I feel like if I talk about the Oscars anymore than I already do I will slowly become one! Gold plating, lopped off head, ... the works. This week's question were extremely Oscar focused. In order to escape my immobile sword-holding genital-free fate, I'm not answering them just yet. I'm also not answering any "top ten" questions but feel free to go on giving me top ten list ideas ;)
I'm suddenly realizing this Q&A series is like writing 10 blog posts at once. Which is... well, must rethink this series! So only non-Oscar focused questions today and then we'll just gag on naked gold men tomorrow and Wednesday, K?
Here we go.
Luiserghio: If you could resurrect one classic director to direct a modern actress/actor?
Nathaniel: My first thought was William Wyler for just about any actor or actress that needs a chance to really nail a top flight dramatic adult piece. Who has a better track record for directing actors to grand serious performances with nuance and depth? Nobody. But then Vincente Minnelli directing Anne Hathaway popped up and I'll go with that. Not because she wants to play Judy Garland and he's the expert but because he understands color and musical numbers and Hathaway would soar under both conditions. Plus she seems to have an 'Old Hollywood' soul as it were so she'd be perfect for any resurrection.
Mandy Patinkin, Eartha Kitt and Toni Collette in "The Wild Party"Robert G: If you could guarantee one stage musical from any time in history would be adapted to a film, what would it be?
Nathaniel: If you'd ask me this five years ago I would've said Sweeney Todd.
This is such a tough question as there are so many great ones. Many stage musicals I love wouldn't transfer well like A Choru -- whoops! I regularly try and picture "The Light in the Piazza" and "Caroline, Or Change" as feature films. I think a masterpiece could be made from Sondheim's "Follies" but what director alive is both genius enough to handle the complexity of it and has enough industry muscle to demand that only extraordinarily gifted singing actors handle the vocally demanding songs? So maybe I should just say Michael John LaChiusa's "The Wild Party" because I am weirdly obsessed with it and because there's more room for error. By which I mean it's busy with noise and dancing and banter and that's easier for modern Hollywood to understand than pure singing musicals. If they made a mistake here and there they wouldn't destroy a masterwork and we'd still get an entertaining film. Please note: This guarantee wish comes with Toni Collette reprising her lead role as alcy showgirl "Queenie".
Queenie was a blonde and her age stood still and she danced twice a day in the
... vau-de-ville ♫
Sean C: Which of the four actors do you think has the biggest opportunity to drop the theatrical dramedy-ic ball in CARNAGE?
John, Jodie, Christoph and Kate checking out TFE's Oscar charts!
Nathaniel: Such a mean-spirited (or maybe just worried?) question. I'll give you my answer after the jump.
Kate Winslet has the least challenging role if you ask me so she'll be fine. We already know that Waltz can work on multiple levels with a great facility for gallows-humor (see: Basterds). John C Reilly will probably be fine but I'm still disappointed because I thought Matt Dillon was such an interesting choice. So I have to go with Jodie Foster who...
a) has the hardest role
b) is not particularly "funny"
c) tends to be strongest in extremely narrow dramas.
I don't say "narrow" in a derogratory way. Just that her best work (which I consider to be 3 of her 4 nominated roles, excluding The Accused) has women trapped in extreme circumstances or struggling in very narrow worlds who are only focused on that. On the other hand, I guess "God of Carnage" could be described that way. Hmmm. I guess it's the comedy part I'm worried about. I thought she really struggled with against-type work in Inside Man. And if there's truth to "if you rest, you rust" than Jodie is too corroded for something this difficult.
Ty: What director/actress collaboration do you find the most interesting?
Nathaniel: There are many starting all the way back in the silents with Pabst & Brooks. So I'll restrict my answer to two that came to mind right away that are less traditional director/muse relationships and more director/regular-troupe member. I might die of happiness if Wes Anderson ever moved away from poor little rich boys and wrote and directed a stylized vehicle for Anjelica Huston. Shake things up!
...but I really really freak out over Woody Allen / Dianne Wiest. Out of all his frequent ladies -- despite the unarguable brilliance of Diane Keaton and Mia Farrow -- she's the one that seems to exist most fully outside his amorous svengali control within his movies. Notably she's almost never the romantic object in the traditional way and I think that helps. Those two Oscars she has from his movies don't lie; it's a thrilling match.
QUESTION OF THE WEEK!
Mr Ripley: Recast Michelle Pfeiffer in a Julianne Moore part and Julianne in a Michelle part! Any era.
Nathaniel: Jesus. Tough. They've both done coke whores (Scarface, Boogie Nights), aging trophy gals (Chéri, Magnolia), and forbidden love with Dennis Haysbert (Love Field, Far From Heaven... Oscar noms for both) so let's eliminate those movies straightaway to make it easier. I also have to eliminate unimproveable star turns so gone are Pfeiff's Fabulous Baker Boys, Batman Returns and White Oleander and Moore's Safe.
Moore could do The Deep End of the Ocean's maternal turmoil in her sleep (and best Pfeiffer) but she has much more trouble selling loose vibrant comedy or mainstream genre stylizations (I can't imagine her pulling off, say, Married to the Mob or What Lies Beneath) but I'd want to challenge her so I'd give her maybe The Witches of Eastwick which has a little of both but not too much of either and still works in some weird maternal flourishes. Plus, I'd love for Julianne to have more opportunities to act opposite other actresses; The Hours doesn't count since they didn't share scenes! Either that or The Age of Innocence because Moore doesn't get to do romantic dramas nearly enough. We haven't really seen what she can do there. I assume because she's never been "bankable" per se and romantic dramas usually count on the female lead to sell them.
Switcheroos. Trade romantic epics?As for Pfeiffer, this will seem kind of unfair to take from Moore given what I just said but I'd loved to have seen what she could have done with The End of the Affair. It's a Movie Star role and she has that energy in spades. I've basically always agreed with Martin Scorsese's early 90s assessment of Pfeiffer as "our greatest romantic actress" so that seems like the obvious choice, becaue she didn't embrace that side of herself too much beyond The Age of Innocence. On the other hand, I'd kind of die to see Pfeiffer really pushed from her comfort zone so... can I change my answer?
How sickening could Pfeiffer get with Savage Grace: threeways, incest, balls-out crazy?
But Pfeiffer in Magnolia. Just to shake her up but good.
Fuck you, too. Don't call me "lady". I come in here, I give these things to you, you check, you make your phone calls, look suspicious, ask questions. I'm sick. I have sickness all around me and you fucking ask me about my life? "What's wrong?" Have you seen death in your bed? In your house? Where's your fucking decency? And then I'm asked fucking questions. What's... wrong? You suck my dick. That's what's wrong. And you, you fucking call me "lady"? Shame on you. Shame on you. Shame on both of you.
Pfeiffer's Ice Queen, shattering into millions of itty bitty shards right there in the pfucking pfarmacy.
I'd like to change my answer again.
Your turn: Which actress/director pairings do you obsess over? Which Pfeiffer/Moore roles would you trade? Musicals to screen? Sound off on any of these questions. You know there's at least one where you were raising your hands, all "Pick me! Pick me!"