Matt vs. the Academy

Yet another genuinely difficult decision has befallen me. Although these pictures explore different themes, they are surprisingly similar in genre. Along with their evenly matched quality, the task of separating them is by no means an easy one. The nominees for Best Picture of 1948 are: Hamlet Johnny Belinda The Red Shoes The Snake Pit The Treasure of the Sierra Madre Five excellent films, each full of passion and intensity, covering a range of thought-provoking material. From greed and ambition to depression and mental illness, 1948's shortlist is one of the more contemplative the Academy has seen. Without exception, each nominee could easily be described as a psychological study. Due to this abundance of stimulating cinema, I simply cannot bring myself to name one - let alone two or three - as specifically inferior. Yet, my task is to single out one film as my favourite. Thus, for purely finicky reasons, I will eliminate The Snake Pit first, though there is n...

Last chance to vote on the year that Matt vs. the Academy tackles next. It's still a close race, so make sure you have your input using the poll on the right hand side of the screen. The final nominee from our look at 1948's Best Picture contenders is... Johnny Belinda Director : Jean Negulesco Screenplay : Irma von Cube and Allen Vincent (based on the play by Elmer Harris) Starring : Jane Wyman, Lew Ayres, Charles Bickford, Agnes Moorehead, Stephen McNally, Jan Sterling Academy Awards : 12 nominations 1 win, for Best Actress (Wyman) A deaf-mute since she was a baby, Belinda McDonald (Wyman) seems content performing menial tasks for her father Black (Bickford) and aunt Aggie (Moorehead) on the family farm in Nova Scotia. Known as "The Dummy" by the less polite members of the community, Belinda is not considered to ever be able to contribute intelligently to society. Not even her own family gives her any credit... Until the new town physician, Dr. Rich...

My bruised rib and I are back in New York City once more. While it continues to heal, I have already started rehearsing for another show - another fast-paced, energetic production rife with rib-bruising opportunities. Performing as part of the NY Comic Book Theater Festival , Batz follows a bunch of nerdy office workers as they pay homage to the Dark Knight by re-enacting classic Batman comics using only office supplies for props and costumes. After a short hiatus, I continued yesterday with my review of 1948's nominees for Best Picture by watching... The Red Shoes Directors : Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger Screenplay : Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger and Keith Winter (based on the fairy tale by Hans Christian Anderson) Starring : Moira Shearer, Marius Goring, Anton Walbrook, Leonide Massine, Robert Helpmann, Albert Bassermann, Esmond Knight, Ludmilla Tcherina Academy Awards : 5 nominations 2 wins, for Best Art Direction and Best Original Score Bef...

Matt's tip of the day: Don't ever get a bruised rib. It hurts to cough. It hurts to sneeze. It hurts to go from lying down to sitting up. It just hurts. And it's not really worth the three seconds of laughter that you might get from an audience who witness your pratfall. Since rest is pretty much the only suggested remedy for a bruised rib, last night I rested as I watched the victor among 1948's Best Picture contenders... Hamlet Director : Laurence Olivier Screenplay : Laurence Olivier (based on the play by William Shakespeare) Starring : Laurence Olivier, Basil Sydney, Eileen Herlie, Jean Simmons, Norman Wooland, Felix Aylmer, Terence Morgan Academy Awards : 7 nominations 4 wins, including Best Picture and Best Actor (Olivier) Laurence Olivier's iconic adaptation of Shakespeare's most famous work, Hamlet centres on that angst-ridden prince of Denmark with the funny name. Hamlet (Olivier) is depressed. His father is dead, murdered by his uncl...

Keep those votes coming in for the next year of review for Matt vs. the Academy. The poll remains in the right-hand sidebar for your voting pleasure. Yesterday, my look at 1948's Best Picture nominees continued with a viewing of... The Snake Pit Director : Anatole Litvak Screenplay : Frank Partos and Millen Brand (based on the novel by Mary Jane Ward) Starring : Olivia de Havilland, Mark Stevens, Leo Genn, Celeste Holm, Glenn Langan, Helen Craig, Leif Erickson, Beulah Bondi Academy Awards : 6 nominations 1 win, for Best Sound As The Snake Pit begins, Virginia Stuart (de Havilland) is confused and anxious, seemingly unaware that she is living in a mental institution. She barely recognises her own husband Robert (Stevens) when he visits and only vaguely remembers the events of the past few months. With the help of Dr. Kik (Genn), she is treated with a variety of psychiatric therapies, including shock treatment, hydrotherapy and hypnosis. Her condition fluctuates as s...

Well, I'm back in Las Vegas, making stuff up on stage with the rest of the cast of Aussie Improv Comedy Explosion . The weather is certainly much more agreeable than in New York City, but the trade-off is the increased static electricity due to the dry desert air. And, unfortunately, it is next to impossible to avoid touching metallic objects, so the sparks are flying. You can now put your request in for the next year of review by using the poll over there on the right. You have your choice from a bunch of fine 1980s films. For now, let's begin our look at the Best Picture nominees from 1948 by discussing... The Treasure of the Sierra Madre Director : John Huston Screenplay : John Huston (based on the novel by B. Traven) Starring : Humphrey Bogart, Walter Huston, Tim Holt, Bruce Bennett, Barton MacLane, Alfonso Bedoya Academy Awards : 4 nominations 3 wins, including Best Director and Best Supporting Actor (Huston) Fred C. Dobbs (Bogart) and his new buddy Bob ...