THOR

THOR (2011)
US
Directed by Kenneth Branagh

CAST:
Chris Hemsworth - Thor
Natalie Portman - Jane Foster
Tom Hiddleston - Loki

PLOT:
     The powerful but arrogant warrior Thor is cast out of the fantastic realm of Asgard and sent to live amongst humans on Earth, where he soon becomes one of their finest defenders.

REVIEW:
      Well it's almost summer this is marked by the release of the first of the four big superhero movie and this time it's Thor. I'll admit that I'm not really a fan of the comics even though I do like some of the artists Marvel has had for it's long and lengthy run since the character first appeared in Journey Into Mystery # 83 in 1962, even though the comic has been cancelled multiple times only to come back later. After being in development hell since 1990, the character is finally on the big screen and ready to take his place with the Avengers which releases next year, yet can the character and movie stand on it's own is the true question.

     Let me just say that Chris Hemsworth has so much charisma that it actually shines throughout the whole film. Even the quieter scenes you still feel his presence even though he doesn't talk, the camera just loves this man. Hemsworth portrayal of Thor is just perfect as you can tell this man is something more and can do amazing things just by his demeanor. Hemsworth is the star of this film and you know why after watching it. Tom Hiddleston is intriguing to watch as Loki, not so much for his charisma but for the calculated cunning that you know lies behind the the caring exterior. This is a man that has so much disdain for his brother that every action he takes is to somehow get a upper hand over Thor no matter the cost. While Hemsworth's Thor has a boyish charm to him, Hiddleston's Loki is a stewing pot of anger that is disguised by niceness for his own purposes. I should mention that Natalie Portman to me runs either hot or cold, depending on the movie she is in, and in Thor you can tell she cares about her role, as her acting is sincere again and you know she's having fun playing the character of star struck Jane Foster.

     As this movie is a connecting movie to Iron Man and The Avengers, I was surprised to see that this film easily stood on its own and told a very enjoyable origin story that didn't feel like a one. Kenneth Branagh who is know for directing more Shakespearean fare at first seemed an odd choice to direct a movie about a superhero god, yet he pulled it off. I think the main reason for this is due to that much of the movie is the story is about one brother at odds with the other and trying to make himself look better in their father's eye. While the movie is called Thor and his journey to becoming more than a prideful, arrogant boy into someone that is worthy to lead a kingdom,  it can easily also be about Loki and his realization that he's more what has been let on by his father. I can easily say that Loki is the tragic Shakespearean figure due to that he thinks what he's doing is the right thing yet at the end it all turns against him. The story itself is finely tuned so where nothing seems like a waste, though the movie does slow down in parts it doesn't interrupt the pacing. Even the humor that is thrown in doesn't ruin or take away from what the story has built up.

     My only complaint  with the film is that some of the action does get lost due to the 3D post conversion as this process still isn't perfect and will probably never be able to compete with filming in 3D. Other than that, the views the audience are giving of Asgard are just beautiful and majestic, even though you aren't giving much in the way of how the society functions. What is giving though is the camaraderie and friendship between the Brothers Three, Sif, Thor, and Loki which can be story in and of itself what they have gone through together as the act more like family than friends. I should mention as well for any fanboy of comics, they will geek out (I did) when Jeremy Renner shows up as Clint Barton/ Hawkeye in a uncredited role, that was filmed after the main filming was finished it seemed, which helps tie Hemsworth and Renner's characters more into the whole movie universe that Marvel is building. While there is no telling where the next Thor movie will take place or what it will be about, this one stands on it's own just amazing and is a fun film that has more going for it than seems.

BEST DEATH:
     Thor's quick playtime with a giant frost doggy that ends with a reverse tracheotomy to the nape of it's neck.

BEST LINE:
     Hey, we got Xena, Jackie Chan, Robin Hood, and that Lord Of The Rings guy coming!

FUN FACTS:
    Natalie Portman took the role of Jane Foster because she couldn't resist the opportunity of a comic-book film directed by acclaimed director Kenneth Branagh saying, "I was just like Kenneth Branagh doing 'Thor' is super-weird, I've gotta do it." This is also Portman's second movie based upon a comic, the first being V For Vendetta.

     J. Michael Straczynski's recent run on the relaunched Thor comic is serving as the influence for the film, who also has a cameo in the film as one of the Townies.

     The Eye of Agamotto, a very powerful magical amulet, can be seen in Odin's treasure room. This was a weapon wielded by a Marvel hero, Doctor Strange the Sorcerer Supreme.

     Sir Anthony Hopkins signed on as Odin despite never reading a "Thor" comic or knowing anything about the Thor mythology. It was the concept of the father and son relationship that intrigued him about the role.

    Sam Raimi after directing Darkman, pitched the idea of a Thor movie to Stan Lee and 20th Century Fox in 1990.

YOUR HIGHNESS

YOUR HIGHNESS (2011)
US
Directed by David Gordon Green

CAST:
Danny McBride - Thadeous
James Franco - Fabious
Natalie Portman - Isabel

PLOT:
     When Prince Fabious's bride is kidnapped, he goes on a quest to rescue her... accompanied by his lazy useless brother Thadeous.

REVIEW:
     I'm all for comedies, and when you add in the mixture of a genre film it could be comedy gold if done right. Yet it could also turn out to be completely terrible as well. The thing about comedy is that it's person centric. What could be slightly amusing to one person, another person might find to be completely hilarious. Or it could be completely boring. And if what I read about Your Highness is true, that they ab-libbed most of the lines, this could be a complete train wreck of a movie or it could be a complete work of genius.

     Let's start with the main reason why this movie was released in the first place, Natalie Portman and James Franco. Since Portman won an Oscar and Franco got nominated for one, the studio thought that they could cash in on their success. I'm just going to say that, if this movie was released before the Oscars, I doubt Portman would have won and Franco more than likely wouldn't have hosted. After her brilliant turn in Black Swan, Portman slips back into her acting mode she used in a widely known sci-fi series. Thankfully though, she doesn't stay that way the whole movie as her ability does shine through every so often, just not enough though, and she should really not have used an accent for her character. And Franco's acting is just there. Even though he plays more of a stoner muscle head in the film, he overdoes it and it actually hurts his character. Granted he's not the best actor around, but I've seen him actually try before. What's it say when Danny McBride out acts both of the big stars by just acting like a stoner?

     This movie is more of a send up of medieval movie types than a straight up comedy as it pokes fun at the usual standards in those films and unlike parodies of recent years, Your Highness stays away from rewriting memorable scenes from those past movies and instead tries to write it's own story. It works in parts and in other parts it just falls flat. The beginning of the movie is just brilliant with McBrides character in the land of the Dwarves and about to be hang for seducing their King's wife. After that the story just meanders about for a while.  While some of the scenes stick out more than others, such as the  herb smoking pervert scene, gems like that make this movie, the film lags in other in other scenes such as when McBride and Franco spy on Portman bathing. I should mention that this movie is perverted, and everything is done to go along with that feel. It doesn't make the movie bad, it's just that some jokes just don't work like they should and the word fuck doesn't have to be used every other word either as it doesn't make the line funny to anyone over the age of 13.

     While comedy is subjective, not everyone will like this movie. There are so many dick jokes in it, it's hard not to believe this movie isn't from the 1980s as some of the humor is straight from the raunchy comedies of that time. It's not a bad movie, alas it's not a great movie either. What it is is fun. Even though I wasn't expecting to, I actually started having fun while watching this even with the grating fake accents the actors used and woefully underused supporting cast. I will give the movie praise for trying to be original in parts even though other scenes ruin what was built up. This is one of those movies you watch with friends and just have fun with and enjoy the complete absurd nature of it.

BEST DEATH:
      The decollating of the witch made one.

BEST LINE:
      You're making a fool of yourself. Handle your shit Fabious, please.

FUN FACTS:
     According to director David Gordon Green, the dialogue was entirely improvised with only a written outline by writer Ben Best and actor Danny McBride.

     The wrap party for the over 600-member cast and crew was held on-set at 'The Paint Shed' in the Titanic Quarter of the Belfast Harland & Wolff Shipyard on October 17, 2009. The party mirrored the medieval theme of the film, with a menu featuring venison and suckling pig.

BLACK SWAN

BLACK SWAN (2010)
US
Directed by Darren Aronofsky

CAST:
Natalie Portman - Nina Sayers/ The Swan Queen
Mila Kunis - Lily/ The Black Swan
Vincent Cassel - Thomas Leroy/ The Gentleman

PLOT:
     Nina  is a ballerina in a New York City ballet company is completely consumed with dance. When artistic director Thomas Leroy decides to replace the lead ballerina for the opening production of their new season, Swan Lake, Nina is his first choice. But Nina has competition: a new dancer, Lily, who impresses Leroy as well. As the two young dancers expand their rivalry into a twisted friendship, Nina begins to get more in touch with her dark side - a recklessness that threatens to destroy her.

REVIEW:
     This is another movie I was waiting to see this year, and was actually afraid I wasn't going to to be able to. Thankfully Fox decided to push it out rather quickly before the end of the year (thank you Golden Globes for the push!!)  Needless to say, plans were made the day I found out it was going to be released wide. Before going into the movie I knew that it wasn't going to be fun, hell, when is a Aronofsky film fun! I will say that Aronosfsky films are amazing to watch no matter what even when it's painful to watch. The man is a master of the psychological breakdown of characters. I should mention that the movie at the very beginning basically tells you how this is going to end. I won't say how, so you have to watch it yourselves. Just expect to see something raw and unrelenting and you should be set.

     I'll go ahead and say that Natalie Portman just wiped all those years of bad acting in Star Wars movies out with this movie. This brings back memories of how good of a actress she truly is. She's just amazing to watch in this movie as you get to watch her just break apart and become unhinged. From a tightly self controlled, frightened of rejection girl to when her personality cracks completely at the end as everything that has  happened  comes crushing down on her it was amazing to watch. I'll go ahead and say that this is probably the best I've ever seen her act in any movie that I've seen her in. Vincent Cassel also does an amazing job playing Thomas Leroy, the director of the ballet, who pushes Portman's Nina to let go and not be in control as much, to get the best performances he can from the dancers. Cassel could have just played this role as a one note type character, but instead he adds a layer to it that gives it a darker side. Now some of the tricks he tries with Nina can be considered awful, but he is trying to push her to be the dancer he knows Nina can be. As for Mila Kunis, I haven't seen very many things she's done, but before watching the movie I kept on going back to her character Jackie from That 70's Show. I must say I never will again see her that way. Kunis plays the free spirited Lily, who is for all purposes the complete opposite of Portman's Nina, and who you can never tell what is going on with her character throughout the film, but yet every time she's on screen she draws attention and sometimes even outshines Portman. Everyone does an exceptional job in this film all the way around.

     I must mention that while Black Swan is a movie about ballerinas, it's also an interpretation of Swan Lake. While Nina can be seen as the White Swan, Lily can be seen as the Black Swan constantly playfully messing with Nina, but never out of harm. But the true Black Swan is also Nina who personifies her darker side as Lily. As Nina's psych begins to crack under the pressure and constraints she put upon herself , her world begins to change into something darker. Now here's where the movie gets interesting. Nina was never the stable one to begin with. This is shown early in the movie as she sneaks into the dressing room of Winona Ryder's just released from being the star Beth's dressing room after she is told the news. Even though it seems innocent enough that Nina takes her lipstick, we find out later on that she's been stealing from Beth for a while, trying to be as she puts it, "perfect" like Beth and she sees these objects as a way to help her do that. Watching Ryder's reaction to this as Nina comes clean to her is amazing. That's just one example of how disturbed Nina is. Another is her seeing out of the corner of her eye reflections in mirrors of her moving when she isn't and black shadows moving around when there are none. You're pulled into Nina's world, from her delicate relationship with her overbearing, possessive, controlling mother, who isn't all there either (she paints portraits of her own daughter, and you can tell she's been doing it for a while) and is trying to live her lost life through her own daughter, to when you know Nina's  gone, well no other really good way to put this, batshit crazy when she sees all the paintings of herself start talking to her, which I must say I had a smile on my face as this was happening. But the true fracture in Nina's world happens during the opening night performance of  Swan Lake which is hard to watch but you don't want to look away. To go into detail about this part of the movie would just ruin the shock and surprises that are there on the screen as this is where everything comes together that has happened. 

     Aronofsky has again created a world which is hard to watch but yet at the same time is so beautiful to see. The film itself has a grain over it which makes it look dark to begin with, but with the story as it plays out, it gets so much darker. The over the shoulder shots helped make you feel as if you were in the film as did the club scene where Nina truly began to let go and find her darker side and become the true Black Swan. While there are scenes of violence in the movie, it's much harder to watch due to the fact that it's against ones self than to another person. And to make it worse you can't tell if it's real or imagined in Nina's mind as she slowly loses her grip on reality. I mentioned this mostly due to the ending of the movie when Nina truly turns into the Black Swan, both figuratively, and literally. I must say I was amazed during the last part of the movie as reality becomes warped. From Nina's neck lengthening (I was giddy after watching that part) to her on screen transformation into the Black Swan. I will say that some people are going to hate this movie, and for them, I feel sorry for, as it's a slow burn type of film where everything is set for a reason and nothing is wasted. I don't want to give to much away about the movie as I want to mention so many scenes that stuck out so much, but to do that I feel as if it would ruin and cheapen the movie for people that haven't seen it yet, as there are plenty of scenes in there, so I'll just say that I can easily say that this is one of my favorite movies this year, if not the best movie I've seen this year so far.

BEST DEATH:
     Easily the Black Swan in the dressing room. I'm not going to say how or try to explain it, but after the watching the movie I hope you'll understand why.

BEST LINE:
     I was perfect......

FUN FACTS:
     Natalie Portman lost over 20 pounds to look more like a real ballerina as did Mila Kunis for her role as well.

     Aronofsky and Portman first discussed the film in 2000, though the script was yet to be written.

    Portman is actually undergoing a real physical therapy session in one scene with the actual physical therapist due to the fact that she actually twisted a rib during filming of the movie.

      Vincent Cassel compared his character to George Balanchine, who co-founded the New York City Ballet. The actor said Balanchine was "a control freak, a true artist using sexuality to direct his dancers".