Venice: Black Swan Haunting

I've been freaking out about Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan ever since the day the trailer debuted and it's not healthy. I mean what if the trailer is better than the movie? Lord knows that's happened before. Since I don't want to know any plot details, I'm avoiding reviews like the plague (even from people I love) since you can trust virtually no one to be spoiler free these days. Even when they are, you end up knowing too much and having too many voices in your head before you see a film. But I haven't been able to help looking at various Venice born tweets.


Mostly though I've watched the trailer too many times and fear that there's no way that I can last another three months until the release without the movie becoming too familiar before a first viewing. Oh cruel world!

Take the following image for an example.


Now, sure, the first time through you're all "OMG, Natalie Portman is masturbating!" but the sixteenth time through don't tell me that you weren't, like, "That bedroom is possessed! And not by hormones."

Now the IMDB claims that the production design / art direction team is Thérèse DePrez (The Reader) David Stein (Eternal Sunshine) and Tora Peterson (After.Life) but that's only half the story. I suspect they were merely the chanting disciples at the Rosemary's Baby style f***-fest between Frank, freed from his Donnie Darko wormhole, and Mariah Carey somewhere betwixt her Butterfly and Charm Bracelet LPs. This room is their devil child. And it is sick.

Don't even try to count the number of stuffed animal species and the sheer volume of girlish ghastliness from every surface; the cow in a tutu is the least of the evil spirits.

I don't mean to frighten you.

As a mental tonic, here's Natalie Portman's untroubled gorgeousity on her first day in Venice. And why should she be troubled. She's already earning sensational reviews.


As any Oscar pundit worth their weight knows, that doesn't necessarily mean Oscar will be doing pliés with her come 2011. People always equate great reviews with Oscar nominations but the equation is not half that simple. For one thing there are usually dozens upon dozens upon dozens of people who win great reviews in a year. These things just SEEM like they equate months before the actual awards season gets underway. Plus, AMPAS has trouble with movies that people refer to as "deranged" or "visionary" or "on acid". They just do.

We're optimistic about the movie -- but Oscar less so. Still, you never know. Aronofsky's career momentum from The Wrestler (2008) could definitely help. So... stay tuned.
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