entitled to your own opinion, but I really enjoy this film.

For those of you who know anything about the film, it IS about New York ballet... but for those of you that think this would be a retarded chick flick about ballet are horribly wrong (of course that this point you've probably seen the movie or at least know that it's more than that).  The movie becomes a trip into obsession, paranoia, rivalry and madness.  Natalie Portman's character eventually loses her mind and begins to hallucinate as she become obsessed with her ballet role.

Here's a more detailed synopsis... http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0947798/plotsummary

I can't say that I know a lot about Aronofsy (I haven't seen all of his movies), but what I have seen have been good movies... movies like Requiem for a Dream and Black Swan have been good, well told stories that have a good amount of a mind fuck, so to say... The Wrestler and The Fountain were also decent (however, not my favorites).  I personally think Aronofsy is a good director, he tells intriguing stories and does them very well...

As I'm sure, you also know, the film was nominated for the Academy Award (it didn't not win), however, it DID deserve the recognition it got.  Two other Academy Award nominees this year (neither of which won), that I feel deserve to be mentioned are 127 Hours and True Grit.

Many of you are aware, I'm sure that True Grit by Joel and Ethan Coen is a remake of the 1969 John Wayne film of the same name (which in turn is an adaptation of the 1968 novel by Charles Portis).  I've heard many fans of the John Wayne film did not like this remake.  I personally can't imagine this, like most Coen Brothers films, True Grit is an excellent film and another example of the Coen Brothers' ability to tackle any genre and make it their own... The film is a very well done, very good looking typical modern western, one thing I wish this movie did was get into a deeper story or a deeper moral ideal.  It literally is a standard western... here's a synopsis... http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1403865/plotsummary

The film touches on some subjects that I wish it had the time to dive into further... such as the young girl's romanticized view of the "trail" and there are many events that don't totally seem necessary, such as the "bear man"and it would have been nice for them to explain the importance of Lucky Ned Pepper as the main enemy a bit more (he just seemed to come out of nowhere and be a bigger enemy than Tom Chaney, who they set up as a major enemy at the beginning of the film).  Overall, the movie is excellent but, in my opinion, didn't deserve to win the oscar for best picture.  Jeff Bridges on the other hand, could have easily won for his portrayal of Rooster Cogburn.  Jeff Bridges is an excellent actor in my opinion and I love seeing him as the aging badass cowboy that he portrays in this film... Jeff Bridges and the Coen Brothers, as they've shown in The Big Lebowski, are just an excellent combination.

Finally 127 Hours by Danny Boyle, is an amazing movie about human struggle against nature, the will to survive and answering for one's mistakes.  Here's the plot... http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1542344/plotsummary

What's more amazing is the fact that this movie is a true story, this movie has a lot of depth, it goes deeper than just the story of a trapped man, it dives into what he's thinking and does an excellent job to depicting his regret and need to survive and his near surrender to his plight.  I saw Slumdog Millionaire which is also by Boyle and was not totally impressed (even though it won the Academy Award for best picture in 2008),  this movie is exponentially better than that one, 127 Hours is a movie that actually makes you feel for the character and internalize his struggle.  It makes you think about what you'd do in the same situation and who your possible final thoughts would be of.  It's a powerful movie.

I would recommend any of these movies (I can talk about the best picture winner, cuz I have yet to see it haha), but it's good to see worth while movies get recognized on a wide scale in a year when the popular movies were very lacking... I'm sorry 2010, you weren't the best year for movies...

ANYWAY... that's my piece, please comment cuz I'd love to have discussions with people that truly enjoy cinema, if you think I'm retarded or wrong, let me know, everyone has their opinion...

have fun...
http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3985807385/
http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1984862489/
http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi768149785/

Good Night and Good Luck