Films and stars: Natalie Portman

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Published on Wednesday, 21 May 2014 19:10

Last Updated on 16 May 2014

Monica Costa

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Browsing on Netflix can be pretty addictive sometimes but also amazing if you are researching movies of a particular star. One actress I have always been impressed with is Natalie Portman. And here is the list of some of her films in the last 15 years. What I love about the films Natalie stars in is that they have no obvious endings or storylines. They include no cliches or predictable turns. She seems to choose films that are not very commercial either. Maybe this is the reason I love Natalie Portman so much. She only picks films she believes in.

The Other Woman – “Love and Other Impossible Pursuits” (original title) (2009)

On Netflix I found this movie and others I would have never thought I’d like to watch as they are under-rated. It’s so convenient to search under the actor or actress you like and then watch the movies.

My rating of Love and Other Impossible Pursuits is 5/5 (Netflix stars). It gets the maximum amount of stars from me as it touches so many chords. If you are a fan of big blockbusters with lots of special effects you would certainly be disappointed by this movie. But if you like beautiful storytelling, excellent acting and smart dialogues this is your film. I was quite disappointed to see that it received bad reviews when it was released. Interesting enough its trailer has already

The film is based on the Ayelet Waldman novel Love and Other Impossible Pursuits.

Natalie Portman brings so much depths to all the characters she plays and in this role in particular of lawyer Emilia (Portman)  whose life is turned upside down when she begins an affair with married high-powered attorney Jack Woolf and learns she is pregnant. After his quick divorce and their quick wedding, it is revealed through a series of flashbacks that her baby girl Isabel died three days after her birth from SIDS. Grieving the loss of her infant daughter Isabel, she is still coming to terms with her status as Jack’s second wife. You need to watch it to see the twists and turns. The dialogues are very good indeed.

Anywhere but here (1999)

Ten years earlier before the previous movie Natalie starred in one of her first roles alongside Susan Sarandon as her teenage daughter. She is very good although not experienced yet. The movie is not exceptional but explores the relationship between a single mother and her girl.

My Netflix rating is 2/5.

Where the heart is (2000)

Another teenage role this time as a single mum abandoned by a too rough and too young boyfriend at a WallMart store. One of my favourite scenes is when she is spending the night inside the store and uses all the equipment to improve her fitness while pregnant. Then she becomes famous as she delivers the baby in the store. Lots of twist and turns as well and a happy ending despite the dramas.

My overall Netflix rating is 3/5.

Thor (2011)

Superheroes’ movies are always appealing to me. Thor is not one of my favourites but it features lots of incredible special effects. My overall Netflix rating is 1/5 although Natalie Portman always brings something special to each role she plays including in her Jane Foster character.

Black Swan (2010)

This movie is not on Netflix but is Natalie Portman’s best acting role to date. It is not my favourite film ever but is the one where you can see how incredibly talented she is.

A ballet dancer wins the lead in “Swan Lake” and is perfect for the role of the delicate White Swan – Princess Odette – but slowly loses her mind as she becomes more and more like Odile, the Black Swan. My rating is 6/10 for the film but a 10/10 to Natalie for her performance.