Matt vs. the Academy

As another year comes to a close, it is inevitable that we each assess our achievements of the past twelve months. This has undoubtedly been a massive year for me and Kat. Married in January , moved to a new country in May. As far as landmark events go, those two are certainly way up on the list of life-changers. Plus I also managed to sneak in my New York stage debut in December, so that takes care of a career achievement as well. Now, we move into 2010, which sounds more like a science-fiction movie than a year ... in fact, it is a science-fiction movie . And we only have to wait five more years for hoverboards . Today, I watched a favourite of mine, the third film nominated for Best Picture of 1999... American Beauty Director : Sam Mendes Screenplay : Alan Ball Starring : Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Thora Birch, Wes Bentley, Mena Suvari, Chris Cooper, Allison Janney Academy Awards : 8 nominations 5 wins, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor Lester Burnham (Spacey)...

It seems fitting that on the same day that my darling wife Kat and I watched one of the creepiest films to be nominated for Best Picture that we would also experience our very own real-life creepy moment. When travelling home last night, we shared a train car with an obviously unstable man, unintentionally impersonating the grunting chuckles of Billy Bob Thornton's Sling Blade character. He proceeded to pull out a lighter and repeatedly attempt to set fire to his own shoe before smelling his fingers. The incident was perhaps made slightly less frightening due to the fact that the carriage was crowded with several other similarly bewildered passengers, eventually releasing a communal sigh of relief when the strange man disembarked ... Ah, the joys of the New York subway system. Earlier yesterday, Kat and I subjected ourselves to the next nominee from 1999's Best Picture contest... The Sixth Sense Director : M. Night Shyamalan Screenplay : M. Night Shyamalan Starring : Bruce Wil...

Things I have learned about New York City in December: It is cold. Freshly fallen snow is soft, fluffy powder, perfect for making snow angels. Two days later, it is wet, brown sludge, perfect for making your socks damp. It is very cold. When walking down the stairs at the subway station after a recent snowy downfall, it is necessary to hold on to the railing with both hands in order to avoid the inadvertent use of your bottom as a toboggan. It is freaking cold. Visiting Macy's in Manhattan at six o'clock on the evening of December 23rd is akin to inviting 700 people into your living room. It is very freaking cold. On the other hand, there is beauty, too. From the vantage point of our high-rise apartment, we can see snow, still pristine and sludge-free, atop the roofs of nearby buildings. Today, I began the review of a year that is perhaps my favourite year of film amongst the last few decades: 1999. The first Best Picture nominee to be considered was... The Insider Director : M...

So it was back to year one for Matt vs. the Academy as I looked at the very first contenders for Oscar's main prize. Not having been an avid viewer of silent films, I must say, I have grown a fond appreciation for them from these fine examples. Choosing my favourite from the trio is another story. The nominees for Best Picture of 1927/28 are: The Racket 7th Heaven Wings Watching pictures from the silent era certainly requires a different mindset. The images are regularly interrupted by the white on black titles. On the other hand, this procedure does force the film makers to be economical with the dialogue, creating simple and accessible storylines. Still, one wonders why it never occurred to them to use subtitles instead. The three classics nominated for the first Best Picture award, then known as Outstanding Production, are all worthy of their citations. In selecting my favourite, I managed to remove The Racket from contention early on, not through any major flaws, but simply bec...

Awards season is in full swing now with the Golden Globe nominations announced on Tuesday and the SAG nominees announced this morning, plus several critics associations releasing their picks of the year as well. And as is often the case, there are several names that keep popping up. I love awards season (as this project probably indicates) but I find this early part of the season particularly fascinating - watching the favourites emerge. There is always buzz around certain films and actors, but until the announcements are announced and the press releases released, it really is just conjecture. But now that the honouring has begun, the ultimate guessing game - that of the Oscar winners - becomes much more interesting. I had considered prematurely offering my Oscar predictions here and now, but after a decent amount of deliberation, I can simply not pick a front-runner for any category as of yet. Perhaps over the next few weeks, as I see more of the contenders, I'll share my though...

Dear Commuter, I understand that you are in a rush to get home or to your girlfriend's place or to the bar. I fully appreciate that you have been waiting on the platform for a good five and a half minutes before this train arrived. I even empathise with you for the cold temperature you must endure in this badly ventilated subway. But is it not possible to step aside for three more seconds to allow me to exit the carriage before you elbow your way inside? Must I squeeze between you and your fellow impatient commuters in order to avoid the avalanche of limbs? Is it really that important that you are the first one to board? I mean, the train is not going to leave without you. In fact, if you made way for the exiting passengers, we would be out of your way a lot sooner. Instead, you force us to file out one at a time, allowing the possibility for the weakest among us to be caught up in your stampede and fail to exit altogether. Poor thing. Humbly yours, An Exiting Passenger Last night,...

New York is cold! As I write this, it is slightly below zero outside. That's zero degrees Celcius, although it might as well be zero degrees Fahrenheit. In fact, taking into account the wind chill factor, it's probably zero degrees Kelvin . It's not snowing tonight, but New York experienced its first snow of the season a few days ago, which looked marvelously romantic as I watched it float delicately against the bright neon lights of 42nd Street ... until I stepped outside, when it immediately lost all its romance by smacking me in the face, melting on my nose and dribbling down the back of my neck. Conclusion: snow is better experienced from indoors. Today, I rugged up and watched one of the original Best Picture nominees from Oscar's freshman outing... The Racket Director : Lewis Milestone Screenplay : Bartlett Cormack (based on his play) Starring : Thomas Meighan, Louis Wolheim, Marie Prevost Academy Awards : 1 nomination 0 wins It ...

Although the nominees from this project's current focus are an enjoyable bunch, the decision to choose my favourite from amongst them has possibly been the easiest to date. Not because the other four are particularly weak, but simply because one film clearly hijacked my brain for a couple of hours ... in a good way. The nominees for Best Picture of 1944 are: Double Indemnity Gaslight Going My Way Since You Went Away Wilson Quite a diverse group. One feel-good musical, one epic melodrama, one political biopic, one classic noir and one noir- ish . As I stated above, there is one clear winner for me, so I will dispense with my usual back and forth. In no particular order, the four non-winners are as follows: The Academy's pick, Going My Way, is a lovely film that put a smile on my face but nothing more. Wilson is wryly fascinating but occasionally dry. Since You Went Away is striking at times but mostly sappy and overly sentimental. Gaslight has a few elements...

I've talked previously about the small differences in Australian and American language. Yesterday, however, I came across another difference that has me somewhat baffled. Backstage after my show, I witnessed a cast member grab his fellow performer by the arm, twisting his hands in opposite directions in a display of pretend torture. He referred to the prank as an Indian Burn, which was clearly a term comprehended by everyone in the room. An Indian Burn? In Australia, it is commonly known as a Chinese Burn. How on earth does that happen? I've also discovered that the popular children's game in which a secret is whispered from one participant to the next down the line is known in the US as Telephone. Back home, we refer to it as Chinese Whispers. Either Australians are racist or the Chinese-American community is very good at damage control. Today, I completed the Best Picture round of 1944 with... Going My Way Director : Leo McCarey Screenplay : Frank Butler and Frank Cavett;...

In a city of over eight million people, one certainly doesn't expect to randomly bump into anybody one knows on the street, let alone someone from one's home town 16,000 kilometres away (that's 10,000 miles in American). And yet, that's precisely what happened yesterday as I strolled up 5th Avenue. Upon passing a young man on his mobile phone (that's 'cell phone' in American), I silently pondered how similar he looked to a friend I knew from Sydney. Five metres further down the street (that's about 16 feet in American), I heard my name and turned around to discover that the reason the phone-wielding man looked so similar to my friend was that it was my friend. Small world, indeed. (That's Planet Earth in American.) Today, I viewed one more Best Picture contender from 1944... Double Indemnity Director : Billy Wilder Screenplay : Billy Wilder & Raymond Chandler (based on the novella by James M. Cain) Starring : Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, Ed...

After weeks of rehearsal, my New York stage debut has finally come and gone. Ah, the smell of the crowd, the roar of the greasepaint. We have three more weeks of shows, so for those of you in the neighbourhood, come check me out. Of course, with last week's mad rehearsal schedule, the Matt vs. the Academy project took a bit of a back seat, so along with my stage debut, the project's 100th day and 50th post have also come and gone. A small and arbitrary feat. But even though my initial deadline for this project is becoming more and more elusive - a matter that I will address at a later date - I am still as excited as ever about this nonsensical enterprise. Today, I continued with the 1944 Best Picture shortlist by watching... Since You Went Away Director : John Cromwell Screenplay : David O. Selznick (based on the novel by Margaret Buell Wilder) Starring : Claudette Colbert, Jennifer Jones, Joseph Cotten, Shirley Temple, Monty Woolley, Lionel Barrymore, Robert Walker, Hattie Mc...

For my American readers, Happy Thanksgiving! For everyone else, have a good Thursday. As I write this, Kat and I are about to head off with an Australian friend to another Australian couple's place to celebrate the entirely non-Australian holiday. But there's a large turkey involved, so how can we pass it up. Yesterday, on Thanksgiving Eve, I watched a somewhat forgotten Best Picture nominee, namely... Wilson Director : Henry King Screenplay : Lamar Trotti Starring : Alexander Knox, Charles Coburn, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Thomas Mitchell Academy Awards : 10 nominations 5 wins, including Best Original Screenplay Not a prequel to Cast Away , Wilson is a concise exploration of the political career of Woodrow Wilson from his days as President of Princeton University through his post as Governor of New Jersey to his election as the 28th President of the United States. Along the way, he must deal with the question of America's involvement in the Great War while simultaneously copin...

Without a washing machine in the building, Kat and I are forced to look elsewhere for our laundry needs. The easiest option is to take advantage of our local laundromat's highly convenient wash'n'fold service. Perfect for lazy husbands everywhere. You simply drop off your clothes in the morning and, just like magic, they are clean smelling and neatly folded when you pick them up in the evening. Now and then, I'll use the self-service washing machines to save a bit of money. Since the machines only take quarters, there is a handy change machine in one corner of the room. Pop in a dollar bill and out pop four quarters ... or so you would expect. Recently, upon operating this simple piece of machinery, I was mildly elated to receive five quarters for my one dollar investment. Ah, for the little wins... Yesterday, I embarked on the 1944 Best Picture journey by watching... Gaslight Director : George Cukor Screenplay : John Van Druten, Walter Reisch and John L. Balderston (b...

One more collection of nominees out of the way and, as I've come to expect from this project, not a dud among them. However, this decision proved to be a little easier than recent verdicts, for which my tired brain is grateful. The nominees for Best Picture of 1984 are: Amadeus The Killing Fields A Passage to India Places in the Heart A Soldier's Story Contrary to the diversity of some of the previous years I've examined, these five films can almost be similarly categorised ... well, perhaps with a little manipulation. Each deals at some level with the dastardly deeds to which human beings can subject one another. Racism features prominently in four of the pictures, the fifth being a more personal account of hatred. Consequently, 1984 was a powerful year for the Best Picture award. To be completely ruthless, A Soldier's Story left the smallest impact on me, which is more a credit to the other four films than a criticism of the Norman Jewison picture, for it is undoubted...

As I write this, the sun is almost below the horizon and it's only a quarter past four in the afternoon. Having lived my whole life, save the last six months, in Sydney, I'm used to daylight until at least well after five, even in the dead of winter. Here in New York City, however, I'm beginning to think, come January, it'll be dark by noon. I've never quite understood why Daylight Savings time isn't simply employed the whole year round. I mean, if it's okay to screw around with the time zones for the summer, why not for the rest of the year as well? In fact, why don't we just adjust the time zones themselves? Then we could dispense with Daylight Savings altogether... One day, I'll change the world. Just before the city was drawn into darkness, I viewed the final entry in the 1984 Best Picture race... A Soldier's Story Director : Norman Jewison Screenplay : Charles Fuller (based on his play "A Soldier's Play") Starring : Howard Roll...

One of the many benefits of living in New York City is that you can discover a new eatery every night (if you were so inclined) without ever having to dine at the same place twice. And there are restaurants specialising in just about everything. Yesterday, after a quick Google search for a place to eat near the location of our later plans that evening, Kat and I dined at S'MAC , a quaint little establishment whose menu consists entirely of variations of macaroni and cheese. Artery clogging, I'm sure, but delicious nonetheless. Before that culinary delight, I watched another nominee from 1984's Best Picture line-up... The Killing Fields Director : Roland Joffé Screenplay : Bruce Robinson (based on the New York Times Magazine article 'The Death and Life of Dith Pran' by Sydney Schanberg) Starring : Sam Waterston, Haing S. Ngor, John Malkovich, Julian Sands, Craig T. Nelson Academy Awards : 7 nominations 3 wins, including Best Supporting Actor The Killing Fields relate...