Matt vs. the Academy

Well, my Oscar nomination predictions turned out to be fairly average, especially considering how well I did with the nominations last year. Maybe I can save face with some decent winner predictions, though I'm not sure that's going to happen either. The trend of the Oscar winners becoming harder and harder to predict continues. It feels like there are even fewer sure things this year than there were last year, and last year there were hardly any. So, without further ado, here are my predictions for who's going to take home Oscars on Sunday night. Happy Oscars weekend!

Just popping back in to deliver my Oscar nomination predictions ahead of Tuesday morning's announcement. It feels like this gets more and more difficult every year. Granted, last year was my best ever, but I probably just got lucky. I'm certainly not expecting to achieve anywhere near that level of success this year. So many races seem wide open. But I've made my choices so I'll stand by them and, if necessary, remove the egg from my face on Tuesday. If you're interested, you can  take a look at my predictions here .

From the chill of Sydney's winter back to the oppressive heat of another Los Angeles summer, I've returned to my adopted home without blogging about the last film I watched before leaving L.A. in the first place. The three weeks in Australia was a nice holiday, but now it's time to get back to business. Next up, we take a look at another musical entry into 1935's Best Picture contest... Broadway Melody of 1936 Director : Roy Del Ruth Screenplay : Jack McGowan, Sid Silvers, Moss Hart, Harry W. Conn Starring : Jack Benny, Eleanor Powell, Robert Taylor, Una Merkel, Sid Silvers, Buddy Ebsen, June Knight, Vilma Ebsen Academy Awards : 3 nominations 1 win, for Best Dance Direction After his boss orders him to make his column more sensational, Broadway gossip columnist Bert Keeler (Benny) stumbles upon a potentially sleazy relationship between producer Bob Gordon (Taylor) and wealthy widow Lillian Brent (Knight). She is investing in his show on the ...

Greetings from wintry Sydney, Australia. I'm back in my home town for a few weeks visiting family and friends, so I may not get much of a chance to watch more of the current crop of nominees, but I had already watched two more of them before I left L.A., so I hope to at least find a little time to blog about them while I'm here. And indeed, here are my thoughts on one of those films, another Best Picture nominee from 1935... Naughty Marietta Director : Robert Z. Leonard, W.S. Van Dyke Screenplay : Frances Goodrich, Albert Hackett, John Lee Mahin (based on the operetta by Victor Herbert [music] and Rida Johnson Young [book & lyrics]) Starring : Jeanette MacDonald, Nelson Eddy, Frank Morgan, Elsa Lanchester, Douglas Dumbrille, Joseph Cawthorne, Cecilia Parker, Walter Kingsford, Greta Meyer, Akim Tamiroff Academy Awards : 2 nominations 1 win, for Best Sound In order to escape an arranged marriage, a French princess (MacDonald) adopts the identity of a ...

Last week, I had the pleasure of attending an Academy event which, for this Oscars freak, was a giddy experience, despite it being a fairly low-key affair, open to the public. In any case, I'm grateful to be living in a city that affords me the opportunity to attend such things. As you can see from the program (pictured to the right), this was a George Stevens Lecture, the Academy's long-running series of screenings/lectures celebrating the cinematic arts (and, if I'm not mistaken, I believe the point is that it's always a George Stevens film). While waiting for the event to begin, the audience was treated to some archival footage of interviews with legendary director George Stevens and producer Pandro S. Berman , discussing some behind-the-scenes tidbits about the movie we were about to see. Then, after a brief introduction by Academy President John Bailey, we heard from the director's own son, George Stevens Jr. , also a filmmaker and an important figure in ...

It's always a little difficult writing a verdict when I've left so long in between the first and last film viewings of a review year because I barely remember the first film any more. Thankfully, though, this is a blog, so I can just read my posted thoughts on each film to refresh my memory. Funny how that works. The nominees for Best Picture of 1946 are: The Best Years of Our Lives Henry V It's a Wonderful Life The Razor's Edge The Yearling This shortlist is heavy on classics and, with a diverse range of subject matter, no two are particularly alike, either. From a Shakespeare adaptation to a coming-of-age drama to the ultimate feelgood Christmas flick, it's quite a mixed bag. The Yearling was probably my least favourite, though certainly not unworthy of its recognition as a Best Picture nominee. The Razor's Edge, too, is fine but the melodrama prevents it from being at the top of my list. Third to go is Henry V. I thoroughly enjoyed the clev...

Well, I've got a verdict post to write, as well as the first post of the next year of review, so let's move this right along. Our final film in the race for 1944's Best Picture is... Henry V Director : Laurence Olivier Screenplay : Laurence Olivier, Dallas Bower, Alan Dent (based on the play by William Shakespeare) Starring : Laurence Olivier, Renée Asherson, Robert Newton, Leslie Banks, Felix Aylmer, Esmond Knight, Leo Genn Academy Awards : 4 nominations 0 wins, plus 1 Honorary Award Young King Henry V of England (Olivier) believes that France is rightfully part of his domain, and after being teased by the French, he begins a military campaign to claim their throne. His troops successfully take Harfleur, but at Agincourt, they are vastly outnumbered. Victory will be hard won here, testing Henry's skills as a strategist, a leader, and even an orator. Henry V begins with the clever conceit that we are actually watching a filmed version of the play ...

This is beginning to be a bit of a pattern. I neglect the blog for several months and then I notice there's a local screening of a Best Picture nominee, so I book myself a ticket, but because the screening is of a film in a different year of review than the one I'm currently working on, I'm forced to watch a number of films in quick succession in order to complete the current year of review before going to the screening. So, here we are again. With two films remaining in 1946's Best Picture race, here's a look at... The Yearling Director : Clarence Brown Screenplay : Paul Osborn (based on the novel by Marjorie Kinnan Rawling) Starring : Gregory Peck, Jane Wyman, Claude Jarman Jr., Chill Wills, Henry Travers, Forrest Tucker Academy Awards : 7 nominations 2 wins In the latter part of the 19th century, 11-year-old Jody (Jarman) lives with his parents, Penny (Peck) & Ora (Wyman), on their farm in rural Florida. As the family struggles to make ends...

I was hoping to have watched a couple more 1946 movies before making this post so that I could have spent a bit more time discussing this year's Oscar race, but we'll have to make do with a quick 11th hour post instead. I know I said it last year, but this year really has been the toughest Oscar race to predict in about as long as I can remember. Despite the fact that Best Director and the four acting categories seem like foregone conclusions, almost every other category is a toss-up. For so many categories, there are two main contenders (sometimes three) that are almost impossible to separate, including Best Picture. At the risk of repeating myself from last year, I'm really not confident of my selections here at all. We'll know in less than 24 hours whether my coin tosses paid off. So, for those of you interested, here are my predictions for the 2017 Academy Awards. Enjoy!

With the Screen Actors Guild Awards last night (which, incidentally, Kat and I were very fortunate to attend - more on that in an upcoming post), the acting races now have very clear frontrunners. And tomorrow morning, we'll find out who is in contention as the Oscar nominations are announced. Here are my predictions on which films will see themselves shortlisted. Some are near certainties, but overall, this was a slightly tougher year to predict. We'll find out soon enough how well I did.

Just over two weeks now until the Oscar nominations are announced, so let's take a quick look at how the lead acting categories are shaping up. Gary Oldman was the early frontrunner for the Best Actor prize for his transformation into Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour. However, 22-year-old Timothée Chalamet could give him a run for his money due to a star-making performance in Call Me By Your Name. He'd be the youngest winner in that category by several years if he can pull it off. Tonight's Golden Globes (which are in progress as I write this) may boost one of their chances since they're competing against each other in the Best Actor in a Drama category. The Globes may also provide some insight into the Best Actress race, which is much more unclear at this stage. Sally Hawkins probably has the most buzz so far for her role in The Shape of Water, but Frances McDormand (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) and Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird) have both garnered attentio...

This year's Oscar race is heating up. Most of the critics associations have weighed in with their picks, and the Golden Globes and SAG Awards nominations have been announced as well, so a few frontrunners are emerging. Probably the surest shot at this early stage is in the Best Supporting Actor category. After an esteemed career to date, including two prior Oscar nominations, it seems like this could be Willem Dafoe's year for his performance in The Florida Project. Meanwhile, the Supporting Actress contest is shaping up to be a battle between two horrible mothers - Laurie Metcalf in Lady Bird and Allison Janney in I, Tonya. Both are almost guaranteed to earn their first Oscar nominations next month with the scales leaning towards Metcalf for the win. And now we shift our attention back to the next 1946 Best Picture nominee... The Razor's Edge Director : Edmund Goulding Screenplay : Lamar Trotti (based on the novel by W. Somerset Maugham) Starring : Tyrone Pow...

We now come to the impetus for my recent productiveness on this blog. Last week, one of L.A.'s premier revival cinemas, The New Beverly , held a screening of the eventual winner of this year of review. I've written briefly about the New Bev before and I only wish I had the time to visit it more often. After three years in L.A., this marks only the second time I've been. In any case, here's my take on 1946's successful Best Picture nominee... The Best Years of Our Lives Director : William Wyler Screenplay : Robert E. Sherwood (based on a novel by MacKinley Kantor) Starring : Myrna Loy, Fredric March, Dana Andrews, Teresa Wright, Virginia Mayo, Cathy O'Donnell, Hoagy Carmichael, Harold Russell Academy Awards : 8 nominations 7 wins, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (March), Best Supporting Actor (Russell) As World War II comes to a close, three American servicemen meet for the first time on the return trip to their hom...

Like the previous year of review, there is one picture among these nominees that is clearly held in high regard by film buffs, film reviewers and film historians, so it's tough to look past that. Nonetheless, when making these verdicts, I try to set aside any outside influence and focus on the filmmaking, so let's see where that leads us. The nominees for Best Picture of 1972 are: Cabaret Deliverance The Emigrants The Godfather Sounder Three films in that list have continued to enjoy a place in pop culture for the last several decades. The other two are not quite as well remembered. All of them, however, are intensely dramatic in different ways, and they share a common theme: survival. Perhaps not surprisingly, the two least remembered films were also my least favourite. Sounder had some fine moments but overall, it felt too superficial for my liking. The Emigrants was engaging on many levels, but its laboured storytelling is not my cup of tea. If the first h...

This is one of those times when my incessant procrastination pays off. The next film of review has been unavailable in the US until early last year, so seeking it out for a viewing would have been far more difficult before then. Let that be a lesson to you all. Sometimes, if you put something off long enough, it actually becomes easier. So, let's see what we make of this nominee from the Best Picture contest of 1972... The Emigrants Director : Jan Troell Screenplay : Bengt Forslund, Jan Troell (based on the novels by Vilhelm Moberg) Starring : Max Von Sydow, Liv Ullmann, Eddie Axberg, Allan Edwall, Monica Zetterlund, Pierre Lindstedt Academy Awards : 5 nominations 0 wins The Emigrants opens with a series of oddly statistical captions about the Swedish town in which the main characters live. In fact, the subtitling, in general, of the version I watched is more than a bit unprofessional. The English translations are not always grammatically correct, not to ...