Matt vs. the Academy

My good intentions of wrapping up this year of review quickly have clearly failed. Who would have thought producing a play would be so all-encompassing?  Così , the play in which Kat and I are acting in and producing is now in its final week and I'm finally beginning to come up for air. We've had some great reviews  and wonderful audiences, so if you're in New York City, get your tickets to the madness. We play until Sunday. Now, at long last, let's review the latest contenders... The nominees for Best Picture of 1971 are: A Clockwork Orange Fiddler on the Roof The French Connection The Last Picture Show Nicholas and Alexandra All five are extremely entertaining films, fine examples of their respective genres, and interestingly, all five essentially end on downers. Perhaps the Academy was feeling depressed in 1971. Between getting kicked out of their hometown, failing to catch the bad guy and being executed, the protagonists in these films don...

Rehearsals are well under way for Cosi , the first production of Australian Made Entertainment , the theatre (and eventually, film) company that Kat and I recently formed. We begin performances on September 7 in New York City, only three and a half weeks away, so if you're going to be in the area, get your tickets now . We now turn our attention to the final nominee from the Best Picture race of 1971... The Last Picture Show Director : Peter Bogdanovich Screenplay : Larry McMurtry and Peter Bogdanovich (based on the novel by Larry McMurtry) Starring : Timothy Bottoms, Jeff Bridges, Cybill Shepherd, Ben Johnson, Cloris Leachman, Ellen Burstyn, Eileen Brennan, Clu Gulager, Sam Bottoms, Sharon Taggart, Randy Quaid, Joe Heathcock Academy Awards : 8 nominations 2 wins, for Best Supporting Actor (Johnson) and Best Supporting Actress (Leachman) Contrary to my usual rule, my viewing of The Last Picture Show was of the director's cut, not of the original version that ...

It's not often the timing works out that one of the nominees from a year I'm currently reviewing happens to be scheduled for a retrospective screening in New York City during that time. Such was the case with the next subject of review, which had a one-day only engagement at BAM Rose Cinemas , which, if memory serves, is a Matt vs. the Academy first. Of course, had I been speedier with my look at the rest of the nominees, I would have been entirely finished with the current year of review and missed the opportunity all together. In any case, it certainly was a thrill to see this picture up on the big screen. In fact, I worry that it may give this film an unfair advantage in my final verdict, since the experience of watching a movie in a darkened cinema is far more all-engrossing than watching on a smaller screen at home, susceptible to all sorts of distractions. Advantage or not, here are my musings on this nominee from the 1971 Best Picture race... The French...

It's been a busy few weeks as Kat and I have been getting all the pieces together for the inaugural production of our theatre company, Australian Made Entertainment . In September, we will be presenting Cosi , a classic Aussie comedy about a bunch of mental patients who cobble together a performance of Mozart's opera, Cosi fan tutte. If you can't make it to New York in September, you could always check out the film version , which I believe is also available on Netflix. In any case, be sure to 'like' us on Facebook to keep up to date with our progress. After a hectic week, I managed to squeeze in a viewing of another Best Picture nominee from 1971's contest... A Clockwork Orange Director : Stanley Kubrick Screenplay : Stanley Kubrick (based on the novel by Anthony Burgess) Starring : Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Adrienne Corri, Miriam Karlin, Godfrey Quigley, Anthony Sharp, Warren Clarke, Aubrey Morris, Michael Bates Academy Awards : 4 nomin...

As New York suffers through its current heat wave, being inside a theatre is a pleasantly cool place to be. On July 4th, Kat and I, along with a few friends visiting from out of town, took in a show, and what better show for Independence Day than Gore Vidal's The Best Man . The play itself was a little long and static (they still found time for two intermissions) but the star-studded cast made it all worth it. At 81 and 86 respectively, James Earl Jones and Angela Lansbury are as captivating as ever. And they share the stage with a veritable who's who of the sitcom universe - Will & Grace's Eric McCormack, Night Court's John Larroquette and Murphy Brown's Candice Bergen. Meanwhile, in an air-conditioned apartment, I take a look at 1971's next contender for Best Picture... Fiddler on the Roof Director : Norman Jewison Screenplay : Joseph Stein (adapted from his book of the Broadway musical, which was based on stories by Sholem Aleichem) Starring ...

After several months of planning, my talented wife Kat and I have finally launched our theatre company. Australian Made Entertainment will concentrate on producing Australian plays in New York City (and, considering my love of film, we will inevitably branch into movie-making as well). We have a theatre booked for our first show later this year, so stay tuned for more details. This blog will undoubtedly feature more announcements on behalf of the company but, in the meantime, visit our website , like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter . Kicking off our look at the Oscar nominees for the Best Picture of 1971 is... Nicholas and Alexandra Director : Franklin J. Schaffner Screenplay : James Goldman (based on the book by Robert K. Massie) Starring : Michael Jayston, Janet Suzman,  Harry Andrews, Tom Baker, Michael Bryant, Maurice Denham, Jack Hawkins, Ian Holm, Curd Jürgens, John McEnery,  Roderic Noble,  Eric Porter, Michael Redgrave, Alan Webb, Irene Wort...