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In Reply to: Australian made movie recommendations? posted by drudgery on April 22, 2004 at 08:53:25:
I was never a huge fan of the most popular Oz flicks like Simply Ballroom, Muriel's Wedding or the Mad Max series. (I enjoyed them...mostly. However, Australia has better things to offer. Other people love them and you might too.) And forget about that piano biopic of David Helfgott starring Geoffrey Rush.But one of my favorite filmmakers of all time is Australian Peter Weir, whose 1970s Oz trilogy introduced me to film down under:
Pinic At Hanging Rock
The Last Wave
GallipoliAfter Gallipoli, you might also check out:
Breaker MorantI love Brit director Nicholas Roeg, whose wonderful movie Walkabout, shot in the Aussie outback, is now on DVD.
Before there was "The Great Cate" (Blanchette, that is) there was the great Judy Davis, who knocked everyone out in her film debut My Brilliant Career.
One of my favorite Oz flicks is from 1991: Proof - starring the (then) unknown Hugo Weaving and a very youthful, low-key Russell Crowe.
Crowe turned in a career-making performance that same year in the explosive Aussie drama Romper Stomper.
I was rather fond of a film few other people saw, Oscar and Lucinda, starring Cate Blanchette and Ralph Fiennes. Flawed, but I truly enjoyed it.
More recently, about the time Lantana came out, another, less publicized Autralian film called Innocence was making the North American festival and arthouse circuit. Excellent, subtle film, although I don't know if it's available on video here.
This year, Japanese Story was interesting. Currently playing in arft houses is a fascinating film called The Tracker.
Dark City and Star Wars Episodes 2 and the soon to be released Episode 3 were shot in Australia.
There are probably several excellent Oz productions that never made it across the big pond.
O gosh! I just thought of another one...damn, I can't remember the name - The Cars That somthing something...about a town that profits by creating auto accidents to strangers passing though, hilarios...let me think...
oh well...the rest should keep you busy for a while. Then you must move on to Kiwi filmdom.
Follow Ups:
but after it ended I said, "Huh?" Definitely form over function. It was a rather simple idea the was embellished to death with beautiful cinematography and not much else.
A pre-Agent Smith Hugo Weaving in The InterviewFred Shepisi's The Devil's Playground (circa mid 70's, semi-autobiographical) and A Cry In The Dark (with Meryl Streep & Sam Neill), two of his best, I think.
The Last Days of Chez Nous
Children of the Revolution
Sirens (just OK, but worth a look for several reasons)
Country Life (You can tell I'm a Sam Neill fan, Aussi-fied Chekhov)
Cosi (staging Mozart opera at an aylum, with a great ensemble cast: Barry Otto, Rachael Griffiths, Toni Collette, Dacid Wenham among others)
Rabit Proof Fence
The Quiet Room (This has shown on IFC, you might not even have to rent it.)
Although directed and produced by Aussies, The Year of Living Dangerously wasn't actually shot there. But it's an excellent flick nonetheless, set in Indonesia during the fall of Sukarno. Peter Weir directs, and it stars a dashing young Mel Gibson and sultry Sigourney Weaver. Themost memorable performance in it, however, was the amazing turn by Linda Hunt, playing the native (male) photographer who befriends Gibson's reporter. Must see if you haven't already.
Some people love The Man From Snowy River. In the same vein Silver Stallion is an excellent brumby movie for kids. (Also stars a young Russell Crowe.)
Try to resist Priscilla Queen of the Desert, unless you simply must see Hugo Weaving and Guy Pearce in drag.
So many movies...so little time.
How could I forget?!! Circa 1973-74, I think.See it or be square.
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