... my movie-viewing picks up accordingly. This past weekend brought two acclaimed movies that couldn't be more different.The Kids Are All Right. Bening and Moore are Nic and Jules, a long-married lesbian couple whose lives are about to change. Joni, their oldest, just graduated and will soon leave for college. Since she's 18, she's legally able to find out about her bio dad (also the sperm donor for her younger brother). This little indie movie has a cinema verite feel and the dialog -- especially the kids -- feels very genuine. I liked how universal some of the emotions were (Nic's territorial feeling about the family she's built; Jules feeling taken for granted; the son's growing disillusionment with his best friend; the daughter's need to draw away), regardless of how unconventional this family may be.
The Black Swan. Oh. My. God. The movie is so beautiful, so creepy, so majes
tic and so grotesque. NOTHING in Nina's world bears any resemblance to my life ... or, I suspect, to any life that takes place here on earth. Weird though it is, you can't not watch. It's a hypnotic, yet desperately dark, film and the tension is almost unbearable. I mean, even the simple act of clipping one's nails is fraught with danger in this movie! Winona Ryder has a small but important role and it was good to see her again.