Matt vs. the Academy

It's been a busy few weeks as Kat and I have been getting all the pieces together for the inaugural production of our theatre company, Australian Made Entertainment . In September, we will be presenting Cosi , a classic Aussie comedy about a bunch of mental patients who cobble together a performance of Mozart's opera, Cosi fan tutte. If you can't make it to New York in September, you could always check out the film version , which I believe is also available on Netflix. In any case, be sure to 'like' us on Facebook to keep up to date with our progress. After a hectic week, I managed to squeeze in a viewing of another Best Picture nominee from 1971's contest... A Clockwork Orange Director : Stanley Kubrick Screenplay : Stanley Kubrick (based on the novel by Anthony Burgess) Starring : Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Adrienne Corri, Miriam Karlin, Godfrey Quigley, Anthony Sharp, Warren Clarke, Aubrey Morris, Michael Bates Academy Awards : 4 nomin...

As New York suffers through its current heat wave, being inside a theatre is a pleasantly cool place to be. On July 4th, Kat and I, along with a few friends visiting from out of town, took in a show, and what better show for Independence Day than Gore Vidal's The Best Man . The play itself was a little long and static (they still found time for two intermissions) but the star-studded cast made it all worth it. At 81 and 86 respectively, James Earl Jones and Angela Lansbury are as captivating as ever. And they share the stage with a veritable who's who of the sitcom universe - Will & Grace's Eric McCormack, Night Court's John Larroquette and Murphy Brown's Candice Bergen. Meanwhile, in an air-conditioned apartment, I take a look at 1971's next contender for Best Picture... Fiddler on the Roof Director : Norman Jewison Screenplay : Joseph Stein (adapted from his book of the Broadway musical, which was based on stories by Sholem Aleichem) Starring ...

After several months of planning, my talented wife Kat and I have finally launched our theatre company. Australian Made Entertainment will concentrate on producing Australian plays in New York City (and, considering my love of film, we will inevitably branch into movie-making as well). We have a theatre booked for our first show later this year, so stay tuned for more details. This blog will undoubtedly feature more announcements on behalf of the company but, in the meantime, visit our website , like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter . Kicking off our look at the Oscar nominees for the Best Picture of 1971 is... Nicholas and Alexandra Director : Franklin J. Schaffner Screenplay : James Goldman (based on the book by Robert K. Massie) Starring : Michael Jayston, Janet Suzman,  Harry Andrews, Tom Baker, Michael Bryant, Maurice Denham, Jack Hawkins, Ian Holm, Curd Jürgens, John McEnery,  Roderic Noble,  Eric Porter, Michael Redgrave, Alan Webb, Irene Wort...

The last year of review took me about three and a half months. I've knocked off about a month this time around, so hopefully that's a sign that things will move at a swifter pace from here on in... But don't quote me on that. The nominees for Best Picture of 1959 are: Anatomy of a Murder Ben-Hur The Diary of Anne Frank The Nun's Story Room at the Top Five nominees with vastly disparate subject matters, united by their intensity and thought-provoking themes. Despite this excess of gripping drama, it was the epic that presented itself as the clear front-runner, no doubt due to its legacy. Perhaps not coincidentally, the other four films all offer conclusions that could in some sense be described as unsatisfying - not because of any error in the filmmaking, but rather that they're simply just downers of varying degrees. Each of the lead characters essentially fails to achieve what they really want, or if they do, they then realise it wasn't actua...

On Sunday night, my short film, Clicked , had its screening in competition at the Hoboken International Film Festival , although technically, the cinema at which it screened was actually located in Hoboken-adjacent Jersey City. As could be expected late on a Sunday evening in Jersey City, the turnout was not spectacular, a circumstance accentuated by the large auditorium. Nevertheless, the few movie-goers in attendance seemed to enjoy themselves and, post screening, I was even able to speak to one such attendee, who was modestly complimentary of the film, so I'll take it. A light rail and four trains later, Kat and I made it back to Astoria, stopping in for an early breakfast at our favorite local haunt, Sanford's . Nothing quite like an egg, bacon and cheese sandwich at two in the morning. Now we turn to the final nominee from the race to the 1959 Best Picture Oscar... Anatomy of a Murder Director : Otto Preminger Screenplay : Wendell Mayes (based on the play by ...

It's hard to believe that it's already tech week for The Taming of the Shrew  and that we open in three days. If you're in the New York area in the next three weeks, be sure to pop along and say hi. We now take a look at another Best Picture contender from 1959... The Nun's Story Director : Fred Zinneman Screenplay : Robert Anderson (based on the novel by Kathryn Hulme) Starring : Audrey Hepburn, Peter Finch, Edith Evans, Peggy Ashcroft, Dean Jagger, Mildred Dunnock, Beatrice Straight Academy Awards : 8 nominations 0 wins The Nun's Story, as its title suggests, is the story of a nun. Gabrielle (Hepburn) is a stubborn young woman who, for some reason, chooses to enter a Belgian convent with hopes of serving as a nurse in the Congo. She endures the brutal identity-stripping training, struggling to keep up with what is expected of her, but thrives during science class as she learns all about tropical diseases. Despite topping the class, Sister Luke, ...

Last week, I began rehearsals for Titan Theatre Company 's production of The Taming of the Shrew, opening at the end of this month. In an unexpectedly exciting twist, the first read through was held at the historic club known as The Players . Over 120 years old, the club was the brainchild of famed 19th century American actor Edwin Booth, whose bedroom still exists on the upper floors of the club, reportedly untouched since his death in 1893. Quite a step back in time, let me tell you. Along with its incredible roster of famous past members, The Players is also noted for being the location at which Actor's Equity was covertly formed. We turn now to another of the Academy's picks from 1959 for Best Picture... The Diary of Anne Frank Director : George Stevens Screenplay : Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett (based on their play, which was based on "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank) Starring : Millie Perkins, Joseph Schildkraut, Shelley Winters,...