Black Swan - Thoughts

I came across the trailer for Black Swan a couple of months ago; it caught my attention thanks to Natalie Portman’s involvement in it. I wasn't overly enamored by it though, as I didn't see a ballet themed movie gripping my interest. It caught my attention again after the 2011 Oscar’s, wherein it won the award for best actress, not to mention several other nominations. In Black Swan Natalie Portman is a ballerina who has a dream of playing the Swan Queen in a ballet theatre production; her journey there being troubled, as she battles her inner self and is on the verge of losing her mind.


Going into it I knew that the Black Swan would have a lot of ballet and theatre; I was also aware that it was billed as a thriller, which was indeed promising. Right from the opening sequences Black Swan is dark; the entire movie is viewed from the perspective of Natalie Portman, and comes across as disturbed. Camera angles, lighting, and editing are perfect, and every minute of this psychological thriller comes across as troubled; as is Portman’s perspective of life. The pace consistently maintains the suspense, leaving the audience constantly questioning reality, paranoia and the outcome. Overall Darren Aronofsky has achieved near perfection in the Black Swan; leaving no doubt as to why it has had as many nominations. Besides its artistic value, commercially too Black Swan has been extremely successful, grossing over 8 times its production budget by the beginning of March 2011, in the United States alone. If you enjoy thrillers, ballet, theatre or Natalie Portman, the Black Swan should be numero uno on your must watch list. Give it a miss if dark and mildly disturbing movies are not your thing. Don't be mistaken… there's no casual entertainment value here!

Natalie Portman plays Nina, the lead role in the Black Swan. After watching the movie, there's no doubt as to why she was awarded the Oscar. The myriad of emotions that her character experiences during the course of the movie are embodied astoundingly; be it confusion, euphoria, sadness, or self-doubt. Mila Kunis plays Lily, whose personality is a perfect contrast to Nina’s. She's bold, outgoing, and comes across like a gal who knows how to have a good time. Watch her for a bit and you'll be left with a feeling of wanting to have her as a friend. Vincent Cassel plays Thomas Leroy, the master tutor and head of the theatre production team; a passionate and intense Frenchman. One of Black Swan’s key strengths is its strong performances.

I watched this one in the theatre, and the video had a noticeably dark mood to it. Lighting was always just enough, with no overly bright moments. Colors again were never too vivid; in keeping with the dark theme of the movie. Some of the scenes were noticeably grainy, but I'm guessing that this was also intentional. Sound was good, and dialog was clear throughout. Surround separation was noticeable, and used appropriately to enhance the suspense element.

My Recommendation: Watch It + (A gripping murky psychological thriller; prepare to be swept away by Natalie Portman!)

CSI: Season 7 - Thoughts

CSI (Crime Scene Investigation) is a show that needs no introduction. Since the airing of the very first episode in Oct 2000, the show was recognized as a smash hit. In the months and years that followed, CSI was arguably the most watched TV show in the world. The show was created by Anthony E Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer; worldwide audience was estimated to be in excess of 73 million in 2009. While I had personally watched Season 1 of both the newer CSI shows, Miami and New York first, I decided I should sample the original CSI, a.k.a. CSI: Las Vegas. Having started way before, Season 1 was hard to source, and thus my decision to start with Season 7, which was readily available. The series follows crime scene forensic experts who use evidence and modern technology to solve gruesome and unimaginable murders.


It’s fair to say that after 2 full seasons of CSI (CSI Miami – Season 1, and CSI NY – Season 1), that I was amazed by the show and had grown to know what to expect. That said, Season 7 of CSI Las Vegas, just blew me away. The show was flawlessly planned, keeping in mind the short term, and the long term. As most are probably aware, plots are usually solved within the 40 to 45 minute weekly episode timeframe. While there were episode specific plots with subsequent solutions, there was also the slow but intense buildup for the long running and unsolved ‘Miniature Killer’ case. This ensured that people would stay tuned till the end of the season and perhaps longer to figure stuff out. Character development again was well crafted, with no obvious bits that warranted dwelling upon, but worked out well in the scheme of things, adding value to future episodes. Viewers don’t watch CSI for the inter-office character drama, and this is thankfully kept to a minimum, while having just enough to keep it gripping in the long term. Shows like CSI that have a weekly format with the solution being made available at the end of the weekly viewing experience, usually struggle when it comes to sustained interest and continued viewership through the season. Thanks to considerable effort made in view of the long term, CSI Season 7 succeeds where very few have been able to. The plots themselves are interesting and are guaranteed to hold viewer attention. Pace is balanced well, with slower intellectually stimulating moments of science and analysis, and faster law enforcement related action sequences. Overall, CSI Season 7 will not disappoint; unless you don’t have the stomach for blood and murder, this one’s sure to be blow your mind

One of the successes of the CSI series is the excellently well cast actors, and their unassuming yet perfect performances. All the characters come off as very everyday, while not seeming boring; each having their unique virtues, which play into their overall characters skills and strengths. William Petersen as Gil Grissom is the head of the team, and brings wisdom and composure to the group. While not too obvious, he takes on a sorta father figure role to the unit. Marg Helgenberger succeeds in seeming credible and senior, while being a single mom. Jorja Fox who plays the role of Sara Sidle seems rather plain at first but will grow onto viewers before the end of the season; to the point of making the show feel somewhat incomplete without her. Other portrayals are also notable, but the list being extensive I will curtail myself at this juncture

The content I was watching was a regular lossy DivX; the sorts that are shared online quite popularly. All of the episodes weighed in at about 350MB each, and video quality was acceptable. Pixilation with stretching was apparent, but not too much to the point of being bothersome. Colors were good, but there was degradation owing to the DivX compression. I’m guessing that the DVD should be quite good. No post production color tone addition was noticeable. All the episodes were accompanied by 2.0 Stereo soundtracks. Dialogs were sufficiently clear, but nowhere near 5.1 separation standards. Similarly action sequences and other effects were aided by the sound track and seemed sufficient. Surround wasn’t tested owing to content limitations.

My Recommendation: Kick Ass (Television entertainment at its very best)