Vincent Cassel

CHICAGO – Darren Aronofsky’s Oscar-winning “Black Swan” was one of the most ambitious films of 2010, a piece of psychological drama that, despite an incredibly stupid recent backlash of the kind that always comes eventually with a project this highly-acclaimed, will absolutely stand the test of time.

CHICAGO – It started with the best lead performances of 2010 yesterday and now we naturally move on to many of the stars who made those lead turns possible. For what is a great lead performance without the supporting ones that got it there? These were the MVPs of 2010 who may have allowed others to take the spotlight but also made it shine so much brighter.

CHICAGO – In our latest ballet edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 15 admit-two run-of-engagement movie passes up for grabs to the highly buzzed new film “Black Swan” with Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis from acclaimed director Darren Aronofsky!

CHICAGO – Darren Aronofsky’s “Black Swan” pulses with the kind of energy and life that we only see from cinema a few times a year.

Rating: 3.5/5.0

CHICAGO – When we last left Jacques Mesrine in “Mesrine: Killer Instinct,” he was robbing banks, killing cops, and escaping from jail. In “Mesrine: Public Enemy #1,” Jacques Mesrine robs banks, kills cops, and escapes from jail. The second half of the “Mesrine” saga contains most of the same strengths and flaws as its predecessor and one has to wonder if the two films couldn’t have been merged into a stronger and more accomplished single project.

CHICAGO – The film around its riveting central performance may be a little more flawed than the entire project’s international reputation would have you believe but Vincent Cassel alone makes a trip to “Mesrine: Killer Instinct” worth the time and emotional effort. Be warned that this is not a crime epic for the faint of heart and those who have difficulty with an anti-hero protagonist may be turned off but those attuned to this kind of storytelling will find a lot to like here.

CHICAGO – In our latest crime/drama edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 50 admit-two passes up for grabs to the advance Chicago screening of the new film “Mesrine: Killer Instinct”!