Hey all

Sorry about the downtime, couldn’t have happened at a worse time really.

Anyway, there are two big things.

Firstly, Natalie is on the cover of the February Vogue. So far we’ve just got the cover, courtesy of Quinn, but hopefully we’ll soon have the pics and article from inside the mag.

And now Garden State…in case you hadn’t heard the screening was a HUGE success. In fact it’s already been bought by Miramax and Fox Searchlight and you can read about that aquisition here.

Our man Toby was there and will send in his review soon. But he did mention that Natalie wasn’t there and that Zach said she really wanted to make it but couldn’t because of filming (Closer).

And now onto the reviews…

AICN has two up. The first is brief but the second is an absolute rave. I suggest you read the whole thing but here are a couple excerpts…

Natalie Portman in this film is a revelation. I shouldn’t sound so surprised when I say that, because we all fell in love with her smartass cutie in “Beautiful Girls,” but I was really blown away by her performance in this film. She plays Samantha, an epileptic and an admitted complusive liar. (And by the way, if you, like me, hear that she’s an epileptic, and then start counting the minutes until she has a grand mal seizure during the emotional climax, well then I have news for you…. This movie is not that cheap. It’s got much grander plans for you) Braff has written a character that is quirky without being overly cute, intelligent without being a smartass, and vulnerable without being weak. Portman takes this character, which must have been great on the page, and just runs with it. I don’t know if it’s a credit to Braff as a writer/director, or to Portman’s talent as an actress (probably both), but they have created one of the most original female characters in years. Portman embodies this character and makes her so real, so familiar, that the craft of acting is completely buried, even in the most emotional of moments. You know women like Samantha. You’ve had conversations with them, and crushes on them. But you’ve never seen them on a movie screen before. A completely fun, real, honest character like this… well, I can’t remember one since “Annie Hall.”

…

This is not an easy film. The plot meanders at times, and some moments are a little too heavy-handed, but the sheer emotional pull of this film, and its resonance afterward cannot be denied. This is a brilliant, glorious film. Also, I don’t know how the word got out, but this was the first film to sell out every screening, and the film with the longest waitlist lines, with some people lining up four hours ahead of time, in the snow, just to see it. It got, and deserved, a standing ovation at the screening I attended. Believe the hype.

Here are David Poland’s comments. He liked the film but thought the hype was a little excessive in regards the film’s commercial prospects.

Jeff Wells was even more unenthusiastic but once again, Natalie was mentioned as the highlight.

Sunday, 1.18, 3:45 pm: Fox Searchlight and Miramax are jointly acquiring Zach Braff’s GARDEN STATE. Whatever they’re paying, it’s probably too much. It’s watchable, sometimes very funny, and has two good performances from Natalie Portman and Peter Sarsghaard, but Braff made a mistake by casting himself in the lead role — he’s not charismatic, and his nose is too big. Okay, I don’t know anything. But I was watching it at the Eccles theatre on Friday afternoon, and people were coughing like crazy in the third act. Broadway producers are terrified of coughs. Coughing is a half-conscious way of giving a thumbs-down. Coughs were going off like impact grenades during the last 20 to 30 minutes of GARDEN STATE. I’m just tellin’ ya.

Well eFilmCritic absolutely loved it. Read the full review here but if you don’t want to read any minor spoilers then here are the a couple excerpts…

Then there?s Natalie Portman who has unfairly taken heat for performances in the Star Wars saga, but always comes back to us to reveal what an amazing talent she is. Ask people about Cold Mountain and see what they remember more: Portman?s eight minutes or the combined screen time of Jude Law and Nicole Kidman. In Garden State, Portman has trumped herself in a performance of such warmth and eccentricity that it recalls the work of Diane Keaton in Annie Hall or?.herself in Beautiful Girls. Sam is never overwritten and Portman doesn?t have to sell anything to else. She?s just, as the movie says, ?in it.? Every scene between her and Braff is a treasure (including an exceptionally timed first kiss) but their moment in an empty bathtub, enhanced by his vulnerability and her complete tenderness is as intimate and real as anything I?ve ever been a party to, and I?m including real life.

Garden State belongs on the short list of modern films like Beautiful Girls, What?s Eating Gilbert Grape and Lost In Translation which engulf us in an invisible technique known as storytelling excellence. Reportedly Braff spent a whole season?s salary from Scrubs to make this film. The only money more well-spent than that would be for everyone in earshot of my voice or eyeshot of this review to buy a ticket when it opens, come back with their friends and then pre-order the DVD the minute it becomes announced. I know I won?t see a better film at Sundance 2004 and it will be damn near impossible to knock it off my year?s ten best. Thank you Zach Braff for Garden State and I can?t wait to thank you again.

Indiewire compared it to Wes Anderson’s films, which makes me smile from ear to ear and if you want even more, here are a couple non professional reviews. The first is from Rotten Tomatoes and the second is from the IMDB.

Whew, ok, I think that about covers it. Check back tomorrow for more goodness including the first comic strip of the new year.

Oh, and I should also mention that Cold Mountain received an incredible 13 BAFTA nominations. Pretty remarkable. You can read about that here.

Night.