POV

>> vineri, 28 ianuarie 2011

A year ago, I wanted to make an experiment and asked some of my friends to write an article every month for my blog. I had some of it planned for some time and it seemed like a good idea. Well, as you can see, it didn’t work. A few days ago, Ana, a very good friend of mine, asked me if she could write something for my blog. She said she had a very good idea on a topic and she remembered my idea. I was sure that she would write something really cool – I knew it since last year when I first told her about it. I wanted some new ideas and feelings on my blog. She said she was going to write a review on Black Swan. Last week I saw the Golden Globe Awards, and that was the first time I heard about the movie. Still, I didn’t have time to see most of the movies that were nominated and Black Swan didn’t really impress me from the trailer that I saw after the Globes.

Ana had a different opinion than most viewers about this movie, which I considered a great thing; I myself have sometimes different opinions about movies, that viewers or critics consider either very good or very bad. But it seems I never had the courage to make a review on a movie, because I never thought it was good enough. I was amazed to read her review. It is just like I would have wanted it to look if I had written it. Ana did a really great job writing this. She had a great ambition to make it look good, and even considered making some changes last night. It sounded familiar. I would have probably done the same thing if I hadn’t liked it the first time. I assure you that both the old version and the new one are just as good, but, as she wished, I will publish the last one.

Thank you Ana!! I owe you one for this great review. I love it!


Subject in Matter
Personal observations and critiques for Aronofsky’s 2010, Black Swan.

To begin to describe it: it is one of the most raved films of the year.
Is it good? Definitely! - we hear it’s up for many awards. Then there’s that 10% who disagree. So maybe the best way to introduce it is as Kunis’ character so charily puts it, “It’s not for everyone”.

The 10 percent have to be the ones who ask themselves ‘What is so great about Black Swan?’ This is a ‘love it’ or ‘hate it’ film. If you love it, nothing will compare to it. Hating it for the right reasons - not just calling it ‘stupid’, makes you a bit more objective.

So what is so great about Black Swan? Naturally people like it because it has a level of absurdity, it revolves around art and it looks like it’s been made by “smart people”. Critics love it because it’s like nothing that’s ever been done before. But different isn’t necessarily good.

The trailer left me with the impression that the film was especially made for the Academy Awards. That didn’t cloud my judgment, though! I wouldn’t go as far as calling it flick load of clichés; but that’s only because a friend was kind enough to tell me calling a movie a cliché is a cliché itself.

I’ll call it a motionless film, far from the end piece it initially aspired to. There is a thin line between striving and trying TOO hard. This is the latter.

Black Swan is a very ambitious movie, but it puts too much effort into a piece that should have been a light blend of melodrama and ballet aesthetics, with a strong focus on the reality of the characters. It simply lacks the right combination of madness and art for the ideal score.

Comparison

Those who are fans of Aronofsky, MUST have seen Requiem for a Dream. Even if the story is different to Black Swan, this is a comparison between the ways stories were built.

Requiem is an exceptional piece of work. The camera is subjective throughout the film and focuses on the evolution (or rather involution) of the characters: what they feel, what they fear to feel and why. It gives you the opportunity to establish a connection with them before they become complete wrecks. (focus on the word “characters”)

This is conviction, a quality of which Black Swan lacks completely.

Natalie Portman’s Nina is a walking nightmare from the first moment we see her. We find here motifs like the scratch on her back, the way people shape-shift around her, talking pictures, paranoia and severe hallucinations. Nina is not a character! She is just a set of obsessive behaviors. All the conflicts that occur in the film are a mere result of her constant complaining – a pointed out fact throughout the film by herself and the characters. Her perpetual terrified state makes for one sorry hero.

Coherence

Another reason why we can’t connect with her is that the movie doesn’t answer the question WHY?

Why is performing so important to her? What does she have at steak?
- If this film is about art, than what is the moral? Become a ballerina and lose your mind? I highly doubt prima ballerinas are paranoid schizophrenics. The constant “tango” between reality and Nina’s imagination becomes quite weary.

Then we get the stylistics - everything is focused on “the looks of it” rather than “the feel of it”, and it makes Black Swan theatricality.

The Characters

Not just Nina, but all the characters are built almost intentionally without either passion or empathy. The mother gave up her dancing career to have Nina, and spends all day long painting freaky portraits in her studio; the director of the ballet company acts as the typical eccentric “man of arts”, who naturally intends to sleep with all his leading dancers; and Lily, the new hot dancer who showed up out of nowhere, is the impersonation of free spirit and happily breaks any rule she can get her hands on.
The purpose of the film was for the audience to sympathize with Nina, but too much of the show is built on her mental illness. The symbolism that characterizes the initial Swan Lake ballet has been kept to in the movie: at the beginning we see Nina wearing light colored clothes and despite her accomplishments so far in her life, she feels repressed and pathetic. But when she starts finding confidence and gives in to her passions, her attitude changes and she literally start wearing black. However, the artificial nature of the characters and surroundings, make this film embarrassingly obvious.




A little something on the juvenile gibberish

What I loved about the film was its good OST; and I must say, Tchaikovsky is the only “character” in the picture you can feel all the way through, and is better outlined than any of the obvious personalities.

However, I am not sure of how good an idea it was to play Tchaikovsky over Nina’s masturbation scene. It was by far the movie’s biggest downside – it made the transition from an insecure drama, horror… whatever it is, to parody. I understand Aronofsky’s ambition to push the boundaries of sanity as far as they go, but this and the hard to define sex scene between Nina and her rival dancer reduces the entire film to an adolescent aberration.

Genre

Has anyone else asked themselves: what is it? Is it a horror, or is it supposed to be artistic? It’s both and neither. So you could call it a fancy-freak show. Even Nina’s physical breakdown, (best example: the bloody nails), has no real dramatic significance. Her character is so repressed and frightened that it looks as though she stopped growing sometime in her childhood (hence all the stuffed animals and name-calling “princess”).

Awards

All this being said, I don’t think it’s the actors’ fault the film turned out this way. I’ve always seen Natalie as quite limited when it comes to acting, but it does look like she puts on quite a struggle to keep up with Aronofsky’s overstated ideas. At one point, she even does a genuine acting performance.

Still, it’s important to specify that the film’s ingenuity isn’t in the acting abilities, but in the authenticity of the ballet performances. Natalie herself had trained for the role for a year or so… and the Academy simply loves to see its actors go through hell for art’s sake; which is probably why she has the best odds to win this year… for her troubles; after all, that’s why they hand out little statues these days anyway.

To sum up, Black Swan is definitely in a class of its own: the only thing standing between the film and its purpose is itself. Perhaps the minority of viewers who simply “aren’t for” Black Swan, are the unlucky ones who can’t ignore the juvenile representations of madness and use of film style that runs from the beginning to the end.

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8. Imaginatie

>> marți, 25 ianuarie 2011

Acesta este un top 10 al celor mai bune conferinte pe care le-am vazut pe TED. Mai multe detalii aici.


Stiu ca iar a trecut mult timp de cand nu am mai scris, desi am promis ca voi scrie constant, de dragul acestui top. Au trecut aproape 4 luni de zile si s-au intamplat multe de atunci. Cel mai important lucru, care trebuie si mentionat, avand legatura cu acest top in mod direct, este faptul ca am fost la TEDx Bucharest 2010. A fost o realizare foarte mare pentru mine, avand in minte de mult timp sa fac acest lucru, mai exact de cand a fost prima oara TEDx la noi, acum vreo 2 ani mi se pare si inca nu stia prea multa lume ce e aia TED. Nu a fost la foarte mult timp dupa ce am descoperit eu TED, inca nu o sa iti spun cum. Am ajuns la TEDx, dintr-un mare noroc. Pentru eveniment era nevoie de o gramada de voluntari care sa se ocupe de toate lucrurile care trebuiau organizate acolo in ultimele zile dinaintea evenimentului si mai ales in timpul evenimentului (multumesc Corina pentru info). Eu auzisem si vazusem in Money Express ca o sa aiba loc din nou TEDx pe 15 octombrie dar nici nu m-am interesat sa aflu prea multe despre el, pentru ca data trecuta cand am zis ca fac tot posibilul sa merg, am aflat ca tot posibilul e imposibil, deoarece exista o preselectie a inscrisilor, care oricum daca sunt admisi trebuie sa plateasca o taxa de 100$ pentru participare. Asa ca nu as fi dat 100$ pentru niste conferinte despre care nu as fi fost sigur ca sunt extraordinare. Dar, avand ocazia sa merg ca voluntar a fost un cadou extraordinar, chiar daca initial ni s-a zis tuturor ca probabil nu vom putea participa la toate conferintele.

Cu toate astea, am avut noroc si am facut parte din echipa tehnica, ramanad in sala sa ajut cu tot ce am putut pe tot parcusul zilei, ceea ce a fost extraordinar. Am invatat cateva chestii misto, am cunoscut oameni de treaba si am vazut niste conferinte extraordinare. A fost interesant ca i-am vazut pe cei mai multi dintre speakeri cu o seara inainte, cand au facut repetitiile, au verificat prezentarile si s-au acomodat cu scena, si a fost tare ca unele conferinte au fost mult mai interesante la repetitii, atunci nefiind presati de timp, ducand conferinta pana la chiar mai mult de 30 minute (iar la TED in general maximul e de 18) – a doua zi, toate au fost scurtate incat sa se incadreze cat mai bine in timp, desi cei mai multi tot nu au reusit. Una peste alta, a fost un eveniment extraordinar, la care m-am bucurat enorm sa fiu prezent, experienta pe care sper sa o mai repet cat de curand. De curand, conferintele au fost postate si pe site-ul TEDx Bucharest, asa ca, daca te pasioneaza intra pe http://www.tedxbucharest.com/2010/speakers/#fixed (cateva din preferatele mele au fost Oana Pellea, Roland Hermann, Nik Halik, Mihai Panaitescu).

A fost o introducere mai lunga, dar a fost pe aceeasi tema ca si topul.
James Cameron este producator, regizor, scenarist si inovator in industria cinematografica. Este foarte cunoscut pentru productiile lui extraordinare si intotdeauna deosebite si nemaivazute in materie de efecte speciale.
In discursul lui, James Cameron vorbeste despre curiozitate si imaginatie, care i-au fost calauze.

Curiozitatea este una din insusirile care ma caracterizeaza. Dintotdeauna am fost curios sa stiu. Am vrut mai multa informatie, mai mult totul. Pana sa merg la scoala, care a reusit cu mare mare succes sa imi distruga o groaza din calitatile mele; nu aveam limite in general si chiar simteam ca pot sa fac de toate, asta fiind dovedit de faptul ca eram omniprezent pe la Palatul Copiilor unde am facut cam tot ce am vrut si tot ce mi s-a permis ca varsta. Am mai povestit cu siguranta cate ceva despre asta. Scoala in schimb te introduce intr-un regim de concurenta de mizerie. Te priveaza de la prietenie, care devine cu timpul din ce in ce mai greu sa o castigi, asta mai ales prin faptul ca trebuie din start sa privesti invatatoarea ca un superior. Eu nu am inteles asta. E adevarat, la Palatul Copiilor nu spuneam chiar tuturor pe nume; stiu sigur ca eram bun prieten cu Sorin (Anghel – despre care am vorbit anterior), dar nu numai cu el – era ceva general sa fim prieteni cu profesorii de acolo, atmosfera era una total relaxata. Adica, aveam teme pentru acasa – dar erau justificate – nu puteai sa faci pian fara sa exersezi acasa, nu? In scoala, esti introdus in sistemul ierarhic de catre invatatoare care iti e superior clar si seful sefilor, the master of disaster – directorul aka directoarea la mine la scoala. Ce m-a deranjat in treaba asta? Faptul ca nu exista libertate de exprimare, faptul ca toata lumea este plasata la un moment dat pe un loc anume , faptul ca nu esti ascultat, decat cu foarte mici exceptii si oricum parerea ta este ignorata si aruncata la cos in final, esti amenintat in mod constant ca daca nu inveti, daca nu esti cuminte, daca nu scrii frumos, daca nu tii mainile la spate, vei fi pedepsit intr-un mod sau altul, ori ca iti da nota mai mica, ori ca iti da cu rigla peste mana, ori ca o cheama pe mama ori ca, si asta este de departe my personal favourite, te duce la director!!! Daca auzi ca te duce la director, e clar frate, te da afara din scoala, acasa te dau afara din casa parintii, o sa fii renegat, sa ajungi sa cerseti langa piata sau in gara si cele mai negre scenarii posibile. Pai mie chestia asta imi suna a dictatura. Si nimeni nu poate nega ca cele insirate mai sus nu sunt adevarate. Si noi, pentru ca suntem indeajuns de fraieri la 7-10 ani, credem ce zice femeia aia si chiar credeam ca directoarea e un fel de monstru epic care joaca cu coduri. Si uite asa, tot sistemul asta tampit, persista si in generala si in liceu si cel mai rau si in facultate. Treaba e ca, prin liceu asa, incepi sa te prinzi ca e o mare cacealma si ca toata treaba cu „te spun...” si „te duc...” si „iti fac...” e mare parte vrajeala. Maaaaare vrajeala. Sunt si exceptii, dar aia sunt profii extremisti pe care nu ii iau in considerare. Prietenii stiu la ce ma refer cand zic „Te duc la director?” – „Hai la director!”.

Nu a fost chiar off topic ce am zis. Are legatura cu imaginatia si de faptul ca suntem privati de la a ne imagina lucruri in mod liber.
Ai mei m-au lasat sa fac o groaza de chestii misto cand eram mic, pe care alti copii nu au avut voie. Asa ca am vazut multe filme, care nu erau tocmai pentru copii, mult mai devreme decat altii, si aici ma refer bineinteles la filmele de actiune, thriller chiar si horror putin. Stiu sigur cat de impresionat am fost de Terminator cand l-am vazut. Nu ma mai satura bunul Dumnezeu, asa ca mi-a zis o prietena recent legat de... total altceva. Imi amintesc ca auzisem la un moment dat ca a aparut si Terminator 2 si am vazut secvente din el, erau secvente din trailer si am fost uimit, socat cand le-am vazut, dar nimeni nu il avea (pe caseta video bineinteles) si nu puteam sa fac rost de el de niciun fel. A aparut intr-un final la TV mi se pare si m-am bucurat de el ca de un super cadou de Craciun.

Un lucru care in copilarie mi-a fortat imaginatia catre noi limite a fost fara discutie LEGO. Sa zicem ca de Terminator ma mai satura bunul Dumnezeu, dar de LEGO nu... chiar nu. Eram (si inca sunt) vrajit de LEGO. Primul LEGO pe care l-am primit a fost la 3-4 ani de la Mos Craciun. A fost un soricel rosu din vreo 6-7 piese. A fost un inceput lent dar sigur. In anii ce au urmat mi-am tot cumparat din cand in cand pe masura posibilitatilor cate un LEGO, pentru ca erau foarte scumpe si nu prea imi permiteam. Dar una peste alta am reusit sa am un numar suficient de piese pentru a putea face cam tot ce imi doresc. LEGO nu are limite. Asta este ceva absolut extraordinar. Poti crea, poti inventa, poti merge in alte universuri deja existente sau mai bine, create de tine, poti evolua. Eu, si cu un vecin de-al meu, care si el avea LEGO, ne-am jucat ani si ani de zile ba la mine acasa, ba la el, si nu ne-am oprit niciodata din a crea. A fost extraordinar. Inca si acum, o data pe an imi scot cutia de LEGO, o rastorn si imi construiesc ceva, orice. Ma incanta enorm sa o fac si sunt sigur ca pe viitor ii voi cumpara copilului meu cantitati obscene de LEGO, dar stiu ca dupa ce se va duce la culcare ma voi juca si eu. Imi amintesc cat de extraordinare mi se pareau revistele promotionale LEGO. Le-am rasfoit de mii de ori. In ultimii ani cand inca imi cumparam, adica undeva prin 2000-2001, incepusera sa apara programele care includeau computerul si camere web si o groaza de chestii care ma incantau enorm.
Mi-ar fi placut sa am ceva talent la desen. Am mai zis-o? Cred ca da. Am incercat si inca incerc, dar cred ca am o problema cu proportiile. Tz – trebuie sa mai lucrez la asta.
Mai am cateva chestii de povestit pe aceeasi tema, dar le pastrez pentru alta conferinta din top. Stiu eu care.

Nu vreau sa stric placerea conferintei, dar m-au marcat cuvintele incredibile ale lui James Cameron cand a zis ca „a esua trebuie sa fie o optiune – orice se face cu un risc”. Si asta ma incurajeaza enorm in tot ceea ce gandesc, fac si imi doresc.

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