Ask Mick LaSalle:
What do you think of actor Dan Stevens?
Dear Mick LaSalle: I wonder what you think of Dan Stevens as an actor?
Tony Digia, Philadelphia, Pa. Dear Tony Digia: I only know him from his movies, and from those I like him a lot. He was winning and charming as a maniacal serial killer in “The Guest,” and he’s terrific as the young Charles Dickens in “The Man Who Invented Christmas.” He even seems to have studied Dickens’ smile. Hi Mick: How did James Cameron’s ex-wife, Kathryn Bigelow, steal, yes steal, 2009’s best picture and director awards for “The Hurt Locker” from Cameron’s “Avatar”? Was he really hated that much?
Vince Chelini, San Carlos Hi Vince: I can’t say I share your outrage. I found “Avatar” painful to watch, really hard to sit through for the however long (six hours? a month?) that it went on, and on, and on. But to answer your questions — I don’t know how much or even if James Cameron is hated, but you can tell from the way his co-workers and employees praised him from the stage that night that they weren’t in love with the guy. When they thanked him, they looked like they were fulfilling one last unpleasant obligation. As for how “The Hurt Locker” won, that happened because it was the first movie chosen under the Academy’s new voting procedure for best picture. It used to be that, in a five-way race, the biggest movie would almost always win, because everyone connected with it would vote for it, and the technical people would vote for it, too, and that was enough to gain a plurality over four competitors. But starting that year, the Academy instituted a ranked voting system, and since then movies like “Avatar” — big, soulless, technically advanced monstrosities (or masterpieces, depending on your personal taste) — have been losing. Dear Mick LaSalle: What do you think about Kevin Spacey’s fall from grace? Will he “never work in this town again?” And how have other Hollywood stars weathered allegations of sexual misconduct or abuse?
Katy Grischy, San Jose Dear Katy Grischy: It’s hard to say what will happen, because past examples don’t apply. We could be heading toward a new enlightenment with regard to sexual harassment. Or we could be heading into a new Puritanism, randomly enforced by a capricious social media. The rumors surrounding Kevin Spacey were never good, and it’s very possible people just won’t want to work with him again. In 2014, there was a laudatory documentary about Spacey and his theater company (“Now: In the Wings On a World Stage”), which Spacey himself executive produced, and even then, a feeling came across between the frames that the cast feared him. No one ever seemed to have a relaxed moment in his presence, and every time someone was asked about him, they sounded like the people praising James Cameron from the Oscar stage, like they didn’t mean it but knew they’d better say something. However, Spacey has one advantage: The public has never had an investment in Kevin Spacey’s being a nice guy. If this were someone with a great reputation — say, George Clooney or Tom Hanks — people would be disillusioned. But Spacey has been playing creeps for most of his career. To find out that the guy playing creeps might be creepy himself is something the public could possibly get over ... eventually. But even then, producers will have to be sure enough to take on the financial risk of using him, and the probable backlash. So this won’t happen soon. Hi Mick: No, no, your young self got “The Wizard of Oz” all wrong! It’s not the witch who’s scary — it’s those damned flying monkeys!
Anne Kahn, Newark Hi Anne: They’re scary, too. But what’s scary about the witch is that she’s sometimes watching and no one sees her. The idea of a whole dimension that is unseen, powerful, malevolent and watching you — that’s the recipe for a generation of paranoiacs. “The Wizard of Oz” could be retitled “Paranoia for Beginners.”
Have a question? Ask Mick LaSalle at mlasalle@sfchronicle.com. Include your name and city for publication, and a phone number for verification. Letters may be edited for clarity and length.