Inception

Genres: Sci-Fi / Adventure / Action
Year: 2010
Director: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Cillian Murphy / Dileep Rao / Ken Watanabe / Tom Hardy / Ellen Page / Joseph Gordon-Levitt / Leonardo DiCaprio / Magnus Nolan / Claire Geare / Tai-Li Lee / Lukas Haas / Michael Caine / Pete Postlethwaite / Marion Cotillard / Tom Berenger

IMDB Rating: 8.8

Dom Cobb is a skilled thief, the absolute best in the dangerous art of extraction, stealing valuable secrets from deep within the subconscious during the dream state, when the mind is at its most vulnerable. Cobb's rare ability has made him a coveted player in this treacherous new world of corporate espionage, but it has also made him an international fugitive and cost him everything he has ever loved.
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Dom Cobb is a skilled thief, the absolute best in the dangerous art of extraction, stealing valuable secrets from deep within the subconscious during the dream state, when the mind is at its most vulnerable. Cobb's rare ability has made him a coveted player in this treacherous new world of corporate espionage, but it has also made him an international fugitive and cost him everything he has ever loved. Now Cobb is being offered a chance at redemption. One last job could give him his life back but only if he can accomplish the impossible-inception. Instead of the perfect heist, Cobb and his team of specialists have to pull off the reverse: their task is not to steal an idea but to plant one. If they succeed, it could be the perfect crime. But no amount of careful planning or expertise can prepare the team for the dangerous enemy that seems to predict their every move. An enemy that only Cobb could have seen coming.

The Avengers

Genres: Action / Adventure / Sci-Fi
Year: 2012
Director: Joss Whedon
Starring: Robert Downey Jr. / Jeremy Renner / Scarlett Johansson / Chris Hemsworth / Cobie Smulders / Chris Evans / Samuel L. Jackson / Gwyneth Paltrow / Stellan Skarsgård / Paul Bettany / Mark Ruffalo / Tom Hiddleston / Amanda Righetti / Lou Ferrigno / Clark Gregg

IMDB Rating: 8.7

The S.H.I.E.L.D. agency brings together a team of superhumans to help save the Earth from annihilation by extraterrestrial invaders.

The S.H.I.E.L.D. agency brings together a team of superhumans to help save the Earth from annihilation by extraterrestrial invaders.

Senna

Genres: Documentary / Biography / Sport
Year: 2010
Director: Asif Kapadia
Starring: Ayrton Senna / Alain Prost / Frank Williams / Ron Dennis / Viviane Senna / Milton da Silva / Neide Senna / Jackie Stewart / Sid Watkins / Galvão Bueno / Reginaldo Leme / Gerhard Berger / Nelson Piquet / Nigel Mansell / Jean-Marie Balestre

IMDB Rating: 8.6

The story of the monumental life and tragic death of legendary Brazilian motor-racing Champion, Ayrton Senna. Spanning the decade from his arrival in Formula One in the mid 80's, the film follows Senna's struggles both on track against his nemesis, French World Champion Alain Prost, and off it, against the politics which infest the sport.
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The story of the monumental life and tragic death of legendary Brazilian motor-racing Champion, Ayrton Senna. Spanning the decade from his arrival in Formula One in the mid 80's, the film follows Senna's struggles both on track against his nemesis, French World Champion Alain Prost, and off it, against the politics which infest the sport. Sublime, spiritual yet, on occasion, ruthless - Senna conquers and transcends Formula One to become a global superstar. Privately, he is humble, almost shy, and fiercely patriotic, donating millions to his native Brasil and contemplating a life beyond motor-racing. Yet he is struck down in his prime on the blackest weekend in the history of the sport, watched live on television by 300 million people. Years on he is revered in Formula One as the greatest motor racing driver of all time - and in Brasil as a Saint.

A Separation

Genres: Drama
Year: 2011
Director: Asghar Farhadi
Starring: Ali-Asghar Shahbazi / Merila Zare'i / Sarina Farhadi / Shahab Hosseini / Sareh Bayat / Leila Hatami / Peyman Maadi / Mohammad Ebrahimian / Hamid Dadju / Shirin Azimiyannezhad / Mohammadhasan Asghari / Sahabanu Zolghadr / Shirin Yazdanbakhsh / Kimia Hosseini / Babak Karimi

IMDB Rating: 8.5

Nader ('Peyman Moaadi' )and Simin (Leila Hatami) argue about living abroad. Simin prefers to live abroad to provide better opportunities for their only daughter, Termeh. However, Nader refuses to go because he thinks he must stay in Iran and take care of his father (Ali-Asghar Shahbazi), who suffers from Alzheimers.
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Nader ('Peyman Moaadi' )and Simin (Leila Hatami) argue about living abroad. Simin prefers to live abroad to provide better opportunities for their only daughter, Termeh. However, Nader refuses to go because he thinks he must stay in Iran and take care of his father (Ali-Asghar Shahbazi), who suffers from Alzheimers. However, Simin is determined to get a divorce and leave the country with her daughter.

The Cove

Genres: Documentary / Crime
Year: 2009
Director: Louie Psihoyos
Starring: Richard O'Barry / Louie Psihoyos / Hardy Jones / Michael Illiff / Joji Morishita / Ian Campbell / Paul Watson / Doug DeMaster / Dave Rastovich / Charles Hambleton / Hayato Sakurai / Kazutaka Sangen / Simon Hutchins / Joe Chisholm / Mandy-Rae Cruikshank

IMDB Rating: 8.5

Richard O'Barry was the man who captured and trained the dolphins for the television show "Flipper" (1964). O'Barry's view of cetaceans in captivity changed from that experience when as the last straw he saw that one of the dolphins playing Flipper - her name being Kathy - basically committed suicide in his arms because of the stress of being in captivity.
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Richard O'Barry was the man who captured and trained the dolphins for the television show "Flipper" (1964). O'Barry's view of cetaceans in captivity changed from that experience when as the last straw he saw that one of the dolphins playing Flipper - her name being Kathy - basically committed suicide in his arms because of the stress of being in captivity. Since that time, he has become one of the leading advocates against cetaceans in captivity and for the preservation of cetaceans in the wild. O'Barry and filmmaker Louie Psihoyos go about trying to expose one of what they see as the most cruel acts against wild dolphins in the world in Taiji, Japan, where dolphins are routinely corralled, either to be sold alive to aquariums and marine parks, or slaughtered for meat. The primary secluded cove where this activity is taking place is heavily guarded. O'Barry and Psihoyos are well known as enemies by the authorities in Taiji, the authorities who will use whatever tactic to expel the two from Japan forever. O'Barry, Psihoyos and their team covertly try to film as a document of conclusive evidence this cruel behavior. They employ among others Hollywood cameramen and deep sea free divers. They also highlight what is considered the dangerous consumption of dolphin meat (due to its high concentration of mercury) which is often sold not as dolphin meat, and the Japanese government's methodical buying off of poorer third world nations for their support of Japan's whaling industry, that support most specifically at the International Whaling Commission.

Toy Story 3

Genres: Animation / Adventure / Comedy
Year: 2010
Director: Lee Unkrich
Starring: Tom Hanks / Tim Allen / Joan Cusack / Ned Beatty / Don Rickles / Michael Keaton / Wallace Shawn / John Ratzenberger / Estelle Harris / John Morris / Jodi Benson / Emily Hahn / Laurie Metcalf / Blake Clark / Teddy Newton

IMDB Rating: 8.5

Woody, Buzz and the whole gang are back. As their owner Andy prepares to depart for college, his loyal toys find themselves in daycare where untamed tots with their sticky little fingers do not play nice. So, it's all for one and one for all as they join Barbie's counterpart Ken, a thespian hedgehog named Mr.
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Woody, Buzz and the whole gang are back. As their owner Andy prepares to depart for college, his loyal toys find themselves in daycare where untamed tots with their sticky little fingers do not play nice. So, it's all for one and one for all as they join Barbie's counterpart Ken, a thespian hedgehog named Mr. Pricklepants and a pink, strawberry-scented teddy bear called Lots-o'-Huggin' Bear to plan their great escape.

Home

Genres: Documentary
Year: 2009
Director: Yann Arthus-Bertrand
Starring: Jacques Gamblin / Glenn Close / Yann Arthus-Bertrand

IMDB Rating: 8.4

With aerial footage from 54 countries, Home is a depiction of how the Earth's problems are all interlinked.

With aerial footage from 54 countries, Home is a depiction of how the Earth's problems are all interlinked.

Zeitgeist: Moving Forward

Genres: Documentary
Year: 2011
Director: Peter Joseph
Starring: Toni Orans / Colin Campbell / Colin Campbell / Roxanne Meadows / Berok Khoshnevis / Adrian Bowyer / Jacque Fresco / Max Keiser / Michael Ruppert / John McMurtry / James Gilligan / Richard Wilkinson / Gabor Mate / Robert Sapolsky / Peter Joseph

IMDB Rating: 8.4

A feature length documentary work which presents a case for a needed transition out of the current socioeconomic monetary paradigm which governs the entire world society. This subject matter will transcend the issues of cultural relativism and traditional ideology and move to relate the core, empirical "life ground" attributes of human and social survival, extrapolating those immutable natural laws into a new sustainable social paradigm called a "Resource-Based Economy".

A feature length documentary work which presents a case for a needed transition out of the current socioeconomic monetary paradigm which governs the entire world society. This subject matter will transcend the issues of cultural relativism and traditional ideology and move to relate the core, empirical "life ground" attributes of human and social survival, extrapolating those immutable natural laws into a new sustainable social paradigm called a "Resource-Based Economy".

The Raid

Genres: Action
Year: 2011
Director: Gareth Evans
Starring: Iko Uwais / Doni Alamsyah / Ananda George / Yayan Ruhian / Ray Sahetapy / Verdi Solaiman / Joe Taslim

IMDB Rating: 8.3

Deep in the heart of Jakarta's slums lies an impenetrable safe house for the world's most dangerous killers and gangsters... See full synopsis »

Deep in the heart of Jakarta's slums lies an impenetrable safe house for the world's most dangerous killers and gangsters... See full synopsis »

Up

Genres: Animation / Adventure / Comedy
Year: 2009
Director: Pete Docter / Bob Peterson
Starring: Edward Asner / Christopher Plummer / Jordan Nagai / Bob Peterson / Delroy Lindo / Jerome Ranft / John Ratzenberger / David Kaye / Elie Docter / Jeremy Leary / Mickie McGowan / Danny Mann / Donald Fullilove / Jess Harnell / Josh Cooley

IMDB Rating: 8.3

A young Carl Fredrickson meets a young adventure spirited girl named Ellie. They both dream of going to a Lost Land in South America. 70 years later, Ellie has died. Carl remembers the promise he made to her. Then, when he inadvertently hits a construction worker, he is forced to go to a retirement home.
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A young Carl Fredrickson meets a young adventure spirited girl named Ellie. They both dream of going to a Lost Land in South America. 70 years later, Ellie has died. Carl remembers the promise he made to her. Then, when he inadvertently hits a construction worker, he is forced to go to a retirement home. But before they can take him, he and his house fly away. However he has a stowaway aboard. An 8 year old boy named Russell, who's trying to get an Assisting the Elderly badge. Together, they embark on an adventure, where they encounter talking dogs, an evil villain and a rare bird named Kevin.

Inglourious Basterds

Genres: War / Drama / Adventure
Year: 2009
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Starring: Sylvester Groth / Denis Menochet / August Diehl / Omar Doom / B.J. Novak / Jacky Ido / Gedeon Burkhard / Til Schweiger / Daniel Brühl / Diane Kruger / Michael Fassbender / Eli Roth / Christoph Waltz / Mélanie Laurent / Brad Pitt

IMDB Rating: 8.3

In Nazi occupied France, young Jewish refugee Shosanna Dreyfus witnesses the slaughter of her family by Colonel Hans Landa. Narrowly escaping with her life, she plots her revenge several years later when German war hero Fredrick Zoller takes a rapid interest in her and arranges an illustrious movie premiere at the theater she now runs.
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In Nazi occupied France, young Jewish refugee Shosanna Dreyfus witnesses the slaughter of her family by Colonel Hans Landa. Narrowly escaping with her life, she plots her revenge several years later when German war hero Fredrick Zoller takes a rapid interest in her and arranges an illustrious movie premiere at the theater she now runs. With the promise of every major Nazi officer in attendance, the event catches the attention of the "Basterds", a group of Jewish-American guerilla soldiers led by the ruthless Lt. Aldo Raine. As the relentless executioners advance and the conspiring young girl's plans are set in motion, their paths will cross for a fateful evening that will shake the very annals of history.

The Artist

Genres: Romance / Comedy / Drama
Year: 2011
Director: Michel Hazanavicius
Starring: Jean Dujardin / Bérénice Bejo / John Goodman / James Cromwell / Penelope Ann Miller / Missi Pyle / Beth Grant / Ed Lauter / Joel Murray / Bitsie Tulloch / Ken Davitian / Malcolm McDowell / Basil Hoffman / Bill Fagerbakke / Nina Siemaszko

IMDB Rating: 8.2

Hollywood, 1927: As silent movie star George Valentin wonders if the arrival of talking pictures will cause him to fade into oblivion, he sparks with Peppy Miller, a young dancer set for a big break.

Hollywood, 1927: As silent movie star George Valentin wonders if the arrival of talking pictures will cause him to fade into oblivion, he sparks with Peppy Miller, a young dancer set for a big break.

Warrior

Genres: Action / Drama / Sport
Year: 2011
Director: Gavin O'Connor
Starring: Joel Edgerton / Tom Hardy / Nick Nolte / Jennifer Morrison / Frank Grillo / Kevin Dunn / Maximiliano Hernández / Bryan Callen / Sam Sheridan / Fernando Chien / Jake McLaughlin / Vanessa Martinez / Denzel Whitaker / Carlos Miranda / Nick Lehane

IMDB Rating: 8.2

The youngest son (Hardy) of an alcoholic former boxer (Nolte) returns home, where he's trained by his father for competition in a mixed martial arts tournament -- a path that puts the fighter on a collision corner with his older brother (Edgerton). Written by Anonymous Two brothers face the fight of a lifetime - and the wreckage of their broken family - within the brutal, high-stakes world of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighting in Lionsgate's action/drama, WARRIOR.
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The youngest son (Hardy) of an alcoholic former boxer (Nolte) returns home, where he's trained by his father for competition in a mixed martial arts tournament -- a path that puts the fighter on a collision corner with his older brother (Edgerton). Written by Anonymous Two brothers face the fight of a lifetime - and the wreckage of their broken family - within the brutal, high-stakes world of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighting in Lionsgate's action/drama, WARRIOR. An ex-Marine haunted by a tragic past, Tommy Riordan returns to his hometown of Pittsburgh and enlists his father, a recovered alcoholic and his former coach, to train him for an MMA tournament awarding the biggest purse in the history of the sport. As Tommy blazes a violent path towards the title prize, his brother, Brendan, a former MMA fighter unable to make ends meet as a public school teacher, returns to the amateur ring to provide for his family. Even though years have passed, recriminations and past betrayals keep Brendan bitterly estranged from both Tommy and his father. But when Brendan's unlikely rise as an underdog sets him on a collision course with Tommy, the two brothers must finally confront the forces that tore them apart, all the while waging the most intense, winner-takes-all battle of their lives.

3 Idiots

Genres: Comedy / Drama / Romance
Year: 2009
Director: Rajkumar Hirani
Starring: Aamir Khan / Kareena Kapoor / Boman Irani / Sharman Joshi / Madhavan / Omi Vaidya / Mona Singh / Rajeev Ravindranathan / Javed Jaffrey / Ali Fazal / Akhil Mishra / Parikshat Sahni / Pitobash / Chandrashekhar / Achyut Potdar

IMDB Rating: 8.2

Farhan Qureshi and Raju Rastogi want to re-unite with their fellow collegian, Rancho, after faking a stroke abroad an Air India plane, and excusing himself from his wife - trouser less - respectively. Enroute, they encounter another student, Chatur Ramalingam, now a successful businessman, who reminds them of a bet they had undertaken 10 years ago.
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Farhan Qureshi and Raju Rastogi want to re-unite with their fellow collegian, Rancho, after faking a stroke abroad an Air India plane, and excusing himself from his wife - trouser less - respectively. Enroute, they encounter another student, Chatur Ramalingam, now a successful businessman, who reminds them of a bet they had undertaken 10 years ago. The trio, while recollecting hilarious antics, including their run-ins with the Dean of Delhi's Imperial College of Engineering, Viru Sahastrabudhe, race to locate Rancho, at his last known address - little knowing the secret that was kept from them all this time.

Inside Job

Genres: Documentary / Crime
Year: 2010
Director: Charles Ferguson
Starring: Matt Damon / William Ackman / Daniel Alpert / Jonathan Alpert / Sigridur Benediktsdottir / Ben Bernanke / Willem Buiter / George W. Bush / John Campbell / Satyajit Das / Jerome Fons / Barney Frank / Timothy Geithner / Alan Greenspan / Christine Lagarde

IMDB Rating: 8.2

'Inside Job' provides a comprehensive analysis of the global financial crisis of 2008, which at a cost over $20 trillion, caused millions of people to lose their jobs and homes in the worst recession since the Great Depression, and nearly resulted in a global financial collapse. Through exhaustive research and extensive interviews with key financial insiders, politicians, journalists, and academics, the film traces the rise of a rogue industry which has corrupted politics, regulation, and academia.
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'Inside Job' provides a comprehensive analysis of the global financial crisis of 2008, which at a cost over $20 trillion, caused millions of people to lose their jobs and homes in the worst recession since the Great Depression, and nearly resulted in a global financial collapse. Through exhaustive research and extensive interviews with key financial insiders, politicians, journalists, and academics, the film traces the rise of a rogue industry which has corrupted politics, regulation, and academia. It was made on location in the United States, Iceland, England, France, Singapore, and China.

The Secret in Their Eyes

Genres: Drama / Mystery / Thriller
Year: 2009
Director: Juan José Campanella
Starring: Soledad Villamil / Ricardo Darín / Carla Quevedo / Pablo Rago / Javier Godino / Bárbara Palladino / Rudy Romano / Alejandro Abelenda / Mario Alarcón / Guillermo Francella / Sebastián Blanco / Mariano Argento / José Luis Gioia / Juan José Ortíz / Kiko Cerone

IMDB Rating: 8.2

In 1999, retired Argentinian federal justice agent Benjamín Espósito is writing a novel, using an old closed case as the source material. That case is the brutal rape and murder of Liliana Coloto. In addition to seeing the extreme grief of the victim's husband Ricardo Morales, Benjamín, his assistant Pablo Sandoval, and newly hired department chief Irene Menéndez-Hastings were personally affected by the case as Benjamín and Pablo tracked the killer, hence the reason why the unsatisfactory ending to the case has always bothered him.
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In 1999, retired Argentinian federal justice agent Benjamín Espósito is writing a novel, using an old closed case as the source material. That case is the brutal rape and murder of Liliana Coloto. In addition to seeing the extreme grief of the victim's husband Ricardo Morales, Benjamín, his assistant Pablo Sandoval, and newly hired department chief Irene Menéndez-Hastings were personally affected by the case as Benjamín and Pablo tracked the killer, hence the reason why the unsatisfactory ending to the case has always bothered him. Despite the department already having two other suspects, Benjamín and Pablo ultimately were certain that a man named Isidoro Gómez is the real killer. Although he is aware that historical accuracy is not paramount for the novel, the process of revisiting the case is more an issue of closure for him. He tries to speak to the key players in the case, most specifically Irene, who still works in the justice department and who he has always been attracted to but never pursued due to the differences in their ages and social classes. The other issue is that Gómez is still at large, no one aware if he is alive or dead. But as Pablo at the time mentioned that passion is one thing that cannot be changed in behavior, Benjamín learns now that that premise still holds true.

Mary and Max

Genres: Animation / Comedy / Drama
Year: 2009
Director: Adam Elliot
Starring: Toni Collette / Philip Seymour Hoffman / Barry Humphries / Eric Bana / Bethany Whitmore / Renée Geyer / Ian 'Molly' Meldrum / John Flaus / Julie Forsyth / Christopher Massey / Shaun Patten / Carolyn Shakespeare-Allen / Leanne Smith

IMDB Rating: 8.2

In the mid-1970's, a homely, friendless Australian girl of 8 picks a name out of a Manhattan phone book and writes to him; she includes a chocolate bar. She's Mary Dinkle, the only child of an alcoholic mother and a distracted father. He's Max Horowitz, living alone in New York, overweight, subject to anxiety attacks.
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In the mid-1970's, a homely, friendless Australian girl of 8 picks a name out of a Manhattan phone book and writes to him; she includes a chocolate bar. She's Mary Dinkle, the only child of an alcoholic mother and a distracted father. He's Max Horowitz, living alone in New York, overweight, subject to anxiety attacks. He writes back, with chocolate. Thus begins a 20-year correspondence, interrupted by a stay in an asylum and a few misunderstandings. Mary falls in love with a neighbor, saves money to have a birthmark removed and deals with loss. Max has a friendship with a neighbor, tries to control his weight, and finally gets the dream job. Will the two ever meet face to face?

The King's Speech

Genres: Biography / Drama / History
Year: 2010
Director: Tom Hooper
Starring: Colin Firth / Helena Bonham Carter / Derek Jacobi / Robert Portal / Richard Dixon / Paul Trussell / Adrian Scarborough / Andrew Havill / Charles Armstrong / Roger Hammond / Geoffrey Rush / Calum Gittins / Jennifer Ehle / Dominic Applewhite / Ben Wimsett

IMDB Rating: 8.2

Tells the story of the man who became King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth II. After his brother abdicates, George ('Bertie') reluctantly assumes the throne. Plagued by a dreaded stammer and considered unfit to be king, Bertie engages the help of an unorthodox speech therapist named Lionel Logue.
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Tells the story of the man who became King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth II. After his brother abdicates, George ('Bertie') reluctantly assumes the throne. Plagued by a dreaded stammer and considered unfit to be king, Bertie engages the help of an unorthodox speech therapist named Lionel Logue. Through a set of unexpected techniques, and as a result of an unlikely friendship, Bertie is able to find his voice and boldly lead the country through war.

How to Train Your Dragon

Genres: Animation / Comedy / Adventure
Year: 2010
Director: Dean DeBlois / Chris Sanders
Starring: Christopher Mintz-Plasse / Jonah Hill / Jay Baruchel / Gerard Butler / Craig Ferguson / America Ferrera / David Tennant / Ashley Jensen / Kieron Elliott / Philip McGrade / Robin Atkin Downes / Kristen Wiig / T.J. Miller

IMDB Rating: 8.2

Long ago up North on the Island of Berk, the young Viking, Hiccup, wants to join his town's fight against the dragons that continually raid their town. However, his macho father and village leader, Stoik the Vast, will not allow his small, clumsy, but inventive son to do so. Regardless, Hiccup ventures out into battle and downs a mysterious Night Fury dragon with his invention, but can't bring himself to kill it.
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Long ago up North on the Island of Berk, the young Viking, Hiccup, wants to join his town's fight against the dragons that continually raid their town. However, his macho father and village leader, Stoik the Vast, will not allow his small, clumsy, but inventive son to do so. Regardless, Hiccup ventures out into battle and downs a mysterious Night Fury dragon with his invention, but can't bring himself to kill it. Instead, Hiccup and the dragon, whom he dubs Toothless, begin a friendship that would open up both their worlds as the observant boy learns that his people have misjudged the species. But even as the two each take flight in their own way, they find that they must fight the destructive ignorance plaguing their world.

Black Swan

Genres: Thriller / Mystery / Drama
Year: 2010
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Starring: Mark Margolis / Sergio Torrado / Toby Hemingway / Sebastian Stan / Janet Montgomery / Kristina Anapau / Ksenia Solo / Benjamin Millepied / Winona Ryder / Barbara Hershey / Vincent Cassel / Mila Kunis / Natalie Portman / Abraham Aronofsky / Tina Sloan

IMDB Rating: 8.2

Nina (Portman) is 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 obsessive former ballerina mother Erica (Hershey) who exerts a suffocating control over her. When artistic director Thomas Leroy (Cassel) decides to replace prima ballerina Beth MacIntyre (Ryder) for the opening production of their new season, Swan Lake, Nina is his first choice.
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Nina (Portman) is 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 obsessive former ballerina mother Erica (Hershey) who exerts a suffocating control over her. When artistic director Thomas Leroy (Cassel) decides to replace prima ballerina Beth MacIntyre (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 - a recklessness that threatens to destroy her.