Matt Greene

I met Ashley first week of uni. We'd both turned up interested in writing about film for the union paper. Two minutes talking and I knew I was out of my depth: the man knew *everything*. So great to see this getting so much love. He's a brilliant writer.

Lovely detail spotted on a rewatch of Sentimental Value. The booth that they sit in when he first offers her the script has a plaque on the back commemorating Sten Egil Dahl, the fictional novelist the two protagonists are obsessed by in JT's first film, Reprise.

Horrible news for the haters, great news for the fan[base]

Gargling mouthwash on my way out the door to the dentist. Shades of revising for GCSE History by reading the order of Tudor kings off my ruler.

Oh absolutely. And like a dog, I often find it baffling that only other dogs can hear it.

Out August 3rd. Succession tells the story of Everton legend Colin Harvey's time as manager of Everton, following the most successful period in the club's history, at a time of great change in English football. Early pre-sale Waterstones promotion with 25% discount coming next week.
#everton

I've had fascinating discussions of the film with Jewish friends and non-Jewish friends but the one conversation that really took me aback was with the person who told me, apropos Rockwell's antisemitism, that they thought *he* was Jewish. (Sometimes you just gotta say goys will be goys)

Ultimate fantasy? Probably preparing the same unmodified meal for my whole family without immediate recrimination

"You can't buy thanks" is simultaneously the most insightful, revealing and infuriating thing the nine-year-old has ever said.

A very happy Valentine's day to those of you, like me, who like to present your thrift and lack of sentiment as ideological opposition

A lot of our political leaders seem to have misinterpreted the phrase "beneath contempt" as being roughly synonymous with "under the radar"

Yes! I don't always notice this stuff but the blocking in that scene is so interesting. The way he eclipses her in the frame and we only get to see her eyes as she reacts. The best part of a great performance

Have seen Old Joy?

Saw it in the cinema and halfway through a rewatch. Really excellent. Owes a debt to Kelly Reichardt, who we could all with owing a bigger debt too

Now, Good One: there is an accomplished debut film.

Matt Greene’s dystopian novel is about memory loss Personal and political views inspired The Definitions, a dark but humorous novel

My oldest friend here with an absolutely accurate hatchet job www.jewishnews.co.uk/matt-greenes...

Injury? Experience? There's no adjective more context-dependent than "life-changing"

If you haven't seen it, it's on Mubi. If you have, the cafe scene, oh man, the cafe scene...

Finished my rewatch of Oslo, 31st August, I think my fifth viewing. It really is a miracle of a film. I love Worst Person in the World and Sentimental Value but I don't think he's ever surpassed this. Do you know how mad it is to remake The Fire Within and somehow completely eclipse it?

The good thing about working in the arts in 2026 is you said goodbye to your dignity at least a decade ago, so here I am outright asking you to consider voting for THE DEFINITIONS if you liked it and are in a position to.

Not that I have a type but these are two of my favourite films of the past two decades

“Beware the Uberwoke, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that get!
Beware the rejoin bird, and shun
The frumious Zero-net!”

Can't get on board with snacks at pickup. You're collecting them from school, not liberating the camps

I assume they attempted the crossword.

Most enduring pleasant surprise of the decade so far is Richard Ayoade writing cheques in The Souvenir part 1 that Richard Ayoade in The Souvenir part 2 can 100% cash

Wait! Everyone dies??

My one career ambition is to reach the level where when people haven't heard of me it's performative

📣 New podcast!

In this episode of The Writing Life Podcast, novelist Matt Greene shares the process of writing his latest novel, 'The Definitions' – a work of dystopian fiction which interrogates and plays with the relationship between language, memory and the self.

🎧 buff.ly/ux58x0w

I've listened back to this because I am, despite everything, very vain, and I'm pleased to see I've gone in two-footed on Jeff Bezos and JK Rowling. Come for that, stay for me having a surprising amount of fun talking about craft and process.

The Writing Life Podcast The Writing Life is the podcast for anyone who writes. Every two weeks, we ask writers for tips and advice to help you improve your writing.

I usually mildly to strongly dislike talking about my work but last year I got to go on one of my favourite shows and I had a lovely, lovely time nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/get-involved...