4/8/2009 4:46 PM
posted awhile ago
Re:Weekly Theme for April 6: Everything Aussie
I want to wait on writing any critiques about Australia before I see it again. It was a beautiful film, but there was just something that was holding it back from being a truly magnificent film. I really liked Baz Luhrmann's other Aussie centric film Strictly Ballroom. It was interesting to watch it after seeing all of his later films and seeing how his personal style blossomed from his first film.
A film that completely transformed my life was Muriel's Wedding. It was one of those movies that I could totally relate to at the time of my life that I first watched it and remains a favorite to this day. Toni Collette (pre-Sixth Sense), Rachel Griffiths (pre-Six Feet Under) and an ABBA score, gotta love it.
You can't mention Australian films without mentioning Paul Hogan and the indelible Crocodile Dundee. One of those horribly bad yet awesomely good films that you can't help but love. Lest we forget that it was nominated for a Best Screenplay Academy Award. Something to think about.
Somersault was a really interesting independent flick from down under. Abbie Cornish was insanely good as the emotionally and physically scarred runaway looking for herself in a chaotic ski town. Worth checking out.
Yes, I'm going to say it: The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. A bunch of drag queens consisting of Agent Smith from The Matrix, Leonard Shelby from Memento, and General Zod from Superman driving through the outback in a pink bus. 'Nuff said.
One that ALWAYS make me tear up is Babe. Cute little talking pig trying to be a dog. For the longest time I thought this was an English film but eventually found out that it was an Aussie pic.
Another family friendly Aussie film is The Rescuers Down Under. Interestingly, both of the Rescuers movies deal with extremely dramatic issues of kidnapping and child abuse which I really respect considering they are Disney films.
Preempting American History X with the remorseful, introspective Neo Nazi rethinking his life, Romper Stomper had Russell Crowe and quite a bit more emotion.
And I'm gonna go ahead and mention Dead Alive since I doubt we're going to get around to doing a Weekly Theme on New Zealand films. It is probably my favorite slapstick comedy / horror film. Love Love Love it.
Quigley Down Under - I vaguely remembering my parents dragging me to this at the movie theater when I was 8 years old. All I remember was that my Gummi Bears were a helluva lot more interesting that the movie.
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