Wednesday
Dec142011
Ask Nathaniel
Wednesday, December 14, 2011 at 8:53PM 
You know the deal by now. Ask a question and I pick 10 or so to answer in the next Q & A column. Since the Golden Globe nominations are tomorrow, make sure not to ask any questions that will be rendered useless by tomorrow's announcement.
Have at it in the comments!
Reader Comments (41)
All right-the actressing ban being listed, I have an actressexual question-what are your thoughts on Whoopi Goldberg and her career (she isn't oft mentioned on the blog, probably because she's not really acting on a regular basis anymore)? What sort of role/performance would she need to do to make it a trio of Oscar nominations?
All right-the actressing ban being listed, I have an actressexual question-what are your thoughts on Whoopi Goldberg and her career (she isn't oft mentioned on the blog, probably because she's not really acting on a regular basis anymore)? What sort of role/performance would she need to do to make it a trio of Oscar nominations?
Thoughts on Eleanor Parker's performance as the Baroness in The Sound of Music?
Come nominations announcement morning in January, who do you think will be snubbed in the Actress and Supporting actress categories?
How do you feel they would fare if Nicole Kidman played Eva in "Kevin" and Tilda Swinton played Becca in "Rabbit Hole"?
This is a request acting as a question:
Is there a point for Nathanial to open a page for TFE readers to predict The Film Bitch Award nominations (just the major categories)?
Most young actors are trapped to play in romantic movies as the heartthrobs or one like Shia Labeouf who is trapped in big blockbuster franchises. But then young actors who act in indie movies with excellent performance are ignored, like Emily Hirsch and Paul Dano or Jamie Bell who is given only supporting roles. What is your opinion on the lack of young actor being nominated for Best Actor at the Oscar?
Have you ever seen Withnail and I?
Have you seen Of Gods and Men? If so, what did you think?
Who is your favorite actor and actress from the Golden Age that doesn't get much attention/mention these days?
We know you hate blurb-ready reviews and prefer to spend time dissecting films rather than jot down something easily digestible and excerptable into a Weinsten-poster, but I have to wonder. Do you have a biggest pet-peeve when it comes to film criticism/writing?
Assuming you answer this question following the Globe nominations...
If you could take one of the nominated roles for Best Actress (either Drama or Comedy) and give it to one of the most underrated actresses ever Christina Hendricks which role would you choose?
Do you have any favorite examples of (non-verbal, non-musical) sound in film? I'm thinking of something like the start of the wonderful dream sequence in The Artist, though I also think of the original Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy mini-series with fondness here. Sound editing is something that really has to stand out to get noticed anyway...
Realistically, does Kate Winslet have a shot of catching Meryl's record for nominations?
As relevant by Orson Welles' only Academy Award up for auction, if given the opportunity which Oscar statuette would you purchase and how would you ideally preserve it?
Michelle Williams, Anne Hathaway, and Kirsten Dunst are all up for the Oscar for best actress. In a hypothetical scenario (without obviously seeing their films), who would you give it to based on your personal preference and their cumulative bodies of work?
Jennifer Hudson. Friend or foe?
Maybe there's a post on this in the works, but what did you think of the first trailer for "Rock of Ages"?
Or: the recent Blacklist announcement revealed that the planned remake of "Soapdish" has been renamed "El Fuego Caliente" and is now about a telenovela star who wants to make it in Hollywood. Your thoughts on casting, which Latino/Latina performers you'd like to see take a star turn in a big ensemble comedy?
Are you into Blu ray? I bought my player a few weeks ago and already have three movies: Blade Runner, Fight Club, and 12 Monkeys.
Contemporary Hollywood seems to be enamored with its own past in the form of biopics like My Week with Marilyn. If you could make such a film, who would you spotlight and select as director and star?
Preface for my question:
In my dreams, A Separation is the best movie of the year (don't know-- I haven't seen it yet) and somehow, all this Oscar confusion helps it to creep into and win the Best Picture race. Everyone is happy and 2011's BP doesn't end up being mediocre like many people are fearing right now.
So the question is:
What foreign film(s) that weren't nominated for Best Picture do you think most deserved consideration in the category? On a related note, are there any that you think would have fared well if only voters had considered them outside of the Foreign Language category?
What are your top 5 favorite performances by Tilda Swinton?
What films, if any, do you personally nominate in every acting category? And which films do you give the most acting nominations to in general?
Is there any chance you could start a campaign to get Celeste Holm to present at the Academy Awards? I recently saw "The Gentleman's Agreement" and "All About Eve" and I heart Celeste Holm. She's a legend, an Oscar winner, and she's still alive! Let's get her on stage! Will you be the torch bearer, please?
Have you been able to catch Louie CK's sitcom "Louie" on FX? I
f so, your thoughts?
Restricting the pool of possibilities to no earlier than the aughts, what's a film and/or performance in recent memory whose Oscar campaign you regard as completely mismanaged? This can include release strategy, category confusion, over or underexposure, any of which failed to capitalize on the film's awards potential. Put yourself in the PR seat. How would you have handled the campaign differently?
Remake of 'Thelma & Louise'. Who would you WANT to see cast in the 2 roles and who do you THINK hollywood would push to cast in the roles? Would a remake even work?
Besides Michael Fassbender, which three actors' (under the age of 35) careers are you looking forward to the most? Or better yet, which three actors (again, under 35) have the most possibilities of potential in their careers?
If you ran the Academy Awards, how many nominations and/or wins would Christopher Plummer and Max von Sydow have received so far?
I know you're a Madonna fan, as am I, and I was wondering if you were excited for the Super Bowl. I know this isn't a film question, but I was curious. I could ask if you were excited at all for W.E.? Thanks.
i love that people often group Kidman and Swinton together. Sometimes when just talking about one the other seem to pop up, this is also true for Blanchett. Are there actresses you often group together even if they haven't worked together but that you feel they would be perfect matches? Maybe that they seem to share some innate similarities and thus people think they are similar.
You're casting the 2012 American re-make of Francois Ozon's '8 femmes'.
Who do you hire for what role? Bonus points if you don't pick Meryl Streep for the Catherine Deneuve part.
Why does Hollywood continue to tell gay male movie stars to hide their sexuality? I am beginning to think that the only way it will happen is if it is by accident (for example, a popular star comes out against the studio's wishes, and becomes a bigger star in the process). I do hope it happens this decade! If soldiers can be gay in the military, shouldn't A-list actors be able to be gay in real life?
Will The Dark Knight Rises bring Christopher Nolan more Oscar love than his past films -- meaning, will he pull a Peter Jackson/The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and be rewarded/nominated for Best Director for his trilogy with the final film?
Since I've recently re-watched FUNNY GIRL, I've been thinking about this and I'd like to know your opinion:
Julie Andrews in Mary Poppins, Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl, Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz (I'm cheating a bit because career-defining here for Judy should be 'A Star is Born' but this was one of her first screen appearances and it's why mainstream audiences know her) or Liza Minnelli in Cabaret - which of these introductory yet career-defining performances you enjoy the most? Which one do you find most glorious, complex and complete?
It's just such a fun question because I love all four of the performances and all four of the actresses but I'm having trouble deciding whether my allegiance lies with Liza or with Barbra. Barbra's is such a star-making performance for sure, but Liza's portrayal of Sally Bowles is so full and vivid and colourful... Tough call.
can you bait Ryan Gosling an oscar role?
p.s. you don't have to answer this now, but at some point i'd like to know if you're ever going to make the past film bitch awards available. i used to love to reminisce and see what you had picked that year, etc.
Favourite NYC movie?
Do you think a biography of William Haines would make for an interesting film, and who do you think would be a good choice to play him?
Out of the current tv stars, who-if any-will become the next George clooney (lead in a serious and acclaimed show turned Uber mega celebrity/glam star/serious actor/director/keeper of old hollywood magic); Bruce willis (tv charming lead from a beloved show turned action superstar turned genre-proof star and one of the nicest and "coolest" stars around); james franco (former teen star turned brainy intelectual phd actor/director/writer/everything), michelle williams/ryan gosling ( once in a crappy child/teen show who became a brilliant actor/actresses with an impressive body of work, awards and noms and best of generation talk around him/her); and the next SJP (Uber annoying, ubiquos and irritating "Fashion icon" who can only play the same role over and over again-blake lively wants this spot) and last but not least, the next jen anniston (sitcon Nice relatable approachable girl turned america's sweetheart/obsession in spite of her crappy film career)
What do you make of Berenice Bejo's category placement? When I saw 'The Artist' I pretty much thought she was a lead.