With spooky movie season upon us, I decided it was time to watch a few creature features that highlight incredible achievements in movie costuming and visual effects. Kicking things off is the psycho-sexual horror film Black Swan (Disc/Download), which includes some truly disturbing imagery and themes. If you have a phobia about fingernails, cracking bones, and peeling cuticles, YOU’VE BEEN WARNED.
Not to be confused with my other favorite ballet movie Center Stage, Black Swan showcases the gritty, violent world of New York City dancers, swapping out cute scenes of first dates and salsa moves with bloody appendages and ecstasy-fueled club nights. Peter Gallagher’s artistic director has been replaced with a sexy, sadistic Vincent Cassell, who pits Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis against one another to achieve his goal of finding the perfect dancer to embody both the Black and White swans in a new production of Swan Lake. As the angelic Nina (Portman) descends deeper into the dark world of the Black Swan, we see her lose her grip on reality as this search for perfection leads to loss of control. With hallucinatory tricks such as feathers sprouting from beneath her skin and a doppelgänger dancer in the mirror, the viewer starts to lose their own sense of reality right along with her.
For a dark movie like this, I need a dark, booze-forward drink to calm my nerves. Play up that Black Swan energy this week with this variation on a Black Feather cocktail.
Black Feather
2 oz Brandy
1 oz Lillet Blanc
1/2 oz Cointreau
Dash of Angostura Bitters
Lemon Twist
Combine Brandy, Lillet, Cointreau, and bitters in a shaker with ice. Shake until chilled then strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a twist of lemon.
Although I find myself covering my eyes any time Nina starts to pick at a patch of her skin (I can’t handle the cuticle ripping!!!!!), I can also relate to the debilitating way perfectionism tends to manifest itself. If true greatness can only be achieved through the loss of control, well, I guess I need to chill out with a few more cocktails. Cheers!
Cinema Sips 