The first thing about Enter The Void that really stuck out to me is how nonconforming it is with the usual filmmaking style of today. I can see why critics don’t like it for many reasons. First off, it’s 3 hours long. I was not ready for this when I started watching it and I definitely don’t recommend anyone watch this film while they’re tired or without having a solid chunk of time on their hands. It’s no Lord of the Rings trilogy, but it’s a solid chunk of your life that you’ll never get back, and depending on who you are, you might not want back.

Besides the length, which is simply a number, the rest of the film is non-conforming but not in a bad way. The film is made up of countless one shot scenes, all intertwined with innovative transitions and very fluid and tasteful camerawork. The first twenty minutes of the movie is one long take. In theory, they probably cut in there somewhere, but once the main character moves around until you get to the inciting incident, it’s all one shot.

The best thing about this movie is that it shows you a world in its entirety, which is probably why it’s 3 hours long, but the camera never shies away from showing you some very graphic yet mood-necessary scenes and shots. Being European, I am not easily offended when it comes to graphic portrayals of sexuality, but I can definitely see some people discarding this film once director/camera operator Gaspar Noe decides to not cut when most films would. I do have to say there is one shot at the very end that I thought was a little much, but fits in the grand scheme of things. But wow… the end of that movie really goes there.

After having seen this movie, I can easily say that I get where it’s getting all of this attention from filmmakers. The opening credit sequence is crazy, trippy, a lot of fun, but also makes sense as far as this film is concerned. The grand, sweeping, fluid camera work is phenomenal. The uncensored look at these people’s lives is refreshing, and at times shocking. And on top of that, the crazy trippy sequences mixed into the batch really makes for a unique film experience, which is really what Enter The Void is. As a film it works, but is way too long and sometimes drags in areas that it shouldn’t. Sometimes, it shows you things you don’t want to see but need to, and then other times, it just shows you things you want to see but aren’t crucial to the film.

From the beginning, I thought this film could easily be compared to Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece “2001: A Space Odyssey,” and I stand by that comparison.  This film has its fair share of trippy sequences, is long, can be boring at times, has deeper meanings in it that don’t seem obvious at the time, and really pushes the filmmaking envelope. I think 2001 is a better film by far, but today being a different time than 1968, I feel the same reactions from 2001 will be the ones people have about Enter The Void. At first it’ll just be a cult classic built mainly on stoners loving the film, but it will eventually get a more graceful following as people realize its potential and intuitive message. Overall, as a film, Enter The Void succeeds at times but fails other times, but as a moody experience, the movie succeeds on all levels. If I needed to give it a number, the experience would be a 9.5/10, and the film would be an 8/10. If that makes any sense.

Yeezy taught you well.

This year has been a good year for film. I know there have been some terrible dissapointments, I’m looking at you Clash of The Titans, but overall, there have been surprises and obvious grandiose moments for film. Danny Boyle (127 Hours), David Fincher (The Social Network), Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan), Lee Unkrich (Toy Story 3), Christopher Nolan (Inception), Marty Scorcese (Shutter Island), Edgar Wright (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World), Matt Reeves (Let Me In), and Matthew Vaughn (Kick Ass) all made great films this year making the seemingly bland year of 2010 a pretty good one. While advancements in technology and changes in the industry made for some welcome additions to the roster of filmmakers to look out for, the biggest achievement, I feel, comes in the way of film soundtracks and scoring.  For some reason, this year seemed to be the year to change things up from the traditional use of composers and expand on the boundaries of what soundtracks can do for films. Of course there were fantastic soundtracks from all of the films listed above, as those filmmakers realize what music and sound can do to a film, but many films this year went above and beyond in what they allowed sound to do for their films.

The biggest thing that had a positive effect on this year’s soundtracks was the inclusion of musicians, not composers, in creating the overall feel and music for the films. The best examples of this were Despicable Me, The Social Network, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, and Tron. Getting Pharell to compose the soundtrack for Despicable Me was such a change from the norm, especially for a kid’s movie. His background in hip hop really helped make this film’s feel and sound very unique, something that is impossible to come by in a non-Pixar animated film. Tron is another example of good use of musicians, as Daft Punk scored the film perfectly, picking up cues from Koyaanisqatsi, and their obvious techno driven music style, which peaked once they were given the liberty to actually make an actual Daft Punk track once the film got to a dance club. In most movies, club scenes are filled with whatever music is relevant at the time, and feel as simply a way to get younger kids to have a good memory of the film, but in Tron, the club scene felt entirely natural as Daft Punk could finally have a well placed cameo and the liberty to truly add their mark to the film.

Another phenomenal soundtrack to go with an equally phenomenal film was Beck’s work on Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World. I can imagine a bunch of musicians were thought of before landing on Beck, as the band in the Scott Pilgrim comics is definitely not ripped off of an actual band, but Beck seems to have been the perfect choice. His music for the handful of Sex Bob-Bomb tracks is perfect in giving this film just another advantage against its competition (The fact Expendables made more money is still a sore subject). The music Beck chooses to define the fictional band works in every aspect of Scott Pilgrim’s life, being a bit indie, with lyrics that make little sense at times, unless you read into them in ways never thought of before, like most indie music. The “Garbage Truck” track would have to be my favorite in those terms. The music is enjoyable but the lyrics are so wacky and funny, yet seem to have some sort of romantic message. Another great addition to the soundtrack was Metric’s “Black Sheep,” which is easily my favorite song to come from a movie this year. The lyrics reflect what is going on at the point in the film, the music is great, AND Metric made a song that fits easily into a movie, that is, one that has beats, and strong inflections, giving Edgar Wright the opportunity to use the song as a way to craft that scene, rather than the other way around.

The last noticeable soundtrack of the year was for David Fincher’s The Social Network. When I first heard that Trent Reznor was going to score Fincher’s film, I was hesitant. I love both artists independently, and didn’t know if they could mesh well together, essentially given the topic of the film. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised and realized I should never have worried that anything but greatness could come from these two masters working together. The soundtrack has the idiosyncrasies of a NIN song, including the synthetic drums and industrial sounds, but works perfectly to build the mood of the film, starting from one of the first bits of music as Jesse Eisenberg’s Marc Zuckerberg runs back to his dorm, The Social Network has long slow burn scenes in which you just want to hear how Marc will mouth his way out of and Reznor builds off of that masterfully, building tension where he needs to, and working with the film to create a definite mood, which is ultimately why this soundtrack is so good: it does what soundtracks should do without bringing attention to itself.

There were definitely some great soundtracks among the great films this year, but the use of rap producers, industrial musicians, and indie sensations really worked wonders in showing the world of cinema what can be done with a bit of forward thinking. Of course, 2010 isn’t the only year to have films scored by musicians, but it definitely the year with the biggest range in musicians lending a hand. Alternative groups and generic rock bands lend songs and craft songs for movies all the time, but when was the last time a rap producer scored a children’s movie? And when did it ever work so well? So here’s to a great year in soundtracks from 2010, and hoping films in 2011 and beyond take some cues from the musicians and filmmakers that brought those changes in 2010.

Darren Aronofsky’s latest directorial effort, Black Swan, is easily one of the best films of the year. It’s everything an Aronofksy fan could hope for, with even more European sensibilities, some great acting, great effects, and some beautiful cinematography. Aronofsky once agains teams up with cinematographer Matthew Libatique, who was the photographer for both Iron Man films, and composer Clint Mansell, to create a film that acts as a perfect mold of sex, horror, thrills, and psychophrenia.

Black Swan follows Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman), a sheltered ballerina still living with her obsessive mother played by Barbara Hershey, who tries to gain perfection and obtain the role of the White Swan in Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel)’s new take on the classic Swan Lake. This path to perfection leads her to fear and distance herself from the rest of her company but somehow get close to newcomer Lily (Mila Kunis), before convincing herself that she is trying to steal her spot. Nina slowly loses grasp of reality as she becomes engulfed in her quest to perfect the black swan, taking cues from Thomas and Lily, to finally transcend herself and embody the black swan, no matter the cost.

The first thing to get away from this film is that Natalie Portman is probably the best actress currently working. Looking at her filmography, you have such a wide range of films that it’s a miracle she can pull off all of these roles to finally land in Aronofsky’s film.  Just like the character she must portray on the stage, Portman had to be able to juggle playing innocent and sheltered and eventually transform into sensual and psychotic. And she goes through that transformation beautifully. Cassel and Kunis also bring their talent, as it is clear that Cassel’s energy and seemingly perverted nature as Thomas could have taken the character down many wrong turns but is effective in showing how much heart and passion he has for his craft; that same passion he tries to infuse into Nina.

Alongside Libatique, Aronofsky again crafts a beautiful and surrealist film. The compositions are masterful, and the lighting is as natural as it gets. The decision to shoot a lot of scenes through mirrors, rather than the actual actors is also a brilliant touch. Some of these shots are very noticeable but others are crafted into the story without seeming to be a fake mirroring of the actors. The lighting on the stage, the single spotlight on Nina as she dreams of her dance with the dark, and the full flooded nature of the staged choreography and costuming are also brilliantly executed through the camera. 

Another element that is crucial to bringing this tale of obsession to the screen is the music. The soundtrack adds so much to the film, not just the standard Swan Lake music, which is laid out very well amidst Nina’s life, but the subtleties to the sound effects, such as wings flapping as Nina looks at  her muddled reflection on the train, add to the atmosphere and ultimately the gritty mood of the film.  The sound cues also help in piecing together what Nina actually said or saw, versus the things she forced herself to imagine and do in order to let out of inner darkness.

Having seen Black Swan twice now, I can easily say that it is Aronofsky’s finest film to date. It includes the grittiness and gloom of his other films especially Pi, mixed with the Requiem-inspired rave and drug sequences, the use of sound he incorporated into The Fountain, along with camera work from The Wrestler, and did it all by telling a story of perfection not just relevant to Nina and the ballet world, but to any obsession. It is clear that no matter the subject, just like his star, Aronofsky can acclimate himself into any story and come out far superior than most of his directorial counter parts, and achieve a dark perfection of his own. 10/10.

Definite spoilers below:

Based on Danny Boyle’s track record, it’s hard to not be excited or anticipate his next film. With 127 Hours, however, I didn’t know how to feel. Just like when Pixar started advertising Up, I felt I should support the movie because it was Pixar, but had no idea how they could make a movie about an old guy in the same caliber as their other films. I never doubted them, neither Boyle nor Pixar, just was anxious to see what would come out. And just like Up, I loved 127 Hours.

The energy Boyle and James Franco are able to create from a single location with very few cuts to the outside, even in his dreams, is simply astonishing. The camera work and the creativity in the shots used is also to be noted as Anthony Dod Mantle and Enrique Chediak do a fantastic job of never boring the audience with the same location. By the end of the film, you’ll have seen every possible shot from around that rock and will feel such freedom when Franco finally frees himself from the rock. The anticipation is also what works wonders for the audience and the teases of Franco and the gruesome finale are masterfully sprinkled throughout the film.

James Franco definitely deserves an Oscar for this role because without him, the movie wouldn’t have worked. His idiosyncrasies work very well to convey Aron Ralston in what he thinks are his last moments. Along with Franco, Boyle, with composer A.R. Rahman, cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle, and screenwriter Simon Beaufoy, once again prove that no story concept is too boring as long as you have the talent and determination required to fully develop it and embrace its uniqueness. 9.5/10

To no surprise at all, Kanye West’s album has exceeded every expectation I had for it, and it seems everyone else as well, since everyone is praising this album. Regardless of how you feel about the man, you can’t deny his skills as an artist and a musician. In a recent interview, he mentioned how he wants to be the greatest artist of all time, but afraid he won’t ever reach that goal because he can’t “sing and dance,” like say, Michael Jackson, who he’s obviously heavily influenced by, but I assure you, Kanye can do everything else as an artist and still land in the top echelon.

Although he’d released about half of the tracks on this album via his weekly G.O.O.D. Friday viral project, every track seemed fresh when listened to as a whole, even my less favored track “Devil In A New Dress” finds a home in this album. I was slightly disappointed that Kanye didn’t mix the original “Power” track, with it’s remix, maybe just including Jay’s verse, but I can understand why he didn’t. I’ve probably just been listening to the original track too much!

One of the most stand out songs on this album, that combines perfectly Kanye’s use of sampling, beat-making, and lyrical genius, is the title track “Dark Fantasy.” The spoken word intro, mixed with the sampling of Mike Oldfield’s “In High Places,” doesn’t prepare you for the onslaught of lyrics and the insane beat that follows. This track lets you know right up front that Kanye isn’t done making great music and is definitely here to stay.

The whole album is full of powerful and personal lyrics, a knowledgeable use of sampling from sources I’d never heard of, production that matches Kanye’s  dichotomous personality, and a plethora of artists helping West make this album the epitome of a good album. This album transcends, just like Cudi’s recent sophomore album, average hip hop, bringing in very personal experiences and channeling them into art. From watching his reaction to Leno’s interview after the VMA incident, to the deathstare he was giving Matt Lauer recently, it’s clear West has decided to use all of this hate from the mainstream (Screams from the haters, it’s got a nice ring to it/ I guess every super hero needs his theme music), and throw it back in their faces in a way only he can: by making good music that people won’t be able to stop listening to not matter how much they want to.

Depending on how good both Kanye West’s and Big Sean’s upcoming albums are, this might end up being G.O.O.D. music’s year. From Kanye emerging from his public stoning with the almost flawless “Power,” to G.O.O.D. music shutting everyone out with their BET Cypher, everyone on Mr. West’s label has been putting out nothing but excellent music. With Kid Cudi’s release of his sophomore album, Man On The Moon 2: The Legend of Mr. Rager, G.O.O.D. music continues to shine among one hit wonders and the generic rap world.

Where Cudi excels, among with his mentor Mr. West, is that he is able to take hip hop, and transcend it as an art form, creating more than just music, but an album that uses imagery and experiences in a way to create more of a soundtrack than an album typical of the 21st century, one filled with wasted songs except for a hit or two.  

MotM2 plays out just like the first album, in that it is separated into acts, and follows this titular man on the moon, this time Mr. Rager, through various experiences. It’s obvious that Cudi’s music is very personal, as all of his production works to convey his ultimate goal: tell the story of a drug-induced character named Mr. Rager as he learns how to get through life, which is obviously Cudi’s way of releasing all of his melancholy and feelings about this last year for him.

Almost every song has 2 verses, and 4 choruses. The main exception being the leaked track “Wild’n Cuz I’m Young,” which initially had an average Kanye verse, replaced by a phenomenal verse from Cudi that helps mold the album into what it is.  Using way fewer verses than choruses might seem weird and characteristic of a rapper who has succumbed to writer’s block, but it’s instead characteristic of a musician, who knows when to let the song play out, and who realizes that the music behind the lyrics needs to be just as powerful as the lyrics laid on top of it. 

This album is very production-heavy, in that the music he chooses to rap and sing over, is a huge part of evoking the mood Cudi wants to put the listener in. He does this in his use of the absence of lyrics and the changes in tempo and rhythm of the music. His main producers on this album are Emile and Plain Pat, who have been making music with Cudi since Kid Named Cudi, and obviously understand Cudi as an artist more than most people. As far as the music goes, my one concern is the track “Don’t Play This Song,” which has too many layers of instruments, and with the changes in tempo and rhythm, the beat ends up being a distraction to what could have been a classic Cudi track with Mary J. Blige.

I can see people not liking this album, and coincidentally, Cudi’s first album, due to the moodiness of his music.  Cudi isn’t out to impress people, or make a radio hit, although he usually ends up doing both, but rather create a musical journey he can take listeners on, very much like a good film or piece of art can do. Influenced heavily on instrumental musicians, such as Nine Inch Nails and Mogwai, this album uses music in a way that even his first album doesn’t: he sets up the chorus, then a verse, and then lets the listener come up with their own interpretation of it all. Of course, after Cudi’s crazy year, most of the music evokes melancholy, rage/anger,  near death experiences, and fame, so those are the most immediate feelings evoked by his songs, but listening to tracks like “Marijuana” and “Mr Rager,” allows the viewer to let the music take on its own form, and goes beyond melancholy and rage. The album as a whole succeeds in letting the listener experience what Cudi has been through, but lets you interact with the songs as you drift off into your own adventures listening to this soundtrack accompanied by Mr. Rager. 

I got the chance to attend a screening of RED last night and walked into it with some high expectations. The trailer for the film reminded me a lot of the trailer for The Losers, which was action packed, funny, and full of exposions and above all, made me anticipate the film like crazy. Thankfully, RED is a lot better than The Losers turned out to be. The whole film is just fun, from beginning to end. There are some problems I had with it, mainly the use of Morgan Freeman’s character, but hey, you can’t win them all. I definitely recommend RED, as Bruce Willis, Mary Louise Parker and John Malkovich are awesome in it, the story takes a newer angle on the ex-cia stereotypes, and some of the action scenes are simply amazing. RED: 8/10.

I will start off by stating that I thankfully did not have screen Life As We Know It, as most people know I hated the trailer for that Slumdog Millionaire line. I mean, really? dropping that line while looking at a diaper is not only degrading for Slumdog Millionaire, which is a movie a gagillion times better than Life As We Know It can ever achieve to be, but it implies that poverty in India is just like a loaded baby diaper… So just from that line alone, from that insensitive directing/acting/writing decision, I will never watch that movie. There :) Now onto better movies.

First off, I know that Never Let Me Go has been in limited release for a couple of weeks now, but it’s now in wide release and I encourage everyone to go watch it. It’ll leave you probably crying and sad, but at the same time, it’s stand on morality and humanity is so incredibly insightful that it needs to be watched by everyone. As my friend pointed out, it’s like The Island (which everyone hates but I don’t mind), minus explosions and with depth. So I guess nothing like The Island, but the concepts have similarities. Carey Mulligan is fantastic and Andrew Garfield is amazing as the understandably quirky, but not annoying main love interest for Mulligan and Keira Knightley. Great movie, definitely recommend it. Never Let Me Go 9/10.

Now for My Soul To Take… Maybe it’s just me not expecting the film to be a little different but I was slightly dissapointed by this flick. I had high hopes, because the movie seemed like it could be an original take on the basic serial killer concept, which Wes Craven has done before with great success, but I felt this dropped the ball too many times for me to appreciate its originality in today’s horror genre. Let me put it this way: the story is good and enjoyable, the concept is good, but the script is too full of pacing issues, and the scenes themselves on the screen are cut in ways that should evoke suspense and scares, but that just seem too jarring to matter. And Fang?? really? who the hell lets their high school be run by a 18 year old goth chick?? I did like the constant references to souls and how random they seemed to be until you realize what is actually going on, but the supernatural element seemed a little weird and made the film confusing for the most part. There are definitely good ideas, and the acting isn’t too bad, but the inconsistencies of the script, and the editing of this flick definitely makes it a passable horror flick. It’s like with Devil, enjoyable if you want just a popcorn flick, but once you start to peel at the errors, you can’t stop from finding them until the movie is ruined. My Soul To Take: 5.5/10.