Trailer Park: BLACK SWAN, BURLESQUE and LOVE AND OTHER DRUGS

The latest trailers for some of the most noteworthy upcoming flicks.

By R. Kurt Osenlund, The Good Life film critic


BLACK SWAN
One of the best trailers of the year has arrived, hopefully advertising one of the year's best movies. The lovely, ever-ripening Natalie Portman (and I mean ripe in an artistic sense, of course) stars alongside Vincent Cassel, Mila Kunis and Barbara Hershey in this dark and creepy ballerina fantasy from Darren Aronofsky ("The Wrestler," "Requiem for a Dream"). Looks to be plenty of room for chilling drama, and great promise for a best-ever perf. from Portman. Keep an eye out for the last shot -- it's a killer.




BURLESQUE
Oh, puh-leeeaze. "Burlesque," the latest chase-your-dreams fairy tale about a wide-eyed girl ready to make it in the big city, looks as gum-on-your-shoe disposable as a Top 40 pop song. It's no wonder they nabbed Christina Aguilera and Cher to tackle the lead roles. That said, I'm eagerly looking forward to the glittery drama, which is worth seeing if only to find out if Aguilera can hold the screen and handle a monologue. Stanley Tucci is the co-star, which certainly doesn't hurt.




LOVE AND OTHER DRUGS
By the exceptionally average looks of this movie (a romantic comedy about a ladykilling pharmaceutical rep who starts pushing a hot new drug called Viagra), I don't quite understand the considerable Oscar buzz surrounding it. I know it has Oscar-friendly names attached like Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway and director Edward Zwick, but everything from the slow ease into tough emotions to the wiseass, ugly, advice-giving sidekick looks as if it could have sprung from any other rom com...from any time...of any year. What do you think?