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calsmom
calsmom's stats
- Review count3
- Helpfulness votes0
- First reviewSeptember 19, 2010
- Last reviewDecember 19, 2010
- Featured reviews0
- Average rating4.7
calsmom's Reviews
Overall rating
4
/
5
Dark, twisted, compelling
PostedDecember 19, 2010
calsmom
from Malden, MA
Well, if you're looking for a laugh or two, this is NOT the movie for you. It is very dark, tension-filled, at times confusing...but great! Portman gives a magnificent performance. It's worth the price of admission just to watch her dance. I know nothing about ballet, other than that it is incredibly difficult and requires total dedication. How she could have done the things she does in this movie, even with the two years of training she is supposed to have had, is beyond me. And the performance as the Black Swan! Amazing! It is however a creepy movie in a lot of ways - it is often unclear, purposely, as to what is real and what is going on in Nina's (Portman's) increasingly screwed-up head. I'm also a real sucker for "gotcha" fright scenes - and this movie gave me the most goosepimples since the 1st time through on "The Sixth Sense". It's a quick flash, and may not hit a lot of people that way, but whoa - it really got me! One star off because some of it really is hard to watch - I'm not much into gore and there is some. Other than that -thumbs up!
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
5
/
5
Go, Big Red, go!
PostedOctober 3, 2010
calsmom
from Malden, MA
A really great film that you can take the whole family to. Diane Lane and John Malkovich are totally believable as the owner and trainer of what may have been the greatest racehorse ever. The movie has just the right balance between people and horse: it would be tough to make a two-hour movie about what comes down to five races (Secretariat ran more, but five are what you see), but when you fill in the backstory of Penny Tweedy, it becomes much more than just a racing movie. And just like "Titanic", knowing the ending does NOT spoil the ride (literally, the ride - there are scenes shot from horseback which were just amazing!). For those who still look back fondly on Big Red, and want to re-live that thrilling story, this is a must-see. And judging by the crowd and the cheering, Secretariat STILL has a whole lot of fans out there.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
5
/
5
Ben Affleck makes up for "The Sum of All Fears"
PostedSeptember 19, 2010
calsmom
from Malden, MA
Maybe not for "Gigli" or "Pearl Harbor", but...WOW, this is a really good movie. At just over two hours I feared that there would be parts that dragged..never happened. As a Boston native I do have a bias for Boston-based movies, and it sure was nice seeing places I recognized, but you do NOT have to be from here to be caught up in this story. With absolutely believable characters and amazing performances from all of the ensemble cast this is a movie that transcends location. Usually the most painful thing about "Boston" movies is listening to the lame attempts at the accent (Costner in "Thirteen Days" anyone?), but here the accents are dead on - in fact in one scene I couldn't even understand what was said! This could be a problem for some folks, but I hope it won't be enough to keep you from seeing this. The best work from Affleck since "GWH" IMHO.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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