Hello guys, glad to be back after a six months hiatus. This time I bring you is my submission to the contest of favorite movies with this talented actress. You may have seen some of these ones, but I bet you’re have never seen others. By the end of this post I hope you watch them all.
This is my submission to the contest favorite Natalie Portman Movie, check link here:
@cinetv/cinetv-contest-77-favorite-natalie-portman-movie
“I am a good person, nice, smart, witty, trustworthy, know nice people, don't do drugs and earn a lot of money." – Natalie Portman
Born in Israel in 1981, Natalie Portman is a Jewish-American actress who has started in more than 50 movies and is better known for playing Queen Padmé Amidala in the Star Wars prequels.
She started acting in theater, was bullied as a teenager and then in 1994, at 13 years old, went to make her first movie, the critically acclaimed action- thriller Léon: The Professional directed by Luc Besson.
But I first discovered her in 1995 when she was cast in her second movie, the classic crime-drama Heat, one of my favorite movies of all times.
In 1999 she went to star in the first prequel of the Star Wars saga, Episode I – The Phantom Menace as the fourteen-year-old Queen of Naboo, Padme Amidala.
2003, Portman graduated from Harvard University with a bachelor's degree in psychology.
She received her first Academy Award nomination and won a Golden Globe Award for playing a mysterious stripper in the romantic drama Closer.
Since her beginnings in cinema, she has played a wide variety of characters in different genres ranging from drama, thriller, science-fiction, superheroes, and even comedy. She has been nominated for three Academy Awards and has worked with acclaimed directors such as Mike Nichols, Michael Mann, Terrence Malick and Darren Aronofsky.
In 2011 she won the Oscar for Best Actress for her wonderful performance as a ballerina with mental issues who’s obsessed with perfection in Black Swan.
In 2012 she married dancer and choreographer Benjamin Millepied whom she met on the set of Black Swan in early 2009, they had two children. They are now separated after 11 years of marriage.
Her career seem to have slowed down in recent years and she has released very few movies after the fiasco of Lucy in the Sky.
Although she’s not one of my favorite celebrities and I don’t agree with her social/political views I have to admit she has talent and has done fairly well in her near four-decade career.
Here I’ll give you five of my favorite movies starting this talented actress.
Without further ado, let’s begin:
5.V for Vendetta (2006)
Natalie Portman as Evey Hammond in 'V for Vendetta' (via: collider.com)
“Remember, remember the 5th of November…”, one of the best opening lines in 21st century cinema. A fugitive man who disguises himself as the traitor Guy Fawkes recruits (or, better said, kidnaps) a young woman named Evey Hammond to help him start a movement that will overthrow the dystopian, totalitarian government their subjected to.
This movie received mixed reviews when it was first released, but performed quite well at the box office. A movie obviously made to piggy ride on The Matrix craze of the early 2000s. I remember a lot people didn’t like it, but a few did, I loved it when I first saw it and has somewhat become a cult movie over the years. My favorite part is when Natalie Portman gets her hair cut (for real) on screen.
I recommend you to watch this one if you haven’t, it is one of the best dystopian movies of this 21st century. Check trailer here:
V For Vendetta (2005) Official Trailer #1
4.My Blueberry Nights (2007)
Portman in My Blueberry Nights (via: roxycinemanewyork.com)
Part romance, part drama, this is the story of a young woman travelling through the US after a break-up and all the off-beat characters she meets on the road while, back in New York City, the owner of a small café is secretly in love with her. Natalie Portman plays a small but significant role in this story as an inveterate poker player whose life is intertwined with the protagonist, played by Norah Jones.
An ideal movie to watch with friends; I went to see it at the movies in 2008 with a woman I was dating back then and I really liked it. Too bad Norah Jones’ acting debut wasn’t precisely good and this may not be director’s Wong Kar-wai best effort, but Natalie Portman’s performance really gives a boots to this one. Check it whenever you can, especially if you’re on a date.
Check trailer here:
My Blueberry Nights | UK Trailer
3.Beautiful Girls (1996)
Timothy Hutton and Natalie Portman in Beautiful Girls (via: valenciaplaza.com)
In this beloved and acclaimed romantic comedy-drama by director Ted Demme (1963- 2002), a piano player returns to his hometown in Massachusetts for a high school classmate’s reunion. This was Natalie Portman’s third film, she plays Marty, an outsider teenage girl with an “old soul” who likes to go ice-skating, listen to Pink Floyd and talk about life itself; she`s very mature for her age and will befriend (and flirt) with the piano player, played by Timothy Hutton.
This movie has a wonderful ensemble cast, with the likes of Matt Dillon, Uma Thurman and Mira Sorvino among others. The soundtrack is also nice, with the particular inclusion of Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline. Natalie Portman would prove with this one she was a true rising star. A movie that really captures the spirit of the 1990s.
Check trailer here:
Beautiful Girls (1996) Official Trailer #1
2.Heat (1995)
Natalie Portman as Lauren in Heat (via: dexerto.com)
Here a 14 year old Natalie Portman played Lauren, the mentally unstable stepdaughter of Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino), an LAPD detective who’s obsessed with catching a gang of criminals and their meticulous and professional leader Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro) while his personal life is facing serious issues. Although she doesn’t get a lot of screen time, Portman’s character plays a significant part in detective Hanna’s life and will include a tragic incident that will force Hanna on what to do next with his life.
Natalie Portman couldn’t ask for more for her second film, a movie I’m proud to count in my favorites of all times. It has suspense, drama, action and a little romance. Heat is director’s Michael Mann best movie, it is one of the best movies of the 1990s and one of the best crime movies of all time; the shootout in this movie is the best shootout ever put on screen. Don’t miss it, and if you have already seen it, well, watch it again:
Check a scene with Al Pacino and Natalie Portman in this timeless classic here:
Natalie Portman & Al Pacino in Heat (1995)
And now my favorite:
1.Closer (2004)
Jude Law and Natalie Portman in Closer (via: collider.com)
The lives of two men and two women get mixed-up in this story full of coincidence, romance, betrayal, art and jealously. Set in the London of the early 2000s, Natalie Portman plays Alice Ayres (actually Jane Jones), an enigmatic American stripper who falls in love with a British man (Jude Law) and likes to cross the streets without waiting for the lights to go red. She’s the heart of this story, but her ending will be involved in sadness and tragedy.
This is the movie credited with having saved Portman’s career after almost being typecast because of the Star Wars prequels. She made an excellent choice in rejecting the horrible Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights in favor of Closer and went to receive her first Oscar nomination and won her first Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress. The soundtrack of this movie is also great; my favorite song here is World Outside by The Devlins. This movie is a little special for me and I always defend it whenever I can; I used to have a girlfriend back in 2010 and we both loved to watch this one together. It was director’s Mike Nichols last great movie, may he rest in peace.
Check trailer:
Closer (2004) Official Trailer
So, there you have it, friends, my submission to the contest, five movies with a talented actress who avoided being typecast, went to win an Oscar and many other awards, and has a long career in a business where the chances of survival are practically zero.
Now, I want to hear from you, do you agree with my selection? Which one is your favorite movie with Portman? Leave your thoughts in the comment section.
This is my second movie post of this year, check the first one here:
@thereadingman/10-female-warriors-so-much
(Image at the beginning via collider.com)
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Orlando Caine.