filmfanjen Reviews

Black Swan (2010)

Male fantasies galore

[1/10 · 21 December 2010]

I consider myself a sophisticated film-goer who loves indie films, but I was extremely disappointed in this movie and am surprised that it is being taken so seriously (although I know Hollywood considers Darren Aronofsky a genius). It is about women, but not real women. Instead we are presented with a completely male-oriented fantasy: the repressed ice queen vs. the slut, with lesbian sex thrown in to spice it up. And the horror element becomes ridiculous towards the end, like The Exorcist in toe shoes. People in the audience I saw it with laughed.

I also did not care for it artistically: grainy jumpy hand-held camera shots interspersed with lots of camera-in-the-face close ups which usually cut off the top part of people's heads. But that is a personal preference.

North Country (2005)

Pure torture

[3/10 · 3 November 2005]

Yes, this is a very gripping film - because it's basically two hours of watching Josey Aimes (Charlize Theron) be tortured.

Everyone is against her, her friends, son, and father, as well as her enemies. Almost the entire film plays one note - her being horribly abused and unjustly accused and blamed - over and over and over again.

And that's not my idea of entertainment. If it's yours, then you'll love this film! P.S. I found her father's sudden reversal at the end completely unjustified (although certainly welcome). Ditto the other women in the plant 1) being completely against her and blaming her, and 2) then flipping just in time for the magical upbeat ending. This film has it both ways. It melodramatically exaggerates both the abuse and the miraculous happy ending.

Frailty (2001)

Why would anyone want to film this story?

[3/10 · 2 July 2003]

The story is not scary or suspenseful, it's just sickening. Who wants to watch a man kill innocent people and torture his children, what's the point? It's certainly not the surprise ending that you see coming a mile away.