Trance

 My Rating:

IMDb Users:

(2013)

Genre: Thriller

Director: Danny Boyle

Writers: Joe Ahearne, John Hodge

Producers: Bernard Bellew, Raphaël Benoliel, Danny Boyle, Christian Colson, François Ivernel, Diarmuid McKeown

Synopsis: Simon (James McAvoy), a fine art auctioneer, teams up with a criminal gang to steal a Goya painting worth millions of dollars, but after suffering a blow to the head during the heist he awakens to discover he has no memory of where he hid the painting. When physical threats and torture fail to produce answers, the gang's leader Frank (Vincent Cassel) hires hypnotherapist Elizabeth Lamb (Rosario Dawson) to delve into the darkest recesses of Simon's psyche. As Elizabeth begins to unravel Simon'sbroken subconscious, the lines between truth, suggestion, and deceit begin to blur. -- (Written by Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Cast:

• James McAvoy
• Vincent Cassel
• Rosario Dawson

IMDb - Trance

A Dangerous Method

 My Rating:

 IMDb Users:

(2011)

Genre: Biography/Drama

Director: David Cronenberg

Writers: Christopher Hampton, John Kerr

Producers: Tiana Alexandra, Martin Katz, Stephan Mallmann, Richard Mansell, Marco Mehlitz, Karl Spoerri, Thomas Sterchi, Jeremy Thomas, Peter Watson, Matthias Zimmermann

Synopsis: Seduced by the challenge of an impossible case, the driven Dr. Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender) takes the unbalanced yet beautiful Sabina Spielrein (Keira Knightley) as his patient in A Dangerous Method. Jung's weapon is the method of his master, the renowned Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen). Both men fall under Sabina's spell. -- (Written by Sony Pictures Classics)

Cast:

• Keira Knightley
• Michael Fassbender
• Viggo Mortensen
• Vincent Cassel

IMDb - A Dangerous Method

Black Swan (jhunterfilmreview)

 My Score:

 IMDb Users:

 (2010
Genre: Thriller/Drama

Director: Darren Aronofsky

Writer: Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz, John J. McLaughlin

Nominee

Synopsis: Nina (Portman) is a ballerina in a New York City ballet company whose life, like all those in her profession, is completely consumed with dance. She lives with her obsessive former ballerina mother Erica (Hershey) who exerts a suffocating control over her. When artistic director Thomas Leroy (Cassel) decides to replace prima ballerina Beth MacIntyre (Ryder) for the opening production of their new season, Swan Lake, Nina is his first choice. But Nina has competition: a new dancer, Lily (Kunis), who impresses Leroy as well. Swan Lake requires a dancer who can play both the White Swan with innocence and grace, and the Black Swan, who represents guile and sensuality. Nina fits the White Swan role perfectly but Lily is the personification of the Black Swan. As the two young dancers expand their rivalry into a twisted friendship, Nina begins to get more in touch with her dark side - a recklessness that threatens to destroy her. (Written by Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Cast:

• Natalie Portman
• Mila Kunis
• Vincent Cassel
• Barbara Hershey
• Winona Ryder

 

IMDb - Black Swan 

jhunterfilmreview: Black Swan. A disturbingly breath-taking psychological thriller directed by Darren Aronofsky. Known for Requiem for a Dream and The Wrestler, this is Aronofsky's seventh feature film. The film stars Academy Award Nominee, Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis and Vincent Cassel, each delivering outstanding performances through their heavily layered characters. The first half of the film has a steady pace, but as it progresses, the intensity increases, and the characters' layers rapidly unravel. The transition of Nina (Portman) is particularly significant - she is initially frigid, nervous and unsure of every facet of her being, but eventually metamorphosis's (much like the story of Swan Lake) and embraces her extremely dark side. Furthermore, Mila Kunis plays a totally different role to what she is used to (Forgetting Sarah Marshall, That 70s Show, Family Guy), but really shines in this film. Something I also noticed was the heavy and consistent use of dark sets and props to follow the theme, and maintain its mysterious, disturbing aspect, and I thought that Aronofsky pulled this off extremely well. I believe that this film has earned its 4 Golden Globe nominations, and 55th place in the IMDb Top 250 movies of all time. The combination of superb acting, Matthew Libatique's stunning cinematography and Aronofsky's remarkable directing all contributed to my overall score of this 2010 masterpiece.

I give this film 9 stars...