kimbofo

Black Swan: a film that isn't about ballet

I had wanted to see Black Swan at the cinema when it was first released but never got around to it. Watching it on our Apple TV on Saturday night may have not been quite the same, but I found it a profoundly disturbing film about one woman discovering the dark side of herself. It's set in a prestigious New York ballet company but this isn't really a film about ballet: it's a psychological thriller of the finest order and a clever depiction of mental illness. Natalie Portman's performance in the star role is mesmerising.

The Guard: comedy movie of the year

Once-upon-a-time — well, 2006 anyway — I spotted Irish actor Brendan Gleeson wandering the streets of Venice. No one blinked an eye at him, but I knew him from The Snapper and Braveheart and Michael Collins and The General and a whole host of other movies. After his star turn in The Guard — which we saw at The Electric cinema in Notting Hill last weekend — I doubt he'll have the freedom to move around Venice without being mobbed by fans, or someone wanting to have a go at him for being a racist cop!