Hello dear readers. I didn't forget about your questions. I just ran away for two weeks to beautiful southern Connecticut and the National Critics Institute. It was grand. But, now, back to work. Here are seven questions you asked (more to come) answered...
MARK G: Word in the UK from a respected critic is that Kate Winslet 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 of Winslet's chances of winning a 2nd - you always say the ladies win a 2nd within the first 10 years.
NATHANIEL: Until the Steve Jobs year I thought it highly improbable but that year reminded me that it was possible if she lucks out and runs with a great performance in a weak year. She was clearly in the runner-up position and only category frauding from Vikander denied her her second. Winslet's hurdle will be that people who win an "overdue" Oscar don't tend to win again thereafter. Overdue Oscars carry a whiff of 'thanks for the career -- NEXT!' as if everyone knows it has to happen but wants to swiftly move on. Note that Pacino and Sarandon were never nominated again after winning. (As for Wonder Wheel who knows. Woody's output is so uneven.)
TYLER: What is your absolute favorite Audrey Hepburn performance?
NATHANIEL: She's always kind of Audrey Hepburn to me no matter the role (this is not an insult - you can get away with that if you're one of the most charismatic movie stars of all time. See also: Marilyn Monroe and Cary Grant). I'd have to go with Breakfast at Tiffany's... though I like Sabrina and Roman Holiday maybe better as movies. I know that's so basic but it's the truth. Forgive me.
NATALIE: I know this site adores Kidman and Pfeiffer. I can really agree with one of them. Other than those 2 ladies, who do you feel are the BEST actresses around today?
NATHANIEL: Oh, man. How many hours you got? Since actresses are my addiction we might be here all day. Your all-caps "BEST" leads me to believe you want 'most talented' rather than 'personal favorites' so I'll try to limit it to a baker's dozen (off the top of my head) and let's just do English language to make it easier:
- Annette Bening
- Cate Blanchett
- Viola Davis
- Laura Dern
- Ann Dowd
- Eva Green
- Sally Hawkins
- Julianne Moore
- Samantha Morton
- Sarah Paulson
- Tilda Swinton
- Marisa Tomei
two of the most exciting current actresses
With a special shout out to eight underrated women (underrated for a wide variety of reasons, but mostly involving the type of movies / roles they've done):
- Rose Byrne
- Kirsten Dunst
- Carmen Ejogo
- Anne Hathaway
- Scarlett Johansson
- Keira Knightley
- Rosamund Pike
Of the too-soon-to-tell group (careers can be so unexpectedly short or multiple decades amazing - it's not always obvious which way it will go) I'm most excited about / crossing fingers for:
- Jessica Chastain
- Brie Larson
- Greta Gerwig
- Gugu Mbatha-Raw
- Andrea Riseborough
- Alicia Vikander
JS: 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)
It's all a blissful blur but we wrote extensively about it when we recapped each episode and I listed many fav moments. So happy that most of them were Emmy-nominated (though I wish Robin Weigert had been too)
BEN: 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
Again -- do you have all day? Any of the "underrated" eight two questions ago would do. But here are a five actresses that seem to be descending or already have fallen out of movie/tv favor that I think could benefit from something really widely seen like a prestige mini IF they totally delivered and the project understood their gifts (Big Little Lies benefitted tremendously from very smart casting):
- Toni Collette
- Abbie Cornish
- Dakota Fanning
- Carey Mulligan
- Kathleen Turner.
JOE: What do you think of Mel Gibson as a director and how you would rank his movies?
Mel? I think his bloodlust, inner drama queen, and mental issues get in the way of good filmmaking. Nearly everyone one of his films is over the top or repulsive in some way but if they must be ranked:
Hacksaw Ridge > Man Without a Face > Passion of the Christ > Apocalypto > Braveheart.
It's weird to realize I've seen all five despite never warming to any of them! Hacksaw Ridge came the closest to being kinda-good but even then there were some cringeworthy lather-it-on-with-a-trowel moments like that slomo bath to wash off blood or Andrew Garfield's hokey in the first half performance.
STEVE: 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?
It's unwise to use the phrase "instant classic" though I'm sure we've all done it. Far worse, though, is "highly influential" or "industry-shaking / life-changing" or what-not since it's impossible to quantify the future in advance. You can usually tell when any list of "all time best" was made by what or who is on it; those lists tend to reflect the "right now" more than anything. I think it's good to wait ten years so if I were to make a 100 best movies of all time list, it would only extend to 2007. Sorry Rachel Getting Married (2008) but you don't get added until 2018!
YOUR TURN READERS: Who do you think needs their own Big Little Lies... ? Favorite Audrey? Winslet in Wonder Wheel?