We grabbed “Black Swan” from Netflix this weekend. The film was directed by Darren Aronofsky, a guy whose movies I can’t say I’ve been particularly fond of (“Pi” and “Requiem For A Dream,” specifically). Unlike those previous flicks, I can safely say that I enjoyed this movie, though it was definitely weird. I can understand that it probably isn’t everyone’s cup o’ tea, but it is more suspenseful than I expected and the story worked on a variety of levels, which I always appreciate.
I only write about this because I had to think a bit about how to rate the movie on Netflix. They let you rate movies on a 5 star scale, which then helps them suggest more movies for your viewing pleasure. I tend to struggle with such things because, in some ways, you’re trying to think about Netflix’s rating system and assess what you think about a movie and what you want them to think you think about the movie. For example, I love me some “Army of Darkness,” but by most accounts, it’s a terrible movie. Perhaps it’s best not to rate a movie based on whether you believe it deserves critical acclaim for technical accomplishment and performance by the actors, but instead on whether you’d see it again or not.
Thus, I have settled upon the following system:
- 5 Stars: I’d watch this movie again and again for all eternity. I’d buy the DVD and the Bluray if I could.
- 4 Stars: Great movie that I’d watch again, but I don’t need to own it.
- 3 Stars: Good movie. Glad I saw it. Don’t really need to see it again.
- 2 Stars: Not very good. I’ll never watch this again and I’ll steer others clear of it.
- 1 Star: Minutes of my life were taken by this movie. It’s almost worth buying a copy so I can burn it. In a barrel. “Battlefield Earth,” I’m talking to you.
Under this system, I think I’ll give “Black Swan” 4 Stars. It’s a pretty great movie, I think. I need to see it again just to see what I missed during the somewhat difficult-to-follow plot line, but I really like where the writer went with it. I’d say more about the story, but I’m afraid I’d give too much away. I definitely recommend you see it.
I know enough to know I don’t want to see this movie. We watched Extraordinary Measures last night. I liked it — of course, it’s my kind of movie! But even dad said he enjoyed it.
You wouldn’t like “Black Swan,” I’m pretty sure. They deal with perception quite a bit: that’s about all I’ll say!
I haven’t seen “Extraordinary Measures.” I bet you just watched it for Harrison. 🙂