my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home

» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Community   » Film Handlers' Movie Reviews   » AUSTRALIA (2008) (Page 1)

This topic comprises 2 pages: 1  2

Author Topic: AUSTRALIA (2008) Richard P. May Expert Film Handler Posts: 243 From: Los Angeles, CA Registered: Jan 2006 posted 11-24-2008 01:07 PM                     While not LAWRENCE OF OUTBACK, or GONE WITH THE KANGAROO, I thoroughly enjoyed all 165 minutes of this picture. It has about every cliche in the book (handsome cattle drover with glamourous English aristocrat, big cattle drive, very good good guys, very bad bad guys, child in peril, war) you name it, but it really moves and held the audience's attention. Just don't get too critical, and sit back and enjoy it. Seen at the Academy's Goldwyn Theater, with maybe 700 people. As always in this venue, a perfect presentation.  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 11-24-2008 07:18 PM                        I cannot stand the "child in peril" synopsis. Probably because I hate kids.  |  IP: Logged Kurt Zupin Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 989 From: Maricopa, Arizona Registered: Oct 2004 posted 11-26-2008 04:34 AM                     All I can say is WOW and EPIC! I truley loved this film, Baz Lurhmann has done something that dosn't happen very often, he has made a true epic. For the entire run time I never looked at my watch, I never lost interest in the story. I was hooked from the start to the end. The only thing that worries me is that not a lot of people will go out and see it as the trailers don't really give you the right idea about this film. Joe, give it a chance. You never know, you may like it. 5 out of 5  |  IP: Logged Phil Blake Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 558 From: esperance western australia Registered: Nov 2003 posted 11-27-2008 12:34 AM                        I can only mirror Kurt.I thought it looked good sounded good and had a good balance of emotions all the way. The story travelled well i was not at all bored at any point. 4 out of 5 stars from me  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 11-27-2008 12:44 AM                        I walked by at one point and saw native Australian Nichole Kidman attempting to sing to a foreigner kid. I walked away feeling disgusted and came back a few minutes later. She was STILL singing the the little foreigner kid (who would later use nothing but his mind powers/telekinesis to stop a herd of cattle from rampaging off of a cliff)! 20th Century Fox should have made the Amazing Creative Genius Baz Luhrmann cut that singing part out.  |  IP: Logged Jennifer Pan THE JEN! Posts: 1219 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: Nov 2003 posted 11-27-2008 03:15 AM                        About an hour too long... a lot of scenes felt dragged out and could have been cut out easily. Yeah, its Epic... as in long and big drawn out story with some panning shots of landscape. Visually very nice, story was good too, but I felt like at least 5 times the film was over... oohh nope it keeps going. Several occasions where it pushes the emotion... a little too much in fact. Oh yeah, too many characters I wanted to care about die in this... ooopps spoiler... It's a good movie to see when you haven't had a long day of work and staying up to see it at 10:30 at night. 1/2 out of 5  |  IP: Logged Stu Jamieson Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 524 From: Buccan, Qld, Australia Registered: Jan 2008 posted 11-29-2008 06:35 PM                     I take my Akubra off to Baz Luhrmann, we haven't seen anything on as grand a scale as Australia since the glory days of Aussie cinema when we produced such splendid films as Breaker Morant, Gallipoli and (most notably in this case) The Man From Snowy River. It's just a shame that Luhrmann's picture required American money to make, an indictment of Australia's limited capital and (to a much lesser extent) the overall health of the local film industry. But regardless, Baz is flying the flag for Aussie culture around the world and even if it is represented in slight caricature, as in all good mockery, there is a strong element of truth in it. My main concern for Australia was how much of a Baz Movie™ it was going to be, as each of his succeeding films to date had been more garish than the previous project; from the slightly wacky but play-it-straight Strictly Ballroom to the almost obscenely lurid Moulin Rouge. Thankfully, on a scale of Bazness, Australia is much closer to the former than the latter and, sans Luhrmann's trademark gratuitous flamboyance, stands to reach the largest possible audience - an important factor if the picture is to recoup it's not inconsiderable budget. The photography of the film is quite extraordinary. Despite the location shooting, the film has a classic studio-lit look to it, mimicking the fairy tale quality of The Wizard Of Oz which it so frequently references. Of course, it's all very stylised but it's very pretty too, being the equivalent of the outback getting a fashion-shoot makeover - wash out the dirt and dust and apply some eye-liner here, some rouge there and a little bit of lippy there - when Baz is finished with the Aussie landscape, you'll want to take it out on a date (maybe even get a bit of action in the back seat). The film plays to the strengths of it's cast: Nicole Kidman with her stiff-upper-lip English aristocrat; David Wenham's weasily bad guy with his trademark nasally whine; and Hugh Jackman's rugged ockerism, picking up and running with the "Baton of Quintessential Aussie Bloke" dropped by Paul Hogan some years ago. Anyone who ever performed in an Aussie movie (and is still alive) is in this film with the exception of Bruce Spence. No.....wait a minute.....there's Bruce there. Strike that previous assertion, everyone is in it! In a time of social cynicism and a black-armband view of Australian history, Baz admirably pays his respects to the Stolen Generations without being overtly moralistic. Indeed, in a time where "nationalism" has become a dirty word, he respects all aspects of black and white culture without prejudice, presenting a film which all Australians can be justly proud. I wish it every success. 8 out of 10.  |  IP: Logged Mark Lensenmayer Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1605 From: Upper Arlington, OH Registered: Sep 1999 posted 11-30-2008 04:27 PM                     This is a big, sprawling epic that is very entertaining. It is generally predictable, but that is very comforting in this case. It never drops to pure "soap opera", however. The film moves along very nicely, never seeming to drag. Performances were extremely good, especially by Brandon Walters as the child Nullah. There is some absolutely beautiful cinematography in the film. Nice to see a good film after the awfulness of SCHENECDOCHE. Gets an A- on our scale. Some slight red dots I believe on reel 7, but not as bad as some others lately.  |  IP: Logged Mark J. Marshall Film God Posts: 3188 From: New Castle, DE, USA Registered: Aug 2002 posted 11-30-2008 07:34 PM                    I will agree that this film was very good, and highly entertaining. It also moved pretty quickly. I will also agree that the trailer(s) for this movie sucked horribly. I saw the trailers several times and had no idea what to expect going into this movie except that Nichole Kidman and Aragorn were in it. In fact based solely on the trailer, I didn't even want to see this movie. I'm glad the wife dragged me to see it anyway.  |  IP: Logged Stu Jamieson Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 524 From: Buccan, Qld, Australia Registered: Jan 2008 posted 11-30-2008 09:01 PM                     Not Aragorn, Wolverine!  |  IP: Logged Mark J. Marshall Film God Posts: 3188 From: New Castle, DE, USA Registered: Aug 2002 posted 11-30-2008 09:27 PM                    Huh?? I guess that's what I get for sitting too close!  |  IP: Logged Kurt Zupin Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 989 From: Maricopa, Arizona Registered: Oct 2004 posted 12-01-2008 04:20 AM                     I didn't see Viggo Mortenson in Australia  |  IP: Logged Mark J. Marshall Film God Posts: 3188 From: New Castle, DE, USA Registered: Aug 2002 posted 12-01-2008 06:02 AM                    Yeah, I guess I didn't either. The funny thing is that we were switching back and forth between the Lord of the Rings movies and the X-Men movies on TV for the past two evenings. Maybe that's what confused me.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-06-2008 11:07 PM                     This is very enjoyable for sure and worthy of a "night out". Some of the digital effects were somewhat poor though and could have been a little better polished. Great story and a movie this year thats finally worthy of some big awards. One thnig I learned from the movie... the area of Austrailia shown is more or less just like the west Utah Desert... right along with mystical powers and strange people... Only difference here is the mystical powers are the Petroglyphs left behind by the Indians and the strange people are Polygamists... and oddly enough they also raise cattle! Imagine that... Mark  |  IP: Logged Phil Blake Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 558 From: esperance western australia Registered: Nov 2003 posted 12-08-2008 11:26 PM                        I wondered about the darwin attack CGI scenes as well , they had that "painted" look about them , i am wondering if they were purposly made that way to give that old look. alot of the film seemed to have that olden days look and feel to it. Interesting comparision with Utah Mark , and time stands still there, not much has changed out there for decades.  |  IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

This topic comprises 2 pages: 1  2

Printer-friendly view of this topic

Hop To: Select a Forum: Category: Operations -------------------- Digital Cinema Forum Film Handlers' Forum Large Format Forum Ground Level Feature Info, Trailer Attachments & REAL Credit Offsets Category: Community -------------------- Film-Yak Film Handlers' Movie Reviews The Afterlife Bob Maar's Joke-A-Thon Category: Classified -------------------- Equipment and Supplies Wanted/For Sale Help Wanted/Seeking Employment Category: System -------------------- Software Beta Testing Forum

The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.