IGN Interviews Natalie Portman

feller writes "IGN FilmForce has posted an interview with Natalie Portman from yesterday's Comic Con regarding her new film, V For Vendetta (written by Andy and Larry Wachowski, creators of The Matrix trilogy) and also covering everything from misguided fans, to what merits the use of violence, to Portman's own opinions about graphic novels. From the interview: 'Most of the Q&A session was dominated with questions for Natalie Portman, the star of the film. While the questions leveled at her ranged from weird to repetitive, one confused young man asked if starring in movies like Mighty Ducks was different than starring in films like V for Vendetta. Problem is, Ms. Portman never starred in Mighty Ducks. '"

Hot grits?

Nothing for you to see here. Please move along.

Damn! I was hoping for some hot grits too!

Totally Lost

I am totally lost. What is this story about? Could someone explain please.

news for nerds?

I really thought this was a "news for nerds, stuff that maters" site... I would wager that the majority of the rest of the Slashdot readership is asking themselves the same thing I am:

WHO THE FUCK CARES?

If I wanted to see fluff garbage from some Hollywood celeb trash, I would turn on the E! channel, like the wife does every 20 minutes... Now I gota see it on Slashdot. Damn!

Re:news for nerds?

Hey, if this isn't news for horny nerds, I don't know what would.

It is also apparently news for people with little or no language skills :) *ducks*

Re:news for nerds?

If you don't care, don't read and don't post. Very easy, very simple.

I disagree. Posting comments like that is the easiest and arguably the best way for readers to indicate that they don't like the direction in which a site like /. is heading. (provided of course the editors ever actually read comments...)

I got a similar reply as yours to a comment I placed about the 'Bruce Campbell' story.

Of course I don't have to read that article nor this one. But it seems fair to bitch about it when a place you frequent for a certain type of information seems to take a weird turn and start reporting on stuff that you really don't care about.

The comment system is specifically designed to moderate comments that aren't appreciated, and the OP got mod'd +5, so obviously (s)he is not the only one feeling that way.

In other words; I appreciate a lot of stuff that gets posted on /. and I really would like to continue reading it. But without trying to sound too dramatic, between these type of stories, the dupes and the stories that are rediculously biased and/or plain flamebait, I'm starting to wonder what's happening to good ole /.

I mean, you gotta honestly wonder if Taco (& the others) are really actively working on this site anymore.

Re:news for nerds?

While I understand where you are coming from, I think you - and the parent - are missing a key point.

Natalie Portman starred in the new Star Wars movies and thousands of geeks (including a lot here on /.) have a huge crush on her.

Bruce Campbell is the star of such geek classics as Evil Dead (Army of Darkness).

So yes, you're right, Hollywood celebrities are on /. - but they're celebrities that lots of us geeks are familiar with and fans of. I'd argue that it does count as "news for (some) nerds", "stuff that matters (to some)".

Re:news for nerds?

It's Natalie Portman, man! Have you no sense of history?

That, Hot Grits, and Beowulf clusters are the only things that matter!

Re:news for nerds?

What made you think this was an IT news site.

Its not, never was and never was meant to be.

Go read the faq.

Bring it on

Hot grits and all. We can take it. Let's hear from the old-school trolls.

Come on, now's your chance. It's on-topic, even!

I want to wake up this morning with 50 hot grits replies to this comment. I know you can do it, guys.

Bring it on!

You guys are behind the times

It's all about Dakota Fanning now.

Sadly, I think she's the same age Natalie Portman was when she first attracted a following...

Portman pics

Non-nude, but what the hell [celebritym...rchive.com]

Hyper-intellectual writing?

No offense to Portman, but have I been reading wrong graphic novels?
Hyper-intellectual? WTF?

And here I thought reading Joe Sacco's series and Maus gave me the right to wear a monnocle!

Re:Hyper-intellectual writing?

No offense to Portman, but have I been reading wrong graphic novels?

Dunno. Have you read V for Vendetta? There are a lot of historical and literary references ranging from Homer and Shakespeare to the Rolling Stones. Maybe Hyper-intellectual is a bit of an exaggeration, but they're certainly intellectual.

Alan Moore is quite clearly trying to turn the comic book into a recognised an artform in its own right.

Writers of the Matrix?

written by Andy and Larry Wachowski, creators of The Matrix trilogy

More like the plagarisers of the matrix [wikipedia.org].

I should clarify that. I believe they did write the Matrix 2 and 3. But I believe Sophia Stewart's claim that they stole her idea (especially for the first movie). The second and third movies are so pathetic, that it's obvious to anyone who has seen the movies that they weren't written by the same people.

Re:Writers of the Matrix?

"The case also targets the producers of the Terminator franchise."

With the date difference between the matrix and the terminator, I'd say she just wrote a script about governing computer mainframes and machines in the 70's, submitted it to a bunch of people, noticed some story similarities, and obsessively thought they stole her work...lawyers...profit!!!

evidence that the same person(s) wrote all three

(I admit the "evidence" that I present in a moment is rather weak, but then I also think the claims made by this Sophia person are extremely, deeply stupid. IMHO, the idea that she originally created scripts with material used for both the Matrix and Terminator is a typically pathetic urban legend. Just like aligators live in the sewers or that NASA didn't send missions to the moon.)

Evidence (weakly--really more like hearsay, but at least it's someone I consider reliable): In the first half of this vmyths article [vmyths.com], Rob Rosenberger claims to have been asked to serve as technical advisor for the Matrix.

The studio sent him materials describing the plot of the movie. When he went to the theater and saw the Matrix, it didn't end like he thought it would. Later, after finding out what was in store for Matrix: Reloaded, he realized the reason the first movie hadn't ended like he'd expected was because the studio materials the studio had sent him had been used in the making of all three movies.

------------

I really don't think Matrix 2 and 3 are so different from the first one. What makes them seem so different is that the first film had a miraculous revelation--that the world we thought was real isn't. The 1st film spent time exploring this notion and let us in on the whole thing slowly. Unfortunately, once the concept of The Matrix had been established, the not-so-bright Wachowski brothers had no new revelations to top it. This happens frequently. I see many, many, many movies, indeed stories in general, that start out with a lot of promise, but are ultimately not able to follow through when it comes around to the middle and especially the end. This is because it's the mystery that survives, not the explanation. To put that another way: it's much easier to ask a thought provoking and inspiring "what if?" question than it is to come up with an equally profound, deeply meaningful answer. 42.

After the first movie had been seen, but before the 2nd or 3rd movies came out, people had a lot of time (waaay too much time) to build up naive ideas about what direction the trilogy would eventually take. Fan expectations rose ever higher, and it's no surprise that the eventual conclusion could not live up to those (unrealistic) expectations.

Please go back and watch The Matrx (#1) again sometime--try to throw away all those ideas about what you thought it was supposed to mean and just watch the thing--I think you'll find it's not quite so brilliant as you may have led yourself to believe.

(P.S. Hope I didn't flame--if so, I didn't mean to, I'm just opinionated.)

That was an interview?

Jeff Gannon asked Scott McClellan more interesting questions.

Since theres finally a topic on N. Portman...

I might as well ask, what the story behind her and hot Grits?

Re:Since theres finally a topic on N. Portman...

Because you asked: The "hot grits" and Natalie Portman goes back a little ways on /. It's an old troll and here is a wikipedia link explaining it better than I could. Have fun reading all about weird fetishes. :) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slashdot_trolling_phe nomena#Hot_grits.2FNatalie_Portman [wikipedia.org]

Down with Grits, up with Matzoh

Please, no more grits. She's a nice, Northeastern, Jewish girl who deserves better. I propose matzoh meal.

Natalie Portman petrified in hot matzoh meal. . .

Has a nice ring to it, neh?

Invading Mexico?

Sign me up.
I'm out of Tequila.

Lovely IGN

I'm so happy that the International Grits Network is interviewing its biggest star!

hot grits?

soon after i started reading slashdot ages ago, i saw references to portman and hot grits and never got a clue what the heck kind of slashdot cultural reference that was. can someone bother to enlighten me?

but hey, all I am is a guy who had a guy in his fraternity date some gal named Tisch who was one of portman's (not her real name, though the actual name escapes me) good friends.

Re:hot grits?

I think I might know who the original hot grits guy was, sort of, possibly.

I used to frequent a site called LinuxNewbie.org back when it was still under the watchful guidance of a guy who went by the pseudonym of Sensei. I remember there being a member called Craig (I think) who posted these zany pictures all the time, and one of them was a Photoshopped picture of Natalie Portman as a statue. People commented on his amazing petrification skills. I think that he may have been the original hot grits troll.

Anyway, take that with a grain of salt because I'm not absolutely certain. It's mostly speculation.

In my mind...

Portman stared in a lot of porn movies too.

Alan Moore didn't like this movie

Usually, Alan Moore, who wrote the graphic novels, doesn't comment on the quality of the movies that are made based on his stories. This is the first movie he actually slammed, and the reason we won't see any more Hollywood movies based on his stories (nor will he work with DC Comics again)

source [comicbookresources.com]

Bah, quit yer whining!

While everyone's all "wah, what is slashdot coming to, why do I need to know what some so-called actress says", I'd like to remind you that Ms. Portman has long been a geekboy fantasy, and as such is entitled to a place of honor in good'ole Slashdot.

Plus, I challenge any red-blooded geek to see the film Garden State [imdb.com] and not fall in love with the woman. I mean it; you really should check out that movie, the quirky, original script alone makes it worth it.

One big flirt.

Gees, the IGN reporter is just constantly flirting with Natalie Portman through the entire interview. Here are some quotes to show what I mean, along with Natalie's answer.

IGN: How old are you?
Natalie: I'm 24.
IGN: Cool! Now, let's get to why we're here.
IGN: Has it turned you on
Natalie: Not so much
IGN: You just broke a million hearts
IGN: How do you feel
Natalie: scary
IGN: do you feel pressure
Natalie: yeah
IGN: Have you ever?
Natalie: Yeah IGN: It's about time
IGN: Do you feel like you would ever .. for a stranger
Natalie: No.
IGN: I think I'm with you on that one.


Pretty intimate conversation if you ask me!

NATALIE PORTMAN NAKED AND PETRIFIED

What, no one remembers this line?

Invading Mexico

"It's about time we moved in on them."

Wow.. Just wow. WTF?

Worst Interview Ever

As a Natalie Portman fan I was extremely disappointed with that interview. It didn't seem like it delved much into the graphic novel, and Natalie wasn't asked any interesting questions. Plus, there was no picture of her on the interview page. That was a major minus.

She's skinny enough

She's skinny enough why would she feel the need to lose more weight? http://vforvendetta.warnerbros.com/cmp/press_portm an_03_640.html [warnerbros.com]

Natalie Who?

She was quite good in The Professional, I haven't seen or recognized her in anything that was worthwhile watching since then.

Re:Natalie Who?

Have you seen Closer? Not a bad film. Garden State is decent too.

what...?

two half pages of divel.

no link to the trailer, or any other information about this movie..

how the fuck is the news worthy?

Postergirl

I think us geeks need to change our postergirl. This illusion that we have fallen into that Natalie Portman is one of us is ridiculous. I think we need to find someone else. Maybe an asian? ;)

I sense a disturbance in the Force...

...it's as if a million kittens cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced.

Worthless.

wtf, no pics?

I don't know about you guys, but I'll save my grits for another day. ;)

You know

You know, a karma whore like me should probably not be participating in any discussion involving Natalie Portman. At the same time, it will probably be about 5 years before I get another chance. So ere goes.

Far, far in teh future, in a petrified forest just outside the ruins of Philadelphia, stands a naked, marbelized corpse with an expression of fear and angst across it's face. Scientists of the day, doing research into the decline and fall of mankind hundreds and thousands of years earlier, use temporal analysis instruments to peer into the past and determine the what brought this poor, pathetic creature into these woods and how it came to be in such a state.

Upon a floating disk stands a large, translucent box, the outer covering of which disguises a number of gears and tubes which come to life as the scientists activate it's instruments. Within the large, green viewport, the scientists peer backwards into time, watching countless days and nights peel away like skins of an onion. As time comes back, so do glaciers of mineral deposits which once covered the entire area. For hours, the scientists stare into the viewport. 'This isn't going fast enough', mutters the chief scientist, twisting a knob to increase the rate of reversion.

Suddenly, there is a blazing flash of light, the deposits receed, and the scientists watch the last days of man with great interest. From their viewport, they stare over the city of Philadelphia and watch as the air defences fire upon opponents in the skies above. Massive sledges of steaming, boiling grits drop their payloads onto the city, and block by block the guns go silent. The scene on the horizon is choked by the sheer number of sledges, and the cackling of the sledgemasters can be heard through the audible amplification unit. The thousands of lenses of the scientists eyes focus all at once on the city limits, where fleeing citizens can be seen escaping a bubbling, oozing force as it emerges from all the buildings. Soon, the valley surrounding the city is becoming layered with grits running over from the city, and the skyline which was home to people for so many generations vanishes in a grey, chunky mess.

The scientists watch as survivors coming up the hill become trapped in the lava-like ooze and instantly burst into flames. By now, they can hear the screams of the last few runners who somehow managed to stay ahead of the grits which have filled the valley like chowder in a soup bowl. Finally, lights shine through the clouds above a massive sledge emerges from the heavens, larger than the city itself lying below. A thunderous beeping sound, like that of a thousand backloaders, begins echoing over the scene. In the viewport, the scientists watch with keen interest as 2 events take place: the last of the runners makes her way into the forest, towards higher grounds above and possibly salvation, and the bottom of the massive sledge gives way to megatons of steaming hot grits. In an instant, the runner is swept up in the massive outpouring of grits which quickly consume her. The viewport goes dark.

'Back up a few frames, I want to check something', says the lead scientist. The culinary officer complies, his cerci swinging back and forth excitedly as the group looks for clues to the identity of the runner. They stare closely into the viewport, when one of the scientists exlaims 'Stop! That badge seems to be a means of identification. T'jalfar, you know ancient human dialects, what does it say?'

T'jalfar adjusts his 4,000 lensed monacle. After a moment, he mutters, 'Port... Port... Portman! That is what it says, this one's name was Portman.'

'What does it mean?' asks one of the other scientists.

'Definitely kosher, my friends. By the name given on the badge, it is safe to say this one was definitely kosher' says T'jalfar.

An excited chatter rose amongst the crowd. The culinary officer ambled up to the marblized corpse, it's anntenae running all over to determine the best place to insert his instruments. Being the most

Wouldnt that be

Andy and _Linda_ Wachowski?

did Roger Ebert start editing for slashdot?

Unless you are posting an article with pics of Natalie Portman nekkid, why the fuck would I come to slashdot to read this?

Christ, go dig through the bag of rejected submissions for somehting more interesting if you guys are that bored.

Just what London needs ...

a film about someone bombing central London. Expect outrage and then a dupe of this article to appear under "your rights online" when people call for the film, the comics, comic-book readers, the nerdularly challenged generally, etc to be banned.

Little-known secret about "Sith" movie

Actually, "Revenge of the Sith" was originally written with Padme taking part in the final battle on Mustafar, a planet covered in flowing red-hot grits. Things ende up re-written later, however.

I would have asked...

...why she's destroying her nose with bad plastic surgery [awfulplasticsurgery.com].

Wow, I sure admire her now

IGNFF: Do you feel like you would ever give your life for a stranger or an ideal?
PORTMAN: No.

What a piece of trash. If her nation was being invaded by Nazis, she wouldn't give her life to protect it? If she saw a child inside a burning building, she wouldn't go in?

Either she's incredibly stupid because she didn't think before she spoke, or she's incredibly self-centered. Or more likely, both.

Hollywood doesn't get it

Rumor has it that the anarchism is being taken out of V is for Vendetta. That's too bad. When will Hollywood understand that good movies are based on the good shit that authors dream up, not what placates some test audience?

To all who object

To all who object to this article, as an old timer, I say to you "You must be new here"!

Anyone who has been here for a while knows that many Slashdotters have a fetish about Natalie Portman, Hot grits [wikipedia.org], naked and petrified [wikipedia.org].

natalie portman is cool

Natalie Portman is cool because she likes graphic novels.

Re:This is a good example of...

When I read that line, I thought about it for a bit and I think the person must have had her confused with the actress that played the backup goalkeeper in D2. They do look remarkably similar, from my recollection of the movie (been ages since I've seen it).

Re:2001 A SLASHDOT ODYSSEY

I sort of miss osm