"Black Swan" Hits the Lido

Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan opened the 67th Venice Film Festival a short while ago and the reactions are mostly appreciative, sometimes glowing, yet undullating (which is probably a good thing if you ask me.)

The psychological ballet-thriller is being compared quite a bit to early Polanksi and Cronenberg fused with The Red Shoes while some critics seems to be turned off by its outlandish, "trashy" elements.

InContention's Guy Lodge raves, giving it an (A-).

Variety's Peter Debruge calls it wicked, sexy and devastating.

Obsessed With Film's Rob Beames is simply over the moon for it.

Meanwhile the wet blanket of the day is Hollywood Reporter's Kirk Honeycutt, who can't embrace the film's lesser, horror-thriller elements and absurdest punches. And not to show my Aronofsky bias, but I think Honeycutt has proven himself to be untrustworthy from time-to-time and flatly generic.

Also hearing high praise for Natalie Portman (no surprise) and Clint Mansell's original score (really no surprise). Can't wait to see it, more to come from Venice over the next 10 days, stay tuned. If you would like the follow the festival, you're best bet is probably Guy Lodge over at InContention or at his twitter account: http://twitter.com/guylodge