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Natalie Portman... Oh My!!!
In my perpetual search for good films on Netflix, I watched "The Professional" last night. Jean Reno, French thug, in a tour de force, and... Natalie Portman. A baby. My favorite Portman line: "When do we use real bullets...?" My degree is in English--I'm no film major--but on watching the opening again, I can't help but think the over-the-top violence mirrors Tarantino. To me, it seems beyond ironic... perhaps a little humorous? I'm certain I'll watch this again. As to Portman, she has a feature story in the Los Angeles Times. This is an industry town. It's the Cannes opening of her directorial debut. A Tale of Love and Darkness. A Hebrew language film? http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/mo … olumn.html Natalie Portman may be the brightest actress every to grace the screen. I'm in awe. RBD May 18 15 07:54 pm Link That is a film I have seen more than once and that is rare for me. It's the director, the actors, and it's a bit quirky too. Natalie Portman has always been one of my favorites. May 18 15 07:56 pm Link If I told you what I though of 11 years old Natalie Portman in that movie I would be branded a pervert and maybe sent to jail. May 18 15 08:07 pm Link You know that they had to tone down the sex in that movie for the US market? There is a scene in the french (undubbed) version of the film where she offers to sleep with him that was deemed too much for US audiences. Great movie though. May 18 15 08:09 pm Link She's a favorite - she should have won an Oscar for supporting actress for her role as the confederate war widow in "Cold Mountain" (An otherwise forgettable 19 hour chick flick - set during the Civil War) My Dad had never see "Leon" and he was in awe of the whole film. May 18 15 08:12 pm Link a little too late to the dance. probably besson's last great movie. but if you saw "the professional", then you missed out. the better version is "leon: the professional". same movie, without the edits the american distributors made him implement. i knew at the time that young lady was destined for greatness. besson has always had strong female leads/characters in his movies. he still tries, but his films are getting worse. do yourself a favor and rent la femme nikita. not the stupid american remake with peter fonda's daughter, but the original. even the fifth element was good. he somewhat lost it starting with the joan of arc flick. i just rented lucy a couple months ago. man, it was disappointing. it's too bad. he showed promise early on. May 18 15 09:28 pm Link May 18 15 09:39 pm Link Virtual Studio wrote: That scene is also in the International English version of the movie. May 18 15 09:52 pm Link NothingIsRealButTheGirl wrote:
May 18 15 10:08 pm Link What can I say, she was a Harvard grad after all and with beauty and brain. Go girl.  May 19 15 09:03 am Link Marc S Photography wrote: I think every single time I have seen this movie the scene has been in it. May 19 15 09:46 am Link R Bruce Duncan wrote: I believe that Portman is Israeli -- born in Jerusalem. May 19 15 10:29 am Link Looknsee Photography wrote: She has dual citizenship and grew up in Long Island. My nieces went to the same high school where she graduated. May 19 15 10:42 am Link nevermind May 19 15 10:54 am Link May 19 15 12:07 pm Link I just watched The Professional again, been years since my last viewing, what a great movie. It has such a perfect bubble of it's own reality, and doesn't spoon feed the viewer all of the answers, it has some mystery to it. Plus: "EVERYONE!" May 19 15 03:40 pm Link I think with "La femme Nikita" coming out in 1990, and "Leon the professional" being released only one year after Quentin Tarantino's first film reservoir dogs, it's safe to say that it's probably more a case of Luc Besson inspiring Quentin Tarantino than the other way around. Especially when you consider earlier underground hits like the grand blue, and subway. By the way La femme Nikita is a spectacular film, it's basically my fair Lady with guns. May 19 15 03:50 pm Link the fact that she is so beautiful and talented (loved her in that walmart movie) makes the whole star wars thing even more unfortunate. when she bounced up off the sand after falling out of the transport i nearly lost my spleen -- hopefully she at least got paid well for that. May 19 15 03:53 pm Link ^What I find more unfortunate is that she had to costar with Hayden Christiensen... God, that guy's acting is more wooden than Keanu Reeves and David Duchovny combined. May 19 15 04:04 pm Link Berghammer wrote: Oooo...I forgot about 'Subway'! I must see if I can find that somewhere. May 19 15 07:21 pm Link Come to realize - I'm enough of a fan to even excuse that whole "Thor" thing. (shudders) May 19 15 07:32 pm Link P I X I E wrote: Christensen's acting in My Life as a House was quite good, and reasonably competent in Shattered Glass. May 19 15 07:41 pm Link Stephen Fletcher wrote: Pretty sure she's meant to have something of a Lolita vibe in that one, and I think it makes a lot of people pretty uncomfortable. May 20 15 03:27 am Link Stephen Fletcher wrote: Natalie was born in 1981 & "Leon" was released in 1994. She would have been 12 at the time of filming, as was her character, Matilda. May 20 15 04:32 am Link 
Photographer Posts: 4288 Amundsen-Scott - permanent station of the US, Unclaimed Sector, Antarctica 'The Professional' is one of my favorite movies, and I saw it when it came out, and have watched it countless times on DVD. I've seen the 'uncut' version and, IMHO, it is not as strong as I think the 'romantic' subplot of Leon and Portman's character detracts. When I saw the flick on the big screen, all I could think was that Natalie Portman was going to become a fabulous actress and a gorgeous woman. Glad to see I've been right about at least two things in this world... ha I enjoy Luc Besson's movies because he has an affinity for strong female leads - La Femme Nakita, The Messsenger and The Professional all have very cool female characters. Hell, even Lucy w/ Scarlett Johanssen - IMO the movie is pretty ludicrous, but damn if she isn't a good character. May 20 15 04:56 am Link Black Swan. May 20 15 06:27 am Link NothingIsRealButTheGirl wrote: Oh those Lonely Island boys... May 20 15 06:27 am Link May 22 15 04:24 pm Link Kevin Connery wrote: Maybe, if you say so, I'll take your word for it. I'm not sure I want to sit through 2 more movies with that dude. Unlike the other 2 actors in my previous comment, I simply don't care for Hayden Christiensen. May 24 15 07:42 am Link Seen any other recent movies?  May 24 15 08:28 am Link Garry k wrote: Who, me? Yeah, plenty. May 24 15 08:38 am Link P I X I E wrote: Sounds like you have become the Movie Queen May 24 15 08:44 am Link Garry k wrote: It's a pretty sweet perk; saves me lots of money and I get to see movies I otherwise wouldn't have bothered with. May 24 15 08:55 am Link Definitely a movie that draws you into it with good acting and believable characters. May 26 15 06:53 pm Link Natalie Portman Harvard Commencement Speech 2015 Worth watching, especially if you're a fan like I am. She's definitely more than just a pretty face. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDaZu_KEMCY Jun 01 15 10:15 am Link Yeah.... Harvard. One of the finest institution in the world. Jun 01 15 10:31 am Link |
