Black Swan Review: Beautifully Terrifying



The movie I’m most excited about this year is about ballet?...

Black Swan is a fascinating portrayal of self obsession that eventually leads main character Nina Sayers into complete madness for the pursuit of perfection. Natalie Portman’s performance is outstanding and really carries the film through with intensity. It’s clear she really trained hard for this and plays a remarkably believable part of the New York ballet production of Swan Lake.

Although consumed with her dance she is kind and good natured, who wants to be the best and never disappoint anyone. Including her smothering theatre mother, who gave up ballet to have a daughter and still holds it against her by projecting most of her own flaws on to her. The movie does a good job of subtly implying most of the tension in their relationship with Nina’s history of cutting and scratching alluded to, without beating you over the head with it.

If the stress of home wasn’t enough for this character she still has to deal with pressure of getting the coveted role of the Swan Queen, something she has trained most of her life for. The problem comes with the duality of the role, no one can argue her technical prowess exceeds the other ballet dancers. Her trainer Thomas Leroy (based on Balanchine) believes she is in fact the perfect embodiment of the White Swan, virginal and fearful.

The Black Swan however is the temptress, the seducer of the audience, something she has no experience of and requires letting go of the strict technical disciplines she’s focused on. The trainer notices many of the Black Swans characteristics in another dancer Lily who’s wild and fearless nature make her reckless technically, but exciting to watch.

Lily is not only a rival but a vision of what she must become to be the Black Swan, in essence Nina is trying to find herself as a woman and it means giving up her innocence and control. The Black swan becomes a second Identity of Nina and is a horrifying, unrelenting presence that is constantly out to change who she is.

Watching Nina degenerate through the nightmarish cinematography can only be described as beautifully terrifying and while heart breaking to watch what happens to this beautiful loving girl it’s fascinating at the same time. Director Darren Aronofsky who up until now I have had a hard time not mentioning is nothing less than a visionary independent film maker. This is a director that’s never not made a great film in his career and his movies are cult classics in their own right.

Just look at his body of work!!! Pii 1998, Requiem of Dream 2000, The Wrestler 2008, Black Swan 2010. If you look at all these films though they have one single main theme in them and that is self destruction. Something Aronofsky has a better grasp on than any director in Hollywood. It's rather crushing though to think that a director with so much talent had to fight to get each one of these films to be made. At least now he’s starting to get the recognition he deserves with an Oscar worthy film.

Black Swan is smart edge of your seat entertainment but if you are not familiar with Aronofsky’s other work it may leave you shell shocked. Working in a Cinema I love watching the silhouetted faces jaws dropp watching this film. When it ends they are left to process what they have watched and have a hard time really putting it into words. This is not feel good entertainment; it’s a thinking man’s film. That said I would recommend you watch Requiem of Dream first If you havent already as its probably the most talked about Aronofsky film and a must see.

This is not a ballet film it’s a psychological thriller that borders on horror. Tchaikovsky score will get your heart beating but extensively its Natalie Portman’s 110% go for broke performance that really holds the film together and makes it a worthwhile watch.

Boydee Blog Rating: 5/5 scary toenail clippings

Somewhere Theres A Movie Review Here



Decembers here as we start to head into an Oscar season of films. One of those films I’ve been particularly interested in is Somewhere. Directed by Sofia Coppola, director of Lost in Translation and  the daughter of Francis Ford Coppola, who you may know as the director of the Godfather and Apocalypse Now. Wow! Talk about a tough act to follow.

This film first appeared on my radar when I found out that Stephen Dorff was playing the lead. He’s just such a great actor if you’ve not seen the small independent film he's in called Entropy I'd recommend it. However he’s probably better known as the bad guy in Blade. Despite this he rarely gets many great parts so I was really glad to see him get a lead role in a Coppola film.

In ‘Somewhere’ he plays Johnny Marco a Hollywood actor who on the surface looks to have everything but in reality lives a monotonous, tired existence in room 59 of the Chateau Marmont hotel. About all he can do to stave off his boredom is drive around in his black Ferrari or get drunk at party and have sex with anything wanting to latch on to his fame, these relationships are empty and impersonal at best.

Even with all his money his lifestyle has become boring and routine. It couldn’t be summed up better than in a scene where two bronzed, blond twin’s pole dance at the foot of his bed while the Foo Fighters - My Hero plays in the background. Instead of thinking what a lucky guy, he’s living the dream! You get this long drawn out scene that’s shallow and awkward, you uncomfortably watch the dull played out choreography which you can tell has been a regular occurrence for Johnny as he humorously drifts asleep before they even finish their routine.

Its only when he wakes up one morning with his daughter drawing on his plaster cast that we genuinely see him smile for the first time as she breathes new life into his stuffy air conditioned existence. He avoids telling her the truth of how he broke his arm of course as he was drunk at a party with his friend Sammy (played by Chris Pontius, A.K.A. Party Boy from Jackass!!!) this being one of the many lies he has to tell to hide his lifestyle.

His daughter Cleo played by Elle Fanning is charming and confident, having a rich Dad means she’s spoilt but she doesn’t act it. She’s so together with her life even at such a young age while her father struggles to get through every day. Being the only pure good thing he has you can see the crushing shame on his face as he has to deal with the guilt of being adolescent father who was never there.

When Cleo is in his life it starts to make sense again and brings some clarity to all the bullshit adult crap pulling him down. Its truly joyous just watching their bond strengthen as they play like kids in a swimming pool while The Strokes - I’ll Try Anything Once plays in the background. (Chokes me up just watching the trailer)

Going with the Strokes was a real smart move as Julian Casablancas has that dense sounding voice that is still raw and iconic but more importantly his lyrics are all about going through the same fame and disillusionment as the father is.

So far I’ve probably given this movie a glowing review but be warned its painfully slow and there’s very little dialogue making it really unsatisfying at times when characters don’t open up. It’s realistic however and it maintains this realism throughout but at the cost of nothing spectacular really happening, it’s why I can give away so much of the plot and not really spoil anything.

The main thing portrayed though is the disconnect that happens when you live a life of isolation and unfulfillment. Life loses meaning and every day you push away from yourself, losing grip of your ability to relate and gain the richness from others. (Something he now only finds in his daughter) This leads to a self destructive process of wanting to do anything to distract himself from his own thoughts in an effort to not come to terms with the pain, something I know all too well.

It’s only when Johnny confronts these thoughts head on after not being in the company of his daughter that he has a mental break down and realises all the distractions and casual sex he puts in front of himself only make his life more numb and pointless. In the middle of his breakdown, he says on the phone "I'm not even a person" he is right, because what defines a person is his/her ability to experience, to be fully receptive to the whole spectrum of emotions. He has to get away from his life style if he ever wants to be a person again and grow up to be a better father.

This movie is not for everyone I like it but most will hate it and be bored stiff. I couldn’t have been more excited to watch this film but even I felt really frustrated at the tedium. I was also disappointed that the movie was so lacking at times but there’s something here and its in the subtle moments, that say so much, without saying anything at all.

Boydee Blog Rating: 2.5/5 under water tea cup drinkage



Scott Pilgrim, Loves A Game

There’s a lot to like about Scott Pilgrim Vs The World, it may not be a perfect movie but there has certainly been a great deal of care in its production. Most people don’t even realise since they never bother to mention it in any UK trailer or poster that this movie is actually directed by Edgar Wright!!! Director of Shawn of the Dead and Hot Fuzz.

Michael Cera plays Scott Pilgrim a bass player in the band Sex Bob Bomb who despite having an Asian girlfriend falls head over heels for Ramona Flowers. (That girl with a rocky past) Michael Cera seems to get tight cast in teen romance comedies like Juno and the great Youth in Revolt. You can see why though he’s hilarious in any awkward situation you put him in and he plays his insecure weak persona so well you can’t help feel the pain he goes through in those movies.

However in this movie his character is very different, certainly not instantly likeable, he’s self centred and kind of an asshole. The starting setup was rather slow but thankfully when it ramps up it really ramps up and suddenly his whole life turns into a Comic book/Video game literally!

If you didn’t already know Scott Pilgrim is based on a comic book and no movie in history has been as faithful to the source material like this. The movie uses a lot of frantic cuts like you’re going from one frame to another and fantastically spells out things with huge letters when punches and kicks are delivered and even emotions felt. There are so many retro video game references that are so charming and well thought out I was amazed!

The movie is basically centred on the 7 evil X-boyfriends of Ramona Flowers who Scott Pilgrim has to fight in order to win her love. They are all uniquely different with their own fighting style to go with it. The evil X I thought was most genius was Todd Ingram played by Brandon Routh, (Superman) he probably got the hardest laugh throughout the entire movie as he plays a pretentious vegan who has psychic powers.

There something really compelling to me about turning someone’s reality into a comic book because it becomes so much more revealing to a characters identity when nothing is hidden. I mean you don’t need a psychological degree to understand what is going on in each person’s head because it’s shown to you in such an exaggerated detail.

In real life there would probably only be a subtle facial cue or an argument that would break out when meeting someone’s ex. In this movie it’s a round house kick to the face or hadoken uppercut through a ceiling, it’s so brutally honest you've gotta love it.

The movie is really funny and action packed but beneath all the crazy action and whacky humour there is a deep social commentary which I found quite fascinating as I could see certain traits in people I knew and more uncomfortably in myself.

I left the cinema deciphering what the movie would have been if it wasn’t a comic book and more surprisingly I found myself taking a hard look at myself at times and realising just how shallow I had been at certain times in my life. People don’t like to see their own imperfections so maybe they won’t identify with Scott Pilgrims shallowness or Ramona Flowers heart breaking nature.

In fact most won’t go looking for any of this stuff as the oddball humour holds up for itself but if you do its a smarter movie than it would seem on the surface. It’s just a real shame to see it doing so poorly at the box office when its one of the most well produced films this month.

Boydee Blog Rating: 4/5 epic bass lines.

L.M.S. Spectacular Art

Came across an article today about Paramount winning a bidding war to procure movie motion picture rights for the graphic novel L.M.S. (Last Man Standing) by Dan LuVisi. Interested I went to investigate the website and was amazed at his spectacular art!!! He’s really struck gold I think in creating a rich compelling world of with some amazing characters!!!

The story takes place 600 years into the future in an alternate universe. The story is about Gabriel a super soldier designed to be invincible to fight the wars of earth. However he gets framed by a terrorist organisation known as Pandemonium for atrocious crimes he didn’t commit. They sentence him to life in a level-9 facility (hell on earth) where he is tortured for 9 years before he finally breaks out. Only then does his story truly begin, and the lies and twists unravel.

The opening line of the synopsis - “My name is Gabriel and I'm going to take you on a little adventure through my life. I must warn you though, it's not for the faint of heart or stomach, for that matter. There will be laughing, crying, sex, violence, robots, ninjas, burlesque girls, body builder sharks and shit you wouldn't fathom.”

The combination of his art and his understanding of the source material really sold me on the chaotic violent world that’s been created. I couldn’t help feel when reading Dan LuVisi’s interviews that I was on the same wave length as this guy!!!

If your thinking this is wildly exaggerated and unrealistic then you’re missing the point. (face palm) This is adult escapism, you just have to go with it if you’re going to have any fun... If you cant appreciate the OTT nature your severely lacking in imagination.

Here are some choice quotes from Dan LuVisi “It all started with just one simple image, of this character named Alice, a girl with a gun-guitar. A lot of my friends really responded to it, so I began to design more characters.”

“It was going to be just a cool character book, nothing more. But then I designed Gabriel, and that's when everyone got excited. I then began to create a story, which then turned into history, which then turned into a universe and so forth.”

“The LMS world is very 60s/80s meets sci-fi. So I listen to a lot of golden classics, and then some Justice, NIN, Muse, Daft Punk, Kavinsky, Ryan Johnson and Danger to get into that weird-mode. I can't draw without music, I owe a lot to those amazing artists for the constant company.”

“I've been crafting over the past two and a half years. I want it to be a graphic novel series, but start it in a non-traditional way. Where most comics start off with a first issue, this starts off with a 230-page bible of a book, Killbook of a Bounty Hunter, that sets up the entire universe of the LMS world.”

“For the book, I did absolutely everything. From designing it, the art, the type, the story and all the other nooks and crannies. I didn't have any money to hire anyone, so this was really a labour of love. It was incredibly difficult and really took a lot out of me mentally and physically. But looking back at it now, I'm really happy that I just took it all on. I hope to stay along for the whole ride, but I want some other talent to come in now. I have no issues with that!”

To summarise why I love this:

Dan LuVisi’s art takes a lot of guy stuff I love and somehow combines into one coherent thing! 60’s Pinup girls, comic violence, over engineered design, retro childhood influences, and all the modern culture and music I love.

I am facinated with the images alone I just can’t wait to get my hands on this! :)

Be sure to check out the amazing L.M.S. website http://www.lms-killbook.com/

Also check out his art!!! http://www.danluvisiart.com/showcase.html

Extreme International Soft Drinking!!!

It’s hard to be original these days but trust Mr Boydee Blog to bring you reviews of rare international soft drinks not found easily within this country. (The UK) I take this shit seriously because I understand that drinking 5 of these soft drinks in a row could cause anything or nothing to happen!!! I have done all the necessary stretches to mentally and physically prepare my body for the ensuing sugar rush. So LET’S DO THIS!!!

Okay let’s kick this off with one of my favourite soft drinks of all time Mountain Dew!!! The formula was first made and marketed in Knoxville and Johnson City, Tennessee, USA through the 1940s. It has a smooth citrus flavor that isn’t too sweet like a lot of soft drinks on the market right now.

While I don’t think everyone will think it’s an instant classic it is worth picking up to try it out. I could personally drink it all day I love it so much it’s a refreshing and easy to drink beverage that won’t make you feel bloated either.

Two unfounded urban legends about Mountain Dew exist. One is that it causes shrunken testicles!! (Errr…) and/or penis size. (WHAT!!!!) The other is that it lowers sperm count. (Did Satan make this drink!?) Both myths are typically attributed to the dye Yellow #5 (tartrazine)

Yellow #5 has never been scientifically linked to any of the alleged effects in the legends, nor has any other component of the drink. Thus, there is no evidence that Mountain Dew is any more hazardous (or beneficial) to health than other caffeinated, sugar-sweetened soft drinks, provided one is not allergic to Yellow #5. (Few…..)

There is currently a petition in the UK to get the drink sold here although there is a “Mountain Dew Energy” that has been introduced into the energy drink market here. I’ve yet to find it though.

Ulker is a Turkish manufacturer of food products, they also make some pretty shitty soft drinks if these are anything to go by. Link orange was just a generic orange drink while Icim cherry tasted like bad cranberry juice. Save your money and buy a Fanta.

Hmm I wonder what country this soft drink comes from? That’s correct! Brazil... It’s hard to describe the flavour of this drink, in a good way however, it’s like nothing out there. One of the most important characteristics of a soft drink is to be original. The last thing I want to do is to be drinking something that’s ripping off another drink.

I’m actually really impressed by this one however, best way I can describe it is an apple, cherry blend with a sweet bouquet. They use an E150d colorant (Huh!?) which any soft drink aficionado knows gives it a caramel colour... This is actually the second biggest soft drink in Brazil second only to Coca-Cola and I can see why! Would recommend it!

Spar-Letta has been manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company in South Africa since 1955. While growing up in South Africa these drinks where my favourite!!! Even now when I drink it I get transported to my childhood the flavours are that distinct to me!!!

While Spar letta comes in many flavours Apple, Cherry Plum, Citrus Lemon, Coconut Pineapple, Cola, Lemon, Raspberry and Strawberry. Crème soda is the flagship flavour of the brand. In my opinion there is no better crème soda developed in the UK or the US that can compete with Spar-Letta’s they are well and truly kings in this field.

Strawberry is the only other flavour I’ve had which is very similar but has a tinge of strawberry added to the mix. Spar-Letta has a solid range of drinks here that are firm favourites in my eyes. If you can find a South African shop near you, which there are many especially in London, grab them immediately!

Looks like I’ve come to end of my Soft Drinking escapades hope you found this informative. Check back regularly for more as I may even go into different drink genres!!! :O

Mr Boydee Blog - Your Only Source For International Soft Drink Reviews.

Boydee Blog On The Go!

Discovered this great little app called Pulse News Reader, it's basically an RSS feed reader that gets news from your favourite sources. Most importantly is just how brilliant its design and presentation is! With fluid movement and sharp pictures its well worth the download if you own an Iphone, Ipad or Android mobile.

I just recently found out also to my surprise that Boydee Blog was compatible with it! So follow these four steps if you want to add me.

1. Go to App store and search Pulse News Mini it costs £1.19 on Iphone but will serve all your news needs!

2. Start up Pulse!

3. Search "mrboydeeblog" one word.

4. Hey presto! Aint it a beaut! Well I love it but Im a sucker for good presentation it's even better when you see it in motion!

Steve Jobs Gives Me A Free Bumper

I went to pick up the mail this morning and found I had a package. Hello what do we have here...? Mail from Apple! Seems they sent me my free bumper for my Iphone 4. “What? Apple gave away something for free????”

Yea! It’s not just me either any person who purchased an Iphone 4 before July 23rd is entitled to a free Iphone 4 bumper costing £25. Now before you think Apple might have rewarded their dedicated fan base. Of course it’s because of the antenna issue...

If you didn’t already know the Iphone 4 has this steel band around it which is split into 2 parts. The left side is dedicated to Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and GPS. While the right is UMTS and GSM quite an ingenious idea as it gives better mobile coverage.

However because the steel band is exposed, the moment you hold the phone with your left hand you cause it short circuit. In effect, what this means is you start losing your signal around 18 to 24 decibels to be exact. It’s at this point the whole internet lost its God dam mind!

“What? I can’t use my Iphone with my exposed hand! This is total Bull Sh*% Apple I hope you die!!! “

“Will I lose my connection if I dial 999? I just cut off my hand in an attempt to not hold the phone but I can’t even pick it up now please help!?!”

“How could you do this to me Apple I would have died for you :’(”

“Screw you Apple! I’m buying a Blue-Berry!!!”

“This is the worst thing to happen to Apple since Microsoft!…”

“The Death Grip will kill us all!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!”

I myself was just about to get ready to hang myself outside the Apple store in Oxford Circus… That’s when some genius on the internet came up with a solution!... The problem was the price of the solution… £0.001p!

Who da thunk it? A small piece of scotch tape placed in a strategic place fixed the issue completely!!! No more decibel drop outs in fact using any case that covered the steel bumper stopped you from losing any signal. LuckyLabs.com even came up with cool decals you could stick on the entire bumper that looked just like the steel band on the phone. The internet could finally rest easy, no?……….. “Fuck That!!! I’m not paying £0.001p”

If anything the solution only made people more angry? As they started requesting for a total recall on the product to remedy the situation. The real battle however was going on at the Apple H.Q. as Steve Jobs was about to kill every Apple employee who designed the antenna.

Now I don’t want to seem like I’m defending Apple because I find that elitist Apple fanboys to be quite pretentious. Apple has always prided themselves on creating software that doesn’t crash and high quality hardware that lasts. To expect them to not make a mistake once in a while even though you’re paying a premium price for their products is a little unfair.

At the same time this whole antenna issue has been blown out of proportion. It’s really not a big deal the whole phone is made of glass which could easily slip out your hand so not putting it in a case that protects it seems ridiculous, to me at least. If you’re that upset about it you can always return the phone!

Truth is no one wants to return the phone it’s the best phone out there! The screen is gorgeous. And it runs on the same Apple A4 chip as the Ipad. And I haven’t found one application that is slow to load yet. As someone who loves design I really like the look and feel of the phone. How many phones do you know that aren’t made of plastic? It’s a quality product with a good battery life also! It’s just a shame that its form didn’t follow its function.