Re: "Rip-off" vs. "homage"

I have only one thing - that I know of - in common with Darren Aronofsky; we both love Satoshi Kon’s anime psychological thriller PERFECT BLUE. Aronofsky has often spoken of his desire to remake that film in live action, and though it is not as marked as the trailer made it seem, that much better film is an obvious and heavy influence on BLACK SWAN. It is present in the central questions of the film; whether Nina’s demanding new role is driving her mad, whether she is in fact becoming that role and whether her rival Lily is real or a symptom of her psychosis. There are also several shots that echo PERFECT BLUE, most notably the first time we see Lily (or is it Nina’s reflection?), which is a direct visual quote of Kon’s film. That said, this isn’t the live action remake that Aronofsky has been pitching, rather it feels as though he’s taken PERFECT BLUE and Powell and Pressburger’s masterpiece THE RED SHOES, added a large dollop of melodrama, shoved them in a blender and hit frappe....

...It’s not so much that BLACK SWAN is an awful film; it’s just that the combination of elements didn’t work for me. I can see what Aronofsky is reaching for here, and I can see that there might be a good film in it if it were more dialled back, less operatic in tone and more concerned with the psychology of Nina. At the end of the day, rather than recommending that you see this film, I’d suggest that you log on and add THE RED SHOES and PERFECT BLUE to your netflix queue, and then have yourself a double bill. You’ll have a not dissimilar experience (outside of seeing Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis make out), but by the end you’ll have seen two masterpieces rather than one disappointment.