Black Swan (English) - Movie Review

Ballet performances if not intense are a big bore and that was one reason by watching a film based on ballet dance was not really priority. But I was pulled why the cover of the DVD and set on to watch this 2010 psychological thriller by Darren Aronofsky starring Nataile Portman in the lead – Black Swan.

Black swan is the story of a young ballet dancer, Nina, who works with a top ballet company in NYC. The company is about to start the new season with the production of Swan Lake. The director of the company, Thomas, wants a new lead dancer to perform the dance of Swan Queen. He requires a ballerina who can dance both the parts - of the fragile, innocent white swan as well as the conniving, sensual twin black swan. While Nina is perfect to play the part of the white swan another dancer Lily is perfect to play the part of the black swan. As the girls compete for the part, though not perfect for the part Thomas selects Nina as the ballerina to play the swan queen as an incident after the auditions shows Thomas a dark side of the fragile Nina.  Soon after strange incidents start happening, which were nothing by very strong hallucinations of Nina. The darker side in Nina’s personality along with the hallucinations start taking a grip on her resulting in strained relationships all around her and odd, erratic, insecure behaviour from her. All this peaks and creates havoc during the act on the opening night threatening to destroy everything that Nina held dear.

The movie is just so gripping that I just did not leave the couch. It is intense, disturbing, uninhibited, dark & deep. It takes you on a rollercoaster into the depths of the mind of a ballerina. How she in the desire to fit the role goes through a complete psychological upheaval and reaches into the depths of darkness in her own mind. The film in a sense leaves you numb with a fact-in-the-face that the white as well as the black swan in within us. We should never let either take over.

Kudos to Director Darren Aronofsky. It takes a mature mind to make movies starring minds.  Nataile Portman was Nina to the T. Kudos again.

iVerdict: Excellent. Must Watch.

Rating: 4.5/5    

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (English) - Movie Review

I have not read the Sisterhood series of books but I definitely loved ‘ The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants’ and when I got the sequel of the movie I just could not help but watch it. The sequel ‘The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants 2’ retains the original cast of Amber Tamblyn, Blake Lively, Alexiz Bledel and America Ferrera in lead roles as Lena, Tibby, Bridget and Carmen – the four best gal pals since eternity.

The sequel starts off three years after the first movie ended and all four are perusing their personal interests – One is on the soccer team of her university, one is attending school of design, one is majoring in film making and one is attending college. The four again, as in the first movie, move away from each other for summer and as was the practice of the sisterhood each would keep the jeans for a week and would then pass them off to the next with a note. This summer one finds letters from the past tucked away, confronts the father on those and then goes away to an archeological dig and then to face the facts about the letters. The other finds an ex-flame married, goes away to the design school to get into a relationship but fails to find peace in any other relationship that she has. The third ends up consummating her romantic relationship in sex but things go wrong after that and a pregnancy scare puts her off radar from everyone including the sisterhood. And the fourth ends up as lead actress in a prestigious play rather than an actress’s assistant, as she had intended to be, followed by jealousy, backstabbing and insecurities. Amongst all these developments in the lives of the four protagonists the jeans keep getting exchanged with notes but the notes keep becoming less and less personal; and the sisterhood kept going away from each other. The climax is about how the jeans once again in the most unconventional manner bring the sisterhood back together.

This second part is much more saucier and bolder that the first part as the girls have grown up from high school to college and their problems and concerns are different now.  I loved the way the script remains realistic and grounded even if the pants give it a fairytale-ish twist. Though missed the converging shots in the first part, this one again is a well-shot, well-emoted, brilliantly executed movie.

Like the first part you just cannot get off the couch since the movie begins and I repeat Greece is so beautiful, especially the sea. Loved Shohreh Aghdashloo’s voice and dialogue delivery. A fan mam!

iVerdict: Very Good

Rating: 3.75/5      

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (English) - Movie Review

A celluloid adaptation of the book by the same title of ‘The Sisterhood of The Travelling Pants’ – the movie is awesome especially for someone who has not read the book.

The movie starring Amber Tamblyn, Blake Lively, Alexiz Bledel and America Ferrera in lead roles is the story of four best friends - Lena, Tibby, Bridget and Carmen and how a pair of jeans adds spice to their lives changing it for good or bad. The four girls have always been together in highs and lows till now and when the movie starts are about to depart for summer – one is going to Greece, one to a soccer camp, one to stay with her dad and one at home making a documentary. Before they leave to walk into a store and all three convince Tibby to try on a pair of jeans. Just for fun sakes they keep convincing each other to try the same pair of jeans and they do but surprisingly the jeans fits all of them really well inspite of their range in sizes. All of them are convinced that the pair of Jeans are magical and decide to share it amongst themselves. At their secret hideout it is decided that each of them will keep the jeans for a week and then pass it on to the next person with a letter about their experience with the jeans. So the jeans will became a reason of keeping in touch with each other and hence they named it – The Sisterhood of The Travelling Pants.

The movie takes us on a simple yet interesting journey of four young girls. A journey that all of us, especially the girls, can connect to. The film is well shot and well emoted. You do get involved in the joys and agonies of the characters and however tired once the film is rolling you will not leave the couch before the credits roll in the end.

And Greece is so beautiful & vibrant. Want to visit sometime. 

iVerdict: Good

Rating: 3.5/5           

The Backup Plan (English) - Movie Review

The backup plan directed by Alan Poul, starring Jennifer Lopez, Alex o' Loughlin in the lead roles has one of the most vibrant introductions I have seen in recent times, which psychologically puts the viewer into a light, playful mood which is what the movie's tag line suggests too - Fall in Love. Get Married. Have a baby. Not necessarily in that order.  

The movie starts off with Lopez getting an insemination as she wants to have a baby and fears that the Mr. Right may never appear, so she opts for the option which does not require the Mr. at all. And lo & behold the day she gets inseminated Alex appears and the rest of the film deals with the obvious of the leads falling in love and the rest but with a little 'baby' twist in the storyline because the insemination works for Lopez. Though the first time chance of success is rare, the rarest of the rare happens to our leading lady and the rest of the movie is spent in the acceptance of the  baby and the love and the heredity problem of commitment phobia in one of the leads just adds to the woes.

The Backup Plan is definitely a mush movie to the core and does a good job in the genre. It does not boast of any surprises in the story line but is definitely a well presented, well performed movie. The anxieties of a single mother, the helplessness of a lover, the realization of simple true facts make the movie predicable yet adorable. 

A must watch for any mush sucker and Alex looks cute.

iVerdict: Good. 

Rating: 2.5/5