I have been comically beset by obstacles this year so even though I'm roughly three weeks behind, I have to laugh a little at the strange stumbles and ouchy falls and just go... okay, well then. This is an interesting view of the floor! (apologiez: Oscar chart editing functions are somewhat on the fritz. trying for workarounds to fix)
Angelina Jolie talking about directing plane crashes and visual effects. Mike Leigh, hilariously also in this shot.
One of the victims of this impossible season for me at least has been THR's roundtables. I literally haven't watched a single one of those sometimes highly enjoyable if aggravating celeb gatherings. Not even the Actress Roundtable! (I'm certain it was its vibe of "The Amy Adams Show: Episode 5" that killed my will to press play on the only day I had 50 minutes free on weeks ago. Important distinction: Amy Adams the actress is often very exciting to watch. Amy Adams the celebrity is like wallpaper.)
So consider this an open thread in which you can complain about all the Oscar stories we haven't covered this past couple of weeks (the charts WILL be updates tomorrow, damnit) and which exact minutes of these roundtables you would recommend that everyone including your host here must watch RIGHT NOW. The Hollywood Reporters six awards season roundtables to date follow. All five plus hours of them in case you've missed one. Or all six like me. Along with the videos after the jump are the single questions per roundtable that I am pretending they answered...
DIRECTORS ROUNDTABLE
Starring: Mike Leigh, Angelina Jolie, Chris Nolan, Bennett Miller, Morten Tyldum, and Richard Linklater.
Question To Pretend They All Answered Therein: Favorite Mike Leigh film?! The correct answer is Vera Drake (2004) though we'll allow any other title so long as you pay homage to that one as honorable mention.
ACTRESS ROUNDTABLE
Starring: Julianne Moore (Still Alice), Laura Dern (Wild), Patricia Arquette (Boyhood), Hilary Swank (The Homesman), Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything), Reese Witherspoon (Wild) and Amy Adams (Big Eyes)
Question To Pretend They All Answered Therein: "What is the single most awesome thing about Julianne Moore?" Hahahaha. Everyone is stumped because her awesomeness contains multitudes and it would require the whole 50 minutes to answer it.
ACTOR'S ROUNDTABLE
Starring: Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything), Ethan Hawke (Boyhood), Timothy Spall (Mr. Turner), Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game) Channing Tatum (Foxcatcher) and Michael Keaton (Birdman)
Question To Pretend They All Answered: Which of your leading ladies do you only wish your were as talented as? Redmayne answers Julianne Moore (Savage Grace), Spall name-checks Lesley Manville and begins weep-grunting (All or Nothing), Cumberbatch plays eenie-meenie-minie-mo with his August co-stars, Channing Tatum realizes he's one of the only A list male movie stars that has yet to really pair off with a major actress and vows to do better (what's that about?), and Keaton simply meows which says it all.
WRITERS ROUNTABLE
Starring: Anthony McCarten (The Theory of Everything), Jon Favreau (Chef), Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl), Jonathan Nolan (Interstellar), Chris Rock (Top Five), and Graham Moore (The Imitation Game)
Question To Pretend They All Answered: Which actor totally played a line opposite of how you dreamed it would be played and have you recovered yet?
CINEMATOGRAPHER'S ROUNDTABLE
Starring: Roger Deakins (Unbroken), Dion Beebe (Into the Woods), Jeff Cronenweth (Gone Girl), Benoit Delhomme (The Theory of Everything), Matthew Libatique (Noah), and Dick Pope (Mr. Turner)
Question To Pretend They All Answered: What's with the gold filter on Theory of Everything? Does it take place in Smaug's lair?
ANIMATION ROUNDTABLE
Starring: Bonnie Arnold (How To Train Your Dragon 2), Jorge Gutierrez (The Book of Life), Travis Knight (The Boxtrolls), Tomm Moore (Song of the Sea), Dan Lin (The Lego Movie) and Don Hall (Big Hero 6).
Question To Pretend They All Answered: It really sucks that How to Train Your Dragon 2 didn't have the guts to make Astrid chieftain of the village instead of Hiccup, right? Play to your strengths, village!