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The dark psychological thriller Black Swan is directed by Darren Aronofsky and stars Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel, Barbara Hershey, and Winona Ryder. The film takes place in modern day New York City.

Nina Sayers (Portman) is a ballerina who performs in a New York City ballet company and her life centers around dance. Her mother, Erica (Hershey), was a ballerina and the two live together in an apartment and she has much control over Nina's life making sure that dance is her number one priority. When the production of Swan Lake begins at the opening of the season the director Thomas Leroy (Cassel) chooses Nina to be the lead of the Swan Queen instead of the veteran ballerina Beth (Ryder). Also Nina believes that a new dancer at the company Lily (Kunis) is trying to steal the lead role away from her so she has to stop her. But I didn't even talk about all the crazy hallucinations and rashes and stuff...

The screenplay was written by Mark Heyman, and Andres Heinz, and John J. McLaughlin and it was absolutely brilliant. All the five leads were as developed as they needed to be so the viewer could live in Nina's insane world. The hallucinations were great and the parts that weren't hallucinations were great. From the very start of the film it was enthralling and and it absorbed you into its complex plot. The only problem I had with the screenplay was the ending, it was just not as great as the rest of the film. If it was more crazily dramatic and there are some things specifically I could say about the ending but I will not because it is a spoiler.

Darren Aronofsky's direction was brilliant, and I have to say this is my favorite film of his so far. I am a big fan of Requiem for a Dream and The Wrestler but the two did not contain the beauty that this film contained. Speaking of The Wrestler I felt a lot of that film in this one, both are sports films but really not about sports, and both have the same sort of tracking shot which I really loved where the camera follows around either Rourke or Portman as they're just walking someplace. There is not one shot in this film that didn't feel appropriate, and the ballet scenes were absolutely beautiful. I loved a specific scene with Portman and Ryder in the hospital but I can't go into any details because it is a spoiler, but just know it was fantastic. People who think Inception is a mind bender haven't seen Black Swan.

Natalie Portman gives an Oscar worthy performance in this film and if she doesn't win the trophy on February 27 I'm going to be very angry. Because Annette Bening in The Kids Are All Right can't even compete with her and if they just give it to Bening because she is older and never won before that is just a cheap shot. Portman is brilliant as a very shy, fragile, childish woman who just wants to live her dream as being the Swan Queen. In the final scene she confirmed to me that she gave the best performance of the year and also whenever she is interacting with another of the female leads in the film she is magnificent. She is fine with Cassel also, but there is no crazy parts with Cassel.

Mila Kunis is known for her comedic roles in the TV shows "Family Guy" and "That 70's Show" or in the comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and in this film she turned her back on comedy and decided to go to crazy psychological thriller. She was absolutely electric in this film and was perfect for the role. When she and Portman were on the screen together so many emotions were portrayed and it was just magnificent. I really hope that Kunis will stay in serious films like this one because she can truly be a star.

Vincent Cassel is the director of Swan Lake and he is the only character that doesn't get involved in Nina's craziness really. He plays the part of a stage director brilliantly and it is exactly how I imagine that stressful world to be. He is attracted to Nina's character and tries to seduce her. Cassel is a very interesting actor and the only other movie I've seen him in was Ocean's 13 and I can't really judge his abilities by that. But in this film he shows much promise and I hope that he too stays around in American films because I know earlier this year he was in a couple of foreign ones.

The classical score for this film by Clint Mansell was perfect. It added another layer of drama, and psychological horror to the film and I was in love with it the whole time. It worked great with the stage work and even better when Nina was going crazy.

Overall I give this film a 9/10, it was fantastic and my only problem with it was the ending. If you are preparing for Oscar season this is a must see and it is the second best film of the year, the first being The Social Network. The whole entire cast delivers wonderful performances in this thrilling film. I recommend this to anyone who likes dark psychological thrillers or really the films of David Lynch. Aronofsky has his best film with this one and he will finally get an Oscar nomination. This film is absolutely crazy and I love it.

The psychological thriller The Game is directed by David Fincher and stars Michael Douglas, Sean Penn, and Deborah Kara Unger. The film takes place in modern day San Francisco.

Nicholas Van Orten (Douglas) is a very successful business man who lives alone and is very depressed. He used to be married and does not have a very close relationship with his brother, Conrad (Penn). On Nicholas's birthday he remembers how his father killed himself when he turned forty eight. But on Nicholas's birthday his brother gives him a gift that is from a company known as Consumer Recreation Services (CRS). What this company provides is a game that will control your life and promises a thrilling experience that you've never felt before. But it gets a little bit too thrilling...

John D. Brancato and Michael Ferris wrote the screenplay for this psychological thriller, and it was a little bit too outrageous. It still is a very fun and entertaining ride but it requires you to not think too deeply about what the company needs to be doing for all of this to be happening. I will not go over all the ridiculous things that happen that make this film illogical because there are too many to count, but like I said if you forget about them it is a fun film. Also, this film is purely plot driven, the characters are very one dimensional. In all psychological thrillers there is some sort of twist and in this one there are many as well and they are satisfying, especially the final one.

David Fincher is one of the biggest directors of today but this film was only his third feature and it did not have as much intensity and grittiness as his previous film Se7en. None of the shots in this film were all that impressive, but the sequencing of the shots kept me fascinated the whole way through the film. Fincher grew much as a director since this film and I would even claim that he is one of the best of his generation. But this film is not the reason why he is considered that at all, he became a cult favorite from Se7en and Fight Club then went on to start making more wide spread audience films like Zodiac, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and the recent The Social Network. His film repertoire is very impressive and it is enjoyable to see one of his early works such as this film and see how he has grown from it.

Michael Douglas plays the lead of Nicholas Van Orten and even though the character is one dimensional he embodies the role quite well. He sort of plays a sad Gordon Gekko but does not have the great lines that Gekko had. He was very believable in the role but again this is not something that he will be remembered for when talking about why Michael Douglas is a very successful actor.

Sean Penn does not have a major part in this film but he is still in it for a little bit as Nicholas's brother Conrad. When Nicholas and Conrad are running from the CRS and Conrad has sort of a paranoid nervous breakdown Penn is quite good, even though it is nothing compared to the many brilliant performances of his career. When I think Sean Penn I think Milk, Mystic River, and his comedic performance in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, not this film even though he is good, like Douglas.

Deborah Kara Unger plays a waitress named Christine that Nicholas drags into his game. As the film goes on it is hard to determine if she is trying to help Nicholas or if she is working with the CRS. Her performance is alright, but nothing really memorable. I can't even cite a scene in the movie where she was good, it was just her character that was interesting.

Overall I give this film a 6/10, because it is a thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the dramatic finale. None of the qualities of the film are great, but they are all decent. I would recommend this to fans of Fincher, psychological thrillers, or I guess dark films with a twist.

The war drama Paths of Glory is directed by Stanley Kubrick and stars Kirk Douglas and George Macready. The film takes place in 1916 France.

General Paul Mireau (Macready) is ordered by a superior general to take an area known as the Anthill in his sector which is currently under German control. At first Mireau declines because the mission is impossible but when the superior general says how he may be considered for a promotion Mireau goes through with the action. Mireau personally supervises Colonel Dax's (Douglas) attack on the German controlled territory but when Dax's troops do not even make it out of the French trenches Mireau orders that the French artillery fire on their own men to motivate them. When the battery Captain refuses to do so without a written order the general does not pursue the option but instead decides to try three men from under Dax's command for cowardice which is punishable by death.

The screenplay by Stanley Kubrick, Calder Willingham, and Jim Thompson is superb. The characterization of General Mireau and Colonel Dax are both great and by the end of the film you know the two for exactly who they are. Also you get quite attached to the men that are tried for cowardice and hope for them all the way to the end. What makes this film different from most other war films is that there is no action in it after the attack on Anthill. It is part courtroom drama as well and this film is much more than it appears. Also I absolutely loved the ending which featured Stanley Kubrick's future wife, the only female in the entire film and his wife until he died in 1999.

Stanley Kubrick is often called one of the greatest directors of all time and this film shows why he is. The shot that I absolutely loved was a long shot of General Mireau travelling the trenches and greeting several soldiers on his path before the attack on Anthill. Nothing makes me happier than seeing a beautiful long shot like that, and by long I mean that it lasts for a long time not that it is far away. Also when Colonel Dax is on the battlefield the shots of him are absolutely mesmerizing, the fact that this film was completely ignored by the Academy Awards is just a shame on their part. Throughout the film there are plenty of more wonderful shots, one is towards the end with a bunch of soldiers in front of a large building, I won't describe what is happening because it is a spoiler. I personally believe that Kubrick is the greatest director of all time and obviously that is arguable but I believe everyone who respects film understands that Kubrick is a genius and this film is just one of the many examples why.

Kirk Douglas gives a very powerful performance in this film. He is very strong and military like and deserves much praise for his performance. When he gives his strongest performance is when he confronts General Mireau or General Broulard at the end of the film. Also, when Douglas is leading his men on the battlefield he does a very good job. The only problem with Douglas's character is that he is kind of one dimensional. He is a man who believes in justice and truth, not in politics. Truly a man that a person can look up to. But that is basically it, but that is all he needs to be because even though he is the lead the supporting characters take up a large part of the eighty seven minute film. This is the first of two films that Douglas works with Kubrick, the other being Spartacus, and the two are a great team.

George Macready also gives a great performance except his character is the exact opposite of Douglas's, he is a selfish, despicable man. But Macready plays the part extremely well. Whenever him, Colonel Dax, General Broulard, or all of them together all three of them give their best performances. The look of Macready's eyes is what really makes his performance so powerful, his stare can break a person's will. Also, when Macready was at the battle of Anthill ordering the artillery to fire on his own men his devious performance was fantastic as well.

Overall I give this film a 9/10, it is another Kubrick classic. Everything about it was great, and what I love about Kubrick's films is that he never uses music to tell the audience how to react to what is happening on the screen. He lets them feel how they want to feel. I would recommend this film to anyone who enjoys war or courtroom dramas. It definitely is a must see just for Kubrick's direction.