Asgard Be Praised!

I can think of no better way to celebrate Free Comic Book Day than by seeing a comic book-turned-film immediately after acquiring my free loot! While I was excited about “Thor,” it’s not the movie I was looking forward to the most. I never got into Thor as a solo hero, although I love the early run of “The Avengers.” I’m pleased to say that Thor on film is more visceral, engaging, and entertaining than any Thor solo story I have ever read!

Much of the appeal of this film comes from its star, Chris Hemsworth. Hemsworth is best known for a brief but memorable turn in the recent “Star Trek” reboot. I honestly didn’t see him as someone who could play the God of Thunder. How wrong I was! Hemsworth knows the varying degrees of Thor, and he understands the arc that the character takes, evolving from an overgrown brat into a noble warrior. He always maintains a certain swagger and charm that helps him to remain engaging. He carries the movie, after all.

Another factor is Kenneth Branagh’s clear yet grand direction. He manages the otherworldly Asgard as though it was lifted out of a Shakespearean drama, with character relationships staying at the forefront even as the beautiful production design fills the screen.

Tom Hiddleston as Loki is also a revelation. Loki never seems like a paper-thin bad guy, which is refreshing, as to me, the villains in both Iron Man movies have been rather flat. Loki seems to be hurt, confused, and lonely. If this doesn’t make for a good villain motivation, I don’t know what does.

While “Thor” is another hero origin, it somehow feels more fresh than some. Maybe the notion of Gods battling on Earth makes for something new enough. Maybe the backstory is needed. In any case, this is an ideal summer movie for those who like action and the fantastical.

Oscar Nominees 2010: Black Swan

The world that working artists inhabit exists a little outside of what the rest of the world considers to be reality. Each
area has a very distinct subculture that overlaps with others. For example, I was a part time chorister in a major opera house for 9 seasons. The world of singers was its own small universe, but we interacted with actors, orchestra players, conductors, and ballet dancers. There is a feeling in each sphere that can make the
inhabitant believe that their little universe is the only one that exists. It becomes all too easy to lose touch with reality in a very dangerous way. “Black Swan” is about exactly that.

Nina (Natalie Portman) is an ensemble dancer with a New York City ballet
company who longs for her chance to be prima ballerina. Her life revolves around dancing. She lives with her mother, Erica (Barbara Hershey), who dictates Nina’s every move but knows just how to keep her daughter under her thumb. Nina has no social life, and even seems to be an outsider in the clique of dancers at the ballet,
despite her own veteran status. She’s awkward, and as a result others see her dancing as technically astounding but lacking emotion. The company announces a new production of Tchaikovsky’s well-known “Swan Lake,” for which they are looking to cast one dancer as both the white swan and her black counterpart. Nina is a perfect fit for the white swan, but the artistic director doesn’t see her as passionate enough for the evil black swan. The seemingly balanced Nina gradually finds herself hallucinating, often seeing a version of herself clad all in black. Her real-life opposite is a
rival dancer named Lily (Mila Kunis), a Bohemian sort who knows no boundaries in life.

The realism of the life of a performer captured in this film reflects some very authentic emotional and psychological trappings. It’s very easy to feel like everyone is out to get you when you hold a coveted position of power. Sometimes it’s true; most of the time, it’s pure paranoia. Nina’s growing
obsession with success is chilling, and her bending reality makes for some interesting imagery. Winona Ryder makes a great supporting turn as the ousted former prima dancer. The camera work is intimate almost to a fault. Tchaikovsky’s score has never seemed more haunting to me. It seems to be a perfect backdrop for the
psychodrama that unfolds over these two hours. Natalie Portman is incredibly compelling, and in my mind deserves the Oscar. This is a masterful psychological study dressed up as beautiful art. The art direction is superb, and the dance scenes are both intimate and grand. Some scenes are intense, so if that’s not your thing, skip
this. But if you dig post-Hitchcockian psychological deconstruction with an artistic twist, please see this movie. It’s heartbreaking in a way that I find difficult to articulate. To date, the best
film I saw of the 2010 set, even if I saw it in 2011.