Friday
Dec022016
Questions for the Podcast?
Friday, December 2, 2016 at 2:26PM 
Tis the Season. We're feeling festive.
The whole podcast team (Katey, Nick, Joe and Nathaniel) will be recording Sunday morning (possibly the last time in 2016 due to the holiday madness coming up) discussing new films and current awards buzz.
Got any questions for us?
We'll devote some minutes to reader inquiries if you do.
Reader Comments (73)
Hi! Can you share with us your group's origin story? How did the four of you meet? Or how did the three of you meet Nathaniel? (I'm assuming he's the common link)
thanks for the good questions girls & guys. we'll see how many we can fit in when we record.
Are any of you gonna see THE LOVE WITCH, CHRONIC, WHITE GIRL, TAKE ME TO THE RIVER or ALWAYS SHINE?
Wasn't Isabelle Huppert's giddy reaction after winning the Gotham Award totally unexpected? She always seems so stern and cerebral (nut only on the screen, but in interviews, as well), so seeing her like this surprised me a lot.
Anoher thing on my mind: She holds the record for most César nominations by an actress with 15, but unbelievably, she only ever won one competetive César (her 8th nomination). Does that say anyhting about her awards appeal in general, or is that just bad luck? (Or is that just a French thing?)
@ Nathaniel - The "bad" readers and their negative manifestations are a consequence of the constant fixation on identity politics. Once you cultivate this topic, you attract the readership that comes along with it and we get something like that review of Moonlight, which could be an entirely enjoyable cinematic discussion, but turned into a comment section war on who is black and gay enough to view/review/appreciate the movie. You can discount this criticism as not constructive and conflate it with Adamd/Streep fanaticism if want to, but I believe it is perfectly fine and applicable advice and I have been saying so for a few years now, largely ignored (except this one time Manuel wrote a snippy comment back to me but at least it seemed like he took some time to consider my words).
@ /3rtful - being black and gay and unapologetic has nothing to do with anything. Paul Outlaw is black and gay, and he is a nice and respectful commenter. You just get off on being controversial and confrontational. Also rick's alleged (by you) white race and heterosexual preferences have nothing to do with his opinions, as I am mixed race and gay and I agree with him.
@ rick - You don't have to apologize, man. You have stated your opinion respectfully (more than half the other readers who commented on the subject).
Overall, if the attitude is "don't read the blog of you don't like it", well than fine, go ahead and alienate long time readers. The truth is, readership morphs alongside with content provided, and content seeks out what brings out most hits/views. The niche of the site seems to me changing from the original premise (film discussion with a focus on actresses) to a more US-centric progressive left-leaning identity politics based one. As a Middle East resident, I can't imagine a more useless (completely dissociated from reality) point of view than this one, but that's just my two cents.
@Carmen
He attacked me bitch. Nothing about what I wrote warranted his response. Fuck him and you.
I don't comment very much here- usually because other readers already expressed my feelings much more eloquently than I can. One of the reasons I like coming to this site is the different opinions. I especially love the smackdowns and reading the comments and scores. We all have a great debate about actresses and art. I was the only movie lover in my household growing up and it was so great to find this site and feel like I connected with others who love movies. 2016 has been an understandably frustrating year. But I am cautiously optimistically looking forward to 2017. I look forward to reading more thoughts and opinions. I look forward to more questions and answers and thought changes.
anyway, my question for the podcast is about the honorary Oscars since I just watched Jackie Chan's speech. Now that Angela, Maureen, Gena, and Debbie all got their honorary statues, how would you like to see next get the little golden guy?
I know this is late, but I'm curious, Nathaniel, where you would rank Arrival among the great science fiction films, beginning with Fritz Lang's Metropolis. You indicated in an earlier post that you chose Arrival as your top domestic film -- and The Handmaiden as your foreign film pick. Ironically, those were my two favorite films of 2016.
/3rtful: And Carmen's response warranted your crass response? You frequently demand respect but you seldom, if ever, offer it in return.
Nathaniel: This is a plea to block your rudest and most hateful commenters from this blog who are bringing nothing to the discussion. They're always the same who ruin the party for others. I appreciate the difference of opinions and I welcome it. But one thing is that and another is to spew hatred. Block them by IP address if necessary.
JONES -- I am not sure my site has that capacity. I have once or twice deleted particularly combative rude and vulgar comments and it looks like I will have to start doing it again. Agonizing because I just don't havve the time to moderate and block and delete. I'd much rather just write and then engage in conversations when I can.
I will try to talk to people more tech savvy than I about these more extreme opttions like blocking. It's clear that we need them since some people never learn
EVERYONE -- i apologize to anyone who feels like the mood of the site is ruined by rude commenter wars. It's been a struggle for us to know how to deal with this since we like to be inclusive and generate discussion but it is wholly disheartening from our perspective since we work so hard on trying to keep up the film discussions and it's a pity that they get sidetracked with the pettiness.
Yes, people can say things in the comments, but (for me) that has never ruined the wonderful writing and thinking by Nat, Nick, Murtada, Anne Marie, and all the others. Y'all keep doing what you doing. This is my favorite blog and I check it way too often (when I should be working). You've created a bright spot on the internet and I love it.
(ps maybe people have to create accounts to comment? or does that sound too fascistic?)
I think as a rule people should not get into heated personal arguments with people they haven't met . Nate i wouldn't censor or block or anything. This is the new kind of world where people allow themselves to speak like that to strangers they know nothing about. We all live in it and just as we learn to live with them in the real world we ll learn to work around them here.
It's like Catwoman/Pfeiffer said "THE FLY IN OUR OINTMENT"
He'll eventually switch to Disqus format. Where we can self-edit and delete our own posts.
Since we didn't get to these questions....
@Joseph: For me, Trevante Rhodes. So many great Moonlight performances, but his is my.favorite turn of the year, period.
@Tom: Cicely Tyson and Liv Ullmann. And the fact that Mia Farrow doesn't have a Hersholt for humanitarian service or an Honorary for her acting (much less a single competitive nomination) is crazy.
I`ve seen ELLE and , to be honest, as much as I love Isabelle Huppert , if she manages to get a nod it will be for her extraordinary body of work ( her performance in The Piano Teacher haunts me, she gives the performance of her career , brilliant, demanding, unsmiling.) and I don`t think ELLE is the kind of film the Academy loves to reward actors by , although she`s riveting while vacillating between the roles of victim and masochist ( but Verhoeven also gave a meaty character to Sharon Stone in BASIC INSTINCT and though Ms. Stone was Globe and Chicago Crictics Ass. nominated , no Oscar nod) , but it`s by no means the achievement MARION COTILLARD did in TWO DAYS ONE NIGHT. PLUS....Do you think Negga is losing territoty ? If so , could we see JESSICA CHASTAIN (MISS SLOANE) in the shortlist ? ( I think she rulesthe political thriller with such steely authority that you are hard pressed to imagine another actress playing the imperious, largely unsympathetic title character). VIOLA DAVIS should be in the leading category, she`ll win supporting ( although I really love Michelle Willliams in Manchester)..... Finally , what you think for this line-up for Leading - PORTMAN, STONE, CHASTAIN, ADAMS, BENING ( I`d definitely sit out Stone for Huppert or Negga, but I`m kinda alone here)/ Supporting- DAVIS, WILLIAMS, KIDMAN, HARRIS, MBATHA-RAW.
What happened to the rest of the Elle Podcast?
Nathaniel: In the face of some of the comments on this particular thread, I too wanted to come out in support for everything you and the team do at The Film Experience. The steady stream of fun, informative and thought-provoking articles are a delight to read. And to be able to comment on them is a privilege.
I also think that the vast majority of commentators on here are respectful. I don't think there's a huge problem. I do think that people should avoid using bad language (like the 'f' word) because kids may read this site, and for that reason too I think people should try to moderate themselves. We should set a good example to younger generations, not a bad one.
@Jones
I have no fucks to give. Only one person came to my defense. Anyone else wanting to support Rick's unprovoked attack on me can eat shit.
We are all individuals with own minds, own taste and we have (fortunately) the chance to live it.
I do like... well, love certain actresses like Meryl and it actually depends on my mood if I react to any criticsm about her. At the end of the day, she doesn't know, nor does she needs me. She's a three time winner, a grown up woman (it's certainly quite awesome and a bit creepy she still has fanatics at that age!). She makes her decisions and we all need to respect and accept them, like we want everyone else to respect and accept our own decisions.
Of course we can and should discuss movies, that's what this site is for, but to attack people personally just because they critizise your fave is unnecessary. It happens more than often though, even I am captable of it. But I try my best not to.
Anyway I'm curious what people think about The Bacall/Binoche upset in 1996. Or what are your greatest Oscar upsets? (best and worst)
Sonja- I was not upset at all that Binoche won over Bacall in 1997, I simply adore Juliette and she had already deserved a nod for Three Colors: Blue before The English Patient ( which by the way I think is a mesmerizing film and Binoche is so luminous in it ).... Having said that I do have some upsets- Lawrence over Watts/ Witherspoon over Theron / Sarandon over Stone / Bullock over Mulligan / Zeta Jones over Moore... they`re countless actually !
since isabelle huppert is getting her overdue, deserved oscar nomination soon, which other international actresses do you all want to see getting hers in the future? (cough gong li cough)