Ask Nathaniel
Good afternoon, lovelies. (I'm missing Canada, hence the coffee cup.)
Let's have a Q&A. You know what to do in the comments. Please nothing that would require a whole book or top ten list to answer. I'll answer selected questions Sunday/Monday. Suggested themes: Captain America Civil War, A Bigger Splash (fresh on DVD), Zootopia, The Witch (new to streaming) or whatever else floats your curious boat.
Reader Comments (46)
From one short-sighted cinemagoer to another: how bad is your eyesight? Has watching so many movies / writing about them made your eyesight worse, or were you destined to wear glasses regardless?
Favorite zootopia land/town about which you most want to hear a backstory or see a "founding of zootopia" historical epic?
Choose two un-announced superheroes or superheroines to be side characters in a couple MCU productions. One for a TV show and one for a movie.
catbaskets: A founding of Zootopia historical epic? That would be freaking AWESOME.
I still think of the goat (and the bunnies) in The Witch and shudder. What are your scariest screen animals of all time?
Which genre, that is usually ignored by the Academy in acting categories, do you think has the best chance to score an acting nomination this year - Superhero, Sci-Fi or Horror?
This might be a bit personal and you don't have to answer it,I have been a fan of your site since 2002 after a bad break up and am having a bad time at the moment but your blog and the features you post keep me going a lot of the time,so firstly thanks,my real question is underneath..
How do you handle the down days Nat?
What was Penelope's deal in A Bigger Splash? Some of her actions in the third act still puzzle me. Why didn't she offer any assistance during the police station scenes? Is it really as simple as Tilda's character said, that Penelope is that type of person?
Are you attending Rules Don't Apply world premiere and can I be your date? ;-)
Hi!! If you could put ANY artists to enterview each other (a Good talk like ' Inside Actors Studio '), Who Will be then????? (Sorry for the english)
3 pairs, okay? Dead or alive!! (Read alive like RuPaul say Life in ' lip synch for your Life! )
Since biopics have to exist, according to Hollywood, which person would you like to see a biopic about? Extra points for a sort of unheralded person.
Personally, I'd like to see one of Vincente Minnelli. That way it doesn't have to be a full on biopic of Judy (good luck anyone trying to pull that off), but it could show his genius AND his demons all the while showing us recreations of some of his signature movies. A Gene Kelly stand-in for The Pirate? Bring it on.
Do you think Amy Adams will ever win an Oscar?
Now that Viola Davis has become an even bigger star than she was in 2011, do you think the Academy regrets not giving her the Oscar for THE HELP? Or are they still too enamored with Meryl?
You recently showed your list of best performances so far in this decade. My question is, would you swap an actor who was ranked lower for another and do you think you would rate that performance higher? For example if Warren Beatty played Robert Duvall's role in the Judge do you think he would do better?
Is effective stage acting the real test of an actor's worth?
Do you have any of your old, old, old Film Bitch award pages archived and available to publish (beyond the ones on the homepage)? I would love to revisit who you nominated / awarded in the early days of 2000, 2001 etc. I've been reading your blog since I think 1999!
You hear the static noise and "aaaah" chorus of the HBO logo. What show's theme song do you immediately hear in your head?
Give Juliette Binoche an Oscar. Would you keep the one for The English Patient or would you give it to her for another performance?
Any opinion on Marilyn Monroe? She's arguably the biggest female star in movie history, but she seems under discussed on this website. Was she a better actress than many think? What would have happened to her if she had lived? (I suppose her career might be similar to Madonna's, sadly chasing the youth market.) Welcome to Oscar Season!
I would like to co-sign Andy's question; I love looking through the FB awards but can't find any good record beside supporting actor and actress going back to 2000.
Enterview = interview
I hate this key board!!!! 😬😬😬😬😬😬😬😬
Dave in Hollywood: I know I've been using this as an example to criticize Miles Teller's taking a lot of roles that look like over-compensatory attempts to seem macho, but, because of those role choices, I'd actually kind of love to see Miles Teller as Vanilla Ice.
Do you ever find yourself, in casual conversation, appending "Academy Award Winner X", "Oscar Nominee Y", etc when with your non-movie friends? Example: "I'm going to the Elton John concert tonight." "You mean Oscar winner Elton John?"
Should Jessica Tandy be an oscar winner? For what film?
A small preamble: My question was inspired by a combination of the Posterized post & a project I've been working on to see the complete filmographies of my favorite performers.
Are there any performers current or classic, with a significant number of films on their sheet, whose entire filmographies, not counting lost films, you've managed to see? Or are you close on anyone?
I've managed to complete quite a few but find that there are usually one or two titles, and sometimes many more, which prove maddeningly elusive.
I'm a reader of the blog since 2005 and I remember that you were not obsessed with Cate Blanchett like the rest of the cinemasphere. Eleven years later, here she is: two-time gold medalist at the Film Bitch Awards. Could you tell us about this beautiful tale of love that didn't happen at first sight(s)?
Play studio chief. You have $75 million for 3 films. Pick three of your favorite starlets (e.g. Alicia, Brie or Jennifer) and the perfect film for each to star in a remake.
@ /3rtful
The answer to your question is JULIA LOUIS DREYFUS.
Is there a remake of a Best Picture winner you like to see, and why?
Queen of Katwe has been recieved amazing reviews. What are its Oscar prospects?
There are so many post-apocalyptic films, but what is your favorite film about POSITIVE revolutionary change, or your favorite silver lining to negative post-apocalyptic visions? (Or, to paraphrase Fredric Jameson, why is it easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism?)
Your thoughts on the Twin Peaks return?
AMPAS has given you the keys to the kingdom. You can either....
a) Choose half the nominees in EVERY category (2-3 choices, you don't get to choose which categories get two choices vs three)
OR
b) Control all the nominees in half the categories (but again, you don't get to choose the categories).
The categories will change every year (so you won't have the same set).
Which do you choose?
We're due to find out fairly soon next year's Oscar host. I thought Jimmy Kimmel's hosting of the Emmys was pretty solid sustaining humor from start to finish whereas many times hosts' bits fall a bit flat as the ceremony progresses. That said, while I think Kimmel could have appeal, I'm not sure he'd be my first choice. I'm still aiming for a Kevin Spacey-hosted event one of these days -- he's proven funny, can sing decently, and is "inside Hollywood" enough. Who do you think could handle the unenviable task of hosting the Oscars?
Eva Green as Ava Gardner in a biopic - yes or no?
I like Sean's question about remakes of BP winners. But I also wondered:
I think that A Bigger Splash is the best all-around acted movie I've seen this year. How would you rank the four main actors' performances? Alternately, what are the best performances ever given by each of the main quartet in the movie?
Another question: What are the top three movies already released this year that you want to see but haven't yet gotten around to?
WHERE IS GLENN CLOSE?!
Do you have any thoughts to share about Jacques Tati?
If Michelle Pfeiffer had been in the awards running for "People Like Us," what scene of hers would be your Oscar clip?
Can you reflect on the diminishing role of women in modern mainstream cinema? Not the marketing angle but the psychical reasons.
Sorry, misspelled psychological
Do you think that Fonda would be able to challenge Streep for roles today if she didn't take such a long hiatus from film?
Have you ever met Brad Pitt? Is it true that his odor isn't the greatest?
Do you have a Letterboxd account?
Will you be seeing Closet Monster again now that it's open this weekend in New York City ?