I most recently saw the intrepid psychological thriller "Black Swan" featuring awe-inspiring performances from Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, and Vincent Cassel. The movie follows Nina Sayers, a talented yet socially awkward and sexually repressed ballet dancer, as she attempts to win the role in a theater company's upcoming production of Black Swan. Typically in the past there is a dancer who plays the White Swan - gentle, virginal, and delicate - and another dancer to play the White Swan's evil twin sister the Black Swan, who in contrast is vengeful, manipulative, and seductive. However in this movie the director decides to have one dancer interpret both parts. Nina is a perfect fit for the character of the White Swan but struggles to perfect the demanding role of the Black Swan. What ensues in the next hour and a half is a psychological mind-fuck that forces audiences to question what is perfection and to what lengths would we all go to attain such perfection. The screenwriters and directors cleverly developed the plot as to keep the audiences in the dark, but not confused, until the final moments of the movie when we as the audience have that realization of understanding and scream "OMG NO WAY!"

Most surprising was Mila Kunis' phenominal acting in the movie. The actress, most known for her role on That 70's Show and lending her voice on Family Guy, delivers an outstanding performance in the movie. I am not going to lie, the quasi lesbionic scene between Portman and Kunis even had this drag queen all atwitter.

This movie could not have come at a more appropriate time. I feel in some regard that 2010 was the year that popularized the 3-D IMAX movie going experience. Though a few movies in the past were in 3-D IMAX, it seemed that everything that came out this year was in 3-D. Everything from children's movies - Toy Story 3, How to Train Your Dragon, Legend of the Guardians - to action movies - Clash of the Titans, The Last Airbender, and Resident Evil: Afterlife - all promised the 3-D IMAX experience to patrons. Suddenly facets such as plot, character development, and dialogue were replaced with the 3-D experience, as if the American public would overlook the GOD-AWFULNESS of the movie as long as weapons and monsters popped out at them.

Hopefully the Black Swan will start a new trend in cinema where writers strive to produce thought-provoking films that are both engaging and entertaining. If not, I sure look forward to Clash of the Titans 3: The Epic End available in 4-D IMAX Smell-O-Vision.

As it has been established in previous journal entries, I have the attention span of a gnat and the pop culture tastes of a pre-teen girl. If I have the option of choosing between an epically moving and deeply complex movie or a Miley Cyrus movie, I will most likely choose the Miley movie. It's not that I think that the movie will have better acting or be more engaging, but sometimes I like to not watch the profound movie that forces me to think and then engage in a metaphysical discussion with others and analyze how this movie will effect the movie industry and art in general.

HENCE, when my gay bestie in Reno wanted to go see a movie yesterday, we both immediately shouted "HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON"!. How to Train Your Dragon is the latest movie in the epic 3-D craze followed previously by such movie as Coraline, Alice in Wonderland, and UP. I didn't really know anything about this movie nor did I read the book upon which the movie is based off of. Instead all I saw were some cute dragons that were sure to get into some mischief with the vikings. I knew that the movie was not going to have the answer to some great mystery of life or tackle issues currently prevelent in society. Instead, I was going to sit in a packed theater  where my bestie Nayte and I were the oldest people in the room, mow down on snacks that we snuck into the theater from 7-11, and be entertained by a movie about dragons in 3-D. Especially when life somes incredibly chaotic, sometimes you need to find an escape and loose yourself in the worlds and realities of others - it helps you forget what is going on in your own life for a second. Nayte and I are such sci-fi/fantasy/cartoon lovers that this movie seemed exactly up our alley.

The movie was really good actually. It was funny, captivating, and slightly touching. The 3-D elements did not take away from the overall movie and the movie still had a strong - though simplistic plot. I would whole heartedly recommend this movie to anybody, especially those that are looking for a little of escape in their lives at the moment.