Hey PopWatchers — We’re collecting submissions for an upcoming ‘Ask the Critic’ sidebar, which means this is your chance to get a (movie related) question answered by Owen & Lisa in the pages of our next issue! Here are some examples of past questions to get your wheels turning:
What’s your best example of word of mouth propelling a movie to success?
What Broadway musical, past or present, would you like to see get the Hollywood treatment?
If I can see the boom mic, why can’t the director or the editor? How does this happen?
Please post your burning questions below — and be sure to include an email address in case we pick you!
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I definatly want to see a Wicked movie
Sunset Blvd., Kiss of the Spider Woman, Into the Woods
This questions concerns a specific movie: Michael Douglas made a wonderful film in 1979 called RUNNING. He played a divorced dad training and struggling for the glory of the Olympics. Except for one or two TV airings in the early ’80s, the movie has disappeared. What happened to this movie?
When and why did western civilization decide that bodily fluids (eg vomit) were funny?
Do you think tv show to movie remakes are any good. GEt Smart Mission Impossible etc?
OR What do you think about reboots? Star Trek?
If you could have any Hitchcock film given an updated treatment, which one would it be and who would you have direct it?
Is it just me, or are the ongoing “Highest-Grossing Opening Weekend Ever!” announcements not actually all that informative? I mean, of course Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is going to gross more this fall than The Order of the Phoenix did last year; the ticket prices keep going up! Do they ever count / annouce actual number of tickets sold? Because those are the numbers that truly matter, aren’t they?
There’s been speculation that the reason Oscar ratings have declined so much is because the nominated films aren’t necessarily crowd pleasers (and those that are, i.e. Juno, aren’t slated to win the big awards). What do you think about that? Would you make any changes to the awards to get people watching? Or should we just start nominating Seth Rogan and Will Ferrell movies?
Who is the most underrated older actress in the business? Apparently, I am only allowed to know the work of 20 older women, but other women must be out there. Helen Mirren and Dame Judi Dench can’t be in everything!
As movie critics, do you read the book a movie is based on before or after seeing the film? Or at all?
What film made within the last five years or so is destined to become a “cinematic classic” ala Citizen Kane or Casablanca?
How did ‘Titanic’ get away with a PG-13 rating with that nude drawing scene of Kate Winslet?
What movie has had the biggest set? What about the smallest?
Do you think there will ever be another movie that will remain at the top of the box office as long as “Titanic”?
Why was Keri Russel ignored during award season? I thought her turn in Waitress at least deserved a nomination!
When has someone else’s insight on a film you found underwhelming spurred you to go back and watch it again with fresh eyes? Did your opinion ever change?
I am v. excited for the upcoming SATC movie. What other TV shows could/should make the jump to the big screen? Are there any movies that should/could make the jump to the small screen?
Chris G, I’ll answer that question for you – NOTHING!
What are your favorite examples of great films based on average/ordinary source material? (i.e. books or older movies)
What’s your take on recent installments of old series? (i.e. Rambo, Indiana Jones, etc.) Is this an attempt by studios to lure older audiences back to the movies? Or is this just an example of the lack of creativity that seems to be plaguing the movie industry?
Have you ever felt the need to go back and re-watch a film simply because nearly everyone in it became sensations (either for that film or for something different)? The “30 under 30″ lists are making me think that I should go back and rent some of the “breakout films” again (although I disagree with what you list as some of the breakouts for some of the stars). Kids is at the top of the list.
If you could only watch movies from one director for the rest of your life, what director would it be and why?
When looking back over your career, do you find that you routinely judge one genre of movie more or less favorably? (and I don’t mean obvious genres like torture porn) If it was unintentional on your part, why do you think the reviews came out as they did?
How often does the best picture not win at the Oscars? Can you think of any glaring snubs in recent memory?
Not all remakes, updates and reboots are great. I’ll give you Batman, Bond, and I even liked the latest Superman movie. But Transformers was too much, Dukes of Hazard was a bad idea, and Rambo was… Rambo. While I’m excited for the new Indiana Jones movie and Star Trek (and believe me a remake of The Hulk with Ed Norton sounds like a well-deserved “we’re sorry” from Hollywood), but where do we draw the line? They’re making board games into movies, they’re taking eighties Saturday morning cartoons, and dolls for children (Bratz – I’m lookin’ at you). Have they mined all fresh material out there? If this has to be a trend – what movies would you guys like to see made? More importantly, who should helm the weighty task of rebooting a franchise (or in some cases creating one)?
Do you ever wish you were on the other side – making movies yourself? If so, what would you do? (Direct, write, act?)
When watching a movie, how do you discern between whose work is whose? for example, how do you know whether a fast-paced movie is the work of great direction or excellent editing or a tight script?
As a movie critic, do you have the time or inclination to watch television? If so, does it often influence your opinion of a movie? Examples: If you loved James Gandofini or Amy Ryan’s television work, does it color how you review their film performances? If you recognize a plot device from a television show, does it lower your opinion of the film? Do you feel that television show directors make better or worse film directors? How difficult is it to judge each work based on its own merit?
What sets of actors do you most commonly get confused? Who are the most, dare I say, interchangeable? Who sends you to IMDB fastest when trying to remember who was in an older film? (ex: Was that Pacino or DeNiro in that late ’90s (sort of forgettable cop/gangster flick? Or was that Hope Davis or Laura Linney as the spunky yet conflicted single woman looking for love?)
My friends and I quote movies in conversation quite often. Office Space and all Austin Powers movies are our favorites. (the dumber, the better) Which movies do you find to be the most “quotable”?
It seemed like a few years ago most people were complaining that the only films nominated by the Academy were the one’s that were most popular and that the Academy should start nominating smaller, better films. Now that the Academy has finally decided to do this, it seems people are turning the opposite direction and think that popular films with a bigger audience should be nominated instead. Are they serious? Do you think the Oscars should be a popularity contest, or a place to reward true art? What could be done to make great films like “No Country” and “There Will Be Blood” as popular as “Titanic”?