The Hot Sheet

Movies

Black Swan — Darren Aronofsky's dazzling psychological thriller set in the cutthroat world of New York ballet plays like a kitschy mash-up of The Red Shoes, All About Eve, Rosemary's Baby, and Carrie. Natalie Portman delivers a bravura performance as Nina, a young dancer battling internal demons and a crazy, infantalizing mother (Barbara Hershey, terrifying) after being chosen to replace an aging prima ballerina (Winona Ryder, perfectly cast) and threatened (as well as possibly seduced) by a sensuous newcomer (Mila Kunis, excellent). You'll never look at manicure scissors the same way again.

I Love You Phillip Morris — After endless delays, this same-sex rom-com finally gets a U.S. release, and it's a hilarious, deranged romp that was worth the nearly two-year wait. It's based (perhaps loosely) on the improbably true story of a religious family man with serious abandonment issues turned- ay con man who finds true love in prison. As charismatic, flamboyant Steven Russell, Jim Carrey finds a role that brilliantly exploits his full range, while Ewan McGregor as the title character is winsome and appealing. As this comes from the filmmakers responsible for Bad Santa, the film is deliriously politically incorrect and full of the expected unhinged raunch, yet the love story at its center is surprisingly touching.