Notes From L.A.
Saturday, October 12, 2013 at 5:31PM 
backlit by L.A.'s eternal sunshineHello you. It's Nathaniel. I've been absent but with good reason. I'm in Los Angeles for a few days visiting friends and catching up with favorite peeps at a couple of studios before the season hits like a tornado and whisks us all away to the Merry Ol Land of Ozcars. But really things are already spinning furiously. And there's no Kansas. There's only New York and L.A. where your house might land. Los Angeles is sunny and beautiful and there are more blondes per block radius than you could ever imagine in NYC. I get why people love it here but I started longing for the East Coast within 36 hours. People complain that NYC is loud and crowded but at least you don't have to drive. Driving is terrifying here. Google maps is currently in hate with me for my frequent confusions on the road. I've driven to about 6 places and been lost 4 times. 66% chance of things going wrong! Yay me.
I just wrapped up a junket at The Four Seasons for Dallas Buyer's Club (more on that film real soon) and the conversation before the talent arrived was all about "locks" for Oscar. The press gathered were saying things like "there are 5 locks for... and 5 locks for..." and if you've been reading The Film Experience for any length of time whatsoever you will know that I was horrified. This is not how it works people. Sigh. Entire categories don't lock up before the precursors and even when they do firm up, there's usually a deathmatch for slot #5 in any given category. Unless by "lock" you mean "this looks like it might happen but who knows" in which case the symboic word has lost all correlation to its real life counterpart so quit using it.
I don't normally do junkets since it's virtually impossible to get fresh exclusive coverage from them. Apparently I have control issues because not being able to shape a conversation with a fine director (let's say, oh, Jean Marc-Vallée) or ask about his past work in relation to his new work while the noisiest junketeer in the room merely asks him to regurgitate the entire press note package for his entire alloted time in the room just makes me C.R.A.Z.Y.
HYPOTHETICALLY SPEAKING, YOU UNDERSTAND.
view from my room at the Four Seasons
But I can't say that I didn't enjoy my time at the Four Seasons. Lounging poolside first thing in the morning, or typing in a plush bathrobe while the balcony door lets in a cool breeze, or a quick elevator ride up several floors to sit down with Matthew McConaughey? I'll take it!
P.S. Good god his eyes are blue in person. When he touched the hand of the girl next to me to illustrate a point, I thought she might spontaneously combust. Or melt.
How is your weekend going?
Reader Comments (7)
I'm sick and tired of people saying this is a "lock" that's a "lock" the best actress category is not "locked" up the way I look at it is there are 8-9 actresses vying for 5 slots with Blanchett probably most certain for a nomination!!!!!!
My weekend is going pretty good, since I get to stay in Southern California all the time and see more cute blondes (both genders) per square foot all the time. (I grew up traveling the L.A. freeway system, so I don't even notice that part). A pleasure to have hosted you in our fair Great Basin!
Spent my birthday seeing "Captain Phillips" with the missus. Lots worse ways to spend your birthday...actually in the company of Somali pirates, for example.
Wish I knew you were on the west coast, would've stalked you, kidnapped you, then made you watch Gravity again in IMAX 3D... JK!
Any chance you're coming up San Francisco way?
Dino
I actually wanted to mention that I live in LA but, I didn't want to make our host nervous that he'd run into me.
Got Escape from Tomorrow and Short Term 12 on my plate. Excited/nervous. The feedback I got was mixed but people agreed both were worth seeing.
Did watch a bunch of old movies via TCM. No new releases since Gravity and Rush were on my TIFF plate. For some reason I am not really feeling Captain Phillips. I feel like the trailer spots gave most of the movie away (I know true event but there are plenty of true story movies that I feel like I discovered something e.g. Lincoln and Zero Dark Thirty last year) and I've cooled on Greengrass.
Hi CMG, I know we're both still smarting from ZD30's Oscar snub. Nathan, hope you're working on your tan. Saw Gravity. Can't believe I'm saying this but Bullock deserves a BA nod. It's the first great movie she's ever made.
Just got back from a weekend in New York. Saw Captain Phillips, Nebraska, Omar, Her, 12 Years A Slave, and Blue Is The Warmest Color. So I'd say the weekend went pretty well. All of those films are going to require revisits, and not just because it did them all a disservice to be in a lineup with 12 Years A Slave. Every one had something worth thought, discussion, time, and attention.