Monday
Mar282016
Ask Nathaniel
Monday, March 28, 2016 at 8:28AM 
Every other week you get a Q&A column. It's now that "other" week so ask away in the comments and I'll choose a handful or two to answer on Wednesday night (3/30) and bank the rest for possible random inspirations for this daily site. Wednesday is the joint birthday of Goya and Van Gogh* so let's get some art inspired questions this round (though other topics are fine, too.)
* Yes we will be celebrating Kirk Douglas's Centennial in 2016 but that's not until December.
tagged Ask Nathaniel, art
Ask Nathaniel, art
Reader Comments (30)
Have you ever seen the 1993 noir film ROMEO IS BLEEDING? I think Lena Olin is deliciously over-the-top in it as the Russian hitwoman tormenting dirty cop Gary Oldman. What are your thoughts on it if you have seen it? And are you a fan of Lena Olin?
Which film about an artist (in any field of the Arts) that you were not particularly knowledgeable about made you want to see/hear the real work by that artist? Conversely, is there a film about an artist that made you question/rethink your fondness for the artist's actual work?
I have only recently gotten into movies big time and a couple months ago I decided to go back and watch every Oscar best picture nominee that I've missed. I have now seen all the nominees from 2004-2015, and the only year I consider having all great movies is 2007. 2010 was the only other year where I considered no true duds in the mix. How many years in the best picture race do you think all the nominees were great/excellent/all-time? Have you ever had a year where you didn't care for any of the nominees?
You can pick one play by Shakespeare that deserves yet another adaptation for the big screen, and you can choose the director and the cast - which play, director and actors would you go for?
What makes for great modern costuming? (We all know that for period pieces, it's often Most Costuming, not necessarily Best.) What are your faves of the 21st century?
Hi, your photo of Jennifer Connelly the other day got me thinking...
So far, which actress has had the best decade in terms of filmography? I think it's Sally Hawkins, who's gathered an impressive resume with quiet dignity. (Am I right? Am I making sense?) Or is it Swinton? Knightley? Blunt? Wiig? Mbatha-Raw? Johansson? Byrne? Chastain?
Also, most disappointing career? Maria Bello? Freida Pinto? Zoe Saldana? Natalie Portman?
So, "Room" and "Beasts of the Southern Wild" have made your yearly top 3 in recent years. Do you have a Top 5 in the "small child gives pseudo-profound Life Lessons" subgenre? (That's not a backhanded label; I like both of those films.) To me "Beasts" is the gold standard.
What did you think of Banksy's Exit through the Gift Shop? And what of Banksy's art in general?
What's your favorite cameo by a (relatively) famous artwork in a movie? What's your favorite instance of an artwork being made so much ado about in a movie that it might as well be famous?
I know you are not exactly fond of Chloe Grace Moretz, what exactly about her that annoys you? I mean she is not the greatest actress in the world, yet she is definetely not the worst! And she seems serious about acting, at least tried to do stuffs that are "important" or "looks good on paper" (which I personally don't see as anything wrong or like Oscar hungry eg. LeoDicaprio too)
I hate the fact that actresses always get treated with so much backlashes, even with fellow actressexual!
Which Actress over 70 has the best chance at another nomination/win.
Miraculous film pairings you would like to see? Mine would be Debra Winger and Meryl Streep, because, why not?!
What's your favorite film (or documentary) featuring an art* heist?
*(Art, not to be confused with jewelry a la To Catch a Thief, Reservoir Dogs, etc.)
Favorite movies so bad they're good?
Setting aside film completely. What are your favourite artists or paintings?
What are a few good films from last year that should have been hits, but for whatever reason, audiences largely ignored?
This is sort of art-related, right? Given that we've seen a huge revival in film musicals since the turn of the century, including a couple of Sondheim adaptations recently, what do you think of a movie adaptation of Sunday in the Park with George? Do you think that the bifurcated time period structure could work on film? Who would you cast as Georges/George and Dot/Marie? I'd love to see Jake Gyllenhaal and Emily Blunt's take on it (with cameos for Bernadette and Mandy, of course!)
Best current contemporary female artist (e.g., Cindy Sherman, Deborah Oropallo, Nina Katchadourian) most in need of a biopic?
Since superheroes are on my mind
Yes we are inundated with comic book movies right now But is there a match up you would want to watch? For example Batman V Joker or Superman v Brainiac? I would like to see Poison Ivy again I think she can be done right on film if they took out the hokey-ness of Batman and Robin and made her more of a ruthless eco-terrorist.
Re watch "The Prince of Tides" last night, hadn't seen it in a long time. It holds up pretty well. It's big & showy which is not always a bad thing (We are talking about Barbra after all). The acting is superb all over the place (Blythe Dhanner & Kate Nelligan: Shame on you Hollywood for not knowing what to do with those two Goddess!). But my question is (I won't be making any friends here): A my the only one thinking that Nick Nolte should've won over Anthony Hopkins (A-Hopkins role really IS supporting B-I think "Silence of the Lambs" is one of the most overrated movie EVER!)
I know you're a fan of Parade. Who would you cast as Leo and Lucille?
Shamefully I have never seen any movie from Japan's golden age. I intend to begin with Kurosawa. Which of his movies do you think I should watch first?
What movies have improved the most upon multiple viewings?
Who are your favorite Best Actor and Actress winning pairs, either based on merit or for superficial reasons (e.g. former/future co-stars or lovers like Stewart & Rogers in 1940, Holden & Hepburn in 1953, etc.)? Any pairs you would like to see star in a movie together?
As I was thinking about this, I realized that had Judy Garland won in 1954, she and daughter Liza Minnelli would have both won Best Actress when Marlon Brando won Best Actor.
What's your favorite film set in medieval times?
If you had to recommend a budding Cinephile a movie based on an artist, a work of art, or has artistic themes what would it be?
What happened to the virile male movie star? Most of the men now seem soft and emo (Bradley, Ryan, Ryan, Chris, Chris and Chris).
Oh, ups, in my eagerness to ask you the 'momentarily actress of the decade question' I overlooked your suggestion to make our questions more artsy. Sorry, not sorry.
I'll ask you this; Best use of a painting in a movie? (I remember you raved about the the art work in Celia Foote's house from 'The Help').
Have you kept up with the Buffy comics at all?
What was the very first movie made you REALLY love movies?
(thinking back it was The Little Mermaid and Edward Scissorhands for me)