Matt vs. the Academy

Rehearsals are in full swing here at the Allenberry Playhouse in Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania. Fortunately, I have found some free time to continue this silly little project of mine. The poll to decide the next year of review is ready for your input and, considering there are ten nominees in the current year, I suspect you will have plenty of time to vote. We begin the review of 1940's Best Picture contenders with... The Long Voyage Home Director : John Ford Screenplay : Dudley Nichols (based on the four Glencairn Plays by Eugene O'Neill) Starring : John Wayne, Thomas Mitchell, Ian Hunter, Barry Fitzgerald, Wilfrid Lawson, John Qualen, Ward Bond Academy Awards : 6 nominations 0 wins One of two John Ford films nominated for Best Picture in 1940, The Long Voyage Home follows the crew of the freighter SS Glencairn as they sail from the West Indies back home to Mother England with a shipment of explosives that they are secretly transporting to aid in the Allies' war effort. Th...

It's hardly worth mentioning any more, but yet again, I have reviewed five more excellent films. The 2002 crop of Best Picture contenders is an impressive assortment worthy of their nominations. My pick of the bunch was not an incredibly difficult decision, but it was a close call, nonetheless. The nominees for Best Picture of 2002 are: Chicago Gangs of New York The Hours The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers The Pianist The fascinating thing about this collection is the level of disillusionment one takes away from each film. Despite their artistic and entertainment value, each picture presents a relatively bleak view of life, sometimes leaving the audience with little faith in humanity. They each retain the positive aspects of their respective genres while introducing some darker themes to boot. Of course, there's nothing wrong with dark themes. The films are all very effective and touching. It's just interesting that they were all nominated together, that's all. The L...

Well, I'm settled in here at the Allenberry Playhouse in Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania. Music rehearsals began yesterday and, for those of you familiar with My Fair Lady, you'll know that Col. Pickering is not required to flex his singing muscle all that much. Consequently, I have had a grand total of 45 minutes of rehearsal time in the past two days, which is good news for Matt vs. the Academy because it meant I could watch another film today. This wealth of free time will not last forever, though. In fact, tomorrow, we begin rehearsing scenes and again, for those familiar with My Fair Lady, you'll know that Col. Pickering, despite his sparse dialogue, spends a great deal of his time sitting in the background. Last chance to vote for the next year of review. The poll is waiting for your mouse to click it. Earlier today, I viewed the last of the 2002 Best Picture nominees... The Pianist Director : Roman Polanski Screenplay : Ronald Harwood (based on the memoir by Wladyslaw...

This may be the last entry for a short while. It may not be, but I thought I'd better lower your expectations just in case. Next week, I leave New York to spend the summer at the Allenberry Playhouse performing for Pennsylvanians ... and anyone else who cares to stop by. Hopefully, my rehearsal and performance schedule won't cause too much of a disruption to normal proceedings here at Matt vs. the Academy, but if you don't hear from me in a while, you'll know why. By the way, the poll for the next year of review is still taking votes, so make your voice heard. Just glance over to the right. Today, I watched another nominee from the Best Picture slate of 2002... The Hours Director : Stephen Daldry Screenplay : David Hare (based on the novel by Michael Cunningham) Starring : Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore, Meryl Streep, Stephen Dillane, Miranda Richardson, John C. Reilly, Toni Collette, Ed Harris, Allison Janney, Claire Danes, Jeff Daniels Academy Awards : 9 nominations 1...

Although my interest in soccer mostly died out after my stint in the Under 8's , I have to admit that I've still come down with a bit of World Cup fever. My parents are a little more devoted and are currently in South Africa on a tour, where they will attend all the matches featuring the Australian team. While it must have been difficult for them on Sunday to be first-hand witnesses to the Socceroos' humiliating 4-0 defeat at the hands of the German team, imagine how Kat and I felt as we watched the game at the Bohemian Beer Garden . Although the venue is technically a Czech and Slovak pub, the painted German flags on patrons' faces made it clear which team had more support. Not to mention the four rousing cheers that erupted. Yes, that's right. Four. Today, I watched another nominee from 2002's Best Picture shortlist... The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Director : Peter Jackson Screenplay : Fran Walsh, Phillipa Boyens, Stephen Sinclair, Peter Jackson (bas...

Uncharacteristically, I failed to notice that the previous post (reviewing Chicago ) was the 100th post of Matt vs. the Academy. Surely, a celebration is in order. Perhaps I could follow in the footsteps of 80s sitcoms and have a clip show, highlighting the best moments of the past 100 posts ... or not. I'm also fast nearing 100 films watched, as well. Plus, next week, this project will mark its 300th day. Meaningless milestones all around. Last night, the next 2002 Best Picture nominee was popped into the DVD drive... Gangs of New York Director : Martin Scorsese Screenplay : Jay Cocks, Steven Zaillian and Kenneth Lonergan Starring : Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis, Cameron Diaz, Jim Broadbent, John C. Reilly, Henry Thomas, Liam Neeson, Brendan Gleeson Academy Awards : 10 nominations 0 wins New York, 1846. In the slum known as Five Points, two rival gangs prepare for a territorial battle. On one side are the American-born "Natives", led by Bill Cutting (Day-Lewis), ni...

The new poll to decide Matt vs. the Academy's next year of review is up. Five different years from the 1940s to choose from. One of them has ten nominees, all the others have five. Meanwhile, let's get cracking on the nominees from 2002. Yesterday, I had the occasion to watch the first of the contenders for Best Picture that year... Chicago Director : Rob Marshall Screenplay : Bill Condon (based on the stage musical by Kander & Ebb) Starring : Renée Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere, Queen Latifah, John C. Reilly Academy Awards : 13 nominations 6 wins, including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actress (Zeta-Jones) Chicago, 1927. Roxie Hart (Zellweger) is bored with her meek husband Amos (Reilly) and dreams of fame as a vaudeville star. She begins an affair with a man who promises her important introductions, but when he admits that he has no connections, she impulsively murders him. This crime of passion lands her in jail, where she awaits her trial. In prison,...