Black Swan

Ballet is not exactly something I get too excited about, especially if there's a film about it. If it weren't for the fact that Vincent Cassel stars in it I wouldn't have thought about watching this film at all. However, I would be lying if I said the trailer didn't interest me, but how many trailers have advertised a film falsely? A lot. So I wasn't going to risk having to sit through a chick flick ballet film that had been disguised as some sort of dark emotional journey that the main character Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) goes through to fit into the role of the white and black swans of swan lake. Vincent Cassel plays Thomas Leroy, the head of the Ballet institution and Nina's teacher of some sorts. He puts in a very good performance as the manipulative mentor, as he uses sex as a tool to draw out Nina's Black Swan. She already personifies all the qualities of the White Swan, and as she makes progress toward finding her dark side, problems arise. She initially has a disorder where she scratches herself obsessively and on top of that she has some sort of eating disorder, and as she makes progress in the role of Swan Queen these disorders spiral out of control and she starts to hallucinate. The arrival of Lily (Mila Kunis) doesn't help either, as her style of dancing is just what Nina needs to emulate if she is to dance the Black Swan; and the hate that her dance role model Beth MacIntyre (Winona Ryder) starts to feel for Nina for pushing her to retirement by taking the limelight puts her under extreme pressure.
Brilliantly dark film-making by Darren Aronofsky. I enjoyed it thoroughly due to it's intensity and... I don't know...fucked up-ness? Fantastic film. 4 and a half stars.

The Town

Who would've thought that Ben Affleck would make a good director? We all know he can write through his contributions to 'Good Will Hunting' and the brilliant 'Gone Baby Gone', which he directed also, but still it's Ben Affleck. Joking aside, 'The Town' is a top draw film that I enjoyed very much. Oscar winner Ben Affleck delivers in all departments: the script is great, the directing also, and his performance as the main character is flawless. It would be pushing it to say that he could win the Oscar for best actor for it, but best director or screenplay? You never know. One person who could get an Oscar out of this is 'The Hurt Locker' star and Oscar nominee, Jeremy Renner. His portrayal of the psychotic Jim is extremely tense, as he shifts emotion effortlessly throughout.
I'm not sure if it's only me, but I look forward to seeing what Ben Affleck comes up with next. In a way he's similar to Shane Meadows, except his films are made on a much big bigger scale. Some of you reading might be thinking, 'What are you on about you mug, that's a ridiculous comparison!' Well, Affleck, like Meadows, keeps his stories very close to home, even though he never lived directly in Boston. What I mean is that his subject matters are gritty and realistic, and relate to the places they're set in. He's original in this sense and that's why I look forward to seeing his next projects. 4 stars for this one.

The Proposition

Released in 2005, 'The Proposition' boasts a talented batch of actors and a talented writer in Nick Cave, so for me there was never really any doubt that i'd enjoy it. It starts off with lawman, Captain Stanley (Ray Winstone), capturing brothers Mike Burns (Richard Wilson) and Charles Burns (Guy Pearce) for their supposed involvement in a horrific crime. Captain Stanley tells Charles that his borther Mike will be hung on Christmas unless he kill his older brother, Arthur Burns (Danny Huston), the real suspect for this crime. Guy Pearce puts on a flawless performance and does very well with the Irish accent. Ray Winstone also puts on a great performance as the Captain desperate to achieve great things for Australia, it's not often he has to play a weak character and he does so extremely well. Nick Cave's script is flawless also, so to is the music as it fits in well with the stunning photography and cinematography of the film. 5 stars, no doubt about it. Lets hope Nick Cave can team up with Ray Winstone again in The Death Of Of Bunny Munro.

Eastbound and Down: Season 2

 Kenny powers has got to be one of the best comic characters ever created. His self-centredness and general 'fuck you' attitude to everything but himself would never have been considered traits that relate to comedy, until the arrival of Kenny Powers (Danny McBride). Normally we'd want a person like Kenny Powers' face to break our fists, but Danny McBride and his co-creators of this unique and amazing series manage to make Kenny Powers a person we love. Malice was once something we looked at with disgust, then Kenny Powers arrived, and now it is one of the funniest things to watch. This is only one reason that 'Eastbound and Down' is so clever. It pushes the boundaries of comedy today. Kenny is a horrible person in every way, yet we shout in his favour. It's very clever. There's no silliness at all involved in the comedy and this is what makes it unique to America's idea of what is seen to be funny these days.
 This second series sees Kenny Powers in Mexico after abandoning his one true love April (Katy Mixon) at a gas station in North Carolina. He has become an outlaw making his money through gambling. Kenny has two sidekicks, one of which is played by Gurdeep Roy who does very well to be absolutely hilarious. The story is brilliant and does well to follow on from the first series. Nobody can watch 'Eastbound and Down' with a straight face, and I'm not surprised with Will Ferrell as Producer, and Danny McBride as the leading man. Do whatever you can to watch both series if you haven't already watched the first. You will not regret it, it truly is an instant classic. Five Stars

Kid Cudi - Man on The Moon II: The Legend of Mr.Rager

Cudi is back and thank fuck he hasn't lost one ounce of talent. His intelligent lyrics and flawless flow from the first album have been directly transferred to his second to create a masterpiece once again. Producer Emile plays a large part in this album once again and, once again, he delivers. His dark, ominous beats compliment Cudi's individual style in such a way that anybody listening can't help but go absolutely oriental. The album also features producer No I.D. who is a regular producer of Drake's music. If only Drake had featured on this album. I have considered Kid Cudi and Drake to be the biggest and most talented artists around at the moment for a while now. Both are flawless in my view. I guess I'll have to wait longer now for their collaboration. The album undoubtedly gets a five star rating. The best tracks for me are  'Scott Mescudi Vs. The World' featuring Cee-Lo, 'Don't Play This Song' featuring Mary J.Blige, 'Ashin Kusher', 'Mr.Rager' and 'Trapped In My Mind'. Just bloody buy it.

Another Year

Mike Leigh is back with a new film and I must say after watching it that I don't think he will ever lose his touch. The way the characters are presented and developed throughout is absolutely amazing. We can learn so much about Mike Leigh's characters just through their mannerisms and this is owed to the actors of course but mostly I think to how Mike Leigh creates them. What I love about a lot of Mike Leigh's films is that nothing can happen, but everything can happen at the same time. Though there is not much of a beginning middle and end in terms of actions, we are led through the lives of many different people, some growing old and being able to adapt to that part of life, others who are struggling to come to terms with growing old and being alone in the process. Another thing I love most about Mike Leigh's films is how real his characters really are. Every time I watch one of his films, whether it's 'Meantime', 'Life is Sweet' or 'Another Year', I can't help but relate his characters to somebody i know, friend or relative. The way in which he captures real life and satirizes it is a classic example of why he is one of the greatest film makers around, for me. I give 'Another Year' 4 stars, purely because my only criticism is that the film may be better understood by people that are older than I am. Regardless of this point I enjoyed it very much. Great performances all round, from Leigh's regulars to those who are new to his films and it is a great film to add to Mike Leigh's collection of masterpieces.

Jackass 3D

I've seen a lot of ratings for this film, like the one star it got from 'Culture' and the three it got from 'Empire', and i've been trying to remember what the last two Jackass films were given. Failing to remember, I started to contemplate on whether i should go and see the film or not because if I had gone and the film was shit then it would have been upsetting for the Jackass team to have (apparently) ended on a low. However, I took that risk and left the cinema in a great mood.
The ratings that the film received from 'Culture' and 'Empire' completely underplay it. Yes, it has no structure; yes it has no story, but so what. It's Jackass after all. It's not meant to be anything serious. All it is meant to be is a bit of a giggle, and this is achieved completely. Personally, I love the Jackass team and the stunts they do, and they just keep getting better and better and the 3D was used to hilarious effect. But fair enough, it's not a film one could give full ratings for a magazine like 'Empire', so in that sense three stars is spot on. But for me it was Jackass at their very best, and because the film kept me laughing my head off throughout, i'd give it 5 stars. Remember though, only go to watch it if your in the mood for a laugh.