"Black Swan" - in theaters

Holy balls, this movie was insane.

And really, that's all I have to say about this film. I wasn't too thrilled about seeing it in the first place as I'm always a little wary of psychologically dark films, afraid that I just might not "get" it. Plus, it's the type of movie that gives me weird dreams, which I am keen to avoid.

That being said, this movie was still worth watching, if only to see Natalie Portman in her soon to be Oscar winning role. It is twisty, dark, and scary, as Natalie's character, Nina, slowly succumbs to her paranoia as the stress from her new starring role starts to get to her. At the beginning of the film, it is easy to see that Nina is a weak woman. She still lives with her domineering and controlling mother (played by a CREEPY Barbara Hershey), doesn't have many friends, and has been in the background of her profession for many years. Her break finally comes when her director (Vincent Cassell) casts her as the Swan Queen in a new production of "Swan Lake".

And thus begins Nina's descent into madness.

To be honest, I can't really give a good description of the film's plot, mostly because that'll give a lot of the movie away and I don't want to spoil anything for those who haven't seen it.

I will say that the performances are fantastic. Again, Natalie will win the Oscar, because of both her physical transformation and the depths of the psychological damage she portrays. Not to mention that pretty much every cast member touches her crotch, and when it's touched that much in a movie, an Oscar is pretty much guaranteed. Mila Kunis, who plays a rival ballerina, is the one touch of normalcy to the film. She represents the level of mental health that Portman should have had.

Winona Ryder is the ballerina that Portman ousts when she gets the lead role, and she turns to booze to deal with her problems. There is an especially scary scene that involves her in a hospital room, and I think Winona really had some fun with this role.

On the CWeave scale, I give this an 8.5. I like a little humor in my films, and this was devoid of any. I'm glad that I saw that, but I really have no desire or need to see it again.