Known for his bold and controversial films (Requiem for a Dream, The Wrestler), Darren Aronofsky does not disappoint with his latest, Black Swan. Set in the world of ballet, the film stars Natalie Portman as Nina, a talented ballerina who is all consumed by her passion. There's no denying that the pressures of dance can be a brutally demanding, and in many cases a lonely place. Aronofsky portrays Nina’s painful journey with extreme realism and depicts many cringe worthy scenes to show the extreme pressures placed on her shoulders. Not only did Aronofsky get a spectacular performance from Portman and the rest of the cast, but what could have been a melodramatic movie in less capable hands resulted in a strong Oscar contender and one of the best films of 2010.
If it weren’t for his mother, Tom Hooper might have never made The King’s Speech. The critically-acclaimed film starring Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter follows the unique friendship between the stammering King of England, King George the V1 (Firth), and his eccentric Australian speech therapist Lionel Rogue (Rush). Hooper’s mom actually found David Seidler’s brilliantly written screenplay and brought it to her son. While each and every performance is Oscar worthy, the success of The King’s Speech is a testament to Hooper’s abilities as a director, his confident handling of such a high caliber cast and balancing this fascinating real life story, making it a highly entertaining film.
A movie about the creation of Facebook could have been a boring experience, but when you have someone like David Fincher (Fight Club, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) at the helm working off a screenplay by Aaron Sorkin, people are going to take notice. The result was a stylish and upbeat look at the real life legal battles of genius Mark Zuckerberg’s invention of Facebook. Jesse Eisenberg (Zuckerberg) gives a stunning performance, delivering Sorkin’s fast-paced, quick-witted dialogue, while Fincher directs a fascinating account of what has become a 50-billion dollar industry and the most visited site on the internet.
Joel and Ethan Coen never wanted to re-make the 1969 John Wayne classic True Grit. Their intention all along was to take Charles Portis’s novel and bring it to the big screen. With the tough talking dialogue it was going to be of the utmost importance to find the right girl for the lead role of Mattie Ross, and that they did. Casting 13-year-old newcomer Hailee Steinfeld was a stroke of brilliance. The brothers auditioned close to 15,000 young girls for the role but it was the talented young California native who stole their hearts. In addition to Steinfeld, the brothers have a winning cast with Jeff Bridges (who played “The Dude” in their critically acclaimed film, The Big Lebowski). Along with Matt Damon, Josh Brolin and Barry Pepper, it’s no wonder this gritty Western might be the one to beat for best picture.
For a movie that took almost 10 years to get made, director David O. Russell is counting his lucky stars for the attention The Fighter has been getting. Not only has O. Russell received a well-deserved best director Oscar nomination, but he also landed his very first Director’s Guild nod. The film stars Mark Wahlberg and focuses on the early years of boxer "Irish" Micky Ward and his brother who helped train him before going pro in the mid 1980s. Wahlberg, who grew up in Boston, also produced the film and originally approached Martin Scorsese to direct. Scorsese turned down the offer, finding the Massachusetts-setting redundant after having finished The Departed. Soon after, Darren Aronofsky was hired to direct but left to direct Black Swan. By sheer determination Wahlberg got the script to O. Russell who reworked it and turned it an Oscar-worthy contender.
By Bonnie Laufer-Krebs