Monday
Jun262017
Ask Nathaniel
Monday, June 26, 2017 at 10:12AM 
A word from your host: Hi y'all. I know this summer has been a bit light on my contributions to The Film Experience (thanks to the team for picking up some of my slack) but a bright shiny future hopefully awaits.
I have exciting news! I have been accepted into the annual Eugene O'Neill National Critics Institute. The fellowship is a two week gig starting in July. I'm not sure what to expect but I'm honored. My plan is to emerge from it like a beautiful butterfly artistically rejuvenated and ready for a bit more summer silliness before diving headfirst into fall film & awards season.
We recently did a three part Q&A (bam-bam-bam) but give me more Qs and I'll throw up at least one batch of As before my trip next week.
xo, Nathaniel
tagged Ask Nathaniel
Ask Nathaniel
Reader Comments (49)
In our social media world do you think people rely more on blogs etc that they visit rather than 1 or 2 lone critics.
Any diet tips??? or is DDL really gone from cinema forever,any1 you think should retire as they are repeating themselves,so many questions.
Which band/music would you like to see appear more on movie soundtracks and in the films themselves? And which song/band/music genre would like cinema to take a short break from?
Word in the UK from a respected critic is that Kate Winlset is on top/peak/blue jasmine form in Woody's wonder wheel and the film has a chance as breakout hit,what do you think KW'S chances are of winning a 2nd,you always say the ladies always win a 2nd within the first 10 years.
I know this site adores Kidman and Pheiffer. I can really agree with one of them??
other than those 2 ladies, who do you feel are the BEST actresses around today? For me, I like an actress who can be versatile and you do not see HER in the performance i.e. Barbra Streisand
By the way, Congrats on your acceptance. Hope it is a great experience.
What were you favorite individual moments from each of 5 lovely leading ladies of Big Little Lies? (Clearly I still haven't moved on this masterclass)
OK, I'm going to ask you about spanish cinema...
In my book, Maribel Verdú could have won four Oscars - I thought she was the best worldwide, 4 times - and earned some extra noms... being...
Supporting Actress (win) for "Amantes" (Lovers), 1991. The film was the spanish submission for Oscar consideration and won Best Picture at the Goyas. I think she was way over Mercedes Ruehl's.
Lead Actress (win) for "La Buena Estrella" (Lucky Star), 1997. Amazing performance, that puts Helen Hunt's Oscar to shame.
Lead Actress (win) for "Y tu mamá también", 2002. 'nuff said.
Supporting Actress (win) for "El Laberinto del fauno", 2006 (Pan's Labyrinth). I loved Jennifer Hudson but Verdú was better in a complex, intense, multilayered role. Hudson's bonus was being an outstanding film debut.
Lead Actress (nomination) for "Blancanieves" (2012), I'd had nominated her, but win... nope.
Aside from Verdú, I wonder if you ever seen any Javier Fesser film (most notably, his total masterpiece, "El Milagro de P. Tinto", 1998, which I consider the best film of that year, and a truly unique experience, even if I find obvious that foreigners won't be able to fully absorb all its references and therefore, brilliance). Fesser went later to be nominated for Short Subject at the Oscars and is now an AMPAS member by invitation, and I consider him the best spanish director at work - over Almodovar, Bayona, Amenabar...
Also if you're a follower - or even aware of his existence - of Alex de la Iglesia and his best work (My Big Night, Day of the Beast, Common Wealth, Muertos de Risa...). He got *this* close of making "Alien Resurrection" but rejected it due not being able to rewrite the screenplay, and his compromise to show Perdita Durango with Javier Bardem and Rosie Perez.
Congratulations on that fellowship!
Do you believe the rumours about RuPauls behaviour on Drag Race.
Congratulations! Dig the sunglasses.
There's been a lot of talk about international box office propping up franchise movies that have lost popularity in the US, and that as long as the international monies pour in, we'll keep having to stomach them. But do you really think that American studios will continue to invest in expensive franchise movies that have lost domestic appeal?
Congratulations!!!!
I'll throw out the "Big Chill" question again, because I can't think of anything else at the momemt:
Favorite of the four ladies of "The Big Chill" : Glenn Close, JoBeth Williams, Mary Kay Place, or (the one I forgot last time) Meg Tilly? Or did you connect more with one of the men: William Hurt, Tom Berenger, Kevin Kline, or Jeff Goldblum? (And what a cast!)
Congratulations again! We are very proud of you!!!
Mark—what're the rumors?!
In light of S9's conclusion, who would you cast on Season 3 of RPDR All Stars?
One of the former drag queens and others have said that his persona everyone's family etc on DR is not true and that he does it for the cash and no other reason,then they went on to say that sometimes he isn't even looking at them when critiquing and that he is false.
I am choosing not believie them.
Give me an actor/actress who needs to make a Big Little Lies-esque jump to miniseries prestige TV for some much needed stretching of their acting muscles
Congratulations!!!
I''m curious, because she's almost entirely drifted into television now-do you have a favorite Joan Cusack performance? What do you think of her getting nominated twice for small comedic performances?
Ru is pretty blunt (on the podcast and his interviews) about his relationship with the queens...he doesn't have one. He gives them a platform and it's up to them to make use of it. They basically inherit instant earning potential and umptillion ways to cash in. It's not like he has time to hold 112 queens' hands through the process.
TFE has mentioned "auteurs" a bit recently. What counts as an auteur to you? What factors in? Longevity, name recognition, awards., etc? What separates an auteur from all directors, who guide films to their final tone and feel?
Additionally: Must all auteurs be serious, or are there humorous ones? Wilder, Jonze, Coen, et al? It seems all widely accepted auteurs are deathly serious.
To round out the AFI analysis, who are the next three most deserving men to be awarded the AFI life achievement award? (Ideally, this would be after 5 or more women are chosen in a row to help make the AFI life achievement ranks more gender balanced, but we know that will never happen.)
Which young female leads would you cast in remakes to The Hunger Games, Alien and The River Wild?
What are the most atypical Oscar wins in acting ever?
I've been thinking about this after catching The Silence of The Lambs again on tv. How such a restrained performance like Foster's win? It's not showy, not emotional, and an absolutely cerebral work of acting.
But, to you, what are the most strange wins? I don't mean in terms of screentime (for example, Patricia Neal), but in terms of unlikability of the character, or restraint or subtlety of the actor.
Condragulations, Nat! Very proud of/excited for you.
Q: Is there an actress (or actor) you initially didn't care for—like, at all—who ultimately won over/converted you? Generally, what brings on the change of heart for you? (I know you were famously cool toward Nicole Kidman and Cate Blanchett early on, which is the same way I used to feel, for example, about Charlize Theron.)
Who are the three most valuable female movie actress players in their respective age categories: 20's, 30's, 40's, and 50's.
In film criticism and review, writers often use phrases like "instant classic." How do you feel about qualifying the legacy of the film when it's still new? (I've seen a lot about Moonlight already being one of the top-tier Best Picture winners, something I tend to agree with myself, but still feel weird about making such a distinction when the movie is not even a year old.) How long is necessary for a movie to really linger in your mind and in the popular culture to qualify what its legacy is?
Edgar Wright's Oscar nomination record is at a flat zero (zero nominations for any of his films in ANY category) right now. How long do you think that can last? Or does he die as the first director anyone views as one of the greats to actually have a flat zero record?
Steve: This is the principle behind almost every Hall of Fame. You can't measure a legacy of an active athlete, so there is a period of ineligibility after retirement (usually 5 years). Similarly, there has to be some period of longevity for those on a continuous run, like musical acts (25 years from their debut) or sports coaches (unspecified).
In my opinion, critics are free to give instant impressions of recent films within some sort of historical context, but it's bad form to place them on an all-time list. Better to let the film percolate for a while (I recommend 2 years).
We always talk about lead actors overdue for Oscars. What character actors - specifically, people likely to show up in supporting - would you most like to see win, both male and female?
Who are the women directors who have made one bomb and then were thrown out of moviemaking by Hollywood? And do you think any of them have a fighting chance to get back in?
Congrats, Nathaniel, on getting into the Institute!
Given your t-shirt in that photo, who's your favorite pop culture/movie/TV critic/blogger/commentator/entertainer to follow on Twitter re political opinions?
This year marks 10 years from my beloved Deborah Kerr's departure. Please consider an special.
If you were sentenced to life imprisonment with no visitors and they only let you watch one film once a year, what would it be?
Who do you think is the TOP black actress in Hollywood at the moment?
In the wake of "The Beguiled" being remade by a woman and focusing on telling the story from a female perspective, which other films would you like to see remade by a female director with the focus shifted from the male perspective to the female perspective?
Some I think could be interesting would be "The Apartment" or "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest"
Congrats on the fellowship Nathaniel! Well deserved.
Do you think male nudity will ever be acceptable in films? What's the hold up?
How big do you think Ansel Elgort is going to be after Baby Driver open?
How well would Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts and Sandra Bullock do under the 1930's and 1940's studio system? How well would Katharine Hepburn, Bette Davis and Barbara Stanwyck do under the 2017 super hero universe? Use caution when crossing the street tomorrow.
Hey Nat! Congratulations.
What do you think of Mel Gibson as a director and how you would rank his movies?
Congrats Nat!
What is yout biggest pet peeve regarding film credits? Either in the film itself, trailer, or even poster.
Mine is that time when Emma Thompson is the fourth credited in Howards End just cause of star billing.
That's awesome, Nathaniel!
Actually, it's not fair to put Hepburn, Davis or Stanwyck in spandex tights, so that question could be rephrased as:
How well would Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts and Sandra Bullock do under the 1930's and 1940's studio system? How well would Katharine Hepburn, Bette Davis and Barbara Stanwyck do in the 1980's and 1990's?
What is your absolute favorite Audrey Hepburn performance?
Congratulations on the fellowship. I hope you find it rewarding.
Have you ever read a critics review after you saw a movie and had the review completely change your opinion?
Do you remember all the actress Oscar nominations and years or do you look most of them up when required?
What actress in her 40's or 50's would make you happy to see become an unexpected box office star?
OT: it must be Michelle Pfeiffer Day at New York Magazine, which has not one, but two odes to Pfeiffer's pfabulosity:
http://www.vulture.com/article/michelle-pfeiffer-essential-roles.html
http://www.vulture.com/2017/06/michelle-pfeiffer-catwoman-batman-returns-is-still-the-best-villain.html
#eurocheese:
These are the actresses I would like to get some supporting-actress Oscar love:
Margo Martindale
Catherine Keener
Patricia Clarkson
Luara Linney
Joan Allen
Taraji P Henson
Julie Walters
Emily Watson
Naomie Harris
The men:
Michael Shannon
Albert Finney
Ed Harris
Paul Giamatti
Joaquin Phoenix
Mark Ruffalo
Tom Wilkinson
#Minerva:
Back in the 1930s and 1940s, Meryl Streep would be Bette Davis, Julia Roberts would be Jean Arthur and Sandra Bullock would be Jennifer Jones,
Then, in the 1980s and 1990s, Bette Davis would be Meryl Streep, Katharine Hepburn would be Jane Fonda and Barbara Stanwyck would be Susan Sarandon.
Congrats on the Fellowship Nathaniel :)
My question: What are your thoughts on 'Paradise Road'? I just watched it for the first time and I liked it a lot. I was surprised to find that it didn't get a lot of love when it was released in 1997.
Hi Nathaniel! Congratulations! In all of the "la la moonlight" brouhaha a few months ago, we lost track of the idea of two Oscar winning former co-stars presenting Best Picture. Which pairings would you like to see next? My vote goes to Julia and Denzel. It'd be cool to see Clooney, affleck, and Pitt at some point.