Good...but Familiar

Darren Aronofsky's BLACK SWAN is psychological thriller that plays out like a combo of Argento's SUSPIRIA and Ross' THE TURNING POINT (both released in 1977) with some late night cable "erotic thriller" thrown in for good measure.

This is one of those films where, despite the excellent performances from the entire cast, there's just something missing. I felt like I've seen this a thousand times before and I'm hoping Aronofsky will attempt a different type of ending with his next project (I was told this one was similar to THE WRESTLER…it's more than similar…it's basically the same).

I haven't seen too much mentioned about actor Vincent Cassel, who plays Swan Lake's director Thomas Leroy. He's fantastic as a high-class sleazeball, and for some reason reminded me of Udo Kier. I found the much-hyped lesbian scene between Nina (Natalie Portman) and Lily (Mila Kunis) more disturbing than a turn on (especially with the crater-faced Barbara Hershey [as Nina's mother] banging on the door during some of it). But suffice it to say, it's going to be weird watching re-runs of That 70's Show for some time to come…

One element that impressed me was how Aronofsky often changed the colors and shades of the background to highlight the moods and direction of the characters, quite reminiscent of Peter Greenway's 1989 controversial art-house hit, THE COOK, THE THIEF, HIS WIFE & HER LOVER. The black swan-sequence of Swan Lake during the film's finale looked great, although I was hoping for a different ending (which I saw coming about 20 minutes into the film).

The relationship between Nina and her mother, Erica, seems solid at first, but in time we begin to wonder how much control Erica truly had. While it's ultimately left up to the viewer to decide, I was hoping the film would take this a step further.

Natalie Portman should have no problem winning an Oscar for this (she truly does shine here), but it'll be a long shot if it takes best film.

BLACK SWAN's a decent take on the classic "good vs. evil" thing, but one I expected more from.

Winona Ryder does a great job as aging dancer Beth Macintyre. MAN do I still love her!