video review : The Martian

video review : The Martian

A potentially enthralling concept; an Earthling gets stranded alone on another planet; is ruined by hackneyed movie-making. The biggest problem is that in a story that relies on tension and suspense, there is little to none.

Nasa astronaut Mark Watney is left for dead on Mars after a botched expedition, but you never get the sense that he’s in any real danger. Even if you did, you probably wouldn’t care. His character is mostly irritating.

my rating : 2 of 5

2015

video review : Black Swan

video review : Black Swan

I don’t get the aesthetic allure of ballet. What I appreciate on a sexual level is watching dainty girls parade around in tights. If Black Swan is a realistic representative of the ballet world, I’m not alone in my perversion. Lewd sex is a major theme here. It’s a driving force for nearly every major character. Even the relationship between mother and daughter had me anticipating a sex scene between the two.

The problem is that the story is too ambiguous. The diegetic reason for that is because Nina, the dancer it revolves around, tends to hallucinate. She apparently has a major mental disorder, perhaps brought on by said Mommy, whom she still lives with and clings to at the age of twenty-something. Black Swan, a movie that wasn’t really engaging in the first place, soon loses its way in a barrage of horror-flick clichés.

my rating : 2 of 5

2010