No Strings Attached (2011)

Directed By: Ivan Reitman

Starring: Natalie Portman, Ashton Kutcher, Kevin Kline, Greta Gerwig, & Lake Bell

MPAA Rating: R

My Rating: 7 / 10

Would it be a stretch to say that the romantic comedy subgenre has been in a slump the last few years? Would anyone disagree with me? I didn't think so. It's no secret that somewhere between the vibrating pantie scene in The Ugly Truth and, well, everything in The Bounty Hunter, the romantic comedy has become a consistently unfunny, unlikable, and thoroughly unbearable affair. All of this coming from someone who thought Killers was actually pretty funny...so you know I'm not terribly hard to please when it comes to these movies. It's rare nowadays to see a romantic comedy that doesn't make me want to throw myself off the concession stand before the ends credits...and, let's face it, if you have seen a trailer for No Strings Attached, you were probably under the same assumption I was: it's just more of the same. But, I realized that I had yet to see a 2011 theatrical release and really needed to if this blog was going to retain any (rumored) relevance whatsoever. So, dodging the continued downfall of Nicholas Cage and Seth Rogen still trying to be funny, I decided that No Strings Attached was probably the least psychologically-scarring movie in theaters.

Black Swan (2010)

Directed By: Darren Aronofsky

Starring: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel, Barbara Hershey, & Winona Ryder

MPAA Rating: R

My Rating: 10 / 10

Perfection, is it really obtainable? And, if it is, how far must one go to achieve it? That is, I believe, the message behind Black Swan, Darren Aronofsky's latest psychological drama...or is it a mind-bending thriller...what about an artsy horror film? Black Swan manages to defy easy categorization, in both genre and moral. In many ways, the film is open to complete interpretation and is likely to affect each audience member in a profoundly different way. Some will find it to be far more scary than it is emotionally-moving. Others will find it to be more subtley dramatic than thrilling. The key to Black Swan's overwhelming and sure-fire success is that, no matter who you are or how it affects you, it will have an effect on you as you leave the theater. As I left a sold-out showing just a few hours ago, my fellow movie-goers were abuzz as they left, talking about the film and analyzing it out loud. There was none of the awkwardly silent shuffling of feet, which has sadly become an all-too-common sight in theaters.