Natalie Portman Is a Revelation in 'Black Swan'

In Darren Aronofsky's dark psychological drama Black Swan, Natalie Portman is so fragile in the early scenes she seems on the verge of breaking. The camera follows her close -- the crane of her neck, the sway of her arms, the arch of her feet as she rises en pointe. And when she speaks, the voice is childlike, floating barely above a whisper. She does a lot of her acting in the earliest scenes with her body, so terribly thin, worked mercilessly for her art -- the actor for the demands of a script, for the stage she commands. And as the film careens to its breathtaking finish, the actress transforms into something darker, something fully visceral and sexual and magnificent. "Perfect," is what Portman's Nina says at the close.

Believe the hype: Black Swan and Natalie Portman are as good as they say. She, perhaps, better than she's ever been. Her performance here surpasses her Oscar-nominated work in 2004's Closer.

Portman competes with Annette Benning (The Kids Are All Right), Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole), Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone), and Hilary Swank (Conviction) for the lead actress Screen Actor's Guild award. So far, I've seen the three who've gotten the most buzz this award season, Portman, Benning and Lawrence. Without a doubt, the Actor, and by extension, the Oscar, should go to Portman. And though I enjoyed Inception, True Grit, The Kids Are All Right and Social Network, the film that kept me on the edge from the opening was Black Swan, which is, so far, my favorite film this season.

On "True Grit"

"True Grit" -- the latest Coen brothers offering -- is funny, packed with action, and a much more satisfying film than "No Country for Old Men." That's partly because "Grit" has a definite ending and "Grit" clearly IDs the good and the bad guys. There is no ambiguity here, and you begin Mattie Ross' adventure in her corner. Which brings me to award season 2010-2011. I wrote in my last post that there were no front-runners in the supporting actress race. Hailee Steinfeld should be competing for lead here, but she's young and she and her studio have her in the lesser category. Which is all good. Her only competition is probably Helena Bohnam Carter who plays Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Consort, in "The King's Speech."

My Notes on the Season

With the Golden Globe and SAG nods out, the season stands as such:

1. Momentum for best picture stands with 'Social Network.' Though 'The Kings Speech' is still a favorite, Social Network has the momentum of, say, 'Slumdog' and 'Hurt Locker.'

2. Best Actor to beat is Colin Firth. I don't see James Franco pulling an upset in this category.

3. Best Actress; Natalie Portman. Annette Benning could still take this one, but I don't see it happening.

4. Supporting Actor -- Methinks Christian Bale. He's the only actor of note with some serious buzz building around his performance in this category. And with 'The Fighter' doing well with critics and at the box office, a win in this category makes sense.

5. Supporting Actress. Wide open. No talk like the talk for Monique.

6. Animated Film. Toy Story 3.

68th Annual Golden Globe Nods Announced

There were few surprises today when the Hollywood Foreign Press announced nominations for the 68th Annual Golden Globes.

Perhaps the biggest of the morning was Halle Berry's nomination for the little seen, little discussed "Frankie and Alice." The Emmy, Globe and Oscar champ nabbed the only unexpected nomination for lead actress in a motion picture-drama. She competes with Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole), Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone), Natalie Portman (Black Swan) and Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine). If Berry can nab a Screen Actor's Guild nomination, she may find herself with another Oscar bid (the win this year is Natalie Portman's to lose).

Everything else -- as expected and, perhaps, as it should be. The films with the most nominations were :

• THE KING’S SPEECH 7
• THE FIGHTER 6
• THE SOCIAL NETWORK 6
• BLACK SWAN 4
• INCEPTION 4
• THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT 4
• 127 HOURS 3

The TV categories saw a wider distribution of nominations:

• GLEE 5
• 30 ROCK 3
• BOARDWALK EMPIRE 3
• DEXTER 3
• THE GOOD WIFE 3
• MAD MEN 3
• MODERN FAMILY 3
• PILLARS OF THE EARTH 3
• TEMPLE GRANDIN 3
  

Upcoming: 'For Colored Girls'

Tyler Perry seems to have stepped his game up with the forthcoming "For Colored Girls," the screen adaptation of Ntozake Shange's play "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf."

The film stars Thandie Newton, Whoopi Goldberg, Anika Noni Rose, Kerry Washington and Janet Jackson.

The trailer, below, is serious.

New Harry Potter Trailer Released; Looks Awesome

Seriously, just watch.

Natalie Portman Gets Early Oscar Buzz

The Los Angeles Times is reporting that actress Natalie Portman is getting serious early buzz for Academy Award contention. Film journo Tim O'Neil says while it's still a bit early in the season, Portman, the lead actress in Darren Aronofsky's dark drama "Black Swan," has a few things on her side:

1) DIVA APPEAL: In "Black Swan," Portman gives in dance what many past winners did in song -- the full-throttle diva performance: Barbra Streisand ("Funny Girl"), Liza Minnelli ("Cabaret") and Marion Cotillard ("La Vie en Rose"). Unfortunately, ballet has played only a minor role at Oscars past, so it's hard to look backward for guidance to what will happen ahead. "The Turning Point" spawned two best actress nominees (who probably canceled each other out in the voting), Shirley MacLaine and Anne Bancroft, but they played dancers past their prime, not bouncing ferociously and constantly on stage.

2) GET PHYSICAL: Throughout the two hours of "Black Swan," Portman gives an even more athletic performance than Hilary Swank did when boxing her way to an Oscar victory for "Million Dollar Baby."

3) THE BABE FACTOR: Those notoriously frisky good ol' boys in the motion picture academy have clearly turned the best actress competition into a beauty contest in recent years: Sandra Bullock ("Blind Side"), Charlize Theron ("Monster"), Nicole Kidman ("The Hours"), Halle Berry ("Monster's Ball"), Julia Roberts ("Erin Brockovich"), Gwyneth Paltrow ("Shakespeare in Love") plus many more examples in between and earlier. Portman is knockout gorgeous in "Black Swan."

4) THE SEX FACTOR: Overt eroticism used to be a turnoff at the Oscars in more prudish times, but nowadays we're seeing those academy gents get excited by sexy roles. Some cynics say Kate Winslet ("The Reader") and Halle Berry ("Monster's Ball") wouldn't have won without their brazen sex scenes. In "Black Swan," Portman has steamy masturbation and lesbian scenes.

Check out the trailer: