#1 – Black Swan
Directed by Darren Aronofsky
Darren Aronofsky does not have a medium setting. However one might feel about any of this films – from the agitated anti-drug parable Requiem for a Dream to the time-bending metaphysical sci-fi mini-epic The Fountain to working-man’s tragedy The Wrestler – it’s difficult to argue that he holds back in any respect. Black Swan acts as a sort of greatest-hits of Aronofsky’s past pet themes – contorted bodies (Requiem), pathological obsession (Pi), and the transformational/destructive properties of the performing arts (Wrestler), but in execution it takes a bold leap in a different direction, throwing caution to the wind and delivering an over-the-top, consistently heightened, and gloriously insane film that isn’t afraid to skirt with the ridiculous in order to engage with its high-art millieu and troubled central figure.
Both a deeply Freudian melodrama and a body-horror nightmare, Black Swan is anything but subtle. It delights not exactly in surprising the audience with narrative twists – within the first five minutes, there isn’t much guesswork as to where this is all headed – but it just how far over the top Aronofsky is willing to push his performers and material. Where The Wrestler distanced itself from wrestling’s theatricality in order to provide a lucid behind-the-scenes feel, Black Swan embraces ballet’s inherent sense of distortion and weds it to the pressures of performance; the dividing line between subject and performer is erased. The sickening sound effects and bodily contortions that litter the movie are equally likely to arise from a landing gone wrong as they are from Nina’s tortured visions… (read the full review)
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Last year Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds ran away with the top honor, accumulating 95 points in total. We didn’t think any film this year would so easily take the top spot, but surprisingly enough Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan received a total of 118 points, landing in the number one spot for most of our staff. Here are the individual lists from everyone. Happy New Year! Thank you again to all, for the ongoing support.
Ricky D
1- Black Swan
2- Let Me In
3- The Social Network
4- Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
5- Kick-Ass
6- Winter’s Bone
7- Exit Through The Gift Shop
8- Castaway On The Moon
9- We Are What We Are
10- The Two Escobars
Simon Howell
1- Black Swan
2- Marwencol
3- Rabbit Hole
4- Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
5- Exit Through The Gift Shop
6- Incendies
7- Inside Job
8- Wild Hunt
9- Castaway On The Moon
10- Stone
Al Kratina
1- Black Swan
2- Serbian Film
3- Monsters
4- We Are What We Are
5- Scott Pilgrim vs. The Wolrd
6- Lemmy
7- Let Me In
8- Cold Fish
9- The Revenant
10- Splice
Justine Smith
1- Black Swan
2- Dogtooth
3- Certified Copy
4- Incendies
5- True Grit
6- Winter’s Bone
7- Another Year
8- Somewhere
9- Tron Legacy
10- Tournee
Detroit Burns
1- Valhalla Rising
2- Wild Hunt
3- Inception
4- The Misforunates
5- Splice
6- Exit Through The Gift Shop
7- I Spit On Your Grave
8- Winter’s Bone
9- Black Swan
10- Toy Story 3
Derek Gladu
1- Marwencol
2- Dogtooth
3- Gasland
4- Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
5- Exit Through The Gift Shop
6- Rabbit Hole
7- Secret of the Kells
8- Armadillo
9- Social Network
10- Stone
John McEntee
1- The Social Network
2- Monsters
3- Inception
4- Black Swan
5- Shutter Island
6- Cold Fish
7- Four Lions
8- Winter’s Bone
9- The Loved Ones
10- Inside Job
Eric Mendoza
1- Black Swan
2- Never Let Me Go
3- Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World
4- Greenberg
5- Exit Through The Gift Shop
6- Restrepo
7- Valhalla Rising
8- Winter’s Bone
9- Social Network
10- Inception
Eduardo Lucatero
1- Marwencol
2- Rabbit Hole
3- Carancho
4- Blue Valentine
5- La Quattro Volte
6- The Kids Are Alright
7- Submarino
8- Sound Of Noise
9- We Are What We Are
10- Carlos
James Merolla
1- Black Swan
2- The American
3- Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
4- Let Me In
5- Exit Through The Gift Shop
6- Tron Legacy
7- The Last Exorcism
8- The Crazies
9- True Grit
10- Get Him to The Greek
Al White
1- Monsters
2- The Social Network
3- Castaway On The Moon
4- Exit Through The Gift Shop
5- Buried
6- Inception
7- A Single Man
8- Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
9- REC[2]
10- Afterschool
Emmet Duff
1- Black Swan
2- Greenberg
3- Inception
4- Catfish
5- Bedvilled
6- The Housemaid
7- Sound Of Noise
8- The Social Network
9- Cyrus
10- Tiny Furniture
Erin Vandzura
1- Black Swan
2- The King’s Speech
3- The Social Network
4- Inception
5- The Kids Are Alright
6- Toy Story 3
7- 127 Hours
8- Buried
9- Never Let Me Go
10- Scott Pilgrim
Dave Robson
1- Inception
2- The Social Network
3- Cargo
4- Boy
5- Micmacs
6- Winter’s Bone
7- Black Swan
8- True Grit
9- Machete
10- Exit Through The Gift Shop
Joshua Youngerman
1- Winter’s Bone
2- Carlos
3- Inception
4- It’s Kind of a Funny Story
5- Social Network
6- Everyone Else
7- Fish Tank
8- Toy Story 3
9- I Am Love
10- Exit Through The Gift Shop
Tyler
1- The Loved Ones
2- Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
3- Castaway On The Moon
4- Qauttro Volte
5- The American
6- Cold Fish
7- Black Swan
8- Serbian Film
9- Buried
10- Splice
Chris Clemente
1- Black Swan
2- Animal Kingdom
3- Mother
4- Another Year
5- Toy Story 3
6- 127 Hours
7- Cyrus
8- Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
9- We Are What We ARe
10 – Inception
Las-