Matt vs. the Academy

Don't forget to vote (in the poll on the right) for the next year to be covered in Matt vs. the Academy. Still plenty of time as we reach the halfway point of the 1937 review. Speaking of which, the film at the centre of discussion today has proven to be a hard find. Despite being available on DVD in most overseas markets, it has never had a DVD release in the United States. Fortunately, though, the New York Public Library boasts two copies on VHS, according to their online database. I'd need to purchase a VCR, but at least I'd be able to watch it. After putting one of those copies on hold, I waited to be notified of its availability. Two weeks later, I contacted the library to ask of its whereabouts, only to be told that it was last seen well over a month ago and there appears to be no sign of it. What about the second copy? Oh, that one was lost a long time ago and it shouldn't even be in the system at all. Fantastic. A quick Google search and eBay comes to the rescue...

As is probably evident, I love the Oscars. Unwaveringly. Unconditionally. In an utterly pig-headed defensive sort of way. I'm not even sure what it is exactly that I love so much. It's not the glitz or glamour (although I'm sure that's part of it). Perhaps it is the prestige. Or maybe it's just that it combines two of my favourite things: movies and statistics. In any case, I love the Oscars. However, if you are so inclined, you'll always be able to find something to complain about ... The awards were given to all the wrong people ... They snubbed my favourite movie ... The ceremony was too long ... too boring ... too gaudy ... too fake. Not me, though. Try as they might, the Academy will never lose favour with me. They can give an American Idol contestant an Oscar. They can allow late-night personalities to host the ceremony. They can omit Farrah Fawcett from the In Memoriam montage. They can turn Norbit into an Oscar-nominated film. No matter what, I love ...

One more sleep until the Oscars. While Kat and I get ready for our Academy Awards dinner party (featuring such items as Avatado and The Hurt Liquor), here are my 2009 Oscar predictions , including my wacky Avatar-Bigelow combination for Picture-Director. As Avatar and The Hurt Locker battle it out for the 82nd Best Picture award, yesterday I watched the winner of the 10th Best Picture award... The Life of Emile Zola Director : William Dieterle Screenplay : Norman Reilly Raine, Heinz Herald, Geza Herczeg (based on the book "Zola and His Time" by Matthew Josephson) Starring : Paul Muni, Gale Sondergaard, Joseph Schildkraut, Gloria Holden, Donald Crisp Academy Awards : 10 nominations 3 wins, including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor (Schildkraut) Contrary to its title, The Life of Emile Zola is less a biography of the famed French writer as it is an exploration of the Dreyfus affair . While it does deal with Zola's life, especially his rise to fame, the central focus ...

Less than a week now until the 82nd Academy Awards ceremony, so allow me these musings on how things may turn out. The four acting awards, as in most previous years, are relatively easy to predict, the supporting categories especially. Christoph Waltz and Mo'Nique are all but locks for Inglourious Basterds and Precious respectively. Jeff Bridges is definitely leading the game for Best Actor. And Sandra Bullock currently holds the favourite spot for Best Actress, but don't be surprised if that goes a different way. If there's going to be an upset, this is where it will be. The screenplay awards are also fairly clear. Up In The Air seems to have Adapted Screenplay in the bag, and I suspect The Hurt Locker will edge out Inglourious Basterds for the Original Screenplay gong. Best Director and Best Picture are perhaps a little trickier. The media is certainly touting the competition between ex-spouses James Cameron and Kathryn Bigelow for the director's award, an...

New York is once again enveloped by a snowstorm, and as it stretches into its second day of near constant snowfall, what better way to pass the time indoors than watching movie outtakes. I stumbled across a fascinating collection of classic bloopers that Warner Brothers created on a yearly basis for about a decade or so. It is somehow reassuring to know that even the greats like Humphrey Bogart and Bette Davis and James Cagney screwed up now and then as well. It is also abundantly clear that "Nuts!" was the curse word of the time. P.S. Don't forget to vote for which early 1970s year we should cover next. Poll is on the right. Yesterday began the journey into the ten-deep set of nominees involved in the battle for Best Picture of 1937... The Good Earth Director : Sidney Franklin Screenplay : Talbot Jennings, Tess Slesinger & Claudine West (based on the novel by Pearl S. Buck) Starring : Paul Muni, Luise Rainer, Walter Connolly, Tilly Losch, Charley Grapewin Academy Aw...