Man on Film: The Wolverine

While it is tough to move past wondering what could have been if Darren Aronofsky and Christopher McQuarrie had remained attached as the director and writer, respectively, of this film, measuring The Wolverine (on Blu-ray / DVD + DigitalHD or On Demand) against its lackluster predecessor more than puts those wistful thoughts of a film never made to rest. James Mangold's entrant into the larger X-Men series certainly fares well, incorporating Chris Claremont and Frank Miller's Japanese saga into the film universe while giving the gruff and brooding hero a better, more streamlined platform by which to infuse both the history and the pathos that makes Wolverine a character to whom the audience is drawn.

Much of The Wolverine's success goes back to the initial casting of Hugh Jackman as Logan. For the past 12 years or so, he has embodied what any X-Men fan had always hoped to see on the screen. A lot of the other casting wasn't as successful, but Jackman fits the brooding, brawny Canuck naturally.

Most importantly, though, this installment in the series is much less a slipshod series of vignettes loosely strung together to resemble a film with a plot, which the first Wolverine film sadly was. One shouldn't have to worry about whether or not a movie is going to feel as though it had been haphazardly thrown together, but two of the previous three films in the X-Men universe definitely passed that burden down to The Wolverine. While The Wolverine may not have been as good as some of the Marvel Studios films that have come out in the past few years, it was definitely the second straight step in the right direction and was a much needed salve to the wound left by X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

Here's to hoping that the franchise continues down this path.

Man on Film: Black Swan... Again

All right, look. Black Swan was a fine film. My initial pass at a review was a bit cheeky. Darren Aronofsky is clearly a skilled director, and while his parents were probably oppressive presences looming over his adolescent athletic endeavors, it doesn't seem to have damaged him too much. If anything, their presence and continual yelling at his youth lacrosse games (matches?) probably made him what he is: a dark director. A well-adjusted person probably doesn't make Requiem for a Dream, which is an amazing film but isn't exactly a Saturday in the park.


Aronofsky actually crafted a movie I found mostly compelling about ballet, which I find, well, diametrically opposed to all that is compelling. Weirdly, it really is the companion piece to his last foray into the cinemas, The Wrestler. Each features protagonists who are athletically gifted entertainers who ultimately give their all for their craft. The endings of each film are virtually the same, and both times it works. 

My main issue with the film is that Natalie Portman's performance was uneven. The scene they showed during the Academy Awards was one of the handful of scenes that I found unimpressive, and this one was probably the most glaring example. There are points in every film featuring Portman in which she does something that I find extremely irritating, perhaps irrationally so. I understand why she calls her 'mommy' in the scene, but that doesn't mean I cannot be irked by the way she does it. There is simply something that bothers me about Ms. Portman, the actress.

Maybe I'm weird. Maybe you're weird. I suppose we all have our little peccadilloes.

I did find it odd that at certain points while she was dancing, Portman actually looked like Barbara Hershey. Be afraid, Portman fans; bad plastic surgery may be in her future.

So what we have is a movie that is pretty good sometimes in spite of its lead. Vincent Cassell is outstanding, and Barbara Hershey pulls off the job, but those are the only two above reproach. Mila Kunis is tonally off at times, and Winona Ryder is pretty awful if we're being honest. I suppose this is all a testament to Aronofsky's skills as an auteur.

Man on Film: Black Swan

This was easily the most damning portrayal of Overbearing Little League Parent Syndrome ever. Natalie Portman's mother has her face pulled back so hard that she takes this and her own failed career as a ballet dancer out on her daughter, forcing her into a life of punishment to her body, submitting to her director, and delusively fantasizing about lesbianic trysts with the chick from That '70s Show while indulging in illegal narcotics.

If ever there were a movie that all horribly over-involved/-bearing/-zealous parents of child performers, it is this. Look shitty parents: your kid is going to screw a French dude, lose their grip on reality, and--well, what I was going to say here would be giving away the ending for those who haven't seen it.

I would generally post the trailer here, but let's be honest: The trailer kind of sucks. It doesn't make you want to see this movie, and I'm sure this review doesn't either.