I wrote a capsule review of this one when I did my top 10 of the year list. Here ya go:
Aronofsky synergizes Repulsion-esque psychological horror with operatic nutty gothics, as cutie pie Natty Portman progresses from half blown ice queen to full blown nutbar. The film simultaneously aims for subtle and over the top (not the arm wrestling movie), and, while not smoothly integrated, it still achieves an unglamourous opera of the horrors of ballet, where both simple minutia (foot blisters) and more deep seeded horrors (freudian repression and the inability to love) collide in phantasmagoric chaos.
The "operatic nutty gothics" probably entails some Dario Argento influence, which I failed to mention. However, the ever-vigilante Mark Kermode leaves no Argento reference unturned. Here is his review which, when Scotch-taped to mine, is basically my thoughts on the film in a nutshell. The only other value judgement I'll add is to say that I thought the movie was awesome despite what I perceived to be flaws. Namely, that the movie is overstuffed, and it's hard for subtle psychological horror and overblown gothic horror to co-exist. Having said that, I'll take awesome (or "bonkers" as Kermode astutely puts it) over tasteful "perfection" any day of the week.
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