The fourth installment in the “American Pie” franchise (eight if you count four straight-to-DVD titles) is predictably one-fourth as funny as the original film.

“American Reunion” brings the horny cast together this time for their 13^th-high school reunion. That’s not a real thing, of course, but never mind. We’ve got numerous raunchy sex jokes and just under two hours to get through them all.

The appeal of the series (the theatrical releases anyway) boils down to a few engaging characters. Hapless Jim (Jason Biggs) still gets himself in embarrassing sex predicaments (sexdicaments?), almost none of them very funny, but you have to appreciate how Biggs will do literally anything to top his previous “achievements.” (more…)

Darren Aronofsky’s “Black Swan” mixes the classic beauty of ballet with the disturbing imagery of a sudden and debilitating mental illness.

Natalie Portman agonized through months of rigorous training to play Nina, a veteran dancer who unravels emotionally after she earns the coveted lead in “Swan Lake.” She’s got the innocence of the Swan Queen, but her director (Vincent Cassel) doesn’t believe the dancer can handle the seductive danger of The Black Queen.

Enter rival Mila Kunis and the forceful hand of an overbearing mother (Barbara Hershey), and Nina starts tripping out, first noticing some especially scary stuff in the mirror.

Nina’s mental breakdown stretches the plotting of “Black Swan” into repetitive oblivion, but through those occasional plot missteps shines Portman’s unforgettable performance. The physicality of the role is a marvel, and her descent into insanity remains believable even as she literally begins transforming into a giant bird.

It might be best to carve her name on the Oscar statue right now.

Grade: A-