Sunday
Jun022013
Ask Nathaniel...
Sunday, June 2, 2013 at 9:06AM 
Your chance to ask me questions and I pick two handfuls to answer in next week's Q&A column. So have at it (but bear in mind questions that would require a huge top ten article or entire lengthy essays of their own don't tend to get answered in this kind of format)
Reader Comments (32)
What's the one thing or aspect that's lacking the most in movies today?
What are your five favorite Cameron Diaz performances? I hope "A Life Less Ordinary" is among them!
What actor or actress working today would you like to see in more period pieces? Only those who've never been in one on screen.
What's your favorite surprising Oscar upset? In which you preferred the Academy's choice than the contender that was deemed to be the frontrunner.
I feel like we talk a lot on this blog (and others) about Oscar winners whose careers were temporarily or permanently derailed following their big win (e.g. Paltrow, Witherspoon, Sorvino, Brody, Swank, etc.). Given your extensive knowledge of Oscar history, I'd love to hear about the opposite: Who are the top Oscar winning actors/actresses who took the best advantage of their wins and whose careers really started to blossom AFTER their win?
Your time Nathaniel: Who would YOU cast as Hillary and Bill Clinton in the upcoming Hillary Clinton biopic?
Name 10 non-Oscar nominated European actresses you would love to see in more Hollywood productions.
(hope Léa Seydoux and Maria de Medeiros are among your choices)
Viola Davis - will she ever be able to return to Oscar's shortlist---
in lead or supporting?
As Guy Lodge pointed out on Twitter a while back, Pedro Almodovar has pursued the movie rights for The Hours, The Human Stain, and The Paperboy. One of these days you would think he could nail that down and if so, do you think of the English-speaking actors for his big American novel adaptation that Nicole Kidman (who was in all 3 of those movies) would make for a great pairing with in the long line of Almodovar actresses?
Gone with the Wind or Children of Paradise?
and
Scarlett O'Hara or Blanche Dubois (in terms of who you're interested to meet in person, and for the performaces)
finally,
A Streetcar Named Desire or Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Can you detail why you think The World's End has no chance with the Oscars? (Personally, I think that, even if it is a comedy, it's the most likely "Black Swan" slot this year. (Massive gross needed to make it, but if it pulls the massive ($300 million+) gross, watch out.))
Lets assume there is a movie you never heard of or at least you had no reason to see it. What festival prize/ Critics approval etc. the movie must win, so you would instantly see it if you could and drop all other matters .
I tired this in the previously defunct Q&A, so I am interested to push for this again:
In lieu of completing the film bitch awards, what are some scenes from 2011/2012 that are still indelible in your mind?
(not trying to push too much, but the favorite scenes categories are always a favorite of mine, and now you kind of get to accomplish two things at once, if you pick this question!)
What is the most underrated female performance in a film ever?
PS:
@tombeet - The continuation would be "Martha Wainwright or Rufus Wainwright?" :p
Play PR agent/casting director/ producer for a moment. You have the opportunity to make film/career choices for any actor or actress in Hollywood. Which actor or actress whose work you enjoy, but whose choices disappoint you would you like to step in and manage for a day and what are your ideas to get them on the right track?
Which end-of-year Oscar bait film are you most personally excited to see?
Also, which single year do you think has the best lineup of Lead Actor nominees?
were there any new york city based movies you saw in your formative years that inspired you to move there? do you ever imagine you're in any of them when going about your day?
Any thoughts on Kitty Winn or Chloe Webb? I recently have been musing about these two, both making huge waves with stunning feature film debuts, winning them the Best Actress Award in Cannes or from the National Society of Film Critics respectively, just to pretty much disappear into (near-)obscurity just a few years later.
trying this one again:
would you like to know the voting rankings of past oscar ceremonies, or would that spoil the fun for you? I sometimes wonder if the academy could ever release these rankings, from the first ceremonies at least. in this same theme, what particular year/category would you be most curious to know how the voting went down?
What're your birthday wishes this year?
What do you think are some of the biggest role refusal mistakes actors have made? i.e. Janet McTeer turning down Prime Suspect which finally put Mirren on the map.
In honor of BEFORE MIDNIGHT:
What's your favorite movie trilogy? OR what do you think is the movie trilogy that maintains the best quality across all its titles?
Can you devise a project that pairs Kerry Washington and Meryl Streep? It must be bankable and artistic.
Super random, but oh well...which five actors would you pick to be on RuPaul's Drag Race? And yes, Tilda Swinton is an acceptable answer. She's beyond sex.
You are being sent to an abandoned island and your kidnappers allow you ten movies. Off the cuff, your picks.
Meryl Streep is a gift to all of us, but she's so ubiquitous these days. Her peers must be a little jealous. Who are some alternates you would have proposed for some of her more recent roles that she might've gotten out of casting laziness (Doubt, August: Osage County, The Iron Lady, etc.)?
Everyone knows the cons of Ryan Murphy but I'm interested in what you see as his pros? I keep comparing him to you because of the actressexuality and he seems to be the first one of us to use his position for the will of the women.
Jane Fonda recently discussed how thrilling it was to watch Meryl Streep's debut in Julia (1977).. What new working girl in cinema gives you the shivers?
Can you picture Jennifer Lawrence falling in Oscar´s old habit of actually delivering an statuette-worthy performance (unlike SLP , imo) but getting robbed by the Academy's wish to reward a new starlet? If so, who up-and-coming young actress do you think could fill in the new spot?
Diane Keaton has been nominated for Best Actress in each decade since the '70s. Do you think she'll make it five decades in a row? (Also, which is your favorite Diane Keaton performance?)
^ooh I love Helen Sharp's question.
If you could hang out on any movie set ever, which would you choose?
The NYTimes just published an article about the wealth of black directors that are releasing films this year. Are there any you are excited for? What do you think are the benefits of hearing from minority voices in cinema, whether they're black or female or queer?