Deciding between renting a flick at the local video/tan shop or packing into the station wagon for the late show of an independent art-house movie can be a difficult holiday decision. Consider the Showgirls/Black Swan debate that will occupy millions of American families this year. Ever since Elizabeth Berkley gyrated onto the scene with her 1995 morality tale, families have suffered schisms about whether to flick over to TBS for Christmas Vacation or to pop in dad’s well-worn, intentionally mislabeled VHS of Nomi . How much simpler the season would have been if Berkley hadn’t traded in her Jesse Spano pocket protector for a pair of Nomi Malone stilettos.
In the tradition of Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life, Nomi’s story of a small-town girl who just wants to dance, but is violated by the big city, but becomes a big star anyway, but gives it all up to go home, has inspired a generation. But now we get a different take on this holiday story with Natalie Portman’s Nina, a ballerina who finally gets her big break, but has to embrace her dark side, but loses her mind in the process, but dances great anyway, despite—or maybe even because of !—her violent delusions. Obviously hoping to draw from theShowgirls holiday demographic, Black Swan pays homage in more ways than the same heart-warming premise. Take for instance howBlack Swan’s repeated refrain of “you dance without passion” is only a thinly veiled inversion of Nomi’s “dancing like your f*!*1-1=0!g”. Or consider the Showgirlsesque sub-story of Nina usurping stardom from an established rival. Like with Nomi, this involves a leg injury, hospital visits, and titillating lesbian (or in Black Swan’s case, graphically homicidal) encounters. Lastly, the final act of both productions gives the audience the satisfaction of Nina and Nomi reaching the apotheosis of their art. For Nomi this is the result of indefatigable sexual gyration filthily coupling itself with old-fashioned gumption; for Nina, however, this is the inevitable conclusion of an artist who allows herself to be physically and psychologically consumed by her art.
Sooo which will you pick? Portman giving the performance of the year in a poignant, visually-stunning piece of art, which leaves you feeling tense and kind of down; OR Berkley jerkily thrusting her body into Vegas super stardom in a movie that defies logic, reason and taste—but never the ability to leave you, and anyone else who “gets” Nomi, feeling like a Christmas miracle.
Super racy trailer mashing up Black Swan and Showgirls:http://www.ology.
this is the tightest, sexiest review eva. YES!
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