Vincent Cassel

A DANGEROUS METHOD Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 22nd, 2011 at 6:33 am

[This is a reprint of my review from the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival.  A Dangerous Method opens tomorrow in limited release.]

Psychoanalysis is a funny profession. Its doctors aren’t like cardiologists or gastroenterologists. Your heart is your heart, your intestines are your intestines, and so forth. Psychoanalysis, on the other hand, attempt to impose rationality on the irrationality of emotions. It works from a vague definition of “normal” and then tries to determine why a behavior deviates from that unspecified norm. Sigmund Freud believed it was not the place of psychoanalysts to simply point out the abnormality, while his protégé Carl Jung thought that the practice was worthless if it couldn’t be advanced to help those in need. These two figures illustrate the clash of the ego, id, and super-ego in David Cronenberg‘s A Dangerous Method, a film which brilliantly explores Freudian concepts and how we wish to indulge our base emotions but instead build a wall of reason and science to imprison our desires. However, in attempting to convey this blockade, A Dangerous Method inadvertently cuts off its emotional connection to the audience.

22 New Images from David Cronenberg’s A DANGEROUS METHOD

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: October 24th, 2011 at 8:54 am

Sony Pictures Classics has released 22 new images from David Cronenberg‘s A Dangerous Method.  Here’s the brief synopsis:

Seduced by the challenge of an impossible case, the driven Dr. Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender) takes the unbalanced yet beautiful Sabina Spielrein (Keira Knightley) as his patient in A Dangerous Method. Jung’s weapon is the method of his master, the renowned Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen). Both men fall under Sabina’s spell.

I liked the film when I saw it at TIFF but found it a bit too sterile.  However, it’s Cronenberg which means it’s at least worth your time.  Hit the jump to check out the images.  A Dangerous Method also stars Vincent Cassel, and opens in limited release on November 23rd.

Vincent Cassel and Rosario Dawson Join James McAvoy in Danny Boyle’s TRANCE

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: July 27th, 2011 at 1:42 pm

Danny Boyle has found two more leads for his heist-thriller Trance.  Deadline reports that Rosario Dawson and Vincent Cassel will join James McAvoy in the film which centers on an art heist that goes sideways when its mastermind (McAvoy) gets amnesia and can’t remember where he stashed the loot.  Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson were previously rumored for the other lead roles, but now it looks like Cassel will play the leader of the heist team while Dawson will play the hypnotist tasked with recovering the mastermind’s memories.  The modestly-budgeted and harder-edged picture will be more in line with Boyle’s earlier films Trainspotting and Shallow Grave.

Filming on Trance is set to begin in September and then will be put on a shelf while Boyle directs the summer Olympics.  He’ll pick it back up again in August 2012 for editing and then release it in March 2013.  Both Dawson and Cassel will next be seen at the Toronto International Film Festival with Ten Year and A Dangerous Method, respectively.

Trailer for David Cronenberg’s A DANGEROUS METHOD

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: June 21st, 2011 at 11:04 am

The first trailer for director David Cronenberg’s A Dangerous Method has been released, and it’s fantastic. Based on Christopher Hampton’s 2002 play The Talking Cure, the film centers on the relationship between Carl Jung (played by Michael Fassbender), his mentor Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen), and Sabina Spielrein (Keira Knightley), the woman who came between them. The trailer is intense, showcasing what are sure to be some powerhouse performances, as well as a score by Howard Shore. Oh, and there’s sex. Lots of sex. This is Cronenberg after all. Sony Pictures Classics is set to release the film, hopefully sometime this year. Hit the jump to watch the trailer for yourself.

BLACK SWAN Blu-ray Review

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: April 27th, 2011 at 11:01 am

For the first time in his career, Darren Aronofsky directed a hit film. All the more strange, he did it with a tale about a ballet dancer. Black Swan stars Natalie Portman – who won an Oscar for her efforts – as Nina Sayers, the dancer picked for the lead role in Swan Lake. The director (Vincent Cassel) knows she can play the more innocent white swan, but does she have the passion/evil/freedom/aggression to play the black swan, the evil doppelganger? Perhaps with some help from the more sexually suggestive dancer Lily (Mila Kunis). Hit the jump for my review of Black Swan on Blu-ray.

New Featurette on BLACK SWAN Director Darren Aronofsky

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: February 3rd, 2011 at 9:38 am

Fox Seachlight has released a new Black Swan featurette that focuses on director Darren Aronofsky and it’s loaded with behind the scenes footage and interviews with Natalie Portman, Vincent Cassel, Mila Kunis and Winona Ryder.

While everyone is talking about The King’s Speech and The Social Network as the best film of 2010, I think Black Swan should also be part of the discussion, as Aronofsky crafted a brilliant psychological thriller that has one of the best performances by an actor in years.  I’m of course talking about Natalie Portman.  If you haven’t yet seen Black Swan, I strongly suggest checking it out as soon as you can.   Hit the jump for the new featurette:

Darren Aronofsky Discusses BLACK SWAN at Length in Paris; Jokes About Wanting to Remake GODZILLA

by Talia Soghomonian    Posted: December 11th, 2010 at 11:33 am

Great news for those who don’t live in any of the 18 major cities where Black Swan is currently playing. The film, which had a limited release on December 3, will be expanded to more than 1,000 theaters nationwide by December 22 (find out where on Foxsearchlight.com). But at least American moviegoers won’t have to wait until next year, as is the case in France where the movie is set for February 9.

Almost two months ahead of its release, Darren Aronofsky attended a special press screening last night at the MK2 Bibliothèque, on the right bank of the Seine. Flanked by a moderator and translator, the director took the stage at the end to discuss the film, reveal his drunken evening with Natalie Portman and how he has “always wanted to remake Godzilla.” What, you ask? More details after the jump.

BLACK SWAN Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: December 3rd, 2010 at 6:00 am

Sometimes I wish I got a second viewing of a film before I wrote the review.  Black Swan throws so much at you with its layers of symbolism, psychosexual metaphors, and rich thematic undertones.  And instead of furiously scribbling notes, I let myself become lost in Matthew Libatique’s gorgeous cinematography, Clint Mansell rich score, and Natalie Portman’s phenomenal performance.  I wanted to pick apart and analyze Black Swan but director Darren Aronofsky had to go and create another brilliant movie that I wanted to see again as soon as the end credits began to roll.

9 Movie Clips from BLACK SWAN

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: November 30th, 2010 at 2:47 pm

If you’ve been looking forward to Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan, you’re about to be very happy.  That’s because we’ve been provided with 9 clips and you can check them all out after the jump.  As I’ve said a number of times, Black Swan is one of the best films of the year and Natalie Portman is absolutely getting nominated for an Oscar for her amazing work.  In fact, I think she’ll win.

And while Portman is phenomenal, credit has to be given to Aronofsky has taking everything he’s learned over the past few years and created what might be his best work.  While I love to nitpick movies, I wouldn’t change a thing about Black Swan.  Hit the jump for the clips.  The film opens this weekend in limited release.

Music Video for Darren Aronofsky’s BLACK SWAN

by Jason Barr    Posted: November 22nd, 2010 at 2:02 pm

A music video for Darren Aronofsky’s upcoming drama/thriller Black Swan is now available online.  Beginning with the film’s fantastic trailer, followed-up by some very cool international posters, and now with this borderline insane, quick-hitting video, everything I’ve seen from the film thus far has successfully upped my anticipation for its release.  Maybe it’s just me, but the club sequences in this most recent video are bringing to mind visuals from 1990′s Jacob’s Ladder.  In my opinion, this is definitely a good thing.

Briefly, Black Swan stars Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis as dancers vying for the lead in a production of Swan Lake.  In addition to Portman and Kunis, Black Swan also stars Winona Ryder, Vincent Cassel, and Barbara Hershey.  The film hits U.S. theaters on December 3rd.  Hit the jump to check out the music video as well as a synopsis for the film.

Four International Teaser Posters for BLACK SWAN

by Jason Barr    Posted: October 15th, 2010 at 8:01 am

Four limited edition International teaser posters for Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan have landed online.  Starring Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel, and Winona Ryder, the thriller tells the story of a ballerina (Portman) whose hopes of landing the lead in Swan Lake may or may not be making her crazy.  In case the film’s amazing trailer wasn’t enough to get you interested, perhaps these four disturbingly beautiful pieces of work can do the trick.  I’ll admit, after checking these out, I feel silly for not realizing earlier the type of godless killing machines swans really are.

Black Swan opens in the U.S. on December 1st and in the UK in February 2011.  To check out the posters in all of their creepily-awesome glory, hit the jump.

Vincent Cassel Interview MESRINE: KILLER INSTINCT and MESRINE: PUBLIC ENEMY #1

by Sheila Roberts    Posted: August 25th, 2010 at 9:34 am

Vincent Cassel cuts a menacing yet charismatic figure as the notorious Jacques Mesrine and proves once again he knows how to play a tough guy like no other. His bold choice of roles throughout his career and the fearless way in which he inhabits his characters made him the perfect choice. The award winning European actor’s latest performance in Jean-Francois Richet’s two-part thriller biopic, Mesrine: Killer Instinct and Mesrine: Public Enemy No. 1, is one of his best. Shot on location in France, Spain, Algeria, Canada and the U.S., the films’ visual style and dark vibe take their inspiration from iconic 1970s action and gangster films. Adapted by Abdel Raouf Dafri from Mesrine’s autobiography, the exciting double bill splits the story into two parts to explore the man behind the icon and chart the outlaw odyssey of the legendary French gangster of the 1960s and 1970s who came to be known as French Public Enemy No. 1 and The Man of a Thousand Faces.

We sat down with Vincent Cassel to ask him what it was like to portray one of history’s most infamous gangsters. The actor who garnered international acclaim as a Russian thug in Eastern Promises told us what he did to prepare for the physically demanding role, how it took seven years to get the film made, and why he considers Mesrine a wannabe who became what he wanted to be. He also updated us on his upcoming projects including the Darren Aronofsky psychological thriller Black Swan, Romain Gavras’s Our Day Will Come, David Cronenberg’s A Dangerous Method, The Monk and Fantomas.

Fantastic Trailer for Darren Aronofsky’s BLACK SWAN Starring Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, and Vincent Cassel; Plus Poster and Synopsis

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: August 17th, 2010 at 2:29 pm

The trailer for Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan has gone online and it is wonderfully terrifying.  After the uplifting tragedies of The Fountain and The Wrestler, it looks like Aronofsky is returning to the hardcore psychological horror he explored in Pi and Requiem for a Dream.  I have very high expectations for Black Swan and this trailer makes it look like Aronofsky is easily going to exceed them.

Hit the jump to see the trailer and hit the jump to see the poster and read the official synopsis.  Black Swan will be screening at this year’s Venice and Toronto Film Festivals.  It opens domestically on December 1st.

Darren Aronofsky’s BLACK SWAN Opens in Limited Release on December 1st – Updated With Official Synopsis

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: July 30th, 2010 at 12:16 pm

The fall movie season keeps getting better.  Darren Aronofsky’s ballet-thriller Black Swan is due out in limited release on December 1^st.  Fox Searchlight is clearly setting the film up as a serious Oscar contender.  Swan is set to play at both the Toronto and Venice Film Festivals and a December 1^st limited release is just how potential Oscar-nominees roll.  Here’s the just released official synopsis.

A psychological thriller set in the world of New York City ballet, Black Swan stars Natalie Portman as Nina, a featured dancer who finds herself locked in a web of competitive intrigue with a new rival at the company (Mila Kunis).  A Fox Searchlight Pictures release by visionary director Darren Aronofsky (THE WRESTLER), Black Swan takes a thrilling and at times terrifying journey through the psyche of a young ballerina whose starring role as the duplicitous swan queen turns out to be a part for which she becomes frighteningly perfect.  Black Swan follows the story of Nina (Portman), a ballerina in a New York City ballet company whose life, like all those in her profession, is completely consumed with dance.  She lives with her retired ballerina mother Erica (Barbara Hershey) who zealously supports her daughter’s professional ambition.  When artistic director Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel) decides to replace prima ballerina Beth MacIntyre (Winona Ryder) for the opening production of their new season, Swan Lake, Nina is his first choice.  But Nina has competition: a new dancer, Lily (Kunis), who impresses Leroy as well.  Swan Lake requires a dancer who can play both the White Swan with innocence and grace, and the Black Swan, who represents guile and sensuality.  Nina fits the White Swan role perfectly but Lily is the personification of the Black Swan. As the two young dancers expand their rivalry into a twisted friendship, Nina begins to get more in touch with her dark side with a recklessness that threatens to destroy her.

And now to begin the excruciating four-month wait.

New Images from BLACK SWAN Featuring Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, and Darren Aronofsky; Will Open Venice Film Festival

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: July 22nd, 2010 at 10:03 am

With Darren Aronofsky (The Wrestler) at the helm, and an excellent cast led by Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis, we’ve been anticipating the psychological ballet thriller Black Swan for some time now.  Fox Searchlight has Swan slated for release sometime later in the year, but it turns out we’re just over a month away from the official unveiling.  The Venice International Film Festival has selected Black Swan to kick things off as the opening film on September 1st.  Hit the jump for the official announcement, plus new photos from the film.

Copyright ©2005 - 2012. All Rights Reserved. California web design