DID PORTMAN REALLY DANCE IN BLACK SWAN?

Director Darren Aronofsky has responded to claims by Sarah Lane, Natalie Portman’s dance double in Black Swan that Portman danced only 5 percent of the full-body shots in the movie. “I had my editor count shots,” he said in a statement to Entertainment Weekly‘s website. “There are 139 dance shots in the film. 111 are […]

DISNEY SUSPENDS OPERATIONS IN JAPAN

With the threat of a nuclear disaster in Japan unabated a week after the earthquake/tsunami disaster, the Walt Disney Co. said on Thursday that it is suspending its operations in the country. Some of them have already been closed, including its administrative offices, Disney Stores and its two theme parks, Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea. […]

BLACK SWAN DOMINATES SPIRIT AWARDS

Black Swan was the big winner at independent filmdom’s annual Spirit Awards, winning for best picture, best actress (Natalie Portman) and best director (Darren Aronofsky). James Franco won the best actor award for his performance in 127 Hours. Films eligible for an award must have been produced for less than $20 million. Black Swan reportedly […]

BARBS FLY AT NY CRITICS AWARDS

While most movie award presentations are generally gushing with praise, gratitude, and congeniality — the exception, of course, being the annual Raspberry Awards, but that’s generally an event staged with such humor that the winners (losers?) in each category are usually not miffed about their selection. But such was not the case at Monday night’s […]

MOVIE REVIEWS: THE BLACK SWAN

Opening in limited release, Darren Aronofsky’s ballet-themed The Black Swan, is receiving a standing ovation from critics. Indeed Lou Lumenick of the New York Post applauds three times — that’s how many times he has seen it, he writes. It’s “my favorite film of the year,” he adds. “To induce a state of dread and […]