In which I find black swans to be scary, but the kids to be all right

I haven’t updated you on my project to watch all of the Oscar nominated films before the ceremony, and the clock is ticking.

So let’s start with a couple of Best Picture nominees, shall we?

First, there’s Black Swan.  I saw this in the largest cinema in Vienna (based on no actual research into screen size, just me figuring it’s pretty large) and the cinema where S.B. and I will watch the Oscar ceremony.  This is important because I think it was great to see some of the stage scenes in a theatre that looks like it could handle a production of Swan Lake.  Made me feel like I was really there.

But the film: terrific.  Best Picture?  Maybe.  I liked the story and how it mirrors the folk tale the ballet is based on.  I really liked how accessible it made everything: the dance world, the thriller aspects, und so weiter.  Also – SPOILER ALERT – it kind of surprised me.  I didn’t really think it was going to go where it went.  Was it scary?  Well, no.  It’s kind of… a thriller.  But it’s not scary.  Except that things pop out at you a little bit.  And if you’re kind of a wimp about that, you may jump a little bit.  I jumped a lot.  In fact, at one point, I followed up a scream by saying out loud, “That was scary.”  The guy behind me started laughing.

Best Actress?  I’m not sure.  I’d put your money on it, because I’m guessing that she’ll get it, but I’m not really sure that Natalie Portman put in a Best Actress performance on this one.  Let’s see how the rest of the ladies do.

My bet for the rest of the categories it’s nominated in:

Cinematography – Maybe (But True Grit has all of that Epic Landscape)

Directing – Probably not (I’m thinking The King’s Speech)

Film Editing - I don’t know, I never pick those things right.  If they do their job right, you never notice, right?

But it was fun seeing the dance world again.  Are dance movies going to come back because of this?  And will each form of dance get its own psychothriller version?  If so, I’m looking forward to the new tap movies Zombie Time Step and the Shakespeare re-boot, Shuffle off this Mortal Coil.

“But enough about Black Swan, did you like The Kids Are All Right?”

I did.  What a sweet film.  The kids are believable and not ridiculous.  (Except why didn’t they explain his name?  What kind of name is Laser?  He sounds like a supervillain – is that the sequel?)  The parents are layered and interesting and I believe they’re a family.  Mark Ruffalo is rumpled and charming as always and Julianne Moore and Annette Bening are terrific.  It’s kind of unfair that Annette Bening is nominated but Julianne Moore isn’t, because I felt that those two roles were pretty equal, performance-wise.  Sure, Bening gets the yelling scene and gets to be the Woman Scorned – both of which the Academy loves – but I thought Moore was just as great. 

So, will it win anything?  Probably not.  It’s a sweet film, but not monumental, the way some of the other Best Picture nominees are.  Bening is terrific, but again, not very showy, like the other roles she’s up against.  Could have a shot at Original Screenplay, but I think that’s a long shot.  And Mark Ruffalo?  He’s had better roles than this.  But of course, “It’s an honor just to be nominated.”