Black Swan (2010

Embrace your dark side.

Directed by Darren Aronofsky

Written by Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz, and John J. McLaughlin

Starring: Natalie Portman, Vincent Cassel, Mila Kunis, Barbara Hershey, Winnona Ryder

Nina's (Portman) life is consumed by ballet. Her mother (Hershey) is a former ballerina who wants to live her life through her daughter on stage. When her company's director Tomas (Cassel) casts Nina over veteran ballerina Beth (Ryder), and brings in new dancer Lilly (Kunis), Nina finds her life, and sanity unravel as she embraces both the angelic role of the White Swan, and the devilish role of the Black Swan.

This is one of the best movies I've seen all year. Natalie Portman loses herself in her role. The script is both beautiful and disturbing at the same time, and Aronofsky presents everything on screen with an artful eye. Everybody in the film played their parts awesomely. I sat down wanting to see Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis together in a movie, but honestly, I couldn't see the actors. Only their characters. This is one of the best psycho-sexual thrillers to come about since Fatal Attraction or Basic Instinct, and one I will soon never forget.

10/10

Rated R for strong sexual content, disturbing violent images, language and some drug use.

No, this is NOT for children. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone under 18. The violence, when presented is gruesome and graphic. (In one scene a woman stabs herself repeatedly in the face with a nail file.) The sex is also up front and graphic. Especially an extended scene where 2 women make love. No nudity is involved, but you can see all that they do to each other. There is also quite a bit of foul language, and a scene involving drug use. 18+

The DVD contains a 4 part making of featurette and previews of other Fox releases. The Blu Ray (Which I hope to own one day) contains the making of and other featurettes about the costuming and interviews with the stars.

Homecoming (2009)

A girl never forgets her first love...

Directed by: Morgan J. Freeman

Written by: Katie L. Fetting

Starring: Mischa Barton, Matt Long, Jessica Stroup, Michael Landes

Shelby (Barton) and Mike (Long) were the high school golden couple. When he dumps her to go off to college, she is so devistated that she thinks the relationship is still going on. When he brings his new girlfriend Elizabeth (Stroup) to the high school's homecoming game, Shelby devises a plan to get rid of her so she can have Mike all to herself.

This was a pretty fun little thriller. Mischa Barton (Whom I've crushed on since her Marissa Cooper days) is sublimely over the top in her role as the Kathy Bates like villian, taking sadistic glee in torturing Jessica Stroup in greusome ways. I'm drawing comparisons from the film Misery because the film is basically that one with a younger cast. Where Annie Wilkes had a sledgehammer and needle, Shelby has a syrup bottle and garden clippers. If you're a fan of the crazy bitch" genre (Fatal Attraction, Swimfan, Obsessed), then you'll love this one.

8/10

Rated R for some violence and language.

This film contains some quite graphic violence. Some of this is obscured, but there are 2 particularly greusome scenes that show the violence in full vivid light and color. One involves my biggest ick, the ankle twisting. Language is quite frequent. About 20 or so F words and numerous other swears. Shelby tries to seduce Mike by wearing nothing but a jacket and skimpy underwear. 16+

The DVD includes some deleted scenes and trailers.

Obsessed (2009)

All's fair when love is war.

Directed by Stephen Brill

Written by David Loughry

Starring Beyonce Knowles, Ali Larter, Idris Elba, Jerry O'Connell, Christine Lahti

Sharon (Knowles) and Derek (Elba) are happily married with a young son. One day, Derek finds that he has a new temp assistant named Lisa (Larter). What he doesn't realize is that Lisa always gets what she wants. And what she wants now is Derek. But she won't get him without a fight from Sharon.

I LOVE this movie. Ali Larter can get her crazy on with the best of them. Her fight with Beyonce at the end (It's not a spoiler. All the ads were centered around the Larter/Knowles brawl.) is one of the most well choreographed, and at times brutal fights I've seen in a movie. I believe that this will soon be my new guilty pleasure.

8/10

Rated PG-13 for sexual material including some suggestive dialogue, some violence, and thematic content.

There are some things to worry about with this film. The fight is pretty brutal. There is some language, and quite a bit of sexual material. 15+

The DVD contians trailers for other Sony releases, and a featurette about the fight scene.

Identity (2003)

Identity is a mystery. Identity is a secret. Identity is a killer.

Directed by James Mangold

Written by: Michael Cooney

Starring: John Cusack, Ray Liotta, Amanda Peet, Alfred Molina, Clea DuVall, Jake Busey, Rebecca DeMornay

On a stretch of desert road, there is a motel. This motel becomes the meeting point for 10 strangers stranded by a rainstorm. Ed (Cusack) is a limo driver, escourting the diva TV star Caroline (DeMornay). Paris (Peet) is a prostitute running away from her former life. Rhodes (Liotta) is a cop escourting a convicted killer (Busey) to prison. They and 5 others seek shelter from the storm as one by one, they start to be mysterously, and brutally murdered.

This is one of my favorite murder mysteries. I fell in love with it in my senior year of high school and a friend of mine showed it to me. But I noticed something odd. During the final 15 minutes, he kept watching me instead of the movie. He said that he wanted to see my reaction to the twist. Now whenever I show it to them, I do the same. This is one of those OMFG, that did not just happen movies, where you will never guess the next thing that is going to happen.

I also found that even knowing what happens, the film holds up to repeat viewings. I've seen it about 7 times now, and each time, it gets a better. Everybody in it is perfectly cast. Even Amanda Peet. This is one of the few times I've enjoyed her in a film. Rebecca DeMornay is perfect in her role as a bitchy, has-been Diva who still thinks her 15 minutes haven't ended. And Clea DuVall, one of my favorite actresses, while tragically given little to do but cry and scream, still shines. Although that opinion is based on the fact that I'd watch her read a phone book for 2 hours.

If on a rainy day, you're looking for a good thriller with a great story, you should check this out.

9/10

Rated R for strong violence and language.

The film goes the Se7en route of violence. It doesn't show many of the murders themselves, but rather the aftermath. There is quite a bit of blood. And it contains frequent strong language. 15+

The DVD includes a lot of features, including making of documentaries, deleted scenes, and an extended version with 1 minute of extra footage that adds a bit to the story.