Friday, April 11, 2008

Riding coattails or just parallel careers?

Natalie Portman was just announced to star in the latest remake of Wuthering Heights. (Before I start going off… please let it be known I love both actresses…) Am I the only one that sees this as a slap at Keira Knightly? Both girls are equally lovely & got their real start in Hollywood in Star Wars Episode 1. Few people I’ve talked to realize this but KK was the “fake” Amadala while NP was off being Padme somewhere.

I just feel like that after KK’s awesome work on Pride & Prejudice (Trena will disagree and say that the BBC mini was better, and it was, but you can’t compare a 6 hr. mini series to a 2-3 hour movie) NP is scrambling for a similar role. It’s different enough that you can’t immediately compare them, but the time period is parallel. I dunno. I just felt like it was a bad ruse to put herself out there again (it’s her turn again… they’ve been ping-ponging for years). At least do a book that hasn’t been done in awhile, like Jane Eyre. I’d say another Austen novel but that’d be too obvious.

Both girls have now starred in an adventure trilogy and done an outlaw thriller (Domino & V for Vendetta). I didn’t see Love Actually but I think that it’s the same type of chic flick/feel good movie as Garden State. NP does more indie films while KK does more of the bigger Hollywood flicks. I dunno. I guess it’s bound to happen when they both look so similar (and yet they don’t… odd).

ETA: Okay… apparently Jane Eyre has been done a lot too… WH had been done to death in the last 10 years though. I know! Someone come up with a NEW idea!

5 comments:

Jessica Stier said...

My big beef isn't that NP is going to play this role, but WHY DO THEY KEEP REMAKING THE SAME MOVIES OVER AND OVER AND OVER??? Get some new talent in Hollywood and some original ideas!!! I don't want to watch anymore regurgitated stories. Just because it has a different director or actors it is still the same movie.

Any Hollywood bigwigs reading this? Call me, I know a great guy with some really cool ORIGINAL ideas.

Crazy, huh?

Pixie said...

I'd love to see one of Ben's movies. Isn't it weird that every good book that comes out is made into a movie lately? I like it and all but it annoys the heck out of me when people don't even KNOW about the book. I tend to watch the opening credits of a movie to see if it's based on a book and if it is I'll try to find it and read it if I like the movie (because the book is ALWAYS better). It just seems that's all they make now-adays is book adaptations... something that already has a built in fanbase and requires little creative work to get it onto the screen.

Trena said...

KK annoys me. I'm all for NP. And I agree with you and Jess - why are the remakes? Can we get some orignal ideas??

Malia said...

I think no new ideas are getting made because people look down on the "chick lit" of their time. Funny, but when these classics were written they were the best "chick lit/romance novels" of their times. I'm curious to see what books and movies become classics from our era. I nominate "The Gift" directed by Sam Ramie and "Mean Girls" for future classics.

Anonymous said...

this is totally random and not pertaining at all to the topic, but I finally saw "Where The Heart Is" (OMG is that even the freaking title lol) all the way through and it's such a great movie! I'm usually bored with movies like that but wowzers...

*end random comment*