Hmmmm this year have seen

more of the nominated films for tonite's Oscars than in recent years past, thanks to my subscription web site. Last nite, 'Black Swan' was up. I had to force myself through that mess. Because everyone seems sure that Natalie Portman will get the best actress award.

The story? Neurotic ballerina gets to dance the Swan Queen in Swan Lake at Lincoln center. For those unfamiliar... a beautiful girl becomes enchanted and turned into a white swan, a sorcerer bewitches her further, and creates an alter ego, a black swan to thwart the white one from finding a true love to break the enchantment, and it ends badly, and the white swan kills herself. There's a prince who might have been the solution, but becomes seduced by the black swan, making him unpure and not able to break the curse, and in some versions he has remorse and jumps after her. In other words, Swan Lake is more like Grimm without the happy ever after.

I have seen several productions in the course of my life. And in most of them, the white swan and the black one are danced by two different performers, probably because there are few people who can do both roles and pull it off. Those who can are truly exceptional.

So.... Black Swan focusses on that latter aspect, but is really, really weird. Natalie Portman is picked to be 'the swan queen', and her director/choreographer really pushes her to get into the role of Odile, the black swan, which sends her into madness. And it becomes a mess, meaning her grasp on reality and the film itself. Good, you got the neurotic mother who never made it and has a very strange relationship with pushing her daughter. You get 'colleagues' who may or may not have her best interests at heart. There is a very odd relationship with one especially, who may be trying to undermine her, always dressed in blacks and she is always in white or very delicate pastels. And then it gets to be a mess.

Two thirds of the way through, the viewer is about as disoriented as the main character, Nina. Most of the New York shots are dark, and ugly. The black and white themes in the decorating and costumes keep up the main plot and help some in orienting yourself to what is dream or what is reality, but it's too much of a mess.

Natalie Portman spends three fourths of the film wandering about like a robot, and I found nothing about that to deserve all the accolades she has received. She must have worked her toes off for the rehearsal dance scenes. Although the self-mutilation scenes working on her feet and her finger nails were more than disturbing. It was like watching through someone else's eyes, where nothing is real. The last fifteen minutes, which is the premiere, were riveting enough, and involves a murder which turns out not to have been one... and her killing herself, as in accordance with what happens in Swan Lake, but there is never a prince.

Except for the fact that she danced proficiently, I fail to see how she should get the award for best actress. I usually love films about dancers, but this left me so cold, I ended up feeling immensely aggravated. And am glad I didn't spend 14 Euros for a ticket.

This year's crop of 'best films is fairly weak. I enjoyed 'True Grit' because it deconstructed that horrible 1969 treacle version with the insidious John Wayne. Watchted it twice, even, just to make sure my first reaction was viable.

But the jewel in the crown, you should pardon my pun, was ''The King's Speech'. Even a second view held me riveted to the pc screen. There was never a moment of lagging interest. I think the appeal is rooting for someone overcoming a huge handicap, and winning. It seems Geoffrey Rush is going to get robbed tonite for best supporting actor. Too low-key, probably, but an astounding performance. He is so underrated. Seems it will go to someone in 'The Fighter'. How many Rocky variations can you endure, hey.

I've only seen short clips of 'The Kids Are All Right', but think I would prefer seeing Annette Bening get the nod tonight. She's been short-changed so often, it's sad. But they have their own rules out in Hollywoodland.

As to some of the other films... It's one thing to imitate real artists, and another to surpass them and come up with something close to originality. People trying to emulate David Lynch, who could make you sit on the edge of your seat and really cogitate, absorbing the trips he could take you on in your mind, but you end up with 'Inception', which just failed miserably. Or Black Swan trying to go 'noir', but ending up just vexing the viewer without giving a clue as to what was 'real' or not... whether by changing lighting, or giving out some signal. Or the horrible best film 'Crash' some years ago which did not have one redeeming character, tried to emulate the inimitable and unattainable Robert Altmann, they were all despicable.... and led us to this year's film that had me pressing the escape button: The Social Network.

I admire some of David Fincher's films, and they are always dark. But his latest had me really puking. Rich kids without soul or conscience or any sort of morality. I had to pass.

So sometimes I have to ask myself.... what sort of crack-cocaine are these writers and directors ON????? It wasn't a brilliant year in my opinion, in other words. Will see the full fall out tomorrow on my pc. Should be interesting.