Movie Review: Noah

Darren Aronofsky makes some weird movies. It's what he does and it's why I love the man. The first time I saw Requiem For a Dream my fragile little mind was reduced to paste. His 2010 masterwork, Black Swan, was so spellbinding I almost called Natalie Portman by her schizo ballerina character when I met (re: gawked at ) her a few years ago. Aronofsky's films are delightfully twisted and his style of filmmaking is so vivid and compelling, his movies literally haunt their viewers in the best way possible. I'm glad to announce that his latest film, a big budget adaptation of the biblical tale of Noah (the OG Ace Ventura) is as dark and weird as a huge studio film could possibly be in this day and age.

First, if you come into Noah expecting a traditional Judeo-Christian version of events you're probably going to hate this. Like torches and pitchforks hatred. Aronofsky uses the old bible story as a vehicle to craft another creepy character study about yet another violent and self destructive OCD type. Instead of drug addicts, failed wrestlers or psychotic ballerinas, we get Noah. You know, the dude who housed and inventoried two of every animal in the world inside a massive hand built ship meant to weather the apocalypse, whilst every person in the world died an agonizing, oxygen deprived death. That guy. This being an ancient myth/fable, it's not exactly grounded in reality, forcing Aronofsky to make some interesting storytelling decisions. Noah is basically two films, the first dealing with the supernatural deity/hocus pocus stuff and the last centering on chilling personal/family conflicts. Both sides are handled with enough weighted respect that they end up forming one gripping film.

Russel Crowe may play Noah, but the film's real star is the director himself. How Aronofsky crams so many polarizing elements into this supposedly mainstream flick is beyond me. You have crazy Requiem style cuts and flashbacks to the Garden of Eden, giant rock monster angels roaming the streets (desert), Lord of the Rings style battle sequences, cutesy CGI animals up the wazoo, angsty coming of age drama for the teens and the gnarliest family dispute EVER. Oh yeah, and lots of implied incest. How Aronofsky made this into a coherent film, let alone an entertaining one is a miracle. Everyone in the cast delivers solid performances, especially my wifey Emma Watson and Jennifer "Queen of my universe" Connelly. Crowe and Connelly create A Beautiful Mind reunion onscreen while Watson and Logan Lerman (playing Noah's troubled middle son Ham) have a The Perks of Being a Wallflower rendezvous as well. Good actors, cool special effects, and a wacky fantastical story that doesn't insult our intelligence. Good job Darren. Now let the dreaded "book VS movie" debate rage on.

Clint Mansell @ The Orpheum, Los Angeles. 4/6/13.

Clint Mansell, film composer extraordinaire, has crafted some of the most powerful and awe inspiring music of the last decade. The music he creates for the screen ends up being as crucial, if not more so, than any actor's performance or visual effects. He's composed the scores for all of Darren Aronofsky's films (Pi, Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain, The Wrestler and Black Swan) as well as other movies like Moon, Last Night and the recently released film Stoker. Last Saturday, Mansell performed a rare concert, backed by an amazing band that included the Sonus Quartet, at the historic Orpheum Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles.

The Orpheum was the perfect venue for this show. It's easily, hands down, the most beautiful theater I've ever stepped foot in. Built in 1926, the Orpheum, with it's opulent French themed architecture/decor, was the crown jewel of Los Angeles' vaudeville circuit. It's where a young Judy Garland was first discovered in 1933. A place with such rich cinema and entertainment history like this made Clint Mansell's stunning blend of film and music compositions all the more meaningful.

Mansell proved to be a gracious host this evening. He acknowledged how rare and odd this whole event was, first that he even left the house on a Saturday night and second, that people actually wanted to see the background noise to some little indie films "nobody's even seen." He began the night with the film score that started his new career, the electrified/paranoid music from Pi.

All of Mansell's compositions differ from each other but all retain his unique signature on them. Perhaps that's why Mansell is such a success. His music is not only tailor made for each film, but it resonates on a deeper emotional level as well.



The selections from Moon and Stoker were more subdued than the manic score from Requiem for a Dream, just as The Wrestler's score featured more guitar based instrumentation than his previous works. Mansell shared some background information about each piece beforehand, revealing some amusing anecdotes into his creative process as well as insights into each film's production.

This was easily one of the best audiences I've been privy to in some time. The crowd, consisting of people from all walks of life (rich folks from the west side, Hollywood types, art school/hipsters, OCD movie geeks, etc.) sat in absolute silence/awe the entire night. Nobody talking amongst themselves, taking blurry iphone pics or recording video, none of that. I saw like two people taking pictures on my side of the venue. With the respectful audience, the gorgeous venue and the all engrossing performance on stage, I'd this concert was executed flawlessly.

Mansell ended the night with his epic arrangement from The Fountain, "Death is the Road to Awe." The standing ovation at the end was definitely well deserved.

Requeim For a Day Off

Clint Mansell's epic piece, "Lux Aeterna," provided the haunting background for Darren Aronofsky's 2000 film, Requiem For a Dream. This mournful tune of exquisite pain and sorrow has been masterfully crafted with scenes from John Hughes' 1986 comedy Ferris Bueller's Day Off. This is why I love the internet.

GRAAAAACE!

Movie Review: Black Swan

Superb. Clichéd. Brilliant. Hokey. People seem to either fall in love with or laugh their balls off when it comes to Black Swan. I'm in the first camp. Darren Aronofsky's latest film just might be his finest as far as I'm concerned, and from the director of Requiem for a Dream and The Wrestler, that's saying something.

Matilda, on meth.

The film centers around Natalie Portman's character Nina, a 20-something ballerina with issues. She's repressed, uptight, obsessed with honing her craft and condemned to live with an overbearing mother (a failed ballerina herself) who still tucks her in at night and dresses her like a child. Miraculously, the dreary clouds of Nina's life seem to part as she gets the chance to audition for the lead in her company's new rendition of Swan Lake. Of course the greatest roadblock shes faces in landing the part is herself.

I'm usually hesitant when saying this, but everything about Black Swan is damn near flawless. Portman's tragic portrayal of Nina is easily her greatest performance to date, and Mila Kunis shines as Lily, the anti-Nina whose raw exuberance serves as one of the great catalyst for the films twisted plot. Aronofsky's use of hand held cameras provides the audience with a chilling, fly on the wall perspective yet simultaneously enhances the mania that ensues as Nina struggles with internal/external forces to become the Swan Queen. Oh yeah, and the dance sequences are amazing. The swooping camera work during these shots made me feel like I was on an insane roller coaster ride, while the booming score (the film's music mixed with elements of Tchaikovsky's original Swan Lake) creates the most heart palpitating soundtrack I've heard all year.

Some people might respond differently however. There were individuals who scoffed at the absurdity transpiring on screen. Perhaps they found Aronofsky's use of CGI gratuitous? I didn't. Maybe they expected a straight up ballerina catfight drama and got what cinealogue.com called, "...Showgirls meets Fight Club on crazy pills." As for me, well given Aronofsky's history of mind-fuckery (Pi, The Fountain, Requiem) I just threw my hands up and tossed any preconceptions to the wind and let Black Swan warp my brain and thoroughly kick my ass. Yes, that's right, a movie about a couple of 5'3 ballerinas kicked my ass. I laughed, I cringed (quite often) but mostly, I sat with my mouth aghast, marveling at the awesome slab of cinema unfolding before me. Film of the year? I think so.