Monday
Jan252016
Ask Nathaniel
Monday, January 25, 2016 at 1:24PM 
We should do another Q&A. So ask away. I'll pick a handful or two to answer.
(A reminder that Qs that require top ten lists or book-length answers will be ignored)
Monday, January 25, 2016 at 1:24PM
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Reader Comments (37)
Of the eight best picture nominees, which ones do you think could have been made with people of color in the lead? And how that would have affected their Oscar chances?
After DiCaprio, what actor/actress do you think WILL be championed by the internet to win the Oscar every year and what actor/actress SHOULD be championed?
The reception for Manchester By The Sea has Lonergan on my brain, so:
I don't remember your response to Margaret... how has it sat with you? It's one of those films that keeps growing for me.
Which ignored horror (or similar genre) film performances do you feel were nomination worthy? Why do you think Oscar shys away from them?
Which nearly-nominated performer/scribe/director is likely to be back in the mix soonest and get a nomination? Which has likely missed their best shot?
Staying on the DiCaprio theme since he's a likely winner - if you had to take away an Oscar from someone else and give it to one of Leo's nominated performances, which one would it be?
Which queer-themed novel (or non-fiction work) would you like to see adapted for the big screen next? By whom? With whom?
What play of Tennessee Williams would you most love to see return the screen in a new adaptation, with who in the lead?
Keeping with the spirit of Paul Outlaw's question, what are some of your favorite books on film?
Nathaniel,
Do you think that nowadays remarkable actress like Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett,
Kate Winslet, Julianne Moore, Viola Davis, etc, will be remembered from here to 40 or 50 years and will be myth(with a thousands of books, movies, documentaries) like the usual Marilyn, Greta, Ingrid, Grace, Audrey, Marlene, Bette, Doris, etc?
Do you agree that the most remembered or the biggest one (actresses) are from the big studios age (1930's-1950's) ?
Do you agree that the big studios used to treat better the actress giving them better roles and movies at that time ?
Considering the lack of precursor dominance and the (mostly) unpredictable race for Oscar, do you think this was generally a strong year in film or not?
Why is it that no one is really talking about Cate Blanchett's peformance in "Carol"?
Nat: Jacob Tremblay is making rumblings of wanting a role in Star Wars. Would you prefer he do that, or are you hoping Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice bombs so we can, maybe, get him playing Dick Grayson? I know I'm leaning on the latter, but that's because I think the opportunity to do a good take on a Robin origin only really exists during, depending on the actor, a two-four year window with five-six years between windows. (Opportunity 1: Haley Joel Osment, 2000-2004. Opportunity 2: Max Records, 2010-2011. Opportunity 3: Jacob Tremblay, 2016-2020.) I'm curious what you think.
Nathaniel, like you, I am a huge fan/defender of Titanic but I don't know how you feel about DiCaprio's performance in it. I actually LOVED him in the film and now that DiCaprio insists on playing these tortured widowers, I'm ever more grateful that James Cameron avoided all that angst and got a charming/romantic performance out of him. My question is: do you love the performance, do you think it should have been nominated in 1997, and do you think DiCaprio should have won for it?
I ask because like you, I also hate The Revenant and if DiCaprio had won earlier, we might have been spared this ghastly coronation. I'd have been happy with him winning for Titanic especially since the Best Actor field was so blah that year.
If not Titanic, which one of DiCaprio's performances (nominated or not) should he have won for?
Sylvester Stallone now holds the record for the longest time between Oscar nominations for the same character (39 years between 1976 nomination and 2015 nomination).
Which nominated roles would you love to see a sequel of 39 years after their original film with the same actor reprising the role? Is there some from the past year or are there any characters this year you would love to check in with 39 years down the road?
Nat: Actually, scratch the 2016-2020 and make it 2018-2022. He's confirmed 9 and 11 is probably my minimum (and 14 or 15 my maximum) for casting Robin for the origin.
What's your favorite post-Hollywood career? Whose career, once they turned their back on Tinseltown, appeals the most?
Spoiler: Hedy Lamarr's inventing coincided with her time in Hollywood.
What is your favorite comedy to win Best Picture?
Who's the most overdue for an honorary Oscar?
Do you have plans to finay watch The Godfather 2? Which?
If the course of prestige movies for the foreseeable future is heavy on biopics, whose life would you like to see get the Hollywood treatment? And with whom behind and in front of the camera?
Are there any plays or musicals that you've seen recently that you'd like to see adapted for the screen? Especially any that have not yet been announced/rumored/etc?
Do you agree with the popular opinion that 1999 is the best year of the '90s for movies or do you think another year from the decade is better?
What do you think of Zhao Tao's performance in Mountains Must Depart? If the movie had been heavily marketed in the US, where do you see her in the Oscar consideration? I thought she was transcendent....
@ Martennis: If there is such a thing as Blanchett fatigue, no one's talking about her better (in my opinion) performance in Truth or her crucial one in Cinderella either.
@Paul Outlaw Justice for Truth. I loved that performance and that movie, despite its flaws.
Several years ago you posted about how many acting nominees are never nominated again. What first time nominee do you think is least likely to be nominated again? Which one is most likely to be nominated again?
You don't seem to write as many reviews as you used to. I miss them! Are you done with that? Writer's block? Are you secretly writing a book? Open your heart.
If the Revenant had been made in 1985, who do you think would have played Leo's character? And Tom Hardy's character? I know of course it depends on who directed it, and I know it's a weird question anyway but I'm very curious to know who you'd pick!
Now that you have experienced the "Jonas blizzard" so recently, did you find yourself more inclined towards giving "The Revenant" lots of Oscars, or Less inclined?
a) Less inclined - the snow wasn't so bad, I don't understand what Leo & company were complaining about.
b) More inclined - that snow was terrible and I can't imagine dealing with the cold, give them an Oscar for whatever they did.
can we have a smackdown for this year's supporting actress? and next year are we going to start with 1963?
I'd don't think I've seen much about Glenda Jackson on this site. I've never really understood why she won two Oscars. Can you explain? How do you feel about her?
If there were presidential-style debates to determine Oscar winners, which actors would have come out victorious over the past few years?
Which ten actors (of actors today) would you bet is most likely to be nominated in 2026?
Five actresses that you hope will get their first Oscar nomination within the next ten years, if not sooner.
What actor do you want to see win a Second Oscar? You answered this question before with Holly Hunter. Since her film career does not look to see a resurgence around the corner. Who would you pick instead? Julianne Moore the most unlikely Best Actress winner ever due to long standing ageist gender politics broke the mode and I don't believe the Academy is done acknowledging her. Or will Nicole Kidman return to critical dominance and solidify her status as a Best Actress Perennial (Nick Davis)?
What storyline from this awards season have you enjoyed the most? Least?