Would the PT have been better without Natalie?

"You're ruining Star Wars and Portman's Character for me... no, not just for me, But to everyone else who thought Portman did a great job."

I don't know where you're posting from, but in these territories we have something called FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, which pretty much makes your whining equally meaningless to me. You should simply stay away from this thread if it hurts you so much to read our OPINIONS.

Perhaps you live in a totalitarian state? If you do, and therefore are used to be repressed then I am sorry. I do enjoy your attempts at salvaging Ms Portman's career; don't worry. I don't think our comments will take away food from her mouth. What you should analyze are your attempts at repressing the opinions of others...


BTW, Natalie Portman's acting is PATHETIC!!!!

 

zeva


salvaging her career??


ha. Yes I'm sure your posts on this board will surely spell doom for Natalie's acting career.



Casting Agent: Oh, she must suck, cause zeva said so.



EDIT: I love all these buzzwords too. Dry, wooden, stiff....

 

ha. Yes I'm sure your posts on this board will surely spell doom for Natalie's acting career.
Casting Agent: Oh, she must suck, cause zeva said so.

Can we not get personal with other posters? We are talking about Natalie, not other posters here.

Natalie has been critisized since last year's performance in New York, the Seagulls. I believed she said that acting is quite difficult for intellegent people as they are quite detached to their feelings. I think she is suffering from that problem.

I am not sure if other posters are trying to 'salvage' her career, I think only time will tell.

On the other hand, she wanted to make only 1 movie a year, and in this competitive industry, it is not easy to do that. There are more and more actresses coming up, and they are good if not better than Portman.

I think she should start making a decision, whether she wanted to be a psychologist or a serious actress.

 

"There are more and more actresses coming up, and they are good if not better than Portman."



Come on, now. I'd love to see this list. And I disqualify anyone who's posed in Maxim.

 

Come on, now. I'd love to see this list. And I disqualify anyone who's posed in Maxim.

Thora Birch
Britanny Murphy
Jena Malone
Erika Christensen
Selma Blair
Of course.....Anna Paquin

Satisfied? BTW, I disqualify those who's posed on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine

 

Again, Darth Joe posted a question and was interested in our opinion. Individuals like Anakin 20 and The Abstract and others dont belong in here because they take personal offense to people who think portmans SW acting is below adequate. These are our opinions and if you dont like it then get out of this thread, because your wasting your time with all your crying and insults!

 

Do you actually believe Anna Paquin to be an actress that is coming up. She has been around films for ten years. I think Natalie is better than all those mentioned (except possibly Paquin who is her equal) in your list but I am not going to start a debate. Some like Natalie, some don't. It's the same with every actress in the world. I dislike Julia Roberts and believe she has no acting talent while most people adore her. But I do think the criticism Portman receives is unfair although I respect everybody's judgement and opinions.

 

Well at lest she better then Kirsten Dunst. At lest Portman takes on rules were she has to act. Dunst takes on dumb teen rules which suck. also Spider-Man was a good moive just get ready of Dunst. So wehn you talk about women who act look at the rule they talk. When they take rule that need no actting ablite well they are ot good not acting. But when they do take on rules where they act we say oh they are so bad and don't now hwo to act. So stop this dumb debt. It has nothing to do with SW.

 

This board is so funny. Natalie should read these boards then do what Jay and Slient Bob did to all the people who bashed them on the net, like I've said before...I would pay money to see that happen ha ha ha ha.
Has any of the people who bash Natalie done any acting in movies ? TV ? or even commericals ? or even a school play ?

 

*Funny* how her supporters always brought the thread back to first page.

This board is so funny. Natalie should read these boards then do what Jay and Slient Bob did to all the people who bashed them on the net, like I've said before...I would pay money to see that happen ha ha ha ha.
Has any of the people who bash Natalie done any acting in movies ? TV ? or even commericals ? or even a school play ?

Are you saying that we can't critisize her performance? After all, we did pay 8.00 to see entertainment, hoping to get decent acting.
I have to say, your arrogance is too big for your boots, LOL.
BTW, the opposite is true... those who praised her performance...( i.e you) have you ever try acting in movies, tv, commercials or EVEN a school play? IF you haven't, maybe you should hold on your praise

 

Are you saying that we can't critisize her performance? After all, we did pay 8.00 to see entertainment, hoping to get decent acting. I have to say, your arrogance is too big for your boots, LOL. BTW, the opposite is true... those who praised her performance...( i.e you) have you ever try acting in movies, tv, commercials or EVEN a school play? IF you haven't, maybe you should hold on your praise

Well, in defense of the post you are commenting to, you are every bit as arrogant. Nothing is going to change, what you say means absolutely nothing. The person was simply making a comment that nobody on here is an expert so chill out. Many of you seem to think you are KNOW IT ALLS. That's all that I think is being said. I myself don't know everything, but the people undermining Portman seem to think they are God's gift to the acting world. Is this the perception that is intended? I am sure it isn't, but that's the way it comes across, so cut some people a little slack and swallow the comments about arrogance.

 

Well, in defense of the post you are commenting to, you are every bit as arrogant. Nothing is going to change, what you say means absolutely nothing. The person was simply making a comment that nobody on here is an expert so chill out. Many of you seem to think you are KNOW IT ALLS. That's all that I think is being said. I myself don't know everything, but the people undermining Portman seem to think they are God's gift to the acting world. Is this the perception that is intended? I am sure it isn't, but that's the way it comes across, so cut some people a little slack and swallow the comments about arrogance.

Interesting... so what are you saying now? I said Mike Solo is arrogant because he put down those who critisized his idol. I merely commenting on his comment, which I thought was unnecessary, given that he brought up this topic back to first page again

BTW, of course it won't change, but that is what this board is for. If you read all the gusher/ basher thread, do they make sense? The movie was made already, we don't even know if George is going to read it. We post because we wanted to express our feelings/ opinions.

 

Gosh, you people are so nice, aren't you? I don't hear anyone whining or going nuts over whoever played Beru's lack of acting ability, despite the fact all she did in the movie was nod sympathetically a couple of times. Surely she qualified for such harsh criticism too, since she played the material and character presented to her exactly as she was asked?

Man, a lot of you people are just mean and nasty, not to mention entirely silly. Do you think Fox and Lucasfilm are stupid enough to give you extremely poorly acted scenes? Don't they stand around shooting a scene for hours, even days at a time to get it right? First, that is extremely hard work and very draining, and second it can make performing more and more difficult as the lines get more and more dull to the players. Ah, screw it, you'll ignore this and hurl your horrible buzzwords around again. "Oh, look, she's being wooden!! Dry delivery! ARGH, KILL HER!"

Grow up. You might hurt her feelings, and that's just not nice. She played Padme fine, since the crazy obsessed fans like me saw Padme on the screen, not Natalie. And that's the truth. Have a nice day.

 

Thora Birch
Britanny Murphy
Jena Malone
Erika Christensen
Selma Blair
Of course.....Anna Paquin



Thora Birch sucks in my book. Britanny Murphy... sucks. Selma Blair...really, really sucks and always seems coked up. Anna Paquin...is a good actress but not nearly hot enough to be Leia's mom.

The other two I have no clue who they are, but likely they suck.

Natalie Portman...well I'm baffled why she hasn't been better in these movies. I've been a fan for seven or eight years since Beautiful Girls.

Overall she's incredibly good looking which salvages something. She has her moments. She has her lines that drop like cement. Hayden's performance dulls the pain.

 

"Has any of the people who bash Natalie done any acting in movies ? TV ? or even commericals ? or even a school play ?"

First of all, You don't need those qualifications to offer an opinion on somebody's performance; if they were needed, you would be equally unqualified to say you like the way she acted.

For the record, I have a Masters in Film Production, I have directed several short films, have myself attended several courses on acting techniques (Meisner, Hagen, Stanislavsky...things Portman NEVER did by the way, she never took a single acting class) and my thesis film will be shown this month in Showtime, during Hispanic Heritage Month, so yes, I do have some qualifications even by your standards, and yes, HER ACTING ABILITIES ARE LACKING. BTW, I agree with most posters that ANY OF THE ACTORS WHO PLAYED THE HANDMAIDENS did a better job than she did in the few seconds they had on screen...


"Do you think Fox and Lucasfilm are stupid enough to give you extremely poorly acted scenes? Don't they stand around shooting a scene for hours, even days at a time to get it right? First, that is extremely hard work and very draining, and second it can make performing more and more difficult as the lines get more and more dull to the players"

Are you a fan of Star Wars? George Lucas is FAMOUS for not taking his time during shooting. He is FAMOUS for not giving specific direction to his actors. He rushes through scenes, saying things like "faster!" or "do it again, but better this time!" This is where the talent of the actor comes in, to supplement what the director is lacking in direction, where having done their homework pays off, where GOOD actors shine, and pseudo-actors like PORTMAN give a subpar performance even by Star Wars standards.


As far as Fox and Lucasfilm allowing bad acting...Fox is only the distributor, and therefore has NOTHING to do with acting, so I don't follow you here. Lucasfilm I have already addressed.

 

Great post, Zeva. I think Rose Byrne did a good job as well, and it is too bad that she has only a couple lines to work with.

She is about the same age as Natalie, and if she lives in Hollywood, she probably can get more jobs.

 

Would the PT be better without Portman? Of course it would. She is the worst thing about the PT, in my opinion.

 

"Are you a fan of Star Wars? George Lucas is FAMOUS for not taking his time during shooting. He is FAMOUS for not giving specific direction to his actors. He rushes through scenes, saying things like "faster!" or "do it again, but better this time!" This is where the talent of the actor comes in, to supplement what the director is lacking in direction, where having done their homework pays off, where GOOD actors shine, and pseudo-actors like PORTMAN give a subpar performance even by Star Wars standards. "

Of course I'm a Star Wars fan. Why else would I be here? Are you, though? You don't seem to like it much.

No, wait, don't flame me for that and say "I can still like it, even if it's bad" and yell about how you're entitled to your opinion. Why can't we who like the acting be entitled to our opinions either? I'll said it again, she was believable, and that is what is important in acting. This is fantasy, not drama, and making fantasy believable is quite an acheivment in my book.


"As far as Fox and Lucasfilm allowing bad acting...Fox is only the distributor, and therefore has NOTHING to do with acting, so I don't follow you here. Lucasfilm I have already addressed."

You did not address Lucasfilm allowing bad acting, and as distributer do you think Fox would be happy to lose a whole heap of cash by putting out an absolutely awfully acted movie which makes the audience cringe and even walk out on it? They simply wouldn't print it or market it for Lucas. As for Lucasfilm themselves, sure the director might not help the actors much in what they're supposed to do (hence stage-hands, executive producers, assistants, scripts, basically anyone around the place that knows what's going on) but he and his crew would not sit and watch the scene performed badly and say "Ok, that's fine" would they? They'd have it done again, only better this time.

 

"Of course I'm a Star Wars fan. Why else would I be here? Are you, though? You don't seem to like it much."

You evade the point of my question. If you are a Star Wars fan, how could you NOT KNOW about the way GL directs? As a fan, I love the movies, I read his biography, etc,. You seemed to not have done that, given your ignorance of the by now famous "directing style" Lucas has...Harrison Ford's rants on this topic are VERY WELL KNOWN (except to you, it seems) Very good try at evading my original question, though.


"No, wait, don't flame me for that and say "I can still like it, even if it's bad" and yell about how you're entitled to your opinion. Why can't we who like the acting be entitled to our opinions either?"


My esteemed friend. I posted my opinion about her acting in AOTC, as the title of this thread encourages us to do. You, on the otherhand, posted this:

"Man, a lot of you people are just mean and nasty, not to mention entirely silly...
Grow up. You might hurt her feelings, and that's just not nice."


Does this sound like you are expressing your opinion about her acting? It looks like you are offering your opinions about people who are actually following the thread title. Is this what you mean by "expressing your opinion?

"She played Padme fine, since the crazy obsessed fans like me saw Padme on the screen, not Natalie. And that's the truth. Have a nice day."

Now this sounds like an answer to what the thread is about. This opinion entices debate, keeps us going, is intelligent. The one calling us "mean and nasty", just because we disagree with you, now that"s...well, to quote you, "silly"


"You did not address Lucasfilm allowing bad acting, and as distributer do you think Fox would be happy to lose a whole heap of cash by putting out an absolutely awfully acted movie which makes the audience cringe and even walk out on it? They simply wouldn't print it or market it for Lucas. As for Lucasfilm themselves, sure the director might not help the actors much in what they're supposed to do (hence stage-hands, executive producers, assistants, scripts, basically anyone around the place that knows what's going on) but he and his crew would not sit and watch the scene performed badly and say "Ok, that's fine" would they? They'd have it done again, only better this time"

You are assuming all of this. I am quoting actual actors, on an actual set, shooting an actual Star Wars film, directed by George Lucas. Are you saying Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, and Sir Alec Guiness are lying? and that your "assumptions" are the inevitable and final truth?

Again, I must point your attention to the thread title. AOTC was not ruined by Portman. The entire film does not "suck" because of her. Her acting does. The film itself does not. You are saying:

"putting out an absolutely awfully acted movie which makes the audience cringe and even walk out on it?"

can you tell me who on this thread said this? we are giving our opinion on PORTMAN's acting ability, not on the entire film. Are you SURE you are on the right thread?????

 

What Zeva said.

IMO, Portman is at best adequate and at times downright embarassing. My son is in the drama program at a performing arts school and at times her performance was sub-par for his level (he's in 7th grade). I have no idea why this is, I've seen her act as a child in the PRofessional and Leon and she was great. However, in her roles as an adult she was nothing special.

It could be the case, like so many times before, that the child actor can't cut it as an adult.

I did think she was better in TPM. This was probably due to the fact that it was a very one dimensional role that didn't require any emotion. In AOTC where she had to play both a professional politician and a woman falling in love, that the depth this required was too much for her.

As a politician: She acted more like a teenage congressional aide or page than a ruler of a planet and a powerful senator. Her voice was childish and she didn't project any power or charisma at all. When you compare her senator characterization to Fisher's it's very obvious that she comes up very, very lacking.

As a woman falling in love: Dull is the best way to describe it. There is just a general lack of emotion or passion. Where I felt that Christenson over did the passion (came across as pure lust in my opinion), Portman was like a robot reading lines. She seemed to have a total lack of understanding to motivation or what she need to express (with facial expression and body language and voice modulation)to get the feelings across to the audienc. I really think this is the major reason that the Love Story was so heavily criticized, it totally unbelievable to me.

As a action hero: Way too flirty and uncomfortable with the physical side of it. She laughed and flirted with Anakin in the arena scene which I felt was inappropriate at that moment. Leia made sarcastic, smarta** remarks but they werent done with a smile or flirty. She seems to take it too lightly. When she falls out of the Transport, she looks like she's passed out then hops up like nothing is wrong.

She didn't ruin the movie for me. I loved AOTC, however I think she ruined the Love Story portion for me. But again, maybe the Love STory is supposed to be unbelievable for some reason.

 

hahaha of course not. she fits the part, shes smart and beautiful. the political lines are whats causing people to complain about the character, the acting has nothing to do with it.

anyone reading political lines comes off either flat or lieing.

science fiction is a hard thing to act i might add, because their isn't any set rules, people forget this easily. given the perfect material for portman (watch the profesional some time) she can realy kick ass.

why is that? because its easy to relate to! science fiction isn't!

 

Now I've seen everything. Reading through this thread is like reading the same entire book about five times in a row.

For me, as long as she convinced me that she was a stiff-lipped, stuffy-nosed Queen of an entire planet in TPM and a more mellowed and somewhat slightly sarcastic version of herself in AOTC, I'm quite fine with her in the PT. In other words, I found her quite believable.

But really, if you're going to over-analyse her acting abilities, you're only doing yourself harm by not enjoying it.

NOTE: This is just my opinion so please don't bother quoting me on anything because I've noticed some are taking this topic just a bit too seriously and personally - shows how you truly feel about the actress herself, I guess.

Thank you.

 

"NOTE: This is just my opinion so please don't bother quoting me on anything because I've noticed some are taking this topic just a bit too seriously and personally - shows how you truly feel about the actress herself, I guess"

I believe the quoting emerges when people deviate from expressing their opinion relative to the thread topic. You are simply stating your opinion, that's all. The problem lies with Portman's pseudo-agents, who simply can't resist launching personal attacks on whoever disagrees with their client being an incredible actor. I do enjoy it, though...keep'em coming!






BTW, some people get enjoyment by criticizing a film...why should that harm our enjoyment? (MST3K anyone?). Sorry I just had to quote you

 

Thora Birch sucks in my book. Britanny Murphy... sucks. Selma Blair...really, really sucks and always seems coked up. Anna Paquin...is a good actress but not nearly hot enough to be Leia's mom.

Geez...I guess you are pickier than I do, LOL!