Matt vs. the Academy

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...

I know I'm a week late to be discussing baseball, but has it not occurred to anyone in upper management at the MLB that it's possibly a bit of a misnomer to be calling the league's final battle the World Series. With only one team in the league that hails from outside the United States (and they're in nearby Toronto), it seems somewhat farcical to acclaim the winning team as the world champions. I guess when the MLB began, no other country was playing baseball, but even so, a bit of humility wouldn't go astray. World Series. I mean, really. Right, now that I've insulted America's pastime, which, incidentally, I enjoy watching in lieu of my beloved cricket , let's move on now to the latest Best Picture nominee from 1984 to be viewed, which was... Amadeus Director : Milos Forman Screenplay : Peter Shaffer (based on his play) Starring : F. Murray Abraham, Tom Hulce, Elizabeth Berridge, Roy Dotrice, Simon Callow, Christine Ebersole, Jeffrey Jones Academy A...

After a frustrating experience with the frustrating New York City transport system which left me waiting, frustrated, on a platform for thirty frustrating minutes before being told the train would never arrive, I was forced to call my director to explain why I was absent from today's rehearsal. Frustrating. The subway system here is usually more than satisfactory, especially in comparison to Sydney's equivalent, but then something frustrating like this happens and I lose all faith in it. Anyway, the frustration was alleviated when Kat and I walked to the nearby Bohemian Hall & Beer Garden for a bite to eat. Too cold for the impressive outdoor beer garden, we dined inside on the scrumptious Czech and Slovak food. As a schnitzel aficionado, I simply couldn't go past the Bohemian Schnitzel, a breast of breaded chicken stuffed with ham, cheese, egg and garlic. Simply heaven. Although, my arteries may have something to say about that. After a quick stroll through Astoria pa...

Celebrity sighting #34: Whilst performing my ushering duties, Isabella Rossellini entered the theatre to be seated in the second row, which unfortunately meant I could only see the back of her fairly distant head owing to the fact that I was positioned in the back row. My colleagues assured me over the walkie that it was indeed the daughter of Ingrid Bergman, so I took their word for it. (For the record, the number 34 is entirely fabricated. I am not, in fact, keeping a tally of my star-struckedness.) Moving on... The epic movie marathon that was the 1956 Best Picture race is now over and I must admit that, when I sat down to watch the next film for Matt vs. the Academy, it was nice to know that I wouldn't be spending over three hours in front of the television screen. The first of 1984's nominees was... Places in the Heart Director : Robert Benton Screenplay : Robert Benton Starring : Sally Field, Lindsay Crouse, Ed Harris, Amy Madigan, John Malkovich, Danny Glover Academy Aw...

Not one of the five previous verdicts over which I have pondered has been an easy task. The decision for the Best Picture of 1956 is certainly no exception. Due to my involvement in StinkyLulu's Supporting Actress Smackdown of the same year, three more films from 1956 crept into my viewing schedule and, as I already indicated, some of these additional films had me wishing they were in the Best Picture race. Nonetheless, I am to choose from the five films the Academy selected and so it shall be done. The nominees for Best Picture of 1956 are: Around the World in 80 Days Friendly Persuasion Giant The King and I The Ten Commandments 1956 was certainly a year for epic films. Three of the contenders clock in at over three hours, but interestingly, these three epics are of completely different genres - one is Biblical, another comic adventure, the third an intimate family saga. So, as always, it becomes difficult to compare them with each other. As for the two shorter films - which are ...