black swan

Black Swan. The word has been that this movie is intense, and Jerry can handle only so much intensity (on the screen, that is -- not in real life), so he opted out of seeing this film. Jon, my son, can handle lots of intensity on screen, being a fan of numerous slasher movies, and this should movie be a lot tamer and more civilized than those, so he went with me last night to see it. We went to dinner first, at Green Mill over there on Hamline Avenue in St. Paul, and then off to the Highland Theater, a neighborhood theater we hadn't been to in quite a while. The crowd was sparse, maybe because of the snowy streets (St. Paul is infamous for not plowing) or maybe because Black Swan had been playing for a while. We had a fun evening though.

The movie? Well, maybe our expectations were too high, but, although we both liked it, it mostly rated an "okay" from us. The suspense was less than we expected, and the story didn't seem to be all that original. But the acting is good, Natalie Portman especially as the conflicted white swan/black swan, and our favorite aspect of the film may have been the Tschaikovsky Swan Lake soundtrack. Worth seeing, and everybody knows that it will be a nominee for Best Picture Oscar. And I think even Jerry could have handled the intensity level.