Matt vs. the Academy

With very little doubt, 1999 brought with it a slew of incredible films. Personally, I consider it to be the finest year for cinema in recent decades, primarily due to the pictures' originality. Whether it was a portal into John Malkovich's brain , a red pill that reveals the truth , frogs raining from the sky or a club for men to punch the crap out of each other , it's hard to deny that 1999 left an indelible mark. The five pictures nominated for that year's Best Picture Oscar were no exception and I immensely enjoyed revisiting them for this project. The nominees for Best Picture of 1999 are: American Beauty The Cider House Rules The Green Mile The Insider The Sixth Sense Since this is a year I hold in great esteem, I've had occasion to ponder my favourite nominee several times before, so it was somewhat of a foregone conclusion which film I would pick. Nonetheless, I shall go through the motions and contemplate all the contenders. The surprising thing about thes...

It's been just over a week since my last post, which I believe is the longest hiatus I've taken thus far since the project began. So, perhaps this is an opportune moment to discuss the details of my arbitrary deadline. As mentioned in my inaugural post , I had intended to wrap up my movie-watching duties by next year's Academy Awards ceremony. The viewing rate began admirably but it soon became a little impractical to be devoting six days a week to sitting in front of the television (and then, today, I read this ). Now, with only a little over ten percent of the films crossed off my list, the rate would have to be increased to more than one film a day for me to meet that deadline. Which is clearly preposterous. But I'm not going to set a new deadline. Instead, I'll enjoy the process without a date looming over my head. Although, I'll try not to leave a week in between posts, either. Finishing off the slate of films vying for the 1999 Best Picture award was... Th...

Happy New Year, my dear readers. May 2010 bring you just enough of what you dream of to keep you satisfied, but not so much that you have nothing left to dream about. Kat and I spent a quiet evening at home on New Year's Eve, avoiding the freezing temperatures outside. We also wanted to test the view from our apartment, which happily provided us with an uninterrupted look at the fireworks over the Manhattan skyline. A dazzling sight, without question, but the pyrotechnic display didn't hold a candle (no pun intended) to Sydney's music-synchronised spectacle . Granted, New York doesn't quite have the open spaces that Sydney Harbour affords, so that's to be expected, I guess. Plus, it is summer in the southern hemisphere at the moment - another reason to pine for home. The first Matt vs. the Academy film for the new year was another Best Picture nominee from 1999's contest... The Cider House Rules Director : Lasse Hallström Screenplay : John Irving (based on his n...

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...