BLACK SWAN

Written by Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz and John J. McLaughlin

Directed by Darren Aronofsky

Starring Natalie Portman, Vincent Cassel, Mila Kunis, Barbara Hershey and Winona Ryder

Thomas Leroy: Perfection is not just about control. It is also about letting go.

From my understanding, to be a true ballerina, one must always strive for perfection. Your toes, your torso, your lines must be just so. If you’re serious about ballet, you might be lucky enough to join a company. Only a select few get to be company soloists though. And so, lightly prancing about beneath the stage at any given ballet, you will find dozens of girls all striving toward an unattainable goal - some starving themselves and some hoping the soloist will take a bad fall and need replacing at the last second. It’s a microcosm, ripe with potential for drama and madness, making it the perfect setting for Darren Aronofsky’s latest, BLACK SWAN.

At the film’s start, a single spotlight rises on two feet, tightly wound in the tiniest of slippers. They begin to dance and as they land one after the other, we can see how delicate ballet is and how tortuous it must be to make it look that good. When the camera pulls away to reveal that these feet do in fact belong to Natalie Portman, it is clear just how much grace she will bring to this film. And by the time a beastly creature makes itself known to this frightened dancer, it is clear that Aronofsky is about to, yet again, give us something unlike anything else he’s done.

Portman is Nina, a dancer with the New York City Ballet who has just been cast as the Swan Princess in the upcoming production of “Swan Lake”. To do so in exactly the manner her director (Vincent Cassel) demands, she must embody the spirit of both the white and the black swan. Yes, the thematic conflict for this character is obvious at this point but Aronofsky tells it with complex visual style that jetés between jarring and captivating. And Portman, who has reportedly been in dance lessons since she was a toddler, knows the pressure of the dancer. She is to tightly wound that by the time her dark side begins to show its face, we are just as ready to release as she is. It certainly doesn’t help matters that her mother (Barbara Hershey) pressures her to succeed, a new dancer (Mila Kunis) wants her spot and the soloist she replaced (Winona Ryder) wants her just plain gone.

BLACK SWAN is as theatrical and as dramatic as any ballet that I’ve seen performed on stage. Aronofsky directs but, from behind the camera, he dances alongside the dancers as if he was part of the choreography, forming some hybrid of dance and film that begs repeat performances. It also warrants a resounding standing ovation.

THE KING'S SPEECH

Written by David Seidler

Directed by Tom Hooper

Starring Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter

King George VI: Waiting for me to commence a conversation, one can wait a rather long wait.

When a king speaks, he must command attention. Though the British monarchy may be more iconography than anything else at this point in history, people will still look to their royal leader for guidance and reassurance in times of woe and doubt. That’s a lot of pressure for someone who may never have wanted to assume the responsibility to begin with. Unfortunately for King George VI, his birthright meant he did not have any choice in the matter. It’s not that he didn’t think he could do it; it’s just that he wasn’t confidant enough to think anyone would care to have him.

Forget the king; when director Tom Hooper speaks, he has my full attention. After his impressive first feature last year, THE DAMNED UNITED, Hooper continues his journey in regal fashion with THE KING’S SPEECH and delivers the goods right from the start. Colin Firth, who could easily garner another Oscar nod with his heartbreaking work here, is the Duke of York. It is 1925 and he is about to address the nation. The tension builds and by the time he gets to the podium, every ear in the land appears to be waiting to hear what he has to say. At first, there is nothing. What follows that awkwardness is a disjointed, passionless address that he stammers all the way through. It may not be as epic a global failure as modern day technology allows but enough people were listening to make it seem like a public collapse that he might never recover from.

He almost didn’t. King George VI went through many speech therapists before landing on Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush). Logue helps George break down the years of subtle abuse one suffers as the son of a king to see that his speech impediment is the result of isolation and lack of confidence, not something particularly physical. Their banter is at times hilarious and at others quite intense. Their immense combined talent, along with supporting turns from Helena Bonham Carter and Guy Pearce, give THE KING’S SPEECH even more depth and flourish than Hooper already has. Together, they created a film that will certainly resonate long after it’s said what it has to say.

Graffiti Sketches: Graffiti Alphabet Cool High Heels

Graffiti sketch on paper with the design of high-heeled shoes with graffiti alphabet and a beautiful color combination. Suitable for young children today. Graffiti alphabet in high heels cool

Graffiti Sketches: Graffiti Alphabet Cool High Heels

Graffiti sketch on paper with the design of high-heeled shoes with graffiti alphabet and a beautiful color combination. Suitable for young children today. Graffiti alphabet in high heels cool

Graffiti Sketches: Graffiti Alphabet Cool High Heels

Graffiti sketch on paper with the design of high-heeled shoes with graffiti alphabet and a beautiful color combination. Suitable for young children today. Graffiti alphabet in high heels cool

Nail Polish Designs

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Great Umbrella Design

Now this is one for the Christmas wishlist...keep both dry and 'safe' with this knuckle duster/umbrella combo designed by Tobiah Adam.


[VIA]

Paludariums Are Cool

I have finally found a hobby that can incorporate my love for fishtanks and my mrs.' love for gardening...Paludariums! A paludarium is a type of vivarium that incorporates both terrestrial and aquatic elements. Paludaria usually consist of an enclosed container in which organisms specific to the biome being simulated are kept. Half-land, half-water; perfect!!

RIP Leslie Nielsen

Nielsen, who has died from pneumonia at the age of 84, was a serious actor until he struck comedy gold at 54 as the hapless doctor in "Airplane!"
"Surely you can't be serious," an airline passenger says to Nielsen's character in the 1980 hit disaster movie send-up.
"I am serious - and don't call me Shirley," came the deadpan reply.....you will be missed Leslie.

NOW: Second 3D piece

Second 3D piece....Chilling with remo and snep =], originally uploaded by NOW-or never.

in Holon...

NOW: Second 3D piece

Second 3D piece....Chilling with remo and snep =], originally uploaded by NOW-or never.

in Holon...

Graffiti Letter Y

The letter Y is so neat and interesting this can be very neat and attractive as this letter has become a work of graffiti art with good quality and is recognized by all the surrounding communities.

Alphabet Graffiti Style in The Year 2010

Graffiti art alphabet with a variety of interesting styles presented earlier in the year 2010, from the ordinary letters, bubbles and so on. color display with a different style from the ordinary to the colors that stand out attention, but they are no less important is the professional style in the making of this graffiti art.

Tel Aviv's ReUse Project 3 (Always Open!)

Like a lot of INSPIRE Collective's public art spaces, ReUse Project 3 is constantly evolving and always open!

Graffiti Letter Y

The letter Y is so neat and interesting this can be very neat and attractive as this letter has become a work of graffiti art with good quality and is recognized by all the surrounding communities.

Alphabet Graffiti Style in The Year 2010

Graffiti art alphabet with a variety of interesting styles presented earlier in the year 2010, from the ordinary letters, bubbles and so on. color display with a different style from the ordinary to the colors that stand out attention, but they are no less important is the professional style in the making of this graffiti art.

Tel Aviv's ReUse Project 3 (Always Open!)

Like a lot of INSPIRE Collective's public art spaces, ReUse Project 3 is constantly evolving and always open!

Graffiti Alphabet Letters In The Embodiment S

a large canvas created a work of graffiti alphabet letters with shades of varying colors that appear so fascinating because it highlights the affected color glitter lamps made more prominent and sharp.

works of graffiti alphabet letters with the preparation of a neat look to form a letter that is not familiar to us, namely the letter S

Any form of letters that we want we can pour such as the above works, you try to do to get better results and maximal.

please try right now, do not delay ...

2010-2011 Barcelona Football Club Pictures

FC Barcelona Football Pictures

Barcelona Football Team Celebration

FC Barcelona Football Wallpaper

Barcelona Best Football Team Photos

Barcelona Football Club Squad Pictures

FC Barcelona Best Football Team Wallpaper