Saturday
Oct012011
Ask Nathaniel...
Saturday, October 1, 2011 at 2:30PM 
It's that time again. Ask me a question about anything in the comments. I'll answer 10 of them in next Monday's Q&A column. Remember not to ask questions which are essentially top ten lists (I'll probably just bank them for future top ten columns inspiration) or questions that would require 4,000+ words to answer.
Ready and go...
Reader Comments (35)
Hmm I know I've asked a similar question last time but here goes mine for the week:
"From the 'Inception' top supporting players (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy), who do you think will be the next to get an Oscar nomination? Or you think it will be Bale, Page, Cotillard or Caine to get a second one sooner than those two?"
I don't know why but I was obsessing about it the other day because of Tom Hardy/'Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy'. Could it be this year for him? And even Gordon-Levitt who seems to be getting lots of praise for '50/50'...
But then I thought: hmm Cotillard will be around forever and they do like her (she'd have easily won a second nomination in 2009 had she campaigned as supporting for 'Nine') and Christian Bale seems to be taken more seriously now. And then Michael Caine can appear and make a surprise comeback of sorts (they used to like him very much and he even won recently for a minor performance - 'The Cider House Rules'). Or Ellen Page if she gets another 'Juno'-type role that fits her like a glove. I dunno. I'm curious to know what you think about this.
In one of your recent posts, you mentioned the wit of screwball comedies. In my American Film History class this week, we watched The Thin Man with William Powell and Myrna Loy (and Skippy), but before that, our professor popped in a DVD and showed us a brief documentary on the screwball comedy.
The DVD also contained more brief documentaries about the different eras of romantic comedy, and before he could stop the DVD, the portion about the Rock Hudson and Doris Day romantic comedies began.
He more or less scoffed and said that those were really weak films that all had a " Doris Day has to get married" plot...
In your opinion, how do screwball comedies and the Rock Hudson and Doris Day comedies stack up against each other in regards to cinematic value and cultural importance/"speaking to the times"?
Which of the following films would you most want to see made, and who stars and directs?
Extreme Tinker Martha
Loud Tailor Marcy
Incredible Soldier May
Close Spy Marlene
Chaplin or Keaton?
Cast 4 child/teen actors in a middle school production of God of Carnage.
I don't get all the JGL hype (though I do get why people think the initials sound cool). Do you think he's up there with best of his generation -- Gosling, Garfield, whoever? And do you have a fave performance by him?
How do you like the casting of Six feet under' Lauren Ambrose as the new Broadway Funny Girl? (Lea Michelle anyone?)
What is your least favorite thing about West Side Story?
I watched an interview with Ryan Gosling saying he wanted his leading lady to be Kristen Wiig. They is potentially an awesome on screen duo! If you're the producer/directer/person in power what would you cast them in? Oscar play or not!
kind of a personal question ...
have you ever thought about (with your great passion for film, and your auteur love) MAKING films?? i ask only because this is a dilemma that I am dealing with now as I make my way through school, deciding what I want to do with my future.
Hey Nathaniel, What do you think Leonardo DiCaprio should do to change his career around? I've noticed his roles are getting more and more similar.
I recently saw a making of Gone with the Wind which really fascinated me. The most fascinating thing was obviously the casting - the long search for Scarlett and the early decision on Clark Gable. But it seems that there was nobody to play Ashely and Selznick only picked Leslie Howard because he couldn't find anybody else - and neither Selznick nor Howard were happy about it. So my question: who would have been the perfect Ashley in Gone with the Wind? Or do you agree with Howard in the role?
Claire Danes seems to be making the move back to TV, first with Temple Grandin and now with Homeland. Do you think this is the right career trajectory for her (having done her most acclaimed work in TV) or should she keep trying in film?
Full disclosure: I tried really hard not to skew the question but I actually think that her stunning, quiet work in Shopgirl is proof that she has skills that would be untapped in television!
If movie stars go to the movies to see other people's work, what do you think ti could be the last movie Ryan Gosling has seen (other than his own)?
What does Kirsten Dunst need to do to see an Oscar nomination?
I've noticed that you're a fan of Downton Abbey. Who (besides Maggie Smith) do you think are the MVPs of the cast?
Choose one movie with Sarah Michelle Gellar!
If you could write a movie with Torrance Shipman from Bring It On, Veronica Sawyer from Heathers, and Cher Horowitz from Clueless, what would the plot be?
What type of film and role will it take for Angelina Jolie to snag her second Oscar?
What would you do to fix the foreign language category at the Oscars, particularly the strange eligibility and release rules? On one hand, it's frustrating that it's virtually impossible for moviegoers to see the movies before the ceremony. But on the other, it's a nice way to get these movies more exposure if they're able to put "Oscar nominated" on their posters. Quandry?
How do you rank Kirsten Dunst in 'Melancholia' in comparison to Von Trier's other leading ladies (Watson, Bjork, Kidman, Gainsbourg)?
"Extremely Loud..." and "Hugo" ahead...
What is your favourite performance by a male child actor?
Of all the new young starlets working today (Saoirse Ronan, Chloë Moretz etc.) who is your favourite and who do you think has the most longevity?
Of the glee cast who do you (if any) will be most likely to end up with an oscar nomination?
Which performance in Drive do you think is most deserving of award buzz? Do you think any of its performances stand a chance of being compensated by Oscar with at least a nomination?
What are the top five unrewarded comedic performances deserving of an Oscar or at least a nomination?
Why haven't you written much on "The Wettest County in the World"? If it comes out this year, couldn't you see it as a potential Oscar contender considering the cast and the director (although, granted, The Road wasn't that great)? I'm pretty damn excited about it, seems like you would be too...
From the following movies, choose your favorite dream / reality
- Subconscious, blurred border between dream / reality in PAPRIKA (Satoshi Koi)
- Architect, well-construct dream in INCEPTION (Christopher Nolan)
- Philosophical lucid dream in WAKING LIFE (Richard Linklater)
- Surreal, dream-like, identity-swap in MULHOLLAND DR (David Lynch)
Which actress (or actresses) from Hollywood's Golden Age could have a career today? What current film could you see her cast in? Conversely, which of today's acclaimed actresses would have had stardom 70 years ago, and what role should she be cast in?
Scratch my other basic, dumb question.
Pick any year's Oscar ceremony. Take an acting Oscar from one of the winners and give it to one of the nominees in their respective category. (Any category - lead actor/actress, supporting actor/actress, or ALL of them).
You're scheduled to have dinner with Nicole Kidman, but once again, she has to cancel because she broke her ankle while trying to keep up with Meryl Streep ice skating. In her absence, she sends over Ewan McGregor (Renée Zellweger told him how much fun she had with you last time) and he's looking for some career advice. He wonders how he can put his charisma, smile, singing voice and general hotness to better use. What do you say?
In cinema history, which six performances (three male and three lead) do you think are the most egregiously robbed of an Oscar? It doesn't matter if the performances were nominated or not, or if the performances were leading or supporting; but you can only pick three actors and three actresses (the ones that make you cry and yell when thinking about their greatness and the lack of an Oscar to serve as a historical stamp to that excellence) :D
I love Craig's question!
Create a role for Mary-Louise Parker that is very different from what she's done so far yet she might be great in it. In other words, what would you like to see her do? I mean, you don't have to invent a plot, too.
If you had to choose a stage vehicle for Meryl Streep to return to Broadway, what would it be?