A Complete Review of Darren Aronofsky's work

Cast : Austin Butler, Zoë Kravitz, Matt Smith, Regina King, Liev Schreiber, Vincent D'Onofrio, Bad Bunny

What was it about?
Burned-out ex-baseball player Hank Thompson unexpectedly finds himself embroiled in a dangerous struggle for survival amidst the criminal underbelly of 1990s New York City, forced to navigate a treacherous underworld he never imagined.

My two cents:
Unfortunately, even though Aronofsky had pretty much a flawless track-record so far, this movie was his first which didn’t really work, I’m afraid. I mean, there was nothing really wrong with it though. Indeed, it was even well made and there was a solid cast involved. However, even though there is always something challenging in Aronosfky’s movies, this one felt rather flat in comparison and, to be honest, I wonder what attracted him to this project. Sure, there were here and there some fancy shots but the material was never interesting enough. It was also the same thing with the characters. Sure, they were all quite colorful but none of them was really fascinating. I have to admit that it was a bold move to kill off Zoë Kravitz’s character so early on, it was probably the only really bold thing they did in fact. However, at that point, you only got to know this couple for 5 mins, they did look cute but who knows how deep they were in this relationship? Furthermore, it removed the only thing that the main character had going in his life. After that, he was pretty much only a loser who once almost became a baseball prodigy. As a result, after she died, he became even less interesting than he already was. At least, there is no denying that Austin Butler is a really charismatic with some interesting range. Seriously, when you see him this movie, it is hard to imagine that, only a few years back, he was playing such a convincing Elvis.

My rating: 06/10

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Cast : Brendan Fraser, Sadie Sink, Samantha Morton

What was it about?
A reclusive, morbidly obese English teacher attempts to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter.

My two cents:
Well, it turned out to be another fascinating emotional rollercoaster coming from this director, that’s for sure. Obviously, this movie will be mostly remembered for Brendan Fraser’s performance and, even though I always thought that Fraser was one of the most underwhelming actors ever, I have to admit that he was actually quite amazing here. Of course, you might argue that they could have cast an actually obese man for this part but it would have never worked since the character was in such a life-threatening situation through the whole duration. As a result, an actor in a fat suit was the only option. The fact that the character himself and his background was so fascinating also helped a lot. Sure, Aronofsky with ‘The Wrestler’ already delivered a movie about a man on a self-destructive path who tried to reconnect with his daughter but these similarities didn't bother me. This movie also reminded me of ‘Leaving Las Vegas’ with Nicolas Cage delivering another Academy Award winning performance for portraying an alcoholic drinking himself to death. Eventually, the only thing that didn’t really work was the fact that, for a man completely isolating himself from the world, there were just too many people orbiting around him. On top of that, the characters themselves didn’t really work, at least, not all of them. Anyway, in spite of its flaws, it was still a strong drama with an unforgettable performance from Brendan Fraser who finally managed to redeem himself to me after years of delivering some garbage.

My rating: 07/10

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Cast : Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris, Michelle Pfeiffer, Domhnall Gleeson

What was it about?
A couple's relationship is tested when uninvited guests arrive at their home, disrupting their tranquil existence.

My two cents:
Following the polarizing responses towards this movie, I wasn't really sure what to expect but since I have always been a fan of Darren Aronosfky's work, I was still really eager to check it out. Well, I have to admit it, it was a difficult movie to read as the whole thing was just so bizarre and chaotic and I can imagine that not everyone might be able to connect with this picture. But it was also the real beauty of it, the fact that you could give it pretty much any meaning you want. Indeed, someone might think that it is a story about motherhood, some others might say it is about how chaotic our society and way of life have become. As far as I was concerned, it felt like a fascinating and endless nightmare, the way everything seemed familiar and yet odd at the same time and the way the main character seemed to be a mere spectator with no control over the events happening in front of her. Their world kept shifting, unfolding and exploding with some continuous random small or big events which felt really reminiscent to a nightmare, at least, to me, and this process was just spellbinding to behold. In fact, after all these years, I would really like to watch it a 2nd time.

My rating: 08/10

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Cast : Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, Emma Watson, Logan Lerman, Nick Nolte

What was it about?
Noah is chosen by God to undertake a momentous mission before an apocalyptic flood cleanses the world.

My two cents:
At last, Darron Aronofsky was allowed to make a big blockbuster and, of course, I was really eager to check the end-result. Eventually, he didn’t go for the easy path and decided to go all the way and direct a massive biblical epic. To be honest, even though I was quite impressed, I’m still not quite sure what to make of the whole thing and I will probably re-watch it at some point in the future to make up my mind for good. First of all, it was visually impressive. I mean, throughout the movie, you get some mystical imagery but he managed to give it some really intriguing look and you really get the feeling that you are watching something out of this world. I have to admit it, I’m not a religious person, in the contrary, and I'm not sure I actually really cared about this ancient tale but I have always been fascinated by the concept of religion and this movie definitely gave some food for thought. Indeed, even though the scale was huge, the whole thing was basically about Noah himself and the struggles he had to face. How did he know exactly what his creator had meant him to do? He simply didn’t and became pretty messed up in the process. Indeed, while building the ark, all the animals came automatically so that was pretty easy but what about mankind? How did you decide to let millions of people to die? Did they all deserve this fate? From that point, Noah was eaten by guilt and became a fanatical doomsday despot who decided that even his family should die. And that’s when the movie became really fascinating and displayed the difficult concept behind any faith and religion. Indeed, men are made of flesh and bones, they have feelings and even if you do something good, should you feel good about it, should you be proud? Noah did something terrible and he was even planning to kill his grand-children but he would save the planet in the process so was it then ok? Furthermore, who was he to decide who should live and who should die? Still, their genetic pool seemed to be terribly limited to repopulate the Earth. Anyway, in my opinion, it is actually a really thoughtful epic tale.

My rating: 08/10

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Cast : Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel, Barbara Hershey, Winona Ryder, Sebastian Stan

What was it about?
Nina is a talented but unstable ballerina on the verge of stardom. Pushed to the breaking point by her artistic director and a seductive rival, Nina's grip on reality slips, plunging her into a waking nightmare.

My two cents:
Before this movie was released, there was a huge buzz about it and I really loved it and even watched it twice in the movie theater which is something I haven't done for many years. Basically, Aronofosky displayed once again his versatility and after making an amazing movie about the wrestling world, he has now made an amazing movie about the ballet world. Seriously, it was just very impressive. The directing was indeed very good, Natalie Portman gave the best performance of her career and she definitely deserved her Academy Award. Eventually, in my opinion, it was just a fascinating picture which shared my views about Art. Indeed, in my opinion, Art always goes with excess, violence, sex, it should push the boundaries and it can be highly destructive. My only complain with this movie would be that 'The Swan Lake', the actual ballet, is actually rather dull. Furthermore, since it was only 90 minutes, none of the supporting characters were really developed and I wish I had the chance to get to know them a little bit more. Still, it is and remains a fascinating picture, no doubt about it.

My rating: 08/10

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Cast : Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood

What was it about?
A faded professional wrestler must retire, but finds his quest for a new life outside the ring a dispiriting struggle.

My two cents:
After the already fascinating ‘Requiem for Dream’ and ‘The Fountain’, Darren Aronofsky came up once again with another really strong feature. What was so impressive about this movie was that they managed to tell such an intense and heartbreaking story about such a tedious sport like wrestling. Indeed, I had never cared for this ‘sport’ but the story of Randy ‘The Ram’ Robinson was just so fascinating to behold nonetheless. It was above all thanks to a really impressive performance by Mickey Rourke making his come-back in the process. In fact, pretty much like ‘Rocky’, there was some obvious similarities between Rourke’s own life and Randy’s torturous path which made the whole thing even more heartbreaking to see. However, the funny thing is that, during the last 10 years, Rourke spent much of his time making again some rather forgettable movies. Coming back to our main feature, of course, we should also give some credit to Aronofsky who displayed once again his versatility and the fact that it is definitely one of the best directors at work nowadays

My rating: 08/10

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Cast : Hugh Jackman, Rachel Weisz, Ellen Burstyn, Cliff Curtis

What was it about?
As a modern-day scientist, Tommy is struggling with mortality, desperately searching for the medical breakthrough that will save the life of his cancer-stricken wife, Izzi.

My two cents:
Following his masterpiece 'Requiem for a dream', it took Darren Aronofsky 6 years to come out with another directing effort and it must be his most ambitious project so far. Actually, it was supposed to come out much earlier. Indeed, in early 2002, Darren Aronofsky cast Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett to play the leads with a $75 million budget . During pre-production, Pitt and Aronofsky were having major creative differences, so Pitt left to film 'Troy' instead and the film was shut down. In early 2004, with a smaller budget of $35 million, Aronofsky cast Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz instead. On the casting choice, I must say that Hugh Jackman is an interesting actor but apart from 'The Prestige', I have never seen him acting in a very interesting movie. Now, I guess this will be his second amazing movie then. This flick is really an acquired taste, many people thought it was rather disappointing but I really liked it and, personally, I thought the story was really fascinating.

My rating: 07/10

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Cast : Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, Marlon Wayans

What was it about?
The drug-induced utopias of four Coney Island people are shattered when their addictions run deep.

My two cents:
In fact, I actually saw the damned thing when it was released and, ever since then, Darren Aronofsky has always been one of the most intriguing directors at work. During this period, most of his movies have been critically heralded but this sophomore effort remains his best movie in my opinion. Above all, the directing was top-notch and, after I rewatched it, I was surprised to discover that it was actually pretty much a psychological horror flick with a very ominous beginning and such a really relentless hardcore ending. For all the actors involved (Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, Marlon Wayans), it was basically the highest point of their career and they have never been better than in this flick. Hell, who would have thought that Marlon Wayans, of all people, could deliver such an impressive performance?!? Visually, it was just really impressive and, even though the video-clip esthetics might be deemed superficial, I think it was a great way to show the heightened feeling or vision of someone being under the influence of drugs.

My rating: 09/10

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What was it about?
A paranoid mathematician searches for a key number that will unlock the universal patterns found in nature.

My two cents:
To be honest, it has been a while since I have seen this flick and I should definitely re-watch it at some point. In fact, I’m not sure which one I saw first, this movie or ‘Requiem for a Dream’. Anyway, since I’m a huge fan of Darren Aronofsky , probably one of the best directors at work nowadays, I was really eager to check this directing debut. As a matter of fact, I have noticed that this movie has received some rather mixed feedback. Indeed, either you love it or you think it is an incomprehensible mess. Personally, I do think that the whole thing tends to be a little too murky and even though it was really ambitious and often mesmerizing to behold, it was pretty obvious that it was a directing debut and it kind of lost me of a couple of times. Anyway, with this movie Aronofsky joined the selected club of directors like Christopher Nolan, David Lynch or even Kevin Smith who all had their breakthrough with a small movie made on a shoestring budget (Indeed, this movie cost only $60,000 to make, most of which was raised with contributions from the director's friends and family).

My rating: 07/10

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