This new set of photos, from earlier today, looks like Natalie is possibly leaving Venice. If so, its definitely been quite a successful appearance. Now attention turns to the Toronto International Film Festival.
The Venice onslaught continues. Natalie was photographed earlier today attending the Hollywood Foreign Press Association Cocktail Party during the 67th Venice Film Festival at the Style Lounge.
I've also added some more HQ photos to the Black Swan premiere gallery. There are a zillion more new ones to add, however they're going to have to wait until tomorrow. :(
V4V spotted 10 minutes of video footage from yesterday's Black Swan panel in Venice. Natalie tackles 2 or 3 questions herself, grins broadly any time Benjamin is asked anything, and is given a huge round of applause from everyone in the room.
Another roundup type post, but this time we're focusing on videos. Unfortunately, the clip that stands out the most is the harrassment Natalie and Ben get from a paparazzi at some airport on the way to Venice. One tries to give those guys the benefit of doubt. Just doing their job. They probably feel bad about it. That type of thing.
Well, maybe some do. But this guy is just a grade A dick.
On a happier note, this report has some footage of Natalie's arrival in Venice.
Director Alfonso Cuaron (Children of Men, Y Tu Mama Tambien) was set to do an ambitious Sci-Fi flick, called Gravity, with Angelina Jolie playing the main character of Ryan Stone. The problem is, Jolie has walked away from the project and now Warner Brothers are struggling to find a strong actress who could open an expensive but seemingly high risk sci-fi film.
The film is about two astronauts doing repairs on the Hubble. Then, as is normally the case, things go very wrong. Cuaron intends to take a lot of risks, like having Ryan Stone be the only character on screen for most of the film, a possible 20 minute opening take (if you've seen Children of Men you'd know Cuaron could knock it out the park), or even the entire film playing out in real time.
It's a day late but Anne Thompson has finally posted her Black Swan review. In her mind the film is great (and contains Natalie's best performance) but perhaps a bit too dark for mainstream and older Academy voting members. She cites the Toronto Film Festival as a good upcoming indication of just how lauded the film will be by the community. In the meantime, a few awards at the end of the Venice Film Festival certainly wouldn't hurt.
At the press conference, you could see a whiff of relief and pleasure cross Portman’s face when the press corps gave her rousing applause. Is she Oscar bait?
While critics may admire Aronofsky’s achievement here, and online fan sites responded enthusiastically to Searchlight’s trailer—the movie could play to the young Searchlight smart-house crowd, but it’s not a genre horror flick—I wonder how Black Swan will fare on the Academy side. It may be painful for older voters to watch. (Yes, the largely male Academy granted Jonathan Demme’s Silence of the Lambs, Mel Gibson’s Braveheart and Ridley Scott’s Gladiator best picture honors. But this is a smaller-scale production.) Actors may laud Portman and Cassel. Despite some breathless talk of a Portman Oscar bid, wider audience and media response in Toronto, especially, will tell the tale.
This is a tidbits thread of sorts. A few smaller Black Swan items that I'm gonna lump together for easy reading.
- The Italian media reports that there was 5 minutes of applause after the premiere last night.
- NYmag has a whole piece about whether Natalie can win the Oscar this year.
Working against the once-nominated (for 2004's Closer) Portman could be Black Swan's scary parts and sexy bits — she has a love scene with rival ballerina Mila Kunis and another one with herself, apparently — both of which could put off elderly, prudish Academy members (Oscar fact: No actress has ever won for playing a sapphic, deranged, self-touching, wing-sprouting ballerina in a horror movie). Then again, to put it in the most basic possible terms, she's an attractive star challenging herself with a trickier, less glamorous role than she's usually known for, which is the formula for practically every Best Actress victory ever. She's definitely in this race.
It never ends. This new set is from the actual premiere itself. Once again, its a temporary album, that will be updated later with untagged higher quality photos. What a day, eh?
UPDATE - Just started adding a buttload of good quality photos.
Every film festival benefits hugely from a strong opening film, and they don’t come a lot stronger than Black Swan, Darren Aronofsky’s psychological thriller set in the world of New York ballet. Powerful, gripping and always intriguing, it also features a lead performance from Natalie Portman that elevates her from a substantial leading actress to major star likely to be lifting awards in the near future.
Yet another perfect score rating, this time from This Is London.
It’s a triumph in every sense — in Natalie Portman’s mesmeric, Oscar-booking performance as a ballerina discovering her dark side, in the way the script interweaves dance and drama, and perhaps above all in the way it proves dark films can still work in times of recession, if they’re good enough.
Guy Lodge's 4 star review for In Contention is my favourite so far. Beautifully written and incredibly encouraging. This paragraph about Natalie is fascinating.
Portman has never been so cannily cast, nor so cunningly exposed, on screen. When, early on, Cassel’s ceaselessly demanding director chides that he “sees only the White Swan” in Nina, and not the dark spontaneity required of its black counterpart, it could be a cheeky metaphor for the actress herself: long a lissome, delicate screen presence, she has sometimes struggled with conveying intensity or purposefulness. Here, the role cleverly forces the actress into her most pinched, peaky mannerisms — even her little-girl voice is piched an octave higher than usual — only to undercut them as the character gradually loses her self-awareness; the resulting performance is as dangerous, and oddly touching, as Portman has ever allowed herself to be.
Todd McCarthy's Indiewire review isn't as enthusiastic but is still quite positive.
With Natalie Portman, in the demanding leading role, equaling her director in unquestioned commitment, the central issue for the viewer is how far one is willing to follow the film down the road to oblivion for art’s sake.
Here is the proper photocall for Black Swan, with Natalie posing with Cassel, Aronofksy, Ben and others. At the moment there are only watermarked versions so I've only added a few to the gallery. A temporary placeholder till proper versions hit the net.
UPDATE - New non watermarked pics added. Later Rachel will be updating all sets properly.
Left me devastated, excited, tense and emotionally drained. Tarantino will be a fool if he doesn’t give this the Golden Lion (unless something even better is coming up!). Aronofsky has made his first masterpiece and Portman must now be favourite for the Oscar.
A perfect film that blends The Red Shoes with Antichrist, via Cronenberg.
(A-) How to even tweet this? Aronofsky extends The Wrestler’s fascination with physically broken performers to the psychological. Results are at once florid and fine-cut; dances thrillingly on the border of trash before a sharp left into modern fairytale. Having said that, I can imagine a lot of people disagreeing.
Holy legs, Batman. Natalie is back in her favourite colour for Black Swan arrival at the Star Style Lounge at Venice. Right now we just have Getty watermarked versions but check this update and the gallery itself later for updates.
UPDATE - Watermarked pics removed. Bigger, new non watermarked versions up.
A wicked, sexy and ultimately devastating study of a young dancer's all-consuming ambition.
...
Centerstage stands Natalie Portman, whose courageous turn lays bare the myriad insecurities genuinely dedicated performers face when testing their limits, revealing shades of the actress never before seen on film.
THR thinks the film maybe goes too far but has some kudos for Natalie.
Portman, who has danced but is no ballerina, does a more than credible job in the big dance numbers and the tough rehearsals that are so essential to the film. In her acting, too, you sense she has bravely ventured out of her comfort zone to play a character slowly losing sight of herself. It's a bravura performance.
