Monday
Aug292011
Ask Nathaniel...
Monday, August 29, 2011 at 11:30AM 
You know the drill now, right? Throw me a question -- avoid multi-part questions or top ten lists or anything that would require a huge ass post all by itself to answer -- and I'll pick a couple of handfuls of them to answer in tomorrow's Q&A column.
Reader Comments (28)
You definitely preach the word that there's something special about certain movie actresses...glamorous, mercurial, seductive and talented. Which Male Actors (past and/or present) come closest to having careers/images/appeals like the actresses you love? (Not necessarily asking about your favorite actors but if there are any actors that trip your actressexual wire...if that makes any sense.)
Just read a praise for Michelle Williams in that Marilyn film link: http://hollywood-elsewhere.com/2011/08/believe_it_or_d.php
The question is, what is your ideal Best Actress line-up for this year, no matter even you haven’t seen the films yet or just because you love the actress?
A movie from the last few years that you didn't think was great when you first saw it, but has stayed in your mind since? A movie from the last years you loved at the time but have mostly forgotten since?
Cast a current actress to play a legendary screen actor and a current actor as a legendary screen actress.
What's your favorite movie in your least favorite genre?
Woody Allen has chosen a new, unexpected muse (BYE Scarlett Johansson...) and is planning to develop several films solely around her a la ANNE HALL, ALICE, and ANOTHER WOMAN. Pick the actress.
What do you think is the biggest misconception that Hollywood has about mainstream audiences?
So... everyone usually talks about how some great actresses are worshipped by their dramatic roles and should further exploit their great comical facet (i.e., Streep, Moore...). But my question is... which actress mainly known for her comedy/rom-com roles should take a shot/work more on her dramatic/serious roles?? (Please avoid Aniston, since everyone has commented on her addiction to chesyness at some point! :P)
Do you think Viola Davis could throw a wrench into the alleged Streep/Close actress showdown?
What is the most overrated Best Picture winner you've seen? Mine is Lawrence of Arabia. Grand and epic, but so long and dull.
What do you think is best post-Oscar movie for Natalie Portman?
What young director (3 or less films) are you most excited about seeing over the next decade?
Hey nathaniel I have a question about the sundance film "Pariah" have you seen the film if so do you think it has a chance of making it in this tough oscar race?
I was watching "A Place in the Sun" it was such a beautiful film and great performances by Shelley Winters and Monty Clift, if that was to be remade today who would you cast in the Clift, Taylor, and Winters roles?
There are some rumours about where the next Woody Allen movie will be placed - Munich. What kind of movie do you want to see from Woody this time: another comedy, a crime movie or a family drama à la Hannah and Her Sister? Who would you love to see starring this project?
*another comedy, a crime movie, a sexy movie like VCB or a family drama à la Hannah and Her Sister?
Why is it that three of Katharine Hepburn's four Oscar wins were for performances that certainly belong to the lesser performances in her career? (I don't need to specify which three I mean, do I?)
Are German films and German film history of any interest for you? I'm mainly thinking 1970s (Fassbinder, Herzog, Wenders, Schlöndorff, von Trotta, Kluge), but also pre-WW II films and recent fare (Akin, Tykwer, Link, Hirschbiegel, Petzold)?
And are you going to revive you reader spotlights any time soon?
You throw a dinner for Nicole Kidman, but she calls and cancels at the last minute because she sees the Bazmark signal in the sky and knows she is needed. She decides to send someone else in her absence, you open the door and it is Renee Zellweger.
What do you guys talk about?
If you could hang out with any clique of famous movie actors, past or present, who would you choose to be friends with?
Have you ever struggled with reconciling the intentions of a movie, or its message, for lack of a better word, with the quality of the work itself? I'm thinking of situations like Kazan's On the Waterfront or even the racial politics in the recent release of something like The Help or The Blind Side.
What do you think the adult careers of Elle and Dakota Fanning will look like?
Do you think Zoe Saldana makes a great enough performance in "Colombiana" that will resonate with academy voters when she has a more serious role? Could she be nominated for Colombiana, or is it simply just a very good performance in a genre-film?
What three movies are you most looking forward to from the remainder of 2011? If you could rid the world of one upcoming Oscar-bait movie, what would it be?
If the Academy were to revert back to the more adventurous picks it made in the 1970s, how would this year's Best Picture lineup differ from what you're currently predicting?
Please pick your favorite performance by Brittany Murphy. (Clueless, Sin Ctiy, Uptown Girls, etc)... and explain WHY :-)
Explain which career trajectory hurts you more: Kathleen Turner, or Angela Bassett. 2 amazingly gifted strong actresses both with Oscar noms, but who will probably (sniffle) never get nom'd again due to Hollywood not knowing what to do with them.
What is your favorite cult film and why?
What type of role should Natalie Portman select for her first post-Oscar film?
If Pirates was a big old failure at the box-office in 2003, what roles of the past eight years would you like to have seen our dear Depp try instead of the junk (no three Pirates sequels, Alice, etc)?
Which film do you consider the most impressive for its time? In a "I can't believe this was made in 19..!" way.