Reader Spotlight: Grace Miao

In Reader Spotlight we get to know The Film Experience community one by one. It's taking forever for which you know I'm grateful. Today we're talking to Grace in Toronto.

NATHANIEL: Hi Grace. Why do you read The Film Experience?

GRACE: I originally read it for your Oscar predictions, but I got hooked on the thoughts and insights in your movie reviews - and actressexuality! It's a little Ebert-esque, but love or hate a movie, you have an undercurrent of overall admiration and appreciation for the medium that keeps me coming back.

What's your first movie memory or obsession?

GRACE: E.T.  I'm so blood/gore-averse that I distinctly remember hiding my face behind my hands when Elliot cut his finger on the circular saw. And wanting a flying bicycle.

I know we have a mutual love of Tilda Swinton and Tony Leung since you've told me so. Name three other actors you always love to watch.

Nicole Kidman! I know she's on everyone's list, but her Monster Year in 2000/2001 kind of sealed the deal for me - I loved her in "Moulin Rouge", "The Others", then later in "Dogville" and "Birth". She's always good, but with an auteur director, it's absolute magic to watch her.

Maggie Cheung. I really miss seeing her onscreen, especially since Tony's still working (such amazing chemistry!). I was SO excited to hear that she was going to be in Inglorious Basterds and disappointed that they cut her scenes. She's one actor who, like Tilda, I can buy in anything and any role. Plus very few people can make Cantonese Chinese sound as elegant as she does.

I saw Ralph Fiennes in Quiz Show in a high school English class and it sent me digging through his filmography and my Dad's video library. For years, I just couldn't get enough of him (though I skipped "Maid in Manhattan") - I could be repulsed by him ("Schindler's List"), swoon over him ("The English Patient") and every time he speaks, I just want to curl up and fall asleep in his voice. I could see someone like Tom Hiddleston following in his footsteps.

If I could pick runners-up, I'd choose Peter O'Toole, Kirsten Dunst and Russell Crowe. 

If you were in charge of Hollywood for a year, what kind of movies would you greenlight?

At this point, I think I'd greenlight virtually anything that isn't a prequel or sequel. I'd give the go-ahead to works that put story and character development at the forefront; if Lars Von Trier/Kar Wai Wong/Alfonso Cuaron/Hayao Miyazaki/David Lean's ghost are in any way involved with the project, I'd give it an automatic pass to production. And I'd have Christopher Doyle be the DP for everything.

What's the last movie you watched before answering these questions [note: we had this conversation a couple of weeks ago]

I'm embarrassed to say G.I. Joe: Retaliation, but that wasn't a voluntary choice. Can I redeem myself with No starring Gael Garcia Bernal, which I saw the week before with my BFF?

Yes you may. Good choice. Which movie would you love to live inside of?

The Fall. Specifically in Roy and Alexandria's imaginary world, in Eiko Ishioka's costumes.

Name your three favorite movies from each decade: 80s, 90s, and 00s 

80s: My Neighbour Totoro (I grew up on Hayao Miyazaki - I could have easily filled up this section with everything he produced that decade), The Last Emperor, and Ran

90s: LA Confidential, Porco Rosso, Apollo 13

00s: The Barbarian Invasions (my Dad had cancer years ago and passed away in 2010, so I can't tell you how much this movie resonated with me. I was weeping in my seat), Children of Men and Dogville (Trying to narrow down what I loved from this decade drove me nuts. I want to cram Spirited Away, In the Mood for Love and Amelie in here as well)

Thanks Grace! P.S. This picture you sent is amazing! So I GIF'ed it. I cannot  believe you were an extra in Mean Girls. That is so fetch.

GRACE: I was.  Right after the Mathletes victory is announced. Two Lindsay Lohan movies, one with Hillary Duff, a TV movie with Anna Sophia Robb and a handful of TV series, including "Monk"!

NATHANIEL: Well done!

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And our imaginary Honorary Reader Oscars go to...
lovely ladies: Mysjkin, Lynn Lee, Ester, Leehee, Jamie and Dominique 
(and yes we need to hear from more of the girls) 
dashing gents: Peter C, Daniel M, Troy H, Morgan, Patrick, Christian, Lucio, Joey Moser, Zé V, Tony T, Andy H, Ferdi, K.M. Soehnlein, Sergio, Borja, John, Chris, Peter, Ziyad, Andrew, Yonatan, Keir, Kyle, Vinci, Victor, Bill, Hayden, Murtada, Cory, Walter, Paolo, and BBats

Reader Spotlight: Peter Chan

We're getting to know the Film Experience community one-by-one. It's taking a long time, bless you! Today we're talking with Peter, a script supervisor.

Peter working on the set of a movie!

Nathaniel: When and why did you start reading TFE?

PETER: I was referred to it from Kenneth in (212) and thought TFE catered to the fun side of film I adored and come awards season... glued. I haven't looked back.

Nathaniel: You work in the industry, right? What's your favorite part of the biz?

PETER: Yeah. I've been a script supervisor primarily for independent features for close to 8 years. It's still strange to me that I get paid to do what I do. Though there are definitely bad days, I generally love what I do. It's great to be on the scene and be so close to the process. My favorite part of this nutty business on the independent level is seeing how sometimes unforeseen elements (ie. weather, talent illness, location flooded) can force the creative team to come up with last minute solutions to make that particular scene work. It really becomes a collaboration and it's a great example of why I love working indies. Some of the best stuff from projects I've worked on resulted from this.

Terrifying, really!Do you remember your first movie?

When I was 6, my dad brought me and my sister to see The Land Before Time. It was very traumatic. Me and my sister cried our eyes out from all the death and abandonment. My dad had to take us out of the theater because I'm sure everyone was staring. I vowed to never go to the movies ever again, thinking it's just a big, dark room where bad things happen. Little did I know....

Do you have a dream project as filmmaking goes?

Oh boy... As a scripty, I'd love to be part of another smart comedy. I love the vibe it sets to the behind-the-scenes team and the relationship it creates amongst cast & crew. On the far-reach scale? A period musical. Oh yeah... my brain gets orgasmic just thinking about that. Someone should really be remaking Newsies now that it's doing well on stage.

these are a few of his favorite things ♫

Name your three favorite movies in each genre.

Sci-Fi/ Fantasy: Gattaca, The Fifth Element and Blade Runner
Horror: The Exorcist, Ringu & does Stephen King's "It" count? I still can't watch the whole thing in one sitting and am relieved once that spider monster thing appears because I know I made it and now I can just enjoy the campiness.  
Comedy: Best In Show, Mean Girls & try to not judge too hard, but Rookie of The Year. I wanted to be Henry Rowengartner so much as a kid.... "Pitcher has a big butt...". That movie will always have a place in my nostalgic heart. -
Drama: Ordinary People, A Streetcar Named Desire & Grave of the Fireflies
Musical: The Sound of Music, The Lion King, Moulin Rouge!

Take away an Oscar. Regift it.

I know Humphrey Bogart was great in The African Queen, but I think it's a travesty that Marlon Brando didn't win for A Streetcar Named Desire. He transformed the way I see how a performance can truly elevate a film.

Which move would you want to live inside of?

As a young kid, it was being a Von Trapp kid in The Sound of Music. As a grown-up kid, The X-Men universe for sure. I don't know what mutant power I'd have (it'd probably be a lame one) but living in a world where it's a reality would be awesome. The strange thing is that I'm not sure if I'll be part of the X-Men or the Brotherhood... Haha.  

Hmmm. If you don't know it's The Brotherhood ;) What's the last movie you saw before these questions?

Bluebird, a film I worked on last winter had its world premiere during this year's Tribeca Film Festival. And yes, Roger Sterling is just as cool as you think he is in person!

Reader Spotlight: Daniel Massie

We're getting to know The Film Experience community one-by-one. You can read a bunch of past interviews here. Today's "Reader Spotlight" is Daniel, an art student from Scotland. You can follow him on twitter here.

Nathaniel: When did you start reading TFE?

DANIEL: Around two years ago. My best friend Scott read it before I knew of it. We are both award season fanatics and general cinephiles, so it was great to plug into a smart, energetic, personable blog that obviously loved the movies as much as we did. Now it's a site I regularly 'touch base' with.

Nathaniel: What's your first movie memory?

DANIEL: I don't remember the movie that well, or at all really. But it's effects have rippled far into my life. I was 4 and my dad and I watched Arachnophobia. My mum tells me that I was beside myself after watching it, and I have been insanely + irrationally terrified of spiders ever since. How bad could it have been?

Favorite directors?

I'm not a huge follower/fanatic of directors, I drool at the mouth for performers more, but I'd say some favorites are:  Lynne Ramsay - I died for We Need To Talk About Kevin, it blew me away. Shes an Artist -visionary, brave + hard as nails;  Steven Soderberg - It makes me ill that he isn't a household name. His work is exciting + engaging. Never boring; Todd Haynes - "SAFE", that's all; John Cameron Mitchell - I liked Shortbus a lot, but Rabbit Hole was something truly special, and I think his vision/direction had a lot to do with that.

Shout-outs to Ang Lee, Jane Campion + Darren Aranofsky

What's your movie diet like?

In a normal year around 70 in theatre and on DVD around 60, being the ones I missed, and ones I've yet to see from past years. I'm very fortunate that even though I live in a small Scottish town, near a fairly small city, we get an excellent selection of smaller films. Very lucky indeed.

If you were in charge for a year, what movies would you get made?

Oh yes, I'm Megan Ellison for a year. I'd start with Lynne Ramsay's Moby Dick adaptation, however much she wants, it's a deal. Anything that has Allison Janney in a demanding lead role. Any film that promotes a feminist worldview. Hollywood needs it.

You recently did an art project called "perform/reperform" inspired by Tilda Swinton in Michael Clayton I take it? Tell us about it.

Two photos from "Perform/RePerform" 2012

I am obsessed with certain actresses + performances. They enter into my conscious + I end up acting out the part in little ways day to day, whether its the voice or walk or what have you. This project was about that process. The emulation of a character, of an actress and of a moment. Based on my personal loves at that time. It is a scene(s) re-performed, documented + then re-photographed. But I'd also say that a good chunk of the reasoning behind it is my desire to promote my favorite actresses to a new audience. I love them so much, I want the Same for others. I'm an ultimate fangirl.  

Have you ever parted ways with someone because of your passion for movies?

That's yet to happen. But they'd have to know that when award season comes around, my priorities, thoughts and passions are firmly on the golden statues and nothing else!

I heard that.

Reader Spotlight: Troy Hopper

We're getting to know the Film Experience community with reader spotlights once or twice a week. This may take awhile! Today we're talking to Troy from Maryland.

What's your first movie memory?

My first movie memory is seeing Annie in the theater with my mother, aunt, and cousin. I recall being thoroughly drawn in as everyone's favorite redhead clings to Punjab for dear life toward the climax of the film. I also have a vivid recollection of viewing Pinocchio when it was re-released in the early 1980s. I guess that makes me one of your elder readers.

Aw, we have readers of all ages. It's just the younger readers seem way less shy. When did you start reading TFE?

Oscar race 2001 after a link from Sasha Stone's site. As someone who was not a fan of A Beautiful Mind, I was impressed by your incisive dissection of the movie's glaring flaws. My continued reading of your blog showed me someone whose love, passion, and knowledge of all facets of cinema quickly became contagious.

You have a goddaughter, right? How do you plan to educate her cinematically.

My oldest is nearly seventeen, so unfortunately, my time has passed with him. As for my two goddaughters, if they learn nothing else from me, they will at least be taught that the medium is too broad in scope for them to be myopic in their taste. They will also realize that Tyler Perry is an enemy whose total annihilation is essential for the progression of blacks in film.

LOL. Okay, three favorite directors?

Aw, man! I was hoping to get the actresses. Ha. With the one-two-three punch of The Fountain, The Wrestler, and Black Swan Darren Aronofsky unquestionably earns a place on that list. Too much of Spike Lee's filmography is indellibly imprinted in my mind for him not to be included as well. I also wish that Jonathan Demme worked a great deal more, especially considering how adept he is across genres.

If Troy ran Hollywood, they'd all get more work!

If you ran Hollywood what would you greenlight?

Because of my background in musical theatre, the intial order of business would be the production of more musicals with the stipulation that Rob Marshall, Adam Shankman, and Bill Condon have absolutely nothing to do with them. In addition, I would grant Angela Bassett approval for any project of her choosing, provided it would give her a chance at another meaty starring role. Any talented auteur hoping to get his or her film made would have to find quality parts for Sharika Epps, Nicole Beharie, and/or Christina Hendricks. Finally, there would be a mandate for intelligent, adult thrillers and horrors that harken back to the time when studios didn't merely perceive them as an easy, relatively cheap way to make a quick buck.

Does "background in musical theatre" mean "actor" and if so, any dream roles?

I am indeed an actor-singer trying to finally break free from his day job. I've already taken on so many good roles -- Jimmy Early in "Dreamgirls," Mitch Mahoney in "Spelling Bee," Benny in "RENT," Belize in "Angels in America: Perestroika" -- that it's difficult to say what I would like to do next. I'd love to tackle something else non-musical, maybe an August Wilson piece, and I wish there were a role in "August: Osage County" for me.

Troy and Ron Giddings performing "I Don't Do That Anymore" this past November

!!! Your voice is so good. Okay, final question. You live in Maryland which begs the question: what's your favorite John Waters movie?

I have honestly never seen a single John Waters movie in its entirety. Though the man himself is quite the character, his aesthetic as a filmmaker has never truly appealed to me. And with that revelation I will probably be banished from Charm City forever!

previous reader spotlights

Reader Spotlight: Morgan in New Zealand

We're getting to know The Film Experience community one-by-one. Today we're talking to Morgan Borthwick from New Zealand. We've never been but it's on our brains due to Jane Campion's stunning miniseries "Top of the Lake". Here's Morgan.

Hi, Morgan. Do you love Jane Campion? (Please note: There is only one correct answer to this question)

MORGAN: Of course! She understands film is as much art as it is storytelling and I could rhapsodise all day about her many gifts.  As a director, I love what she does with her actresses, particularly Barbara Hershey who is beyond superlatives in Portrait of a Lady, Abby Cornish in Bright Star and Elizabeth Moss in Top of the Lake, making me forget Peggy of Mad Men ever existed. She should have two best director nominations by now at least, but that's a gripe for another time about the academy and their "we've nominated you once, we don't need to do it again" mantra when it comes to women. See also: Kathryn Bigelow, but I digress!

Since you're from New Zealand, how annoyed do you get when people ask you about The Lord of the Rings tourist destinations?

MORGAN: Ha-ha, I should have known this question would pop up! I get super annoyed to be very honest, because although being a Kiwi (slang for New Zealander) and loving Peter Jackson, as law in NZ basically dictates, we're not just about that when it comes to films! Be excited about Peter and Frodo and bloody Gollum but we're the country that gave you Jane Campion, Anna Paquin, Keisha Castle-Hughes, Karl Urban, Temuera Morrison, Niki Caro, Sam Neale, Andrew Adamson, The River Queen, Heavenly Creatures, Boy, 2 Cars 1 Night,  Jane Campion, Emily Barclay, In My Father's Den, The World's Fastest Indian... and Jane Campion. If you haven't heard/seen these people or films, I encourage you to look them up! This is my moment to advertise the beauty and depth of the film industry in New Zealand - it is so much more than hobbits and elves. Next time, ask to see where The Piano was filmed or where the murder in Heavenly Creatures took place.

When did you start reading The Film Experience?

I started reading in 2006, aged 15! I was disappointed that Jennifer Hudson seemed to be winning everything when I thought Rinko Kikuchi and Adriana Barrazza in Babel deserved so much more for taking their parts and going beyond what the cliched script expected. But it wasn't until 2007 and the clusterf*ck that was BSA (my favourite category) that I became a regular, addicted reader and since then I check this site at least daily and get v upset when away/unable to. To me, its your passion that makes it so worthwhile, even if we disagree on the Zeéeeee!

Three Favorite Actresses?

Maggie Smith: The woman does her schtick for sure, she's got her stock characters but I'll never get tired of her doing the Maggie and every time I think she's just sleepwalking, i remember The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Othello and Capturing Mary and I remember the woman is one of the greats, despite her recent spate of snooty old dowagers (which are still so entertaining).

Nicole Kidman, of course. i caught her as an 8 year old in Eyes Wide Shut - it was in the video player, and I have been obsessed with her ever since. Through the ups and the downs, she's never apologised, never backed down and is the most fearless of them all. Truly, the Paperboy's snub this year brought tears to my eyes.

Then I don't know, Meryl, Michelle (Pfeiffer & Williams - yes) Kate and Cate all have honorary places along with Alfre and Tilda but third would have to be...

Anjelica Huston for so many things but her performance in 50/50 spoke to me like nothing else has in film for a while. She's so underrated, so rarely seen but that striking presence makes you wish she did even more and you can see why her three sons in the Darjeeling Limited were so hung up on her! Plus #theGriftersforever! 

Please don't hate me readers, there's so many more, but these would be the three whose films I endeavour to see with all my power. 

What was the last movie you watched before this interview?

Bachelorette finally last night! Brilliant, truly. Everything that Girls wants to be. Dark, funny, sad and Isla Fisher gets best in show in my opinion, her scenes in the pool really sold me on her talents as an actress.

Which recent movie would you like to live inside of? 

Can I say a movie that hasn't been released? Wouldn't we all love to live inside Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby? I mean, c'mon, that is a world waiting to be explored. And also, being a university student, I'd love to live in the world of Pitch Perfect because all they seem to do is sing, I swear, I wish my university life was that relaxed. Oh and I want Fat Amy as my new second best friend. After Jennifer Lawrence, of course. (as a friend, not an oscar winner, yes, I said it.)

previous reader spotlights