natalie portman Tagged Articles at Cinematical

You'll have to dip a bit back into the memory banks for this project. Back in 2007, well before Jake Gyllenhaal got buff for the Prince of Persia, he and Tobey Maguire were circling an English-language remake of Susanne Bier's Brothers. No longer rivals for the web of Spider-Man, the two would play brothers that get torn apart by war, assumed death, and familial drama. The film will finally get released this year, and there's a solid first trailer over at ET Online.

Maguire plays Sam, a marine off on his fourth tour of duty while Gyllenhaal plays Tommy, his charming bad-boy brother, fresh out of jail. When Sam's copter is shot down, he's assumed dead and his wife Grace (Natalie Portman) tries to pull her life back together. Tommy helps, the line blurs, and in true Hollywood fashion, just as she starts to fall for Tommy ... it turns out Sam is alive. He was tortured by the Taliban, but now returns home visibly on edge both from his experiences and Tommy's inclusion in his family's life.

Talk about a welcome change. The film looks good. It's been long enough since the seemingly daily influx of war films that the premise doesn't seem tired, and it's almost jarring to see Maguire getting serious again -- in a gaunt and crazy Machinist sort of way. Since the first Spider-Man came out, the only non-webbed wonder movies to get released were Seabiscuit and The Good German. It's about time Maguire showed off more non-Peter Parker fare. As for Jake, well, he doesn't really look like a bad boy and brings to mind Marc Blucas in Prey for Rock & Roll, but that's not entirely surprising.

The film is slated to hit screens on December 4.

Darren Aronofsky's so-called fast-tracking Black Swan met a big ol' brick wall and never got off the ground like it planned to back in 2007. The project got thrown into turnaround by Universal and faded away. But now, fresh with a spanky new rewrite, The Hollywood Reporter posts that the project is picking up steam.

The supernatural thriller, which takes place in New York City's ballet world, has gotten a rewrite by Mark Heyman, and one hell of a lead in Natalie Portman. It also doesn't hurt that The Wrestler did so darned well. The film, being described by some as a "spine-tingler" reminiscent of The Others, will focus on a veteran ballerina (Portman) competing against "a rival dancer, with the stakes and twists increasing as the dancers approach a big performance." Somehow, somewhere, something supernatural slips in.

But it's not a done deal yet. As tasty and unique as the project sounds (albeit with a slight hint of Joss Whedon and Summer Glau), it's being shopped to studios and isn't definite quite yet. However, should a studio bite, this project could get dancing right away. And should it? I think so. It'll be a whole new type of role for Portman, and I'm dying to see how she does in Aronofsky's unique world. How about you?

Did the kids who just won Tony Awards for Billy Elliott on Broadway ever have to endure this kind of criticism from a director? "Stop, stop, stop! It's 'toward.' Who is singing 'towards'? ... If you put an 's' on it, it makes it cheap, it makes it sound like you're from Long Island. Nothing against Long Islands ..." Thus begins Stagedoor, a documentary about a summer camp with superstar alumni such as Robert Downey, Jr., Natalie Portman, Mandy Moore, Bryce Howard, Zach Braff, Amy Ryan, Jon Cryer, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Felicity Huffman, and director Shawn Levy. Our friends at SnagFilms have made the film available for free online viewing.

"What will life be like when theater geeks and show-tune queens rule the world?," asked Jorge Morales in his review at The Village Voice. "Documentarian Alexandra Shiva's cameras miss the moment some of the alpha divas cross the line, but the overwrought counselors make it sound like a showbiz Lord of the Flies." Ed Gonzalez of Slant notes that Stagedoor Manor was "the inspiration for former student and teacher Todd Graff's Camp, a film which never arrived at the truth of what this performing arts camp means for the Future Gay Men, Fag Hags, Three Straight Boys, and Broadway Stars of Tomorrow who go there every summer." The doc "remains goodhearted and agreeable throughout -- low on pathos and surprisingly critical of the drama-queen roles students and counselors adopt throughout their three weeks" at the camp.

After the jump, we've embedded the film for your viewing convenience. More information is available at SnagFilms.

I really enjoy Natalie Portman when she cuts loose and has some fun (albeit not in that Manic Pixie Dream Girl sort of way) outside of her dramatic indie fare. So color me happy that she's just signed onto a comedy. It's not just any comedy either, as Variety reports that she's joined Your Highness, the medieval farce starring James Franco and Danny McBride.

As you might remember, Your Highness teams McBride and Franco back up with their Pinapple Express director, David Gordon Green. McBride (who penned the script with Ben Best) plays an arrogant, lazy prince who teams up with his brother (played by Franco) to complete a quest, save the kingdom, and Franco's fiancee. Portman will play "a warrior princess" that McBride's prince falls in love with. So, you know what this means -- Portman will be clad in strategically placed leather and chainmail, and that sound you heard was the lustful groan of a million fanboys imagining her doing high kicks. Well played, McBride. Well played.

The film begins shooting this July in Ireland. As you wait for the first photos to emerge from production, you can start Photoshopping Xena: Warrior Princess and Red Sonja outfits on Portman, and see how close fantasy matches reality.

We here at Cinematical are huge fans of Zach Galifianakis' show Between Two Ferns on Funny or Die, and in this latest installment Zach sits down for an uncomfortable chat with Natalie Portman and her dog, Whiz. Topics range from how difficult it was to communicate with Chewbacca during the Star Wars films to whether Portman wears a two-piece bikini to whether she shaved her V for ... um, you get the idea. In past episodes, Zach (who stars as the sunglass-wearing baby carrier in this summer's The Hangover) has interviewed folks like Jon Hamm and Michael Cera -- and if you've never watched one of these, then I highly recommend you check out all three hilarious pieces. I can't help but wish all interviews were as entertaining as the ones on Between Two Ferns, though sadly there's no way Portman would sit through something this moronic had it been real. Still, the world needs more Chewbacca questions, in my opinion.

Check out the video below, and then make sure you skip on over to Portman's new site, MakingOf.com, to scope out interviews with Hollywood shakers and bakers, as well as all sorts of other nifty things. Portman now plays in the same sandbox as I -- perhaps that means we should do lunch. Natalie, if you're reading -- call me. Warning: Mild foul language; NSFW

Spencer Susser's indie comedy Hesher has attracted a ridiculously likeable cast -- which sounds weird, but do you really know anyone who doesn't like Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Natalie Portman, or Rainn Wilson? Exactly. It's like the definition of likeable.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the story centers around an awkward 13-year-old (is there any other kind?) who finds his life turned upside down by a twenty-something loser named Hesher, who moves in with the boy and his pill-popping father and grandmother. The family is in rough shape after the death of the boy's mother (hence the pill popping) and Hesher ends up having a good and bad influence on the situation. Wilson will play the father, and Gordon-Levitt the title role of Hesher. Portman is playing a supermarket employee who saves the boy from bullies, and becomes an object of his adoration. Portman wll also be co-producing the film with Lucy Cooper, and the film begins shooting next week in L.A.

The concept sounds dangerously close to some of those deliberately quirky comedies that have become so prevalent in the indie scene. But that can be forgiven with the right cast, and certainly will be a nice break for Wilson and Gordon-Levitt, who are fresh off summer blockbusters. Everyone knows you have to do an indie flick after doing a stint with CG and explosions to stay respectable.

Romantic comedies don't usually pique interest outside the love addicts itching for goofy love defying the odds, but this new project might change that -- at least for a moment. Variety reports that Natalie Portman and Brad Pitt will star in adaptation of Leanne Shapton's book, Important Artifacts and Personal Property From the Collection of Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris, Including Books, Street Fashion and Jewelry. It's a project that won't only merge their acting talents, but also their production houses -- both Handsomecharlie Films and Plan B will produce.

But the story -- that's the clincher. The book follows the four-year love affair between a 20-something food columnist for The New York Times (Portman), and a 40-something photographer (Pitt) -- as told through an epic estate auction catalog of their romantic rise and sad fall. The 325 lots range from confetti-packed envelopes from her, and mixtapes from him, plus books, stuffed animals, post-its, letters, lamps, and just about everything else.

Both Pitt and Portman are at their most charming when they're a little out of mainstream focus, whether that be as a head-bopping fitness nut in Burn After Reading, or a rapper on SNL. Together, with a story that's got some damned solid reviews, there's a lot of promise. Now I'm just hoping that Portman grabs Wes Anderson along for the ride -- a Royal Tennenbaums for a slightly different crowd.

While the rumors still run rampant as to who will wield the hammer as Thor, Nikki Finke is reporting that Kenneth Branagh and Marvel are courting Natalie Portman to romance him.

No one knows if Portman is being eyed to play Amora the Enchantress, lover and antagonist of Thor up in Asgard, or if she'll be playing a "real world" love interest of Donald Blake. The latter would suit the delicate Portman much better ... but hey, maybe playing a Nordic goddess could finally allow her to cut loose. It feels like it's been awhile since Portman wowed audiences, and maybe the Marvel Universe is just the place for her to do it.

Frankly, I would have preferred to see her as the Black Widow in Iron Man 2 over Scarlett "isn't my cleavage fantastic?" Johansson. If you're going to pick a Bolyen girl, you might as well pick the one who emoted the most, and the one who looks the most Eastern European. (To be kind, Johansson would be a better pick for the Nordic Asgard. Any way we can reverse the casting at this late hour?)

Meanwhile, we still don't know who will actually play Thor. Apparently, Marvel is leaning towards casting an unknown blonde -- Charlie Hunnam, Tom Hiddleston, Liam Hemsworth, and Joel Kinnaman are now in competition with the already reported Alexandar Skarsgard. At least they're no longer hosting open calls, and leaning towards men who have a bit of experience in British and Danish drama.

So we've all heard of the Hooker with a Heart of Gold, right? Well step aside Ms. Thang, because there's a new clichéd sheriff in town, and this time she's equal parts cute, cuddly and quirky. Before I get started, I just want to make sure you know I think Natalie Portman, Kirsten Dunst, and Penelope Cruz are wonderfully talented actresses. Unfortunately, I also happen to think these gals have perpetuated one of the most cloying and sickeningly adorable characters to ever grace the screen: The Manic Pixie Dream Girl (it's a mouthful, but bear with me...).

Maybe the easiest way to define an MPDG is to leave it to the originator of the term, Nathan Rabin, who first used it when reviewing Elizabethtown. According to Rabin, the MPG is "that bubbly, shallow, cinematic creature that exists solely in the fevered imaginations of sensitive writer-directors to teach broodingly soulful young men to embrace life and its infinite mysteries and adventures." Or maybe an easier definition is pretty much any girl in a Cameron Crowe film ... or Natalie "My hair's blowin' in the wind" Portman in Garden State, who seems to be everyone's pick for the most annoying MPG in cinematic history.

So what makes this character different from other free-spirited, whimsical ladies like Susan Vance in Bringing up Baby or Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's? Well, there is a very small difference, and it's that the MPG has no function other than to support our sulky fellow as he makes sense of his suspended adolescence or commitment issues. The MPG in the end isn't even a fully realized character; she has no storyline or purpose other than to serve as a romantic vision for our mopey hero -- maybe it's a small distinction, but hey, the devil is in the details.

Cont'd...

Did you know that Roman Polanski directed a short film posing as a perfume ad starring Natalie Portman and Michelle Williams? Well, you know now. Greed is apparently the latest project from the Italian performance artist Francesco Vezzoli, and it's a very short film made to look like a perfume advertisement about two girls who duke it out over the right to wear this new fragrance. Dazed Digital has the short up on their site alongside this description:

"Directed by Roman Polanski and featuring Natalie Portman and Michelle Williams embroiled in a fierce battle over the fanciful scent, the spurious campaign attempts to isolate and imitate the hype created by the promotion of a new luxury product in the mass market."

Truth be told, I was expecting something a bit more than what the final product gives us, but it's Polanski and Portman and Williams (both of whom roll around on the floor together), so perhaps that'll be enough for some people. Check out the trailer below and the entire short film over at Dazed Digital.