by Shannon Hood, Jan 5 2011 // 9:00 AM
I was surprised at how much trouble I had narrowing down my top ten movies this year. My top 20 were all very close, but here are the movies that I ultimately enjoyed the most. I readily admit that I did not see near as many foreign films as I would have liked, but by the time I cover most of the mainstream fare, there is simply no time left.
Honorable Mentions: Fair Game, Tiny Furniture, Greenberg, Cyrus, The Tillman Story, The American, Mother and Child, Scott Pilgrim.
10. Waiting for Superman
This Documentary was equal parts frustrating, inspirational, and heartbreaking. Director Davis Guggenheim (No End in Sight) sheds light on the dismal state of our public school system. He follows the plight of several children who live in various geographic regions who are placing all of their hope for an decent education into lottery systems for charter or private schools. Guggenheim relies on their compelling stories for a narrative, while interspersing lots of graphics and cartoons illuminating some pretty harrowing statistics.
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Posted in: Best of 2010 · Exclusive · Features · Flickcast Presents · Movies
Tagged: 127 Hours, Aaron Eckhart, Aaron Sorkin, Amy Adams, Annette Bening, Aron Ralston, Ballet, Barbara Hershey, Ben Affleck, Blue Valentine, Chris Cooper, Christian Bale, Danny Boyle, Darren Aronofsky, David Fincher, Davis Guggenheim, Debra Granik, Facebook, hailee steinfeld, James Cameron Mitchell, James Franco, Jeff Bridges, Jennifer Lawrence, jesse eisenberg, Julianne Moore, Justin TImberlake, Lisa Cholodenko, Maria Bello, mark ruffalo, Mark Wahlberg, Matt Damon, Melissa Leo, Michelle Williams, Natalie Portman, Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole, Revenge Movies, Rosemarie DeWittBlack Swan, Ryan Gosling, Swan Lake, the Coen brothers, The Company Men, The Fighter, The Kids Are All Right, The Social Network, Tommy Lee Jones, Trent Reznor, true grit, Waiting for "Superman", Westerns, Winter's Bone
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by The Flickcast, Dec 3 2010 // 3:31 PM

By Shannon Hood / Originally posted on October 7, 2010
Darren Aronofsky has made a career of choosing interesting, non-traditional material and illuminating the unexpected aspects of his subject matter. Case(s) in point: The Wrestler (a down-trodden wrestler), Pi (mathematicians), Requiem For a Dream (middle-aged drug addiction), and now Black Swan (competitive ballet.)
His knack for taking something completely mundane and elevating it to something tense and dreadful is astonishing. Who would have ever thought that a movie about mathematicians could be exciting, much less sinister? It is no surprise that the man who brought us Pi delivers a dark, provocative, psychological drama, set in the cutthroat (who knew it?) world of competitive ballet.
Natalie Portman stars as Nina, a beautiful ballerina who dances for a New York City ballet company. Though technically gifted, she has never gotten her big break because the company’s arrogant art director thinks she is too bland to carry a performance.
The film opens with us being privy to some of the cattiness that takes place behind the scenes at the ballet. The troupe’s principal ballerina, Beth (Winona Ryder), is being forced into retirement at the ripe old age of 37. Nina finds it sad, and defends the dancer, while the other girls titter on about her age and diminished athletic ability. It’s immediately established that the women are highly competitive. There is no sense of camaraderie, everyone is out for themselves.
The perennial classic Swan Lake is set to be the season opener, and Beth’s departure leaves the principal role wide open. Director Thomas (Vince Cassel) pits the girls against one another as they audition for the coveted role of The Swan Queen.
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Posted in: Drama · Movies · News · Reviews
Tagged: Ballet, Barbara Hershey, Black Swan, Darren Aronofsky, Drama, Mila Kunis, Movies, Natalie Portman, Reviews, Vincent Cassel, Winona Ryder
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by Shannon Hood, Oct 7 2010 // 7:00 AM
Darren Aronofsky has made a career of choosing interesting, non-traditional material and illuminating the unexpected aspects of his subject matter. Case(s) in point: The Wrestler (a down-trodden wrestler), Pi (mathematicians), Requiem For a Dream (middle-aged drug addiction), and now Black Swan (competitive ballet.)
His knack for taking something completely mundane and elevating it to something tense and dreadful is astonishing. Who would have ever thought that a movie about mathematicians could be exciting, much less sinister? It is no surprise that the man who brought us Pi delivers a dark, provocative, psychological drama, set in the cutthroat (who knew it?) world of competitive ballet.
Natalie Portman stars as Nina, a beautiful ballerina who dances for a New York City ballet company. Though technically gifted, she has never gotten her big break because the company’s arrogant art director thinks she is too bland to carry a performance.
The film opens with us being privy to some of the cattiness that takes place behind the scenes at the ballet. The troupe’s principal ballerina, Beth (Winona Ryder), is being forced into retirement at the ripe old age of 37. Nina finds it sad, and defends the dancer, while the other girls titter on about her age and diminished athletic ability. It’s immediately established that the women are highly competitive. There is no sense of camaraderie, everyone is out for themselves.
The perennial classic Swan Lake is set to be the season opener, and Beth’s departure leaves the principal role wide open. Director Thomas (Vince Cassel) pits the girls against one another as they audition for the coveted role of The Swan Queen.
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Posted in: Film Festivals · Fox Searchlight · Movies · Reviews · Thriller
Tagged: Ballet, Barbara Hershey, Black Swan, Darren Aronofsky, KIFF, Mila Kunis, Natalie Portman, psychological thriller, Thriller, Vincent Cassel, Winona Ryder
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