Father Geek here with our latest weekly column from the film industry downunder and outback...

The sad news is that Australian writer-producer-director TIM BURSTALL had a stroke and died April 19th in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Personally I always favored his film take on D. H. Lawrence with the award winning 1986 flick KANGAROO... I'm not alone in that judgement either, because it pulled down the big prize at the Moscow International Film Festival as well as other awards during its inital run in cinemas around the world. At any rate Tim will be missed in Texas as well as Australia.

Now, here's our guy on the scene Latauro, and...

THE DOWNUNDER REPORT

Clark Kent was Superman’s take on the human race.

AICN-DOWNUNDER

I wish I had something cool to report. With all that’s happening in Australia and New Zealand, you’d think there’d be too much stuff to even print in this column.

You’d be right.

Problem is, everyone’s tightlipped. Which, on odd occasion, wouldn’t be a problem... but it stands out this week. Our only piece of news this week is an obituary for one of the most influential figures in Australian film.

NEWS

not so cool dept...

Tim Burstall passed away earlier this week at the age of 76. He directed STORK in 1971, which was the biggest Australian film in seventeen years. In 1973 he directed ALVIN PURPLE, which was the first Australian film to be released worldwide by an American distributor. In 1982, he made ATTACK FORCE Z with Mel Gibson and Sam Neil. Burstall was credited with completely changing the Australian film industry. Condolences go out to his family and friends.

AWARDS AND FESTIVALS

CANNES FILM FESTIVAL

Australian film SOMERSAULT has been selected to screen at Cannes this year – a massive bit of news for the government-funded project. In competition is THE LIFE AND DEATH OF PETER SELLERS, starring Geoffrey Rush.

CANNES FILM FESTIVAL: CINÉFONDATION

VCA animated short FOOTNOTE, produced by the Victorian College of the Arts and directed by Pia Borg, has been selected to screen as one of twenty international films for the student film wing of the festival.

37TH WORLDFEST HOUSTON INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Out of five hundred entries, Australian film LOVE’S BROTHER was awarded the Grand Remi – the top honour at the festival. Director Jan Sardi was present to accept the award.

BOX OFFICE

Lat’s prediction (well, it was more of a hopeful prayer) that ETERNAL SUNSHINE would knock everything else down a notch this week was disregarded as the film came in eighth behind... well, a whole bunch of bullshit. Meh, who really cares? Cinematic masterpieces that will be remembered for years to come are a dime a dozen, right?

Check out the list and weep...

• 1. STARSKY AND HUTCH
• 2. SCOOBY DOO 2: MONSTERS UNLEASHED
• 3. THE CAT IN THE HAT
• 4. 50 FIRST DATES
• 5. TAKING LIVES

RELEASED THIS WEEK

Gus Van Sant bowls for Columbine, Uma Thurman unleashes vengeance on the man who betrayed her (no, that’s actually the film, we don’t do tabloid gossip here), and Paul Hogan does for the gay community what BABE did for the pork industry.

This week, you can go see...

• ELEPHANT
• KILL BILL VOL. 2
• STRANGE BEDFELLOWS

REVIEWS

KILL BILL VOL. 2

There is a point that comes during a great film where you think ‘Yep, I’m sold’. The moment where everything you’ve seen beforehand suddenly clicks and you surrender yourself entirely. For me, this moment came at the very beginning of Chapter Six – the chapter that opens KILL BILL VOL. 2.

I didn’t rave about VOL. 1. I wanted to, but for me it was akin to great foreplay, followed by great sex – skip the orgasm – and suddenly I’m out in the foyer eating cold pizza wondering what the hell happened. As great as it all was, as much as I agree it built to a climax and left us with a tantalising cliffhanger, it still only felt like half a film to me. And raving about half a film is a very difficult thing to do.

On the other hand, it did mean that VOL 2 had to do very little before I was completely won over. All the build up had occurred in the first film, so the second had me at ‘hello’.

This is a phenomenal piece of cinema. Though I must admit, in allowing myself to get caught up in the excitement of big mid-shot zooms, hammy monologues to camera, big fight scenes... I forgot that Tarantino actually knows what he’s doing. He knows full well that classic films have a heart to them, they have a real emotional core. Budd isn’t just some hick. He’s a guy with a crappy life who will do almost anything to get money, except betray his past (despite what he tells his brother). This isn’t a fact that’s announced with big flashing lights; you have to work for it. And if you don’t want to work for it, just enjoy the big fight scenes.

The emotional heart comes to a head (it’s a contortionist, see) in a scene that I won’t dare spoil for anyone who’s not yet seen it. But it’s truly heartbreaking. I thought Tarantino was blowing smoke when he said Uma Thurman should win an Oscar for her role, but he’s bloody right.

KILL BILL is the most intense love between a director and an actor that I’ve ever witnessed. I’m talking on-screen love here (before I get another round of angry emails from Kate Beckinsdale). Through he isn’t afraid to put her through the ringer over and over and over again, he has a clear and intense affection for Thurman the Actress. It’s an affection that only serves to make the film ten times what it could have been.

If actors have one role above all others that they will be remembered for, a character’s name that is synonymous with their own, Uma Thurman deserves to be forever associated with The Bride. I want to avoid sycophantism, but find it hard to talk about the film without going there, so I’ll simply leave with this: I saw KILL BILL VOL. 2 between ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND and THE DREAMERS (review coming next week). This is one of the best weeks of cinema-going I’ve had in my life.

NEXT WEEK

- Bruce Willis denies his $55 million paycheque is in any way affecting the production budget for upcoming film DIE HARD WITH A PENCIL

- Miramax announce plans to periodically release DVDs of KILL BILL VOL. 2: PART 1, KILL BILL VOL. 2: PART 2, and KILL BILL VOL. 2: END CREDIT SEQUENCE, as part of what a top Miramax executive says is, ‘a real chance for us to butt-fuck the public’

- Fox options the rights to video game TETRIS, with Josh Hartnett attached as a rogue cop who discovers aliens have infiltrated a building site

Peace out,

Latauro

AICNDownunder@hotmail.com